Unit 3 and the Mind-Body Connection is already here! Time
seems to fly by! After taking a time out to reflect on my overall well-being, I
think I can comfortably rate myself on a scale of 1 to 10. My physical
well-being can be rated at a 7 ½, my spiritual well-being is an 8, and my
psychological well-being is a 7. To begin with, I think we can all improve, so
I would never give myself a 10. There is always
something that can be worked on, modified, eliminated, or amended in some way.
I believe my physical
health is very good; I’m active and follow a healthy vegetarian diet. I think I
could improve in my strength training and endurance; I’d love to start cross
fit and participate in parkour. As a goal, I plan to add intensity to my daily
activities; if I’m running, I’ll run faster- if I’m swimming, I’ll swim
farther. In addition to enhancing my daily activities I would like to significant
add weight training to my agenda.
My spiritual well-being is strong. I am very comfortable
with my spirituality and I have an ability to open myself to new ideas. I would
like to try new methods of spiritual development in the near future. I plan on
attending some sessions that are different for me at a nearby mediation center.
Kirtan is one option that I’d like to experience.
My psychological well-being could be improved the most. I
feel a little overwhelmed with life right now; but I keep in mind that others
are facing an even harder struggle. My goal is to reduce my stress and ease my
mind. I feel like some stress management or simply learning to ask for help
might reduce my stress levels dramatically.
The relaxation exercise that we tried this week reminded me of
chakra cleansing; a simple self-guided meditation that I’ve been practicing for
years (and even taught my daughter at a very young age). This exercise was
easier for me to concentrate on than last weeks; maybe because I was more familiar
with the format. Differences in the Rainbow Meditation and chakra cleansing were
evident, though. This exercise began at the root, and continued to the crown; I
begin chakra cleansing from the top down. Also chakra cleansing doesn’t have to
involve specific color, although it can. For me, it often involves images such
as smoke, flames, waves, shapes, even words. Maybe I’m getting better at the
courses meditations, or maybe I was more prepared for this week’s exercise;
either way, I was more relaxed for this one!
