Unit 7

In the meeting Aesclepius practice this week I really worked on focusing on the energy exchange between the vision of the chosen "wise one" and my inner self. I think this was my favorite exercise so far. Maybe it is because I chose someone I hold so dear to me and have always tried to emulate (my dad who has passed). This exercise was a great reminder of what qualities are important to me and just what kind of individual I want to be and am at my core. The exercise itself seemed a lot loess involved and had less steps; this helped me to stay on track and focus.

Describe the saying: "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself" (p.477).

I believe this saying refers to the fact that the health care professional (in this case) cannot teach and instill in the patient the path to wellness and wholeness without them taking this journey themselves. I think it is important to try our best to practice what we preach; I know I need to pay more attention to this myself, especially when it comes to the lessons I try to teach my children. In both the world of parenting and in my role as a nurse, I will be best received if they see me walking the walk so to speak.

Unit 6

The loving-kindness practice this week was a nice mantra to repeat to myself and focus on. It did bring some feelings of peace, purpose and focus. My mind strayed and 10 minutes was too long for me, I will try starting with maybe 5 minutes :)

After performing the assessment on myself which had me look closely at the areas of my life that need attention and what I can aim for I found my mind settling on the idea of calmness and patience. I need to find myself calming in the face of stress.  I need to address the calm in my mind at home, with  a big list of things I want to accomplish for my kids and household I need to be patient and calm and focus on one thing at a time! Being more calm and patient will help me to see clearly what I need to change and what is going well. I want to try to slow down and enjoy my children while they are still little!

Unit 5 The Subtle Mind

This unit's exercise the subtle mind, was challenging to me and will definitely take practice. I was doing pretty well with the quieting of the mind and focusing on my breathing. I don't feel that I attained the high level of unity consciousness by the end. I was getting distracted by other thoughts and physical feelings surrounding me. I can see that this is tandem with the practice of loving-kindness will ultimately help me to free and still my mind.

In my own life the connection between mental and spiritual wellness along with physical wellness are connected. When I am worn down and haven't had time to pay attention to either one I feel drained more quickly and have shorter patience. The practice of quieting my mind and also exercising my physical body help me to feel recharged and I truly think better able to cope and involve myself in the daily stresses of life. I want to be a present mother, wife and nurse. In order to be present, I need to be healthy all around!

Unit 4

This unit's practice of loving kindness was beneficial to me. I think I need more practice with it to truly experience it wholly. I liked the idea of focusing on love and kindness towards myself and others. When the part came up about thinking of someone who is suffering and how I can help, focusing on it; I thought of when my own father was dying of cancer and living in my home. We cared for him together as a family and it was difficult emotionally, although I would not have had it any other way. I thought how this would have been a helpful practice for me at that time. I would recommend this to others, I think on whatever level you can use this idea of loving kindness it can only help you.

The mental workout is what it is to practice with yourself daily, using your mind for spiritual growth. An hour  day seems like a stretch (for me at least). If I can find 15 mins a day to workout my mind and practice these meditations I believe I will notice results.