Unit 10 final post

Hello everyone, Here are my responses to Questions for unit 10,

1.            Well it is hard to believe that this is the end of this term!  This class has wonderful and I have learned a lot in integral health and the different techniques I can practice that I can take with me into the future. I have enjoyed practicing the meditation techniques such as the subtle mind.  I have enjoyed working with my classmates and learning from them as well.  When I reflect back and take a look at my personal assessment on Unit 3, I think that I scored myself a bit higher than I should have.  I rated my physical wellness at a 9 which I would say is accurate.  I have a passion for exercise and fitness and I am very dedicated to it. Then, I rated my spiritual wellbeing at a 6.  I think that if I were to start over I would of rated it more like a 5.  There was so much more I needed to learn in this aspect in my life and I am still learning.  Although I used my running, walking, hiking, biking and quiet time as a part of my spirituality,  I still need to practice meditation techniques. I still need to learn to quiet my mind and calm the constant chatter that goes on.  Finally, I rated my psychological well being at a 7, that is was way to high.  Although I had gained some personal growth on my own over the years, I think I gave myself a score that should have been more like a 4.  To be healthy psychologically means to be positive, loving, caring, have gratefulness, kindness, forgiveness, compassion and empathy for others.  Also, to be aware of the present moment and to consciously think about reactions to situations is important to achieving wellness.  Back in unit 3 I did not realize how much I still needed to work on all of these aspects in my life.  After 9 weeks in this course I would say that the only scores that have changed are my spiritual and psychological aspects. I would rate them both more at 6 and 7. I am learning new methods to meditate that I have benefited from such as, the Chakras and loving kindness.  I have more calm in stressful situations and I think more positively when I am faced with difficulties.  I will continue to practice yoga and Qi Gong as well as relaxation exercises. 

2.            My personal goals back in unit 3 was to continue to move forward in meditation techniques, working towards training for a full marathon, try and keep the negative people and situations out of my life and to get to a point in my mediation where I can practice it with less mind chatter. At the end of course, my goals are still the same and they are moving forward to being successful in them.  I search for meditation methods and music on u-tube and different web sites such as, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qs_DuZigRzY&feature=related and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9ytcwBgJNE&feature=related.  The more that I practice these methods ,the more that I am learning how to calm my mind. I have to remember not to become frustrated when I get distracted either with my own thoughts or some else around me.  Then, I am still working towards training for a full marathon.  I am moving forward and hope to run one in October.  I know now that it not only take physical endurance and body fitness but, mind fitness as well.  Having positive thoughts and knowing that I can do this, I will succeed.  Finally, although I want to change my careers and eventually have my dream job of working in the health field, I have not reached that goal yet. I am still working with people who are very negative and insist on trying to bring me down.  However, I am learning ways to deal with them instead of reacting in a negative manner because that is just what they want.  Keep in mind that the place I am working and managing at now is a pizza place where I am the only one who is fit and healthy. I am a vegan and very rarely eat there.  I ended up there because it was always second part time job.  Now that I am growing, learning and going after my dreams and passions, they like to poke fun of me.  Through this class, I now know how to ignore them and to simply smile agree with them and walk away.  I am much calmer and relaxed rather than getting angry and frustrated. I keep telling myself that it is only temporary and I will be at a place where I am happy if I want it bad enough.

3.            I have implemented all the goals and activities that I set out to achieve throughout this course.  I will continue to use the methods that I have learned as well as expand even further to learning more.  Sense I am gaining more confidence on achieving my dreams getting out of my own comfort zone, I am becoming more excited and happy about my future.  I want to go out and face the world, to talk to people, experience new things and gain more wisdom. I know that I will that with even with my practices, I will always be faced with new obstacles along the way. Other ways to keep me positive is to read other success stories of people who had the courage and confidence to face anything to become happy.  I like inspirational quotes that I can remember and I like to save them and hang them up when I see or read a good one.  For example, I keep a list of running quotes that I have collected over the years.  Some of them the authors are unknown. “Racing teaches us to challenge ourselves. It teaches us to push beyond where we thought we could go. It helps us to find out what we are made of. This is what we do. This is what it's all about” (Author unknown).  This quote can be applied to life in general. I read these when I feel down to remind myself that I will not get to where I want to go being sorry for myself and down, to push forward and work hard. “We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.”

4     Finally, my overall personal experience in this course has been a positive one. I have enjoyed all of the readings, learning from my fellow classmates and listening to the taped seminars.  I wish I could have participated in class but, I did reply on the blogs with my thoughts on seminars and I did enjoy all of the reading from the class. I gained so much from everything that I have learned from this class.  I feel that I am calmer and that I know how to handle stressful situations in a way that is positive.  I feel much better about myself in handling people who are not so nice.  I really enjoyed learned new meditations and I feel that I have gained more inner strength to move forward in my life.  I am at a point in my life where I feel that I need the confidence to move forward and follow my dreams. After losing my full time job a year ago and I am only working part time nights, I know that this is not where I want to be in my life. This class has taught me how to grow and face my fears of my unknown future.  It is easy to become frustrated and sit and think of the should of, would of and could of’s but, that will not get me anywhere.  I have the capabilities to challenge my physical body to endure long distance running and exercises and that comes from having determination, motivation, passion, confidence and being positive. Now all’s I have to do is apply that to the rest of my goals in my life.  The only difficult aspect as been to focus more on my meditations but, I am learning not to get frustrated with it and it does take practice just like anything else.  Finally, I know that I can take everything that I have learned and pass it on to someone else who can gain health and healing. I have a friend who is only 45 and is very sick with a serious case of colitis and I have been with her to help her as a friend and teaching her to stay moving and active, to try and eat a healthy diet, and to look into methods of meditation and relaxation that works for her. I give her web sites to visit, recommended practitioners to see and meditation groups to go to. We walk, bike and do Zumba classes together.  She has lost 10lbs and is starting to feel better.  I am excited to take not only my passion for health but, use my experience I have learned to assist others in the future. It is a wonderful feeling when you are an inspiration to others and you know that you have helped someone who is in need.  I thank everyone for a wonderful class this term and wish everyone all the very best in their future endeavors.

Love

Cheryl