unit 6

1. The exercise process for loving-kindness is where I try and calm my mind and rest my heart by not being so anxious in thoughts and beats per minute. As I take a few minutes to slow myself down then I can repeat the exercise sentences to myself. In the assessment process I am also calming my mind and heart rate to a sense of stillness or quietness. One in a relaxed state I now reflect on my life and my personal being. I am to realize where I have difficulties and acknowledge the fact that I need to better them. I also will then think on other aspects of life and determine where I am ready to enhancement. If I am experiencing satisfaction, why not expand on it and take it to a higher achievement. 
2. I have discovered that I have difficulties understanding the mentality of society. That when people are together in a group they behave differently. Rules and guidelines clash and opinions and beliefs get in the way. I have a difficult time fitting in and I tend to not engage in groups of people of more than 3 that I do not know. I also have found that my faith or beliefs are small and not as complicated as entire religions. I do not place much faith in one supreme being that has a master plan for every individual. We live and die- that is the plan, and everything in the middle is up to us. I have chosen these two issues to focus on and grow with. The exercises actually stimulate the mind, body, spirit in a way that is similar to those that strictly read the books of religion. I can also improve societal behaviors with study and observation to create awareness. There are so many observable patterns to life and healing that are out there. I just have to continually clear my mind and accept all the information with an open mind and heart. Meditation, fitness, body feel, and loving-kindness are excellent activities to improve my inner awareness.

Subtle Mind

  This latest exercise is an interesting one. I am trying to observe how I think and what possible thought patterns I may have. I am fortunate in the sense that I have been trying to mimic this technique with those of my own prior to this book. I have been curious as to how I perceive life and how I interpret stimuli. How I ranked things in life as of importance from childhood, adolescence, and now adulthood. I believe this is called reflection.
  With the subtle mind exercise, I am attempting to grasp my pattern of thought. As I begin and my mind is all clattered with chaos and misdirection, I go back to the focal point of breathing. My eyes are closed yet I am having different things going on. I recreate scenes from earlier in the days past experiences, I hear the voices and conversations without imagery as well, and I look at a screen of black and white fuzz (like an old tv program that just went off air) talking to myself in my mind about how I can't seem to concentrate.
  As I shift back to my focal point of breathing, I alter the breathing technique because abdominal breathing is more beneficial and comforting than trying to expand the chest. My thoughts start to lessen in chaos and at times I can go from being presently aware of my forced concentration to quick scenic imagery or an induced vision/dream. I can not keep this for too long and end up back in the present of knowing I am trying to force something upon myself. It takes a little while before I stop trying to force my self to image or think of something and just relax. As I relax, I just simply think of an instance that I recall feeling/acting/saying something from before and contemplate why I did such a reaction. Now I can analyze and contemplate my predisposed reactions and consider changes to such behavior that will encourage inner peace.
  This connection is important in the spiritual physical and mental aspect of wellness. It allows me to consider my usual behaviors and look at them from a different perspective. I can analyze and rationalize on them to help find healthier solutions or reactions. The goal is to build on health and being physically fit in not everything if your personality is unhealthy. Having a great mind is not enough if you lack physical health. Also if you do not have a belief or faith in a higher good, then you will feel incomplete. I have dated people from each category who had a single attribute or maybe even two and it never is enough to keep my attention or affection. If I desire more in a partner, I imagine my partner will desire the same in me.

getting started

1. Describe your experience. Did you find it beneficial? Difficult? Why or why not? Would you recommend this to others? Why or why not? 

As I started the exercise, it took a while for me to get comfortable. I fidgeted for a little while because it was difficult for me to relax thinking of the negatives with the positive emotions. I had to stretch my limbs some as they popped (like knuckles), but as I continued I was able to relax my body more. I tend to get tingly sensations from inbreath and outbreath. I was getting some tears built up around my eyes when thinking of the hurting/suffering things. I did not go into crying or sobbing, but had a little disturbance or stuttering in breathing. Eventually that stopped and I started to feel the stillness and peace around me. I started to feel a sensation around my heart- neither good nor bad, but different. I almost seemed as though it was growing in volume. I look forward to experiencing more. I'm not sure if I would recommend it yet, because if someone has not studying the integral concept, it might create emotions they are not used to.

1. What is the concept of "mental workout"? What does the research indicate are the proven benefits of a mental workout? How can you implement mental workouts to foster your psychological health

 Mental workouts help exercise the brain for better cognitive abilities and mind-body connections. This type of workout benefits the inner awareness and has other benefits to stress response. It helps the body stay in better homeostasis.

Optimal Wellbeing

Hello all. Optimal well-being is what I desire. I have been on a quest for it for a couple of decades now. One thing that I realized early on was that I was preoccupied with the physical aspect of health. I wanted to be desirable in my appearance. As my physical health, or abilities, increased- I noticed that some new stressors were added to my mindset. I enjoy this course because it reinforces my awareness that improving the inner self can alleviate many non physical ailments. So, as to my physical health- put me down as a 10. Since I have been searching within myself for improved character and self worth, my psychological well-being is at a 9. Granted I do have times of hardship, but that is all part of the experience of being alive. My spiritual well-being is at a 6. I have had a hard time understanding the concepts of all these different religious aspects and it confuses my mind.
I am improving in the love-kindness and opening my heart to the sensations. I have been blessed all my life with having a form of greater guardianship over me. Now I am taking time to translate the signs and the suttle advise that my watcher has been subliminally showing me. My goal is to increase my love, kindness, and compassion through practice. I intend to do exercises in the book such as breathing in negativity and breathing out love to others. I also will continue physical exercises and take more time to meditate and stretch. I intend on joining others in their forms of prayers and allowing my mind to expand on the many possibilities of joining the collective energies. Most religious practicing individuals want peace and love, and I will try to join the this collective unconsciousness.
As I tried the exercise of the prism breathing, I felt a tingling sensation. My body became lighter, my pulse slower, and with the more breaths I took my mind didn't feel so heavy. This is a similar technique that I do at night sometimes when laying in bed. I close my eyes and breath deep. As my body relaxes more, I mentally trace the connections of my body from head to toe and imagine the location of such parts as it travels. Then I take the heavy inner feelings and guide them out of my body with my arms starting with fingers pointed at feet. Then I bring my arms up my center of body and then extend them out sending such heavy energies back out to the universe to be recycled. Sounds funny, but that's just me.