Loving Kindness

This week was practicing the “Loving Kindness” guided meditation which took us from feeling the presence
of a loved one, feeling their love radiating to us, then giving that love back. I found this very soothing from the first time I did this. The experience was wonderful, peaceful, and left me feeling full of love especially while going through some health issues this week. It was perfect timing for me to start this meditation.

The second part where we were told to breath in the pain and suffering of a loved one was difficult for me at first. I have a very close family member suffering from a terminal illness so it felt overwhelming at first, but with the guidance of meditation, I was able to breath out feelings of love and peace to that person which removed that feeling of overwhelm. I truly enjoyed the experience and felt the music and sounds of the water lapping on the shore made it even more soothing. I did find the length of time was a little long for me as my mind starting drifting, thinking of things I need to get done before I go way this weekend. With practice and doing it at a time when I can totally devote to this, I feel I'll improve. I’m looking forward to doing it again.

Engaging in a “mental workout” can be similar to doing a physical workout, in the sense you need to be consistent to gain results. Engaging in meditations, visualizations, or other methods that help us go within our mind, need to be done on a daily basis to eventually achieve psychospiritual flourishing. It has been found that simply sitting quietly for a short period of time cannot help us achieve this. It needs to be a contemplative practice that takes us into our expanded consciousness to reach a point of healing.

I have been working on this with daily meditation both in the morning when I wake and at night before going to sleep. I also find that prayer is helpful and I have been working on having "quiet" time, usually within the first hour of waking, to sit outside in peacefulness taking in the sounds of nature. I look forward to discovering new tools to help deepen our skills of going to that inner space.

Relaxation with "Crime of the Century"...

I'm not quite sure why this visualization exercise with color is called the "Crime of the Century" unless they were referring to the fact that it should be considered a crime not to have have beautiful color in your life. This was the second time I had done this visualization which goes through the individual colors relating to the various parts of your body. You visualize the ray of light with a particular color shining into a particular part of your body. I had a little trouble in the beginning in quieting my mind to visualize this, but I noticed both times that when it came to the greens and blues I suddenly had a beautiful feeling of calm and happiness radiating through me. It helped me also to realize the importance of color therapy and the wonderful effects it can have. I would like to try this exercise with a different narrator as both times I had difficulty relaxing with the sound of his voice. Other than that, I found the exercise interesting and beneficial.

In health & happiness,

Lynne

Week 2, my holistic inventory…

Where am I on the wheel of wellness? I've noticed over the years that where we are on this wheel fluctuates throughout our life. As life events happen and circumstances change, so does our level of integral health in different areas. 

I have always found it difficult to put a number rating on my feelings whether it is a pain level, emotions, or

life experiences, but for the purpose of this journal I will do my best. Starting with my physical well-being, it has been a little challenged lately after limiting my exercise for a year with a torn meniscus, then recovering from surgery. I would give it between a 6 – 6.5 as I am cycling 40-50 miles a week, but have been unable to do my other activities like walking and some weight exercises. My goal; to get back to at least an 8-9 by finding other activities I can do on a daily basis to improve my flexibility and strength.

My spiritual well-being is a little better at about an 8 right now. This is due to my ongoing spiritual beliefs and practices, along with a new found love of meditation that is teaching me the joy of silence and looking inward. My goal is to keep improving on this level with new and ongoing activities.

Assessing psychological well-being is a little difficult for me. I would say it’s probably about an 8 with some fluctuations. There have been some life changes with my personal & career goals that have changed some  dynamics of family and friends. I've found that when making shifts in your own life to pursue your goals and dreams, it may no longer be supported by some of the people in your “close” circle. Looking at it as a new adventure surrounding myself with like minded, supportive people is a goal that has been ongoing and moving in a positive direction.

To move towards the goals in all three of these areas, I plan to add yoga or Pilates routine to my exercise a few days a week. I also plan to continue with my meditation, discovering new methods and visualizations to use to continue working towards that inner peace. While I’m doing this I have been rediscovering old friends and new acquaintances to fill my new social circle of support.

In health & happiness,

Lynne

Visualization to reality…

This visualization exercise took me on a journey of learning to control my body through my thoughts. While visualizing a relaxed body, and the shift in blood flow to extend throughout my arms, I could feel the warmth and calm come over me. The feeling of relaxation was so great, it was difficult to move my arms. Who would have thought you can actually change the flow of blood in your body through your mind?

But the best part; the energized feeling once the exercise was over. It left me with more focus to work on my assignments without the scattered feeling of many tasks to accomplish.

If you haven’t tried visualization, I highly recommend it as a step towards reducing stress and enjoying a calm, healing body.

In health & happiness,

Lynne

Welcome & join my journey...

Welcome to my journey into a life of harmony. During the course of my Creating Wellness class, my intention is to find new ways of integrating a feeling of inner peace and wellness into my life to where it becomes a natural part of my everyday life’s journey.

As an Integrative Health Coach I have been incorporating meditation along with physical activity and a healthy, whole foods diet into my daily routine, but I would like to experience the mind body connection on a deeper level so I am looking forward to this journey over the next 8 weeks. Please feel free to comment and share ideas/experiences, as we go through this journey together.

In health & happiness,

Lynne