Unit 10 Final Blog

The scoring for my physical, psychological and spiritual well being remains the same I believe except that I am exercising more as I am starting to teach Zumba so I have to practice routines. I am happy where I am at at the moment. It has been a busy 2 classes through out this course and not a lot has changed however I have cut down on wheat products and sugar as I know they make me feel lethargic and my mind is not clear, so I feel a little depressed. I have started having a protein shake in the morning with coconut milk also; I use to take this a while back and I feel the difference. It is " Natures Plus Fruitein Green shake" So good :)
When I first started this course I was overwhelmed with the amount of work that was being asked however when I got started I made sure my time management skills were on point and made time. I promised myself at the start of my degree that I will have a B or above on all classes and I have achieved it so far with 3 classes left to complete.
Good luck and love to all ;)

Unit 9: Plan of Health & Wellness

Unit 9 Project: Louise Briggs

It is important for health professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically so to teach and advice from their knowledge and positive experiences. They have to be diplomatic, have integrity and see other patient’s complaints from a different perspective than their own so they can bring their own knowledge and that of others to that particularly patient. A health professional that is not fit in those three areas may only give what he feel is right and it may not be right for that patient. We are always learning even if we feel we have mastered something. My goal, from a psychological aspect is learning to be more patient and not being fearful of failure as I like to see perfection in all I do. Being spiritual has started to help me with those two problems.

Since becoming more spiritual over the past two years I do think more about the thoughts and feelings going on in my head and I bring them to the forefront to work on them and to bring them into balance. I all ready know for me this year is going to be a great one; partly to do with my astrology reading and my positive attitude. I can tick the physical box off as I am now becoming a Zumba instructor so I will be in good health so that scoring is an 8/10. Spiritually, again, I have excelled in making that a main priority so that has helped me mentally with how I view things and live my life so I score that 10/10. Psychologically, there is nothing that really affects my feelings to make me feel negative. I am a compassionate, healing person for myself and others. I like to give my all to everyone I meet whenever possible. Giving actually heals me in a way and I am blessed that spirituality had a part in how I view life, so I would score this aspect of my life 8/10

One goal for each area in my life would consist physically having at least three Zumba classes a week. Spiritually, meditating a least once a week and continuing in reading Astrology for others and myself. Psychologically, having a couple more affirmations around my house to remind me that nothing is impossible, life is fun, thoughts become things and love everything and everyone each day.

Strategies that I can implement to foster growth in my physical area are exercising at least three times a week, with my hand weights and Zumba and Tai Bo DVDs in the evening when my son is in bed, I can continue feeding my body the correct foods but with addition of a protein shake each day (which I have already bought) Also getting out and going for a walk on the days when I am not exercising when my son is at school. I will make a specific time and day to meditate each week one evening and add breathing exercises before hand. I will also expand my spiritual knowledge by going to a spiritual day class and continue on throughout my life with interests in astrology, auras, angel cards, numerology, Buddhism, philosophies, mythology, and psychology, amongst all the other knowledge and wisdom life holds! I feel my psychological strategies have become easier to handle due to finding spiritualism. Without that I may not be able to cope as well with stress as I do now. Positive thoughts keep me happy and take me out of a negative place quickly.

In the next six months I can check my progress by keeping a calendar of my Zumba classes. This is my work so there will be no reason for me not doing it. I can have a specific day for mediation on the calendar also. I can keep a diary with only the negative thoughts or feelings I experience and write them down on those dates so to look back in six months to see how I can deal more positively in the future. I graduate in July with a B.S in Nutrition Science, I turn 30 in May, I am starting working as a qualified Zumba Instructor in May and off to Hawaii at the end of the year. Life is wonderful :) 

‘What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow: Our life is the creation of our mind’ ~ Buddha

Unit 8: The 2 practices which were the most beneficial

I feel the unit 5 practice, The subtle mind, and the unit 7, Meeting Aesclepius were most beneficial to me as they focused on going deeper into my mind which I actually felt more relaxed. I enjoyed the breathing techniques and the meditation experience from the unit 7 exercise. I did not mind listening to the woman's voice in this one compared to when I had to focus on the unit 4 exercise. Overall these experience's have added to my spiritual knowledge and taught me to fully relax whenever possible while continuing to be compassionate to all and live life everyday with love.

Thank you :)

Unit 7: Meeting Aesclepius!

OK, on to the unit 7 exercise. This meditation exercise was my favorite and oh did I feel it. I have a mentor, he is my brother in law's father, who in fact is a medium and practices Rekhi, Aura reading and is just a wonderful person. So I focused on him, and to my surprise experience a beautiful feeling especially towards the end of the exercise when the lady told us to imagine our mentor as a white light that enters our crown chakra and touches our mind, throat; communication chakra, and our heart. I can describe these feelings as pins and needles throughout my body. I was completely relaxed as always when I came out of the meditation.
I meditate regularly so this practice increases and recharges my psychological and spiritual well being. With me it is all about mental imagery, and I love affirmations. These are what pushes me back on my path when I seem step side ways!

The saying ' one cannot lead another where one has not gone himself ' may be describe as trying to teach, or lead an individual but coming  from a place of not experiencing what they have gone through yourself by only learning from the outskirts. Regrading health and wellness the physicians of  western medicine do not practice or learn enough about; if any, integral health, so all they know is how to help patients from the outside but believing; or maybe hoping, this will be satisfactory. We all, especially health care professional in what ever field of health, need to practice human flourishing and take care of ourselves physically, mentally and most importantly spiritually.
I understand spiritual and psychological health is an ongoing process. I have a great mentor, enjoy the readings of Buddha and all spiritual pursuits, know in myself I am a compassionate and loving person so I have found the correct path and do not need to worry about how to implement these factors as they are already leading me.

Unit 6: Exercises for mind-body-spirit wellness and healing

I always find reading out loud more therapeutic, maybe its the tone of my voice, who knows? I seem to take in the words and what it is trying to tell me more so than reading it in my head. I do read affirmations and have a few around my house, mostly by Buddha. The loving kindness meditation exercise I found simple to take in the words as I am and have always been compassionate and empathetic towards others.

With the Integral Assessment, I found it interesting to focus on what part of my life do I find difficult and what line of development I should take. I would have to say having more patience and not letting the fear of failure with regards to my career, creep in. Even though I am usually positive and confident with all that I do, we are only human at the end of the day. As I get older I am getting better and I have my spiritual focus to keep my ego at bay ;)
An activity that I can implement more with these two things are more breathing exercises in regards to patience and keeping my book ' The Secret' close to me when that negative feeling of fear wants to show its ugly head! 

Unit 5 exercise: The subtle mind practice Question 2!

The connection between spiritual wellness and mental and physical wellness all goes hand in hand. Without one the others do not build and prosper to their full potential and could have negative results in the long run. Kinda like a car, it needs gas (physical) oil (mental) and water (spiritual) to keep it running. Without the checking (servicing) that the car is in good shape and all elements are running smoothly then eventually it will come to a halt and need fixing. Even though it will still run with a half the water in it, would you not agree this is a little daunting knowing that it could run even better when topped up to the max with some added antifreeze. What I am trying to say is that opening up ones mind to spiritual elements is a certain creation of happiness and self empowerment.
I was always into health and fitness and have been an optimistic compassionate individual from the get go,however since my divorce nearly 2 years ago, that is when; while living alone, I discovered myself more so and spirituality. So much so it has brought forward how I listen to my thoughts and change them straight away from negative to positive. I love affirmations to keep negative thoughts at bay and I study in depth astrology, chakras, aura color, healing and go to spiritual meetings as well as teaching Zumba, having a 5 year old and having this degree to mentally challenge me ;)
I love life ;)

Unit 5 exercise: The subtle mind practice

With the Loving Kindness exercise, it was more to do with thinking of others, which of course is fine but I did not get into a deep relaxed state as I did with this exercise, The subtle mind practice. I like the statement that the man said at the beginning 'Breathe is always with us so we work with it' Still the breathe is to still the mind. Focusssing on the breathing and oneness was more relaxing for me than having the other thoughts form the loving kindness exercise.
The sound of the sea waves has always made me feel tranquil however I did not like the woman talking in between as I would go deep into relaxation and then pop out of it again, I feel she should of explained it as the beginning. I practice this kind of meditation regularly. The feeling of being attached to nothing and traveling as far as the cosmos is a place I easily take myself to. The unity of consciousness :)