Sharing Some Love & Kindness

I really enjoyed listening to the loving kindness exercise this week.  I knew before what the emotion "love" felt like, but the exercise made me hold on to that feeling and make it become more tangible.  As the emotion became more real and defined, I felt it easier to imagine passing it on to others.  Just picturing sending love to those in need of it made me feel better on the inside.  Feeling the emotion by itsself for such a long time improved my mental outlook and made me appreciate those around me more.  This exercise is difficult because I had a hard time focusing enough to picture something intagible like "suffering" and "love" being drawn out of others and into myself.  It did become easier the second and third time I did it, though.  It takes a lot of practice to train your body and mind to medidtate, but once you get the hang of it, it makes you feel a lot better.  I will recommend it to others.  In fact, after every meditation exercise I do, I tell my fiancee about it.  I am excited to start meditating because I know it will help me with my struggles, and I would like those around me to as well.

While I listened to the recording, I laid on the bed with my baby, and her and I played while I did the exercise.  I enjoyed relaxing for a minute, and she was just happy to have me playing with her.  Holding and cuddling with her made the process of holding on to the emotion a lot easier. 

The Rainbow Meditation

A.    Physical Well-being          6          I smoke, do not exercise, and I am a little overweight from recent pregnancy.  I want to become more active, choose healthier foods, and cut back on my smoking.

B.     Spiritual Well-being          4          I do not feel as "connected" to something like I did when I was younger.  I want to have more faith in people, the universe, and the higher powers.  I can try prayer and meditation because they have worked for me before.

C.     Psychological Well-being  7          My fiancée and I are adjusting to owning our first home, being parents, and all of the other responsibilities that come with that.  I want us to balance our priorities and find healthy outlets for stress like trading neck and shoulder massages. 

During the recording, I could not concentrate at all!  My environment was noisy and exciting.  Plus, I was holding my teething and very grumpy daughter during the recording.  I do not think I received the full effect of the meditation exercise; however, I was more pleasant after the exercise.  I felt relaxed and refreshed as a result of closing my eyes and getting lost in the tranquil music and soothing voice.  Hearing these two immediately changed my mood, and my body felt less tense.  I am not as stressed and ready to complete another task. 

After listening to relaxation recordings two weeks in a row, I have a deepening understanding of how the mind affects the body.  In the previous week, the theory of how the thoughts and mental images we have can affect our physical bodies affected me.  Similarly, this week the recording introduced me to how positive self-talk, visualization, and meditation can have a powerful effect on the human psyche.  I left my fiancée in the evening to do my seminar and meditation, and when I returned, I was in a much better mood.  I was no longer stressed and I had a positive spirit. 

I enjoy listening to the recordings every week.  It is an activity that improves my mental state and it is a healthy habit.  If anyone knows the reference for these recordings, I would appreciate it!  I do not know where to find it.    Please let me hear your thoughts and comments. 

Jess

My Arms & Hands Feel Warm & Heavy...

Wow! I just listened to the audio file for this assignment and it blew me away.  I was not expecting it to relax me the way it did.  I am absolutely amazed.  The music alone made me let go of my burden and worries.  Even though there was a lot of noise and distraction around me, I felt my body release the tension and every body part and sensation the voice described, I started to feel my body reacting. 

I definitely believe that the mind can control the body in an amazing and powerful way.  To illustrate, I have been experiencing discomfort in my abdomen and chest all day, but interestingly, during this relaxation recording, I did not feel it at all!  I am going to save this file and use it in the future.  Maybe it will help me quit smoking.

Reference:
http://www.kushs.net/kaplan/HW420/JourneyOn.mp3 Retrieved March 13, 2011 from Kaplan University.

Off to a Great Start!

Hello Class!  I am excited to start this journey into integral medicine with all of you; especially because this is my final class before I graduate with my degree in Early Childhood Education.  This course will help me understand myself better in my personal life.  As a result, I will gain a better outlook on my life and will be able to work past the many obstacles life puts in front of me.  In my professional life, this class will help me remain calm and focused in moments of stress.  Consequently, I will have better patience and the necessary skills to work in a childcare setting.  I will be able to put the children in a positive environment because I will help create it. 

My first impression of this course left me feeling skeptical of the material and theories I would be learning.  I guess I had a negative perception of what holistic medicine could do.  I also first believed this class to be a kind of self-help class, which I was not wanting to take.  After reading two weeks of assignments in our books Consciousness and Healing: Integral Approaches to Mind-Body Medicine and Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing, I feel that I have a better understanding of the meaning and many purposes of holistic and integral medicine.  Perhaps it is because I am in the culture where Western medicine beliefs are prevalent and I had a biased opinion of Eastern medicine and inner healing.  I am now ready to learn about healing my mind, and accordingly my body. 

I am going to add several classmates to my reading list on blogger.  If you think we would be able to discuss new and interesting thoughts about integral medicine and what it means to me, you, or society, add me and we'll get the comments flowing. 

Thanks for reading!


Jess