Unit 6 Blog Post

Good evening class!

1. Practice the universal Loving Kindness (meditation) exercise on p. 93.
2. Complete the Integral Assessment discussed in chapter 11 (p.115).
3. Describe the exercise and assessment process. What did you discover about yourself? What area have you chosen to be a focus of growth and development? Why? What are some specific exercises or activities that you can implement to foster greater wellness in this area?

1. I could not get into the universal loving kindness exercise because I had to keep my eyes open to read the statements over and over. I even tried to have someone read them to me and there was too much audio going on with my friend saying the statement and me repeating it. However, the statements are very powerful because they were bigger than me; they offered loving kindness to the entire world--the entire planet! I think I would be able to concentrate on the statements more and have the desired outcome of expanding my mind and heart if I were listening to them from  CD or other audio method.
2. I found the integral assessment confusing; not clear at all. While I like guided meditation, I'm a visual person and I needed clear cut instructions and a copy of the assessment map that the author used. I wasn't sure what image to use.
3. Despite the fact that I didn't connect with the loving kindness exercise or use the integral assessment, I would like to focus on biological flourishing (fitness, nutrition and self-regulation) right now. Fitness and nutrition will directly impact my health and assist me with managing my lung disease. Self regulation will also help me progress to homeostasis and other mind/body practices. This level seems to be the most important to me now.

Eating right, exercising and having a daily spiritual practice are ways that I can foster greater wellness in this area. Eating right means choosing foods that will nourish my body and that are environmentally safe. Exercising means to manage my weight, increase flexibility and increase lung capacity. Having my daily spiritual practice means praying, meditating, reading scripture and/or inspirational readings and listening to positive music.