from earlier in class

The first week I attempted to make life more interesting by creating a poll about the sex of my unborn child...well it is going to be a baby BOY!!! We are very happy. It will be perfect because we already have a girl (Savvanna), so a boy (will be Syllus) will be one of each and we can be done! I have love that about this class, we are all able to get to know each other and learn things about each other that we would not have in another class. Thanks and have a nice day!

week 8 posting

Choose two practices that you have determined to be most beneficial. How can you implement these practices in your personal life to foster “mental fitness”?

Hi Everyone! I hope that you are all happy and healthy!~

We have gone over so many beneficial practices this term, and I have learned so much! There have been some that I did not really like that much, and then some that worked marvelously!~ I feel that if I could continue on and use two of the practices they would be journey on and subtle mind.

I just loved the journey on exercize. I found it to be very relaxing. It helped me calm down and begin to lower my blood pressure. I began that exarcize as a skeptic, but after doing it I have actually continued doing it daily. I feel that it is already bringing me mental fitness! I practice it in the morning before begining my day. I have found that it calms me down when dealing with the stresses of life.

The other exercize I really enjoyed was the subtle mind exercize. I found it to be incredibly helpfull and freeing. I would love to continue this on. Yet I have not yet. So to get the mental fitness that I seek, I feel that I should introduce this practice into my daily life and see what happens. I feel that since I am already doing journey on in the morning, the afternoons or evenings would be a beneficial time for subtle mind. One to help the day go good and one to help after the stressors of the day!

I am very curious to go and see what you all have to say about this! I hope this reaches you all in happiness and health. -Sara

Happy week 7 everyone!

1.Complete the "Meeting Asciepius" exercise on track #4 of the Dacher CD. Describe your meditative practice(s) for the week and discuss the experience. Explain how mindfulness or meditation has fostered an increase in your psychological or spiritual wellness. How can you continue to apply these practices in your life to foster greater health and wellness?

When we use mindfulness we open our minds and increase our other senses other than sight. Since I have begun my meditational journey I have noticed that I am able to feel more clearly, hear better when needed and be able to calm down more. Meditation has also helped me lower my blood pressure, and I have even been doing breathing processes to keep calm and comfortable. I plan to continue this in my life by doing it more. I also want to introduce my husband to it even though he is a bit against it, I hope he will come around.

2.Describe the saying: "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself” (P.477) How does this apply to the health and wellness professional? Do you have an obligation to your clients to be developing your health psychologically, physically, and spiritually? Why or why not? How can you implement psychological and spiritual growth in your personal life?

To me this statement means that one can’t teach another to do something when they have never experienced it themselves. When dealing with health and wellness we need to make sure that we have tried and grasped these things that we teach. If we expect a client to do something we have to be willing to try it on ourselves to get the best benefit. One example is if we are 100lbs overweight and we are telling a person they are fat and need to lose weight, they are not going want to lose weight as much as if a person who is thin is telling them to lose weight. We can implement these things by doing meditative processes, yoga or other calming exercises.

Have a lovely week everyone. Stay safe and happy! My daughter’s 4^th b-day is tomorrow.

Sara

Ok...I am even having issues copying and pasting, hopefully this is all here, the titles were only showing up!• Have a great week! -Sara

 

 

Mental fitness is a huge part of integral health.

•It assists us on a path to human flourishing and strengthens the connection between mind, body and spirit.

•There are many different reasons to practice mental fitness.

•Research has proved this connection and has made us understand the connections in our bodies.

•There are different exercizes and activities that we can do to promote mental fitness in our lives.

 

•Mental fitness helps us develop our brain function so that we are able to feel clear and focused and concentrate more on things that matter.

•Mental Fitness is a way to train the mind so that we can develop a healthy inner life as well as an outer life.

•According to Dacher (2006) our minds are flexible, dynamic and expansive, so we are able to systematically train them to form a higher amount of inner development.

•Even with as little as an hour a day we are able to we will be able to experience a flourishing of our health and will no longer be limited to ordinary ideas of health and remedies (Dacher, 2006).

•This can then become a healing force for everything  and everyone we meet in life (Dacher, 2006).

 

•Some of the beginning research in this field was done by Dr. Robert Ader in the 1970’s.

•He conducted behavioral studies where he fed rats flavored saccharine sweetened water mixed with a drug that produced nausea.

•He discovered that the rats then began to associate sweet water with nausea even when he took out the nausea causing agent.

•He discovered that this was a learned behavior and it was triggered by just a sweet taste added to the water.

•The findings were that the rats were able to mentally alter their immune systems.

•This study shows that with mental training there is the possibility to train the mind to certain outcomes and expectations so that desirable outcomes can be achieved.

 

•Candace Pert led another breakthrough in this science.

•She discovered a series of natural body proteins that are called neuropeptides.

•They constantly circulate through the body and function as a mind body communication system.

•This research is extremely valuable to the science of mental fitness because it shows us that things that effect us in the physical realm may affect us in another way. One example of this is high levels of stress that effect us mentally. This stress can also adversely affect the way that the body functions, such as cardiac functions.

 

•Dr. Peter Schnall conducted a study in 1998 pertaining to work stress.

•His study was conducted on mid level business managers to determine what their experiences with job stresses were.

•The research determined that managers who felt like their job was more of a goal to achieve and a game were more likely to have lower levels of stress and stress related issues than managers who just felt that the job was a stress and had feelings of helplessness and were ultimately overwhelmed.

•This study is necessary to the mental health field because it shows us that outside stressors can affect our mind and body if we let them. This gives us a reason to train our minds and maintain a healthy level of mental fitness, so this dose not occur. 

 

 

•There are different mental fitness exercises that we can do to train our minds.

•One very beneficial exercise is the Loving Kindness exercise.

•Another kind is the Subtle Mind practice.

•There are other activities that are beneficial to keeping a fit mind.

 

 

•Loving kindness is almost like a form of meditation. It involves taking in all the bad and then releasing it. Through doing this people are able to feel free and at peace.

•This is an excellent way to train the mind.

•Dacher (2006) states that if these practices are taken on with anticipation and perseverance they will be able to turn into confidence and certainty.

 

•The way to begin is to become comfortable and still. To do this you must free yourself from distractions around you such as noises or televisions.

•You then begin by thinking of someone who you love who is dear to you  and focus on them. Then bring loving thoughts about them into your heart.

•Then it is time to turn these feelings towards your self and be at peace with them.

•Now it is time to give attention to the thoughts feelings and emotions that go through your mind and give them the love and care.

•Then turn to your inner mind and focus on the stillness, peace and gentleness. Give it your heart and welcome it to your mind.

•Last it is time to use all this love and welcome it into your life.

•Then we move this to thoughts about family and friends and then to strangers to make sure that we are able to psychologically flourish.

 

•This is a contemplative practice that we can use to train the mind.

•The subtle mind states that there are two different parts of the mind the clear and the moving. (Dacher, 2006). The clear mind is often clouded by the moving mind, so this is a way to quiet the moving mind so that we are able to control our mind more efficiently.

•This includes the concept of the witnessing mind. The witnessing mind is when we train ourselves to take a step back and look at what is going on and release the mental chatter that occurs.

•Calm abiding is another part of this. Calm abiding is when we achieve a stillness in our lives and maintain that stillness. This is an accomplishment because the mind is undisturbed by the normal things such as thoughts and feelings that normally bother us while trying to maintain calmness (Dacher, 2006).

 

•We begin the subtle mind with beginning a breathing exercises and make sure that that becomes the focal point of your concentration.

•Next as the breathing becomes more rhythmic then the mind will follow.

•We will ease our minds and then concentrate on the focal point of our breathing.

•Now we will watch our minds and notice all the wondering thoughts, emotions and images then let them fade away.

•Now it is time to pause and concentrate on witnessing the mental movements and learning about our own mind. This is when we are able to discover how the mind works.

•Next your mind will stabilize in the stillness (this may not occur in all sessions of practicing.) We can now explore our still minds.

•This calm abiding will naturally evolve into unity consciousness, and our mind will become clear, quiet stable open alert and all knowing.

•It is recommended to write down any thoughts that you have at the end of the session.

 

•There are many fun things that we are able to do to help along our processes of mental fitness.

•Things such as chess, Sudoku and crossword puzzles work to make sure that we stay mentally fit.

•Other ideas are yoga and meditation to spur the body into prime mental fitness.

•Another technique that has been beneficial is to try to do mental exercises while doing a physical workout to keep both the mind and  body in tip top condition.

 

•A main part of becoming and maintaining a healthy life is by practicing mental fitness.

•It will help us on our path of mental flourishing.

•Mental fitness serves many benefits.

•It has been proven by different research studies to be beneficial to our lives because there are connections between mind and body.

•There are different activities and exercises that can be done to achieve this mental fitness.

 

•Dacher E. (2006) Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing. Basic Health Publications, Laguna Beach, CA.

•Pannyavaro, V.  (1995) Loving Kindness Meditation. Accessed on February 6, 2011, http://www.buddhanet.net/metta_in.htm

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Hi everyone! I have had a heck of a time uploading my powerpoint presentation on here, and have so far been unsuccessfull. So there for I am going to have to copy and paste what it will let me and see what comes from it!

What is Mental Fitness and how will it help us become healthier?

Wonderful Week 6* (Almost Valentines Day)

Hi everyone! I hope you are all having a great week!

I just love the universal loving kindness exercise. I feel that it is definitely a great way to expand our minds and hearts. I fully plan to use the phrases every day.  Just with the assessment exercise. It has really shown me what areas I need to work on. I really found that I am not working on my emotional development. My interpersonal area needs so much more work. I feel that I often make sure that I have all the other bases covered, yet forget about that one until last, or even put it off because it is the hardest to deal with. I am going to practice this by making sure that I am better aware of myself and making sure that I am also putting my needs on the table rather than just the needs of everyone else. I think that if I try to implement some time in my day or even week that is just for me I will be able to feel more fulfilled. I think that practicing journaling and expressing my feelings to my loved ones will also be a great idea.

Thanks for reading! Stay safe and happy and have a great week! Sara

Week 5 Post! =)

Hi everyone! I hope you are all well this week. I hope the ones of you who are dealing with that terrible weather are safe and warm indoors!

I found it so much easier to put my concentration into the subtle mind rather than the loving kindness. There was less talk going on and it was much more calming. I was able to clear my mind and breathe. I found it very beneficial. I think that I would recommend this to someone if they had issues with the loving kindness exercise. There are two types of people the ones who like the narration and the ones that dislike the narration and I definitely prefer peacefulness rather than someone talking through it! I really liked and had fun with this exercize where as I strongly disliked and felt like I was almost unable to do the last one.

It is necessary to have a connection not only with your body but also with your mind and feelings. If we don’t look to this connection we will be able to become ill and not know or understand the true reasons. We need to concentrate on every aspect of self to make sure that we are having a fully healthy self. In my own life I have been becoming more interconnected and discovering reasons for the health issues I have been experiencing.  I was getting headaches and also feeling tired and run down all the time. So I began to focus more on me and began to let my little frustrations go and have now been much healthier!

Once again I hope you are all having a safe and happy week. I wish you all the best. TTYS! Sara