Hello Everybody!
Figured I would begin with something other than "holy crow". I didn't realize how much I used that phrase until I looked over past posts.
If you were to look at me right now, you'd probably be giving the bruises on my arms a really weird look. No worries. Along with my passion for Crossfit, my husband and I also practice Krav Maga. We will be eligible to test for our next belt after Saturday. This week was working on blocking and well, what do you use to block? Your forearms! Yeah, my forearms are covered in bruises because in class, the way you say you like someone is to hit hard! LOL! On the bright side, I always give as good as I get.
Enough with my bruises and love of fighting. Onto my Unit 7 post!
I am kind of proud of myself with this meditation. I actually was in "the zone" for at least 5 minutes! That is 4 minutes better than any of my other attempts! Hooray!!! Another accomplishment, I kept at it. If I got distracted, I started over. Finally, I was able to get myself under control and be guided on this exercise.
I was shocked to see that my inner healer was a short, bald guy dressed as a monk, and had a toothy grin. I have no idea where that image came from. My original image was of the chiropractor I worked with before we moved to Ohio, but the image kept messing up. I would focus on her face, but it would mess up and this other image would come in. It reminded me of an old tv set with rabbit ears that you had to arrange in just the right way to keep the channel clear. After a few minutes of this, I just got tired of trying to tune the channel, so I let go and let the toothy monk take the stage.
This meditation was going along ok, I was feeling warm and comfortable with my monk. That is until it got to the part of assuming the form of the monk. I was resistant to that. I think because I am a woman and, for the most part, I've enjoyed it. I didn't want to assume the form of my male monk. Sue me.
I remember mentioning how I have found myself doing my loving-kindness meditation while I am in the middle of a WOD. I am happy to say that I found myself doing it again today, which make a total of two times this week. Afterwards, as I was sitting in my car in the parking lot, I realized how much this has changed me. Unfortunately this week, I was told of some deaths that had happened over the course of a few days. The bright side, it wasn't within my family. However, the deaths occurred to family members of people I knew and cared about. When I heard the news of each passing, I felt sad for the ones going through it. I said a prayer, but I also pictured the person in my mind. I met them in a bright meadow filled with beauty and life. Then I hugged them and filled myself up with love and light and let it pass to them. That may sound either really sweet or really creepy depending on who reads this.
In the past, I would have just said a prayer and let it be. Now, I felt compelled to send them extra love and light to help them get through this difficult time.
Wow, this is getting to be a long post, so let me wrap it up. In regards to that saying about not being able to lead another without having gone there yourself, I fully agree! As health professionals, we are living examples of the ideas we are trying to teach to our patients. How can we fully expect them to do something that we, ourselves, are not willing to do? The truth is, we can't. I always try to stay mindful of that fact. By walking the line, I become more than just a person standing up front saying "Do this, do that!" I become an example of how to do it and a reference to help someone if they get stuck or frustrated.
TTFN: Tata For Now!
-Mel
Friday, November 30, 2012
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Yoda: The Integral Health Master
Holy Crow!
Star Wars is freaking awesome!
Yoda is an integral health master!
I didn't notice it until watching Star Wars V tonight.
Yes, I know, I'm a dork.
Seriously, hear me out on this one. In Star Wars V, when Luke is training with Yoda and running through the swamp, Yoda is steadily talking to Luke about clearing his mind and finding peace. He even tells Luke that is how he will be able to discern the Good Force from the Dark Force, when his mind is still and at peace. Yoda even guides him through meditations!
And all through the training, Luke acts like a ***** (insert word for female dog). Yes, I said it; Luke is a whiny heffer during all this enlightenment and inner development training. Remember the part where Yoda tells him to use the Force to bring his sunken fighter out of the bog? Then Yoda's most memorable line "Do or do not; there is no try".
He even lays more knowledge down after he resurrects the ship himself. Luke comes over to where Yoda is at and is completely baffled at what he has just witnessed. He says he can't believe it and Yoda replies "That is why you fail".
Can anyone else relate to this? I know I have fallen into this trap of not really believing in some of the ideas presented by this class. More specifically, the whole meditation thing (big surprise there, right?) Maybe that is why I am not doing that great with it; my belief isn't fully there. That probably sounds horrible, but I'm just being honest. Will I ever get over this doubt? I don't know.
Anyway, I wasn't really going for anything important with this post. I was just sharing a light bulb moment. Carry on, citizens.
TTFN: Tata For Now
-Mel
Star Wars is freaking awesome!
Yoda is an integral health master!
I didn't notice it until watching Star Wars V tonight.
Yes, I know, I'm a dork.
Seriously, hear me out on this one. In Star Wars V, when Luke is training with Yoda and running through the swamp, Yoda is steadily talking to Luke about clearing his mind and finding peace. He even tells Luke that is how he will be able to discern the Good Force from the Dark Force, when his mind is still and at peace. Yoda even guides him through meditations!
And all through the training, Luke acts like a ***** (insert word for female dog). Yes, I said it; Luke is a whiny heffer during all this enlightenment and inner development training. Remember the part where Yoda tells him to use the Force to bring his sunken fighter out of the bog? Then Yoda's most memorable line "Do or do not; there is no try".
He even lays more knowledge down after he resurrects the ship himself. Luke comes over to where Yoda is at and is completely baffled at what he has just witnessed. He says he can't believe it and Yoda replies "That is why you fail".
Can anyone else relate to this? I know I have fallen into this trap of not really believing in some of the ideas presented by this class. More specifically, the whole meditation thing (big surprise there, right?) Maybe that is why I am not doing that great with it; my belief isn't fully there. That probably sounds horrible, but I'm just being honest. Will I ever get over this doubt? I don't know.
Anyway, I wasn't really going for anything important with this post. I was just sharing a light bulb moment. Carry on, citizens.
TTFN: Tata For Now
-Mel
Friday, November 23, 2012
Crossfit, Loving-Kindness, and My Integral Assessment
Holy Crow! It is Unit 6!
I know it is a day late, but Happy Turkey-Day everyone! I hope y'all did what I did and just overdose on some really good food and enjoy some extra special time with family!
Okay, onto my blog.
I realized something this week. Crossfit is a source of meditation for me. I guess it would be an active meditation, if that is even a real term. If not, I just coined a new term. Crossfit clears my mind; makes it still. Thoughts that normally invade the meditations that we have had to do for this class, just float in the background. How weird is that? In the middle of pushing my body past its limits, my mind is still and at peace. I guess that is how I found myself doing my Loving-Kindness meditation.
My Crossfit box had a 10am Thanksgiving Day workout. We did the named wod "Eva": 5 rounds of 800 meter run, 30 kettlebell swings (I used a 35 pound kettlebell), 30 pullups (they were banded, yuck). The coach put a 40 minute time cap so we weren't there at the gym for the whole day lol. I will say that I hate to run, but over the years I have gotten better. It was during this brutal beat down that I shocked myself in doing my loving-kindness meditation. I actually pictured my loved ones, those near and far, and I could feel my love for them swell and pour out to them. I didn't breathe in their distress; I just let the love and light I was feeling during my physical beat down pour out of me and into them. I have to say that it was an awesome experience. My body is sore, but my spirit feels even more content for having done that meditation.
As for my integral assessment, I will admit that I had to read the chapter a few times before I fully understood what I was suppose to do. I had to draw the map on some paper and list each line of development and then re-read each section and then I was able to do the assessment. I circled the development that I felt needed some attention.
In the psychospiritual quadrant, I felt that my emotional development needed some attention. I am currently doing some work in the emotional department. I am the type of person that usually keeps my negative emotions in a bottle. I guess this stems from being an only child and always wanting to be pleasing. I understand that this bottling behavior is not a good thing to do and can lead to physical problems. The work I am doing is being more vocal about my emotions, but do it in a tactful way. It's not easy because I still want to bottle the negative ones up, but I have made some improvement. I am more likely now to say if something bothers me, which is HUGE.
In the biological quadrant, my self-regulation development needs some attention. From my understanding of the reading, this has to do with mind-body practices. I have mentioned that I practice Krav Maga and while it is important to breathe during punches, it doesn't really focus on mind-body. However, with my recent epiphany about how my mind is at peace during Crossfit, I think I will start to try to utilize that perfect moment to expand my consciousness.
In the interpersonal quadrant, this might sound selfish, but my personal development needs a little help. I think every mom can relate to the feeling of just wanting some personal time. From the moment I wake, until the moment I go to bed, my thoughts and actions reflect my dedication to my family and making sure they are taken care of. This makes personal time something that gets pushed to the back burner. I feel selfish for even wanting it because it feels like I am betraying my family for wanting just a moment for me. I am not even sure exactly what I would do if I did get some personal time. Isn't that crazy? I have no clue what I would do. I could very well just use it for sleep. I don't really know how to even go about increasing the development of personal time.
In the worldly quadrant, I have to say that each of the lines of development need some attention. Being a housewife, my work environment is the house; not much interaction. My social activism I guess would be my Paleo lifestyle. I tend to eat a lot of local produce and meats. I believe that this falls under the "Think Globally, Buy Locally" theme. As for the generativity, I think my teaching and passing values and beliefs onto my son falls under this category. I am having trouble thinking of how to help develop this quadrant. This could be because I am really tired and full of food and my brain is feeling content and sluggish.
I think I will end this post. Tomorrow when I am fresh and awake, I will give more thought to this last quadrant. If I can think of something to help develop this aspect of my life, I will do another post.
TTFN: Tata For Now
-Mel
I know it is a day late, but Happy Turkey-Day everyone! I hope y'all did what I did and just overdose on some really good food and enjoy some extra special time with family!
Okay, onto my blog.
I realized something this week. Crossfit is a source of meditation for me. I guess it would be an active meditation, if that is even a real term. If not, I just coined a new term. Crossfit clears my mind; makes it still. Thoughts that normally invade the meditations that we have had to do for this class, just float in the background. How weird is that? In the middle of pushing my body past its limits, my mind is still and at peace. I guess that is how I found myself doing my Loving-Kindness meditation.
My Crossfit box had a 10am Thanksgiving Day workout. We did the named wod "Eva": 5 rounds of 800 meter run, 30 kettlebell swings (I used a 35 pound kettlebell), 30 pullups (they were banded, yuck). The coach put a 40 minute time cap so we weren't there at the gym for the whole day lol. I will say that I hate to run, but over the years I have gotten better. It was during this brutal beat down that I shocked myself in doing my loving-kindness meditation. I actually pictured my loved ones, those near and far, and I could feel my love for them swell and pour out to them. I didn't breathe in their distress; I just let the love and light I was feeling during my physical beat down pour out of me and into them. I have to say that it was an awesome experience. My body is sore, but my spirit feels even more content for having done that meditation.
As for my integral assessment, I will admit that I had to read the chapter a few times before I fully understood what I was suppose to do. I had to draw the map on some paper and list each line of development and then re-read each section and then I was able to do the assessment. I circled the development that I felt needed some attention.
In the psychospiritual quadrant, I felt that my emotional development needed some attention. I am currently doing some work in the emotional department. I am the type of person that usually keeps my negative emotions in a bottle. I guess this stems from being an only child and always wanting to be pleasing. I understand that this bottling behavior is not a good thing to do and can lead to physical problems. The work I am doing is being more vocal about my emotions, but do it in a tactful way. It's not easy because I still want to bottle the negative ones up, but I have made some improvement. I am more likely now to say if something bothers me, which is HUGE.
In the biological quadrant, my self-regulation development needs some attention. From my understanding of the reading, this has to do with mind-body practices. I have mentioned that I practice Krav Maga and while it is important to breathe during punches, it doesn't really focus on mind-body. However, with my recent epiphany about how my mind is at peace during Crossfit, I think I will start to try to utilize that perfect moment to expand my consciousness.
In the interpersonal quadrant, this might sound selfish, but my personal development needs a little help. I think every mom can relate to the feeling of just wanting some personal time. From the moment I wake, until the moment I go to bed, my thoughts and actions reflect my dedication to my family and making sure they are taken care of. This makes personal time something that gets pushed to the back burner. I feel selfish for even wanting it because it feels like I am betraying my family for wanting just a moment for me. I am not even sure exactly what I would do if I did get some personal time. Isn't that crazy? I have no clue what I would do. I could very well just use it for sleep. I don't really know how to even go about increasing the development of personal time.
In the worldly quadrant, I have to say that each of the lines of development need some attention. Being a housewife, my work environment is the house; not much interaction. My social activism I guess would be my Paleo lifestyle. I tend to eat a lot of local produce and meats. I believe that this falls under the "Think Globally, Buy Locally" theme. As for the generativity, I think my teaching and passing values and beliefs onto my son falls under this category. I am having trouble thinking of how to help develop this quadrant. This could be because I am really tired and full of food and my brain is feeling content and sluggish.
I think I will end this post. Tomorrow when I am fresh and awake, I will give more thought to this last quadrant. If I can think of something to help develop this aspect of my life, I will do another post.
TTFN: Tata For Now
-Mel
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Unit 5. Really?
Holy Crow! Is it really Unit 5 already?
Ok, time for confessions:
I have not kept up with the Loving-Kindness meditation.
It is entirely possible that I will not keep up the subtle mind meditation, nor the loving-kindness one.
My kid thinks he is Spider-Man; that's my only explanation for him climbing on EVERYTHING.
Whew! Now that I got that off my chest, let's get on with the Unit 5 meditation results.
First off, I hate breathing. Not really. I thoroughly enjoy breathing; I just hate being told how to breathe. I never seem to do it right when I am told how to do it; either I let it out too soon or don't breathe in deep enough. With this meditation, I felt like I was hyperventilating when I had to start with 10 deep breaths. I also got a little confused about the "focus point". I kept thinking if I was suppose to be looking at something while I did this meditation. Then I realized the focus point was my breathing.
I am sensing an underlying theme of frustration when it comes to doing these meditations. My apologies to those that follow my blog.
I didn't get to finish the whole thing because my son woke up from his nap and was a huge ball of fussiness and snot. Me thinks he is trying to catch another cold.
When I got to the part where I was suppose to bring my mind back to my breathing if it began to wander, I had to do that several times. My mind was like the front desk of a psychiatric ward where all the doctors, nurses, and patients were me. They were all heffers. On the bright side, they looked like they could squat like nobody's business. I guess what I am trying to say is that my mind was all over the place. I have a long way to go before I get that "Teflon" mind where everything can ebb and flow without sticking.
I think the whole "Teflon" thing is a little weird. Think about it. Why does Teflon stick to pans when nothing is suppose to stick to Teflon?
As far as benefits, I think the thing I got out of this was being more aware of just how jumbled my mind really is. Most of it was just everyday Life things, bills, family, weather, why my right pinky toe is different from my left. The rest of it was really just background noise that glues it all together. There were certain things that seemed to stay longer than others and I think this is what the lady was saying about being "pulled" toward that thought. I have to agree with the lady doing the meditation, it is interesting how our mind is trained to worry over things like a dog gnawing on an old bone.
Oh well, I am grateful for the extra awareness to my jumbled mind that this exercise provided. Notice I said grateful, not thankful. I am grateful for the awareness because it is an opportunity for more growth.
TTFN: Tata For Now
Mel
Ok, time for confessions:
I have not kept up with the Loving-Kindness meditation.
It is entirely possible that I will not keep up the subtle mind meditation, nor the loving-kindness one.
My kid thinks he is Spider-Man; that's my only explanation for him climbing on EVERYTHING.
Whew! Now that I got that off my chest, let's get on with the Unit 5 meditation results.
First off, I hate breathing. Not really. I thoroughly enjoy breathing; I just hate being told how to breathe. I never seem to do it right when I am told how to do it; either I let it out too soon or don't breathe in deep enough. With this meditation, I felt like I was hyperventilating when I had to start with 10 deep breaths. I also got a little confused about the "focus point". I kept thinking if I was suppose to be looking at something while I did this meditation. Then I realized the focus point was my breathing.
I am sensing an underlying theme of frustration when it comes to doing these meditations. My apologies to those that follow my blog.
I didn't get to finish the whole thing because my son woke up from his nap and was a huge ball of fussiness and snot. Me thinks he is trying to catch another cold.
When I got to the part where I was suppose to bring my mind back to my breathing if it began to wander, I had to do that several times. My mind was like the front desk of a psychiatric ward where all the doctors, nurses, and patients were me. They were all heffers. On the bright side, they looked like they could squat like nobody's business. I guess what I am trying to say is that my mind was all over the place. I have a long way to go before I get that "Teflon" mind where everything can ebb and flow without sticking.
I think the whole "Teflon" thing is a little weird. Think about it. Why does Teflon stick to pans when nothing is suppose to stick to Teflon?
As far as benefits, I think the thing I got out of this was being more aware of just how jumbled my mind really is. Most of it was just everyday Life things, bills, family, weather, why my right pinky toe is different from my left. The rest of it was really just background noise that glues it all together. There were certain things that seemed to stay longer than others and I think this is what the lady was saying about being "pulled" toward that thought. I have to agree with the lady doing the meditation, it is interesting how our mind is trained to worry over things like a dog gnawing on an old bone.
Oh well, I am grateful for the extra awareness to my jumbled mind that this exercise provided. Notice I said grateful, not thankful. I am grateful for the awareness because it is an opportunity for more growth.
TTFN: Tata For Now
Mel
Monday, November 12, 2012
Mental Fitness
Blogging with a soon to be 23 month old in your lap is no easy feat.
So far in this course, we are learning how to train and cultivate our mind through mindful meditation. Mental fitness is an often overlooked part of health and wellness. More often than not, we just assume that if the body is in peak physical condition, then so is the mind. However, that isn't always the case. I don't think anyone would argue that there isn't a certain mental workout accompanying a tough physical workout. But I believe that being mentally fit requires a little more work.
Dacher talks about training the mind like an Olympian trains their body (Dacher, 2006). The mind responds to training just like the body; maybe even more so since there are no limits to what our mind is capable of. When I think of mental training, I mostly think in terms of stress management techniques. However, I am learning that there are more ways to train the mind than just being able to handle stressful situations.
I mentioned in my other post about the Luminosity website and the use of games and puzzles to help with mental agility. I am sure we have all heard of "brain teasers"; riddles, puzzles, or calculations designed to get us to think "outside the box". To be honest, I've never considered myself very good at brain teasers, although I love attempting them. Especially brain teasers designed to test your logic. On that note, I will post a brain teaser that I got off the website
http://www.intelligencetest.com/puzzles/logic.htm
Before you go to the website to get the solution, try and figure it out yourself.
"A man is asked what his daughters look like. He answers, "They are all blondes, but two, all brunettes, but two, and all redheads, but two". How many daughters did he have?"
References:
Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral health: the path to human flourishing.
Laguna Beach, CA. Basic Health Publications.
Brain Training Games. (2011). Retrieved on November 12, 2012 from
http://www.intelligencetest.com/puzzles/logic.htm
TTFN: Tata For Now
Mel
So far in this course, we are learning how to train and cultivate our mind through mindful meditation. Mental fitness is an often overlooked part of health and wellness. More often than not, we just assume that if the body is in peak physical condition, then so is the mind. However, that isn't always the case. I don't think anyone would argue that there isn't a certain mental workout accompanying a tough physical workout. But I believe that being mentally fit requires a little more work.
Dacher talks about training the mind like an Olympian trains their body (Dacher, 2006). The mind responds to training just like the body; maybe even more so since there are no limits to what our mind is capable of. When I think of mental training, I mostly think in terms of stress management techniques. However, I am learning that there are more ways to train the mind than just being able to handle stressful situations.
I mentioned in my other post about the Luminosity website and the use of games and puzzles to help with mental agility. I am sure we have all heard of "brain teasers"; riddles, puzzles, or calculations designed to get us to think "outside the box". To be honest, I've never considered myself very good at brain teasers, although I love attempting them. Especially brain teasers designed to test your logic. On that note, I will post a brain teaser that I got off the website
http://www.intelligencetest.com/puzzles/logic.htm
Before you go to the website to get the solution, try and figure it out yourself.
"A man is asked what his daughters look like. He answers, "They are all blondes, but two, all brunettes, but two, and all redheads, but two". How many daughters did he have?"
References:
Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral health: the path to human flourishing.
Laguna Beach, CA. Basic Health Publications.
Brain Training Games. (2011). Retrieved on November 12, 2012 from
http://www.intelligencetest.com/puzzles/logic.htm
TTFN: Tata For Now
Mel
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Cockiness, loving-kindness, and mental workouts
I hate it when I get cocky...like I did this week.
That being said, fortunately, it hasn't happened to me very often. I am also somewhat blessed/cursed that when I do find myself starting to strut, I get knocked back into place pretty darn quick...and hard. It's kind of annoying, now that I think about it. I am sure we've all met someone who is just so cocky that the inner you just wants to punch them in the face. Nothing happens (or seems to happen) to put them in their place; yet when I start to stick my chin out, WAH-BAM! Knocked back into place.
I guess in a way, I am grateful that I get humbled quickly. I can't stand cocky people.
Of course, there could also be another explanation behind the Universe's quick reaction to my perceived cockiness. Maybe, secretly, I am that person that has unknown powers and the Fates/Universe has looked at all the possible realities of my life. They know that if I am allowed to remain in my cocky state, my powers will rise and I will achieve world domination! So in order to save mankind, it has become of the uppermost importance to put me back in my place should I start to get cocky.
Then again, I could just have really sucky timing...and read way too many comics in my day.
Oh well, onto Unit 4 exercise: Loving-Kindness.
Was anyone else surprised by the way Dacher sounded? Nobody ever sounds like the way I imagine them sounding. Weird.
It wasn't hard for me to picture a longtime friend and loved one when I was prompted to. I was able to picture her face quite clearly, even though it has been years since we've seen each other. Remarkably, I was even able to follow the instructions about letting my mind roam free and just accepting the images/thoughts that came up. I was feeling pretty relaxed by this point and thinking maybe I had finally gotten the hang of mediating, when the woman mentioned something about breathing in the suffering of my loved one. That pulled me up short.
Something about that just didn't feel right. I know the instructions said that the "suffering" that was being breathed in would just dissipate, but I still didn't like it. I am not one to call something down on myself, so I did not "breathe in the suffering" of my loved one. Instead, I concentrated on sending extra strength and light to help get them through whatever hardships they were facing.
Another aspect that I seemed to have a little trouble with was sending loving-kindness to an enemy. There is only one person that I have bestowed that title to and, to be honest, I hadn't thought of her in years until this exercise. She has not clouded my thoughts in many years, nor have I spared any energy dwelling on her, until this exercise. I had, up to this point, erased her from my mind. When it came time to do this part of the exercise, I didn't do it. I wasn't feeling angry or hurt by her, like so long ago. I neither wanted to send her loving-kindness or anger; I felt nothing toward her. It was like looking at a piece of abstract art; I neither loved it or hated it. It was just there. I imagine that somewhere down the line, this may be the next step in my psychological growth.
I can see the benefit of a meditation like this one. I believe that being able to send loving-kindness to loved ones, as well as strangers and especially enemies may be the highest form of forgiveness. Maybe not forgiveness to loved ones or strangers, so much as to our enemies. Maybe sending loving-kindness to enemies is the best way of letting go of the unresolved issues and releasing their hold on you.
And maybe I just got a glimpse of my own dilemma...
Enough introspection for the night...onto mental workouts
I believe that training the mind is just as important as training the body. Being back in college has really helped to stretch my brain cells and wipe the dust off. College may not be the answer for everyone, though. I believe that reading can be a good mental workout, especially if the material is forcing you to see something from a different perspective. I love to read; anything and everything.
Has anyone tried out that website called Luminosity? I signed up for it a few months ago, but never really stuck with it. It seemed pretty cool. I got to do some really neat puzzles and memory games. However, I just didn't get into the habit of logging onto the site and, well, that was the end of that. I still get emails from them. Maybe I should try it again and see what happens.
Man, this was a really long post. I think I am going to sign off. I will try to do another post that covers the research findings on the benefits of "mental workouts". Until then,
TTFN: Tata For Now
-Mel
That being said, fortunately, it hasn't happened to me very often. I am also somewhat blessed/cursed that when I do find myself starting to strut, I get knocked back into place pretty darn quick...and hard. It's kind of annoying, now that I think about it. I am sure we've all met someone who is just so cocky that the inner you just wants to punch them in the face. Nothing happens (or seems to happen) to put them in their place; yet when I start to stick my chin out, WAH-BAM! Knocked back into place.
I guess in a way, I am grateful that I get humbled quickly. I can't stand cocky people.
Of course, there could also be another explanation behind the Universe's quick reaction to my perceived cockiness. Maybe, secretly, I am that person that has unknown powers and the Fates/Universe has looked at all the possible realities of my life. They know that if I am allowed to remain in my cocky state, my powers will rise and I will achieve world domination! So in order to save mankind, it has become of the uppermost importance to put me back in my place should I start to get cocky.
Then again, I could just have really sucky timing...and read way too many comics in my day.
Oh well, onto Unit 4 exercise: Loving-Kindness.
Was anyone else surprised by the way Dacher sounded? Nobody ever sounds like the way I imagine them sounding. Weird.
It wasn't hard for me to picture a longtime friend and loved one when I was prompted to. I was able to picture her face quite clearly, even though it has been years since we've seen each other. Remarkably, I was even able to follow the instructions about letting my mind roam free and just accepting the images/thoughts that came up. I was feeling pretty relaxed by this point and thinking maybe I had finally gotten the hang of mediating, when the woman mentioned something about breathing in the suffering of my loved one. That pulled me up short.
Something about that just didn't feel right. I know the instructions said that the "suffering" that was being breathed in would just dissipate, but I still didn't like it. I am not one to call something down on myself, so I did not "breathe in the suffering" of my loved one. Instead, I concentrated on sending extra strength and light to help get them through whatever hardships they were facing.
Another aspect that I seemed to have a little trouble with was sending loving-kindness to an enemy. There is only one person that I have bestowed that title to and, to be honest, I hadn't thought of her in years until this exercise. She has not clouded my thoughts in many years, nor have I spared any energy dwelling on her, until this exercise. I had, up to this point, erased her from my mind. When it came time to do this part of the exercise, I didn't do it. I wasn't feeling angry or hurt by her, like so long ago. I neither wanted to send her loving-kindness or anger; I felt nothing toward her. It was like looking at a piece of abstract art; I neither loved it or hated it. It was just there. I imagine that somewhere down the line, this may be the next step in my psychological growth.
I can see the benefit of a meditation like this one. I believe that being able to send loving-kindness to loved ones, as well as strangers and especially enemies may be the highest form of forgiveness. Maybe not forgiveness to loved ones or strangers, so much as to our enemies. Maybe sending loving-kindness to enemies is the best way of letting go of the unresolved issues and releasing their hold on you.
And maybe I just got a glimpse of my own dilemma...
Enough introspection for the night...onto mental workouts
I believe that training the mind is just as important as training the body. Being back in college has really helped to stretch my brain cells and wipe the dust off. College may not be the answer for everyone, though. I believe that reading can be a good mental workout, especially if the material is forcing you to see something from a different perspective. I love to read; anything and everything.
Has anyone tried out that website called Luminosity? I signed up for it a few months ago, but never really stuck with it. It seemed pretty cool. I got to do some really neat puzzles and memory games. However, I just didn't get into the habit of logging onto the site and, well, that was the end of that. I still get emails from them. Maybe I should try it again and see what happens.
Man, this was a really long post. I think I am going to sign off. I will try to do another post that covers the research findings on the benefits of "mental workouts". Until then,
TTFN: Tata For Now
-Mel
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Crime of the Century experience
That is a heck of a name for a relaxation exercise.
When I first saw it, I didn't read the whole thing, I just saw Crime of the Century and I thought "Cool! A murder mystery".
Yes, I know, I'm a dork.
First off, when that guy got to the heart region and said the color emerald green, did anyone else suddenly see the Emerald City from the Wizard of Oz? Ok, how many of you started humming "We're Off To See The Wizard"? Check on both for me.
Please see above phrase "Yes, I know, I'm a dork".
Ok, for this exercise, it was a little difficult for me to stay in the moment. I kept trying to fall asleep or my mental secretary was just reminding me of some random bits of stuff. Although, each time he mentioned a new color, I could see it in my mind. I didn't feel any warm sensations like I did the last time, but then again, that wasn't part of the meditation.
I don't know if this was beneficial or not. I mentioned in a previous post that I am not that in to meditating. Nothing against the practice, if it works for you that's great! I just always got a little bored with it.
Hmmm...that's really all I have to say about this particular exercise.
TTFN: TaTa For Now
-Mel
When I first saw it, I didn't read the whole thing, I just saw Crime of the Century and I thought "Cool! A murder mystery".
Yes, I know, I'm a dork.
First off, when that guy got to the heart region and said the color emerald green, did anyone else suddenly see the Emerald City from the Wizard of Oz? Ok, how many of you started humming "We're Off To See The Wizard"? Check on both for me.
Please see above phrase "Yes, I know, I'm a dork".
Ok, for this exercise, it was a little difficult for me to stay in the moment. I kept trying to fall asleep or my mental secretary was just reminding me of some random bits of stuff. Although, each time he mentioned a new color, I could see it in my mind. I didn't feel any warm sensations like I did the last time, but then again, that wasn't part of the meditation.
I don't know if this was beneficial or not. I mentioned in a previous post that I am not that in to meditating. Nothing against the practice, if it works for you that's great! I just always got a little bored with it.
Hmmm...that's really all I have to say about this particular exercise.
TTFN: TaTa For Now
-Mel
Me, Myself, and I
Wow...unit 3 already.
I am going to be honest and say that I don't really like rating myself. I am not one of those people that think that their crap don't stink (you know who I'm talking about, you probably have had the dubious pleasure of running into at least one person that fits this description). On the contrary, I tend to be overly critical of myself.
I won't go into much more detail than to just say that I have finally come to accept myself and be comfortable in my skin. So when it comes to rating myself, even something as innocent as our Unit 3 blog exercise, my nose wrinkles like I've caught a whiff of a dead skunk.
Oh, well; nothing like pushing past your comfort zone. Let the rating begin!
For my physical health, I will say that I am currently at an 8. I Crossfit 4 times a week and practice Krav Maga 2 times a week. Plus, I chase a very energetic, soon-to-be-two-year old throughout the day. My husband and I enjoy running 5ks, although I am usually pushing a loaded down running stroller, and we also enjoy tackling obstacle courses like the Mudathalon.
I still have goals that I am working on, such as getting 5 consecutive strict pullups, a 250lb deadlift, a 200lb back squat, and getting my next belt in Krav Maga. The way to achieve these goals is to practice, practice, practice and step back into the rack. Nutrition also plays a key and I have been working with my coach for a while to help dial that in. She also threw in an extra rest day to keep me from burning out.
In the psychological department, I tend to lean toward the hardy personality type, so I will say that I am at a 6.5. I'm rating myself this way because I wasn't always good at handling stress, especially in my younger years. It took a little more life experience, a whole lot of perspective, and learning some excellent coping techniques for me to be where I am. But there is always room for improvement.
I think the best way to improve my score in the psychological department is to continue to use the techniques I have learned so that they become more of a second nature. Maybe taking the time to train my mind toward Olympic mental health would also help. This might mean me trying some new coping techniques that may seem a little silly to me at first, like diaphragmatic breathing. I understand taking a deep cleansing breath to help calm down, I do use that. But the technique of breathing that fills up your stomach and chest, I just never got in to.
As far as my spiritual health, that is a little difficult to rate. How do you rate something like that? Is it by the number of times you go to church (I haven't been in years)? Or maybe how many times you pray or just talk to God (which I do a lot)? Is it just having faith (which I do)? I just don't know.
I know the exercise clearly states that I have to give this aspect of myself a rating, but I just don't know on what basis to rate it. So I will put my self right smack in the middle at a 5; I am neither at the lowest optimal health, nor am I at the highest.
I am not even sure how to increase my health in this area. I guess meditating would be a start, but I can't say I ever really liked to meditate. Maybe doing some volunteer work would help me increase my spiritual health. Loving-Kindness is one of the skills we learned about in this unit, and with that skill comes the realization that we are all interconnected. Maybe volunteering would be a way to help.
TTFN: TaTa For Now
-Mel
I am going to be honest and say that I don't really like rating myself. I am not one of those people that think that their crap don't stink (you know who I'm talking about, you probably have had the dubious pleasure of running into at least one person that fits this description). On the contrary, I tend to be overly critical of myself.
I won't go into much more detail than to just say that I have finally come to accept myself and be comfortable in my skin. So when it comes to rating myself, even something as innocent as our Unit 3 blog exercise, my nose wrinkles like I've caught a whiff of a dead skunk.
Oh, well; nothing like pushing past your comfort zone. Let the rating begin!
For my physical health, I will say that I am currently at an 8. I Crossfit 4 times a week and practice Krav Maga 2 times a week. Plus, I chase a very energetic, soon-to-be-two-year old throughout the day. My husband and I enjoy running 5ks, although I am usually pushing a loaded down running stroller, and we also enjoy tackling obstacle courses like the Mudathalon.
I still have goals that I am working on, such as getting 5 consecutive strict pullups, a 250lb deadlift, a 200lb back squat, and getting my next belt in Krav Maga. The way to achieve these goals is to practice, practice, practice and step back into the rack. Nutrition also plays a key and I have been working with my coach for a while to help dial that in. She also threw in an extra rest day to keep me from burning out.
In the psychological department, I tend to lean toward the hardy personality type, so I will say that I am at a 6.5. I'm rating myself this way because I wasn't always good at handling stress, especially in my younger years. It took a little more life experience, a whole lot of perspective, and learning some excellent coping techniques for me to be where I am. But there is always room for improvement.
I think the best way to improve my score in the psychological department is to continue to use the techniques I have learned so that they become more of a second nature. Maybe taking the time to train my mind toward Olympic mental health would also help. This might mean me trying some new coping techniques that may seem a little silly to me at first, like diaphragmatic breathing. I understand taking a deep cleansing breath to help calm down, I do use that. But the technique of breathing that fills up your stomach and chest, I just never got in to.
As far as my spiritual health, that is a little difficult to rate. How do you rate something like that? Is it by the number of times you go to church (I haven't been in years)? Or maybe how many times you pray or just talk to God (which I do a lot)? Is it just having faith (which I do)? I just don't know.
I know the exercise clearly states that I have to give this aspect of myself a rating, but I just don't know on what basis to rate it. So I will put my self right smack in the middle at a 5; I am neither at the lowest optimal health, nor am I at the highest.
I am not even sure how to increase my health in this area. I guess meditating would be a start, but I can't say I ever really liked to meditate. Maybe doing some volunteer work would help me increase my spiritual health. Loving-Kindness is one of the skills we learned about in this unit, and with that skill comes the realization that we are all interconnected. Maybe volunteering would be a way to help.
TTFN: TaTa For Now
-Mel
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