Unit 10 Exercise

1. Review your unit 3 personal assessment of your psychological, physical, and spiritual well-being. Reflect on these areas. How did you score yourself on a scale from 1 to 10 in unit 3? How do you score yourself now? Has the score changed? Why or why not?

In my unit 3 personal assessment, I scored by physical well-being as a 6... This is currently still a 6, but I have begun a physical training regiment that will hopefully soon have me moving up the scale towards a 10.

I scored my spiritual well-being as a 7... This score has moved up to about an 8 primarily due to the exercises that we have accomplished within this course. My spiritual sense has always been strong, but since beginning this course it has gained strength over time and continues to do so.

My psychological well-being was a 6, and still today stands at a 6... I am really working hard on this one and will accomplish everything that I need to in order to improve on this score. I've been dealing with some personal issues as of late which is why I have been unable to increase the score during this course.

2. Review the goals and activities you set for yourself in each area. Have you made progress toward the goals? Explain.

In both my physical and spiritual well-being, I've improved in trying to achieve the goals I've set for myself in unit 3. Physically I am performing my training regiment and spiritually I am continuing seeking out spiritual wellness through my faith and loving kindness.

As far as my psychological well-being goes, I have a ways to go before I can honestly say that I have accomplished or even achieved a part of the goals that I have set for myself. In time, through mindfulness exercises and training, I will begin to achieve all that I have set out to do within this aspect of my life.

3. Have you implemented the activities you chose for your well-being in each of the three areas? Explain

I have implemented the activities that I've chosen for my well-being within my physical and spiritual areas. I have yet to fully implement the activities that I've chose for my psychological well-being. This one will take just a little bit longer and will take effect once I have cleared up some personal issues within my life.

4. Summarize your personal experience throughout this course. Have you developed improved well-being? What has been rewarding? What has been difficult? How will this experience improve your ability to assist others?

I have really enjoyed this course and have learned that it takes more than physical well-being to become fully aware of how healthy you are. I feel that I have improved in most areas of my well-being... There are some areas that still require attention, but those areas will fall in line fairly soon.

The rewarding part of this course has been learning the mindfulness exercises in addition to learning that the mind is a powerful instrument that we all have at our disposal and if used properly, can lead us to experience total integral health. The difficult part has been teaching myself, and training myself, to look beyond what I see and venture into the realms of what I don't see. Once I have mastered this, I know that I will be on the path to a healthy long life.

In my line of work, this education and training that I have just received will benefit not only me, but the clients that I work with. I will establish criteria for each client to determine which exercises I can use to benefit them in their quest for integral health. In the process, I will do what I can to train them and teach them all that I have learned, so that they may take this knowledge into the personal life, which in turn, will give them a better opportunity for success in life.

Laura Castro

Unit 9 Final Project

My Personal Plan for Integral Health

By

Laura Castro

Unit 9 Project

HW420-03

I Introduction:

Why is it important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically? What areas do you need to develop to achieve the goals you have for yourself?

            It is important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically for the simple reason that in order for your clients to understand and really accept what you're teaching; seeing that you practice what you preach will go a long ways. Additionally,

it will be much easier to train clients within these aspects if you have the experience and knowledge of actually developing within these aspects yourself.

            I have always believed that in order for me to teach a task, whether it is to my employees or to a client, for me to be successful I really have to know that task without even thinking about it. It is kind of like breathing... You don't have to think in order to breathe, you just do. This is how I approach anything that I learn and then teach or train others. I learn that task to the point to where I can do the task without even thinking about what I'm doing... As a health and wellness professional, we should do the same thing in order for our clients and/or employees, family members or whomever we're training so that they feel very comfortable with what were telling them, what we're teaching them, and trust in the fact that we know what we are talking about and that we are confident in what they are being taught.

I believe that for me personally I have to develop in all areas in order for me to achieve my goals that I've set for myself. I believe that there is always room for improvement and that is important that you have this room available to you in order that you may constantly look to better yourself and your position in life.

            Psychologically, I have to really continue to train my mind and my thoughts in order to remove the clutter that I feel is my chief reason for stress, anxiety, and feeling a sense that I am not complete. Improving in this area will take everything that I have... I really must concentrate my efforts on improving this area in order to strengthen and foster a better mental fitness for myself.

            Spiritually, I need to work on what I have already achieved... I am, and always have been, a spiritual person and someone who looks to help the less fortunate than myself. I must continue in my normal daily practices of helping others, loving those that have very little love within their own lives, and just continue being kind and generous at every opportunity.

            Physically, is where I will concentrate my efforts the most In order for me to become physically fit. To achieve this, I will concentrate my efforts on better nutrition and will improve my dedication towards physical exercise and training. This is my toughest challenge, but I know that with physical exercise I can actually begin to improve in the areas of psychological and spiritual fitness due to the nature of the physical exercises and the energy that is released during these physical exercises.

II Assessment:

How have you assessed your health in each domain? How do you score your wellness spiritually, physically, and psychologically?

            I have actually created a sliding scale from 1 to 10, 1 being the weakest and 10 being the strongest, in order for me to assess my health on each level and in each domain. By doing this I really can see where I need to work at increasing my integral health and in which areas are good, but can always use improvement.

            I have always been someone that is kind and generous and always looking to help others to help in the fostering of my life. I have never thought about my wellness until I have taken this course and begun to see how much I have been missing. I always believed that wellness was something that you prayed for and fixed by going to your doctor when you seemed a bit out of sorts. After taking this course, I now know that my wellness is totally dependent on
me and no one else... It is totally dependent on how I take care of myself (mentally, spiritually, and physically) and how I plan to progress and grow within each one of these aspects.

            Psychologically, I find myself to be somewhere between a 5 and a 6 on my sliding scale. Now, this probably doesn't seem like a great score, but I look at it as an honest assessment of where I consider myself. This tells me that I really have a lot of work to do to improve my mental fitness.

            Spiritually, I would say that my assessment would be somewhere around and 8 on the sliding scale. I have always been a very spiritual person and this course has shown me ways that I never knew existed that will not only enhance my spirituality, but allow me to go out into the world and continue being kind, generous, and loving to all people.

            Physically, I would place myself at a 2 on the Laura Castro sliding scale of wellness. Now, I know you think it couldn't get any worse, but physically is where I really let myself down. My goal is to turn that 2 into at least an 8 by the end of this year.

III Goal development:

List at least one goal you have for yourself in each area, Physical, Psychological (mental health) and Spiritual.

Physical: The one goal that I have for myself and my physical wellness is to increase my dedication towards physical exercise. I have always exercised, but I've not really been consistent in my efforts. My goal this year and for the future is to establish a good physical exercise routine, to stick with it, and to dedicate the time required in order to see it all the way through to completion.

Psychological: The goal that I have established for myself psychologically is to begin using exercises, such as, the Loving Kindness exercise and Meditation in order to improve the level of control I have over my own thoughts and to increase my consciousness and level of thinking. I want to feel that oneness with myself and touch the deepest levels of interconnectedness in order to increase my awareness and mental fitness.

Spiritual: My goal for increasing my spiritual wellness is to continue being a kind and gentle soul in order to touch and change the lives of others. I will use the Loving Kindness exercise in order to re-energize my being and myself and to help me refocus on why I believe I am here and what I have to do.

IV Practices for personal health:

What strategies can you implement to foster growth in each of the following domains; Physical, Psychological, and Spiritual. Provide at least two examples of exercises or practices in each domain. Explain how you will implement each example.

Physical: The only strategy that I will have in order to increase my physical wellness is to consciously think and know that regardless of how I feel and how tired I may be I need to get up and do my physical routines.

The two exercises that I plan on including in my physical exercise routine will be walking and using my Gazelle exercise platform. I plan on walking, at a minimum, 1 mile a day to start and increasing that distance over the weeks to up to 3 to 5 miles a day. My plan is to walk at least 4 maybe 5 days a week with probably taking the weekends off. My Gazelle exercise platform will be in an essential part of my exercise routine. I will also do this 4 to 5 days a week in line with my walking routine. I'll perform this exercise for a minimum of 20 minutes per day and probably not to exceed 30 minutes.

Psychological: The exercises that I plan on conducting for my psychological wellness will be the Loving Kindness exercise and Meditation. I will perform the Loving Kindness exercise at least once every couple weeks or more often if I feel that the need arises. Meditation will be performed in line with my physical exercise routine. I'll perform Meditation after my physical exercise routine since I believe that I will be more relaxed and feel less stress and/or anxiety after my physical exercise routine. This will also allow me to really focus on my Meditation exercise and achieve oneness with myself.

Spiritual: To enhance my spiritual wellness, I will perform acts of kindness, such as volunteering in a homeless shelter and volunteering my time to work on the

line at a food kitchen. Both of these will be conducted in my spare time and at least several times a month. This will help me continue to grow spiritually by touching the lives of others and sharing my life with them.

V Commitment:

How will you assess your progress or lack of progress in the next six months? What strategies can you use to assist in maintaining your long-term practices for health and wellness?

The way that I will assess my progress or lack of progress in the next six months is primarily through monitoring. I will be aggressive in monitoring my progress through constant scrutiny of my actions, routines, and processes that are geared towards helping me gain full integral health.

             The main way that I will use to assist myself in maintaining my long-term practices for health and wellness is by creating a journal or diary of my day to day routines. By doing this, I will be able to make sure that I am progressing forward with all my routines and exercises that are geared to foster every aspect of my integral wellness and integral health. I can view my progress and be able to identify almost immediately any areas that need urgent reaction in order to ensure that I do not take any steps backwards.

Unit 8 Exercise

The two exercises that I have found to be most beneficial and the ones that I will prefer to use within my personal life to foster ‘mental fitness’ have been the Loving Kindness exercise and Meditation. These two exercises, in my opinion, are about oneness and being in touch with yourself and what is going on around you. The loving kindness exercise allows you to get extremely close on a deeper level to someone special within your life. Meditation allows me to clear my mind, connect to myself at the deepest level, and then focus entirely on relaxation.

I would use both of these exercises in my personal life to gain better a better understanding of all that is going on around me and within me. I would use meditation to relieve me of the stress of a busy day and to allow me the ability to refocus my thoughts to interconnect within my inner self with the main purpose or relieving stress and anxiety that I may feel.

I would use the loving kindness exercise within my personal life to remember who I am and what I believe. I have always been a person that believes in helping out others less fortunate than I, so this exercise would allow me to build strength on the love and kindness that I already feel towards my family, friends, and those who just need someone to share these thoughts with.

Laura Castro

Unit 7 Exercise, Meeting Asciepius

The individual that I have the utmost respect and admiration for is my grandmother who passed away when I was 15. She was not only the person that helped guide me to who I am today, but she understood me like nobody else. This exercise really allowed me to focus my thoughts and cleanse and purify my thinking to where I really felt as if I was being mentored by my grandmother once again.

As each beam of light was being introduced, I could actually see my grandmother standing there and feel her overwhelming presence. The beam pierced my thoughts and cleansed my mind and allowed me to feel the wisdom of my grandmother. I was able to feel all the wisdom of the past that my grandmother had given me. I felt very relaxed and very in touch with my grandmother and what she was trying to convey to me. It brought back some extremely loving memories and thoughts that I haven't felt in a very long time.

The saying "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself" means that how can we as wellness professionals possibly teach somebody about integral health and how to achieve integral wellness if we have not traveled and experience the path that they are currently going down. If we have not pursued our own integral wellness within our own life, then how can we possibly teach someone else how to achieve such?

As a wellness professional, I believe that we have an obligation to our clients to develop all aspects of our integral health, to include, psychologically, physically, and spiritually. In order for us to experience and gain knowledge to where we can lead others down the same path that we have gone, we must strive to better our integral health.

I feel that I can implement psychological and spiritual growth within my own personal life by practicing kindness and gentleness towards others. This is something that I have always believed in and have always practiced. By practicing kindness and gentleness, I will be able to touch the lives of others which in turn will enhance my life and all aspects of my integral health.

Laura

Unit 6 Exercise

The universal Loving Kindness exercise was quite relaxing... I found myself closing my eyes and nearly falling asleep as I recited the phrases as instructed by the unit instructions. I have always been somebody who thinks of others and will do just about anything for family and friends; and even strangers. This exercise helped me connect with a feeling of oneness and allowed me to really reach deep within myself to know that I love life and the people that I have struck myself with.

After completing the integral assessment, I have noticed that I really need help in all areas of development. The one area that really will require the most attention will be the area of my life dealing with my psychospiritual growth. I have always been a very spiritual person, but sometimes it takes a hit when something may happen in my life that is depressing or if I become disillusioned with something. This area of my life will require healing as well as integral development in order for me to foster the other areas of my life.

One exercise that I have begun performing that has actually begun to help with this area of my life is meditation. By allowing myself to meditate and reconnect with the oneness of my being, I begin to feel better about myself and I can actually feel my psychospiritual growth begin. Additionally, I use physical exercise to assist in reconnecting with the oneness of my being. I find that physical exercise removes the barriers and obstacles that can interfere with getting in touh with my most inner self.

Laura

Unit 5, Subtle Mind Exercise

The Subtle Mind exercise was a bit more difficult to master, but I do believe that over time I can train my mind in a way that this exercise will be quite beneficial to me. The Loving Kindness exercise was easier for me to accept because of the nature of the person that I am. I am already a loving, kind, and giving person and so the Loving Kindness exercise is already attached to me on a daily basis.

During the Subtle Mind exercise, I did find it a little difficult to get into a full mode of relaxation primarily due to all the chaos that is currently going on within our lives. As with the Loving Kindness exercise, my first attempt with the Subtle Mind exercise ended with me taking about a two hour nap. The funny thing about this one is that it was attempted when I was well rested with no chaos around me. Now although I didn't have any physical chaos within my boundaries, I still had chaos within the structure of my mind. The fact that I fell asleep on my first attempt might indicate that maybe I did do the exercise correctly and followed it through to achieve the end result I was looking for. I must say that I did feel pretty good after that nap... On my second attempt, I did listen to the exercise all the way through, but could never really get my mind to relax.

My spiritual wellness is directly linked to my physical and mental wellness and how well I am exercising all three. When I am tired, both mentally and physically, my spiritual wellness takes a direct hit and becomes tired and lazy. When dealing with emotional stress, I have noticed that it is tough to keep all three on track to integral wellness. It is tough, but I try everyday to find ways to keep all three functioning at the level for which I can ensure that I am not taking any steps back. This is tough, but I make efforts towards my goal every day regardless of what is going on around me.

Laura

Unit 4, Loving Kindness Exercise

I have always considered myself a loving, kind person and quite often think of and take care of the ones I love before I take care of myself. Listening to this exercise has made me realize that not only can I love the ones closest to me, but I can love myself at the same time.

The Loving Kindness Exercise was both beneficial and difficult for me... It was beneficial for me because I was able to channel a newfound area within myself that I never knew existed. I can love who I am and feel good about the things that I do and the person I've become. It was difficult for me because when I thought about the person closest to me (my husband) and the turmoil that he is feeling with the illness of his father, it brought tears to my eyes. At that moment, I truly realized how much I love him and also how much he needs me.

I would definitely recommend this exercise to anybody and everybody that I come in contact with because of the nature of the exercise. I believe that we all have a measure of love and kindness within us and this exercise will bring out our innermost feelings and emotions regarding this.

I believe that the ‘Mental Workout’ process plays a vital role in the development of not only our mental health, but also our psychological, spiritual, and physical health as well. It is an integral component in our journey towards integral health and complete human flourishing. We must constantly strive to work our mind, to train our mind to aid in our well-being and overall health.

Laura