1) I have finished the Meeting Asciepius exercise for this week and I have to say I really liked this one but it was really hard to do. I could not see or feel myself as a wise one, maybe because I have not had enough practice yet to believe I can be wise enough. Did that make sense? I have been trying to do the Loving-Kindness exercise every day after I run in the morning and throughout the day when I feel like the negative emotions are creeping into my head. I have even repeated, sometimes out loud and sometimes to myself, "Cultivate loving-kindness, Jen, you can do this". Sometimes this works so easy and sometimes I really need to keep focusing on those words and then my positive thoughts very astutely. I think this concentration is my being mindful of my thoughts and intentionally choosing my path in a given situation. Being mindful and using meditation has helped me to increase my self-esteem and has given me the chance to see that I can choose my responses to everyone and every situation in my life instead of feeling like I am being reactive or controlled by them. How liberating is that? :)
2) "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself" is a great saying and one that I think every health and wellness professional needs to remember every now and again. I believe this saying is similar to the concept of being able to walk the talk. I think I do have an obligation to my clients to be developing my health psychologically, physically, and spiritually if I am going to be considered credible and be someone my clients can relate to personally. I think clients want to feel connected to their provider and I think this connection can not exist if I cannot explain my experiences with all of the aspects of my own wellness. As I think I say almost every week, the best way to implement psychological and spiritual growth in my personal life is through contemplative practice. I have set aside the time, now I just need to practice cultivating the loving kindness and the subtle mind more to get better at feeling what I am thinking. I know how important the mind-body exercises are and now I just have to keep doing them. When I forget to do them (and you know I will at times! lol) I will now be able to stop and do them to get back in balance. Dacher says these exercise take time and practice. I can do that and I know you can too!Blessings All!
Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteIt is wonderful that you are doing these exercises, and run. You are walking the talk! I have not had a lot of time, but everyone says that, and it needs to be fit in somehow to improve one's lifestyle. I cannot believe how much we can benefit from meditation, exercise, and other changes.
I agree that a health and wellness professional needs to be able to share personal experiences so that patients can relate to the advice better. It is like a spokesperson for Jenny Craig saying how wonderful the program is, but you then find out that they have not changed their lifestyle at all. I wouldn't believe in the program if that was the case!
Selena
Hi Jennifer!
ReplyDeleteThis exercise was difficult for me too! It was hard for me to find someone that I felt was wise and that I would want to be like. I tried to put together different aspects of people to find what I needed and wanted to improve on. I think its wonderful that you are using our exercise through out your day and especially in those times of stress when it's so easy to let the negative emotions alter our life, and Jen yes you can do this! :)
I have to say I think you have a wonderful outlook on life and on wellness profession, I would be happy to have you as a mentor when trying to cultivate integrate health.
Hi Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteI like your idea of doing a meditative practice after the morning run. After exercising I always feel more relaxed so I may try to implement that into my cool down routine. I think the hardest part of these exercises that we have been doing is consistency so perhaps by incorporating it into something that is already a part of my schedule I will have better luck with it. Keep up the good work and thanks for providing me with the motivation to continue on with these practices in my own life!