Creating Wellness Final Project

Tonia Weakland-Wilhelm

Kaplan University

HW420

Unit 9 Final Project

Integral Assessment and Commitment

04-03-2011

It is important for me as a health and wellness professional to continually develop psychologically, spiritually, and physically. I have been working on developing all of these areas and I believe I need to continue to work towards higher goals in all of these areas. This class Creating Wellness, as a whole has helped me to assess my health from a holistic perspective. This assessment has enabled me to set specific goals for developing the various aspects of myself. With my goals in mind I can implement practices that will foster my physical, psychological, and spiritual growth. Time will prove my level of commitment to lifestyle changes. In past courses I have had projects that take me through a similar process of assessment and goal setting. Each time I do such an assignment, it is an opportunity to see how far I have come and where I would like to go. 

My assessment of my health encompasses the physical, psychological, and spiritual aspects of my human experience. Physically, I am in pretty good shape, but there is room for improvement. I am fairly strong and very flexible. I enjoy walking and yoga, so I do these things regularly. I also enjoy hiking and biking, but only engage in these activities periodically. Mentally, I keep my mind fit by continuing my education and studying the complex human mind. I nurture my spiritual side with meditation, yoga, and  by visiting temples and beautiful places in nature that bring me closer to God. If I had to rank myself on a scale of one to ten, ten being the highest level of development in all areas, I would rank at a 7.5. I say this because I do live with an awareness of what is healthy and in my best interest, but I do not always do what I know is good for me. 

In the past, I have set goals for myself and have had varying degrees of success with committing to long term life changes. I find that I am most successful when I make one small change at a time. When I am able to make that change a part of my routine without any additional effort, I am ready to move to the next step. Physically, I know I need to do more aerobic activity and strength training. I am going to sigh up for the Body Conditioning class at San Francisco City College again. I have taken it before. It is a good mix of low impact aerobics and light weights. The Contemporary Diet and Nutrition class at Kaplan and the book Fast Food Nation has inspired me to eat healthier. I rarely eat fast food and buy more organic, locally produced, non processed foods than I did a year ago. Recently I cut the processed sugars from my diet almost completely. I would like to start eating more healthy vegetarian food and cut down on my meat intake. Next quarter at Kaplan, I would like to take a class in abnormal psychology. The things I have learned about how stress effects our health is fascinating to me. The power the mind has over people is interesting too. The books Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman and Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulsers by Robert Sapolsky have been very enlightening as to the cascading effect stress has on our minds and bodies. In order to continue to develop my optimal mental health and cognition, I think taking another psychology class would be helpful. Spiritually, I think I have developed the most recently and have strong aspirations to develop this aspect of myself. Partially inspired by this class, Creating Wellness,  I have sought out local meditation centers and made great progress with my daily meditation practice. My goals for spiritual development are to become more deeply involved with local buddhist and yogic communities in the short run. In the long run, my goal is to develop a strong relationship with one or more of these local centers with ties to countries such as India. Once I graduate from Kaplan with my BS in Health and Wellness, I intend to go abroad to study and experience life in new ways. 

Practicing for my personal health means implementing strategies that foster my personal growth and overcoming obstacles that tend to throw me off track. Physically, I have set a goal to get more aerobic activity and strength training. One way to do this will be to sign up for Body Conditioning at San Francisco Community College. In addition, I am working on challenging myself more in my yoga practice by integrating more poses that require upper body strength in particular. Also, I have begun to ride my bike to run local errands. Now that the weather is improving, I intend to ride more frequently. For my psychological development I practice daily meditation and study the mind. I intend to continue my meditation practice and explore various types of meditation. I am at the point where I can call upon my breath, a mantra, or visualization at almost any time in order to keep my mind calm and quiet. I enjoy reading about how the brain functions, how the mind interacts with the physical body, and chemical reactions that effect the mind and body. Next quarter, I will take a psychology class that will serve to deepen my understanding of the human mind, help me to strengthen my own mental health and capacity, and to empower me with knowledge on how to deal effectively with people who may not be mentally healthy. Spiritually, I am drawn to nature, I am drawn to serve others. I am fortunate with my work that I get to help people feel their best. As I continue my educational, career and life goals, I look for ways to be resourceful and to give back, which nurtures my spirituality. I have attended functions at local meditation centers and yoga ashrams from time to time. I need to find a way to work this into my regular schedule. This means finding family friendly functions at these centers. In the resource  section of Dacher’s Integral Health text I did find a couple of Buddhist based organizations that had chapters in my area and around the world, that offer events for children, teens and families. Spirit Rock and Shambhala are easily accessible for me, have programs or events coming up that I am interested in and have centers around the world in places I would love to visit. I enjoy being in nature. Last week I visited a beautiful area in China where limestone mountains tower over rice patties and villages of people who live a primitive life by our standards. I intend to visit more such places and help improve quality of life while protecting environment and wildlife. I support nonprofit organizations which hold these values. As I mature professionally and my children grow up, my intention is to become more involved with these organizations to expand my worldly self, my knowledge and my spirit. I would love to work with Habitat For Humanity, Doctors Without Borders and other such organizations that are making a difference in my back yard and around the world. 

Assessing one self and setting goals is one thing, but to commit is another. In at least two previous quarters, I have had projects that involved these practices. I think the key to success is to take it a step at a time. Setting too many goals and major lifestyle changes can be a setup for failure for many of us. Looking back upon the previous assessments and goals I have set, I do believe I have made progress. Even if I am not where I would like to be, any progress is good. My goals today are essentially the same as the goals I have made in the past. Several months ago I set goals to get more physically fit by eating healthier, exercising more, and deepening my meditation practice. I have, in fact done this. Today I eat very little processed foods, almost no refined sugar, much less cheese or fatty foods than I did a year ago. My mountain bike sat in my garage for years, but in the last several months I have ridden it a couple of miles about once a week. One time recently I even took by bike to run errands around downtown San Francisco. I have been consistent with meditation practices daily for nearly a year. I often meditate as soon as I wake up and meditate my way to sleep. I find times throughout the day to get centered. If I do not have twenty minutes, I at least go for five deep breaths. I will continue to assess my progress, congratulate myself for my successes and keep working on the aspects of myself I could improve upon.

References

Dacher, Integral Health the Path to Human Flourishing, 2006, Basic Health Publications, Laguna Beach CA

The Spirit Rock Meditation Center, www.spiritrock.org, Woodacre CA, 2011

The Shambhala Centers, www.shambhala.org, 2011

Sapolsky, Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulsers, 1994, Holt and Co., New York

Goleman, Emotional Intelligence, 1995, Bantam Dell, New York

Unit 8 Blog

The practices I will integrate into my daily life are the Loving Kindness Practice and the Meeting Aesclepius practice. Specifically, I find the practice of breathing in suffering and melting it in the heart. As a health and wellness professional, I have to be aware of the interaction of the energy transfer between myself and my client. It is very important to be able to dispel negative energy rather than internalize it. I have found myself calling upon this practice to move this energy in an appropriate way. The meeting Aesclepius practice has been a visualization that I am really drawn to. I think it is good for me to visualize spiritual leaders and take on the qualities I admire about them. I also like that it incorporates chakra tuning by visualizing light emanating from the energy centers. Whether I continue to listen to the guider visualization, I have internalized this practice and will call upon it during my meditation practice. I do meditate regularly and these practices have helped inspire me to maintain a consistent practice. I have enjoyed and benefited from these practices and the class over all. I appreciate that I have been able to work toward earning a degree in Health and Wellness. I wish you all health and happiness.

Love, 

Tonia

unit 7 blog; Meeting Asciepius & Spiritual Leadership

I liked the “Meeting Asciepius” meditation most of all the practices we have done in this class. Asciepius is the Greek God of healing that represents the subtle mind. The narrator of the meditation suggested we visualize a spiritually evolved leader, whether real or fictional, alive or dead. Perhaps because I have had Tibet on my mind a lot lately, and he is arguably the wisest spiritual leader of our time, I envisioned His Holiness The Fourteenth Dali Lama. He is considered to be the reincarnation of The Boddhisatva, an aspect of Buddha, personified. Every time I sit to do this meditation, he is the first person to come to my mind. I visualize his smiling face. I can hear his light hearted giggle and his profoundly simplistic words of wisdom. I see the points of light emanating from the crown of his head, his ajnya chakra (third eye), his throat, and his heart center. I do feel the connection between his energy centers to mine. I can feel the balancing, healing effect of the bond. I especially focus on the throat chakra, because this important center for communication is an area that needs considerable maintenance. I often find it difficult to express myself, particularly amidst adversity, when I need most to speak up. I will continue this practice, and hope that it will continue to help me find my voice and deepen my understanding of my higher Self.

 Namaste.

नमस्ते

“One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself.” This concept makes perfect sense to me as a health and wellness professional. I can only teach my student what I have learned. I can not possibly show someone how to do something I have not learned. In this way, my abilities as a healer are limited. This is why I owe it to myself and my clients to continually develop in all aspects of my life, physically, mentally, and spiritually. I do believe I keep this in mind as I strive to make life my practice. I try to eat well and exercise, to train my mind through education and contemplative practice, and to evolve spiritually by reading or listening to spiritual guidance, participating in group spiritual activities, and am increasing drawn to take deep spiritual journeys that will take me to places I have never been before, physically, mentally and spiritually. 

In twelve hours from now, I will be boarding an airplane to China. I have never been out of the U.S. before. I am excited, a little nervous and afraid. It is a journey that is sure to be interesting and exciting. The trip is really for my child and her class. I am a chaperone. I will spend a week in Beijing, where I will have some free time, for the kids will be with host families. I plan on visiting the Lama Temple, taking Qi Gong class, and receiving Traditional Chinese Medical Treatments such as “Fire Glass”. The second week will be busier for chaperoning as we tour the country. It has been many years leading up to this amazing journey. I’m sure I will grow in many ways through this experience. My only regret is that I did not book an extended trip to visit Tibet. I had intended to, but I let excuses of time and money constraints stop me from really following this dream. Upon this realization that I let my fear get in the way of fulfilling my dream at this time, I tried to change my plans, but alas, it was too late. One needs to obtain permits to enter Tibet. It is a politically sensitive issue. I need to correct this. Once I have my degree in Health and Wellness, I am going to take a good long voyage to a spiritual place, where I can bring my children with me, so that we can all live our lives to the fullest, and remain firmly on a path to flourishing.

Om Shanti

ॐ शांति

Personal Integral Assessment & Universal Loving Kindness

1. Psychospiritual
1. conative
1. I am motivated by a desire to serve others. It used to be that I sought external validation for my good deeds. Today I am more content with the feeling that comes from within when I do for others. 
2. cognitive
1. I am constantly seeking knowledge and experience.I am a perpetual student, always taking workshops and classes with a goal of personal and career growth in mind.
3. emotional
1. I do have codependent tendencies and wish I were less reactive in some situations. Recognizing these tendencies has been a gradual process. I do think I have come a long way with this. 
2. Interpersonal
1. personal
1. I have a pretty good relationship with myself. I try to be honest with myself about my strengths and weaknesses.   I try every day to be the best person I can be, and I work on forgiveness to myself for mistakes I have made and my short comings. 
2. family
1. My family relationships are a weak link for me. I am geographically very distant from most of my relatives and some of the key figures in my life suffer from drug and alcohol addiction, so these relationships can be strained. I love my children, but parenthood comes with challenges. As frustrating as it is sometimes, parenthood is an excellent opportunity for personal growth.
3. community
1. I would like to develop more in this area. I am not all that involved in my community. I find myself being ‘too busy’ and I am a little shy and introverted. I used to volunteer at my child’s school frequently, but at her age there is not as much need. My son will start kindergarten in August. I will have more opportunities to volunteer with his class. I have taken steps to be more involved in that I just signed up to have a booth promoting my spa at the local street fair coming up in a couple of months. I also attended an event at a meditation center where I felt comfortable. I do belong to various ‘communities’ of Yogis, Bodyworkers, and Energy Workers. I would like to be more involved with all of them.
3. Biological
1. Fitness
1. I engage in a moderate amount of physical activity. My favorites are yoga and hiking which are all good for developing the mind, body, spirit connection. I should do more strength training exercise and more aerobic activity as well. 
2. Nutrition
1. I am aware of what it takes to eat healthy in respect to personal nutritive requirements, environmental impact and respect to animals. I try to purchase organic, sustainable, minimally if at all processed foods, but also balance a tight budget. Recently I have notices my body physically reacting to processed sugary foods, so I have restricted them greatly. Even with this awareness, I think my diet could be healthier.
3. self regulation
1. I take some time to meditate daily. I have gotten progressively more consistent and more at ease with practice. I also take acupuncture regularly, chiropractic and massage therapy when ever I can.
4. Worldly
1. work 
1. My work is all about nourishing people’s bodies, minds, and spirits. There is always opportunity to go deeper, but I am fulfilled in the work I do, for it feeds my spirit as well as my pocketbook. My work inspires me to go deeper, to learn more, to become more intuitive.
2. social activism
1. I do hold a deep desire to help make the world a better place, however I find myself often holding back on this. I often put my busyness, the logistics of my life first. I used to go out on a limb in protests and do more volunteer work before I became a parent. I find myself using my kids as an excuse why I can not contribute at this time. I am too busy. I haven’t the money. It’s too dangerous. These are all excuses I need to turn around and learn to work with. I need to teach my children the value of standing up for what you believe in. It is worth my time to give to others. 
3. generativity
1. I do enjoy sharing and teaching others what I have learned. One of the the most rewarding aspects of my work is empowering others with the tools that help them flourish in their own lives. 

The goal of my personal integral assessment is to reduce my suffering and promote my flourishing. In this process I am able to see what aspects of my life are significant sources of distress and which areas hold the greatest possibilities for growth and development. Resolutions are made in this process that address both short term relief and long term relief from suffering. Clear distinctions can be made between what gives immediate pleasure and what supports long term flourishing. The process aids in development of psycho-spiritual aspects which are essential for spiritual health. The assessment requires guidance and listening on a deep level addressing the aspects of our being that are ripe for development here and now. The most important thing to remember in the process is that I am perfect just the way I am.  I am not anxious bout non-perfection because everything is as it should be.

This assessment and the Universal Loving Kindness exercise serve to remind me that my real goals, what really fulfills me, has little to do with material success, but with service. I am now ready to explore ways that I can integrate more community service into my life. This service must include my children. I am ready and willing to serve. I am ready and willing to receive. I am healthy, happy, gracious, free. I am free to choose my own destiny.

Namaste

Wellness; The Mind, Body, Spirit Connection

ॐ नमः शिवायः ॐ नमः शिवायः ॐ नमः शिवायः

शांति शांति शांति

Chanting of mantra is a tool utilized by most spiritual disciplines to help bring a person into higher mental and spiritual planes. Repetition of mantra is for the mind what repetition of physical exercise is for the body. Chanting Om Namah Shivaya over and over again is said to help bring one closer to enlightenment. Chanting Shanti is an invocation foe world peace. It is generally accepted as fact that in order to have a healthy physical body we need to eat nutritious food and exercise on a regular basis. The more well rounded our diet is and our workouts are, the stronger we are physically and mentally. It is a proven fact that poor nutrition and lack of physical activity can lead to mental health issues such as depression, attention deficit, and aggression. What we eat and our activity levels effect the chemistry of our brains for better or worse. Neglecting our physical and mental health perpetuates a downward spiraling of stress hormones. Nourishing our bodies as the temple of spirit propels us into the energetic vortex that uplifts us to higher planes of being. Many disciplines of conventional health ideology address one or two of these aspects. We acknowledge going to the gym for a workout as working on the physical and mental plane, but it lacks spiritual connection. Being involved in a church may strengthen the psycho-spiritual component of our being, but does little for our physical body. I am very drawn to yoga because it is a practice, a way of life really, that works on all levels of being, all layers of human experience. Yogic philosophy gives guidance as to how to nourish the body through diet and exercise, how to strengthen the mind through disciplined, repetition of mental exercises in contemplation and present moment awareness. It teaches us how to nourish our spirits through love, gratitude and forgiveness. The practice of yoga has made a profound effect on my health on all levels. Because of yoga my physical body is strong and flexible. I am acutely aware of how I use my body in various activities, so I am less likely to injure myself because of mindless misuse of my body. I have been able to work through old wounds, working on forgiveness, living a life aware of how we create our reality. Karma means action, like Newton's law of equal and opposite reactions, as is the law of karma. By and large, the things we do for better or worse lay the foundation for what lies ahead, so living a life that is virtuous helps one to keep a clear conscious, a light heart, and open mind. 

नमस्ते,

मंगला

Tonia

Into the Depths of the Mind

Both the Loving Kindness practice and the Subtle Mind practice are beneficial, but they explore different aspects of the mind. The loving kindness practice explores the outer layer of the mind. It takes the mind on a journey outward, expanding consciousness and love to all sentient beings. The Subtle Mind practice is more of a journey inward. It focuses on quieting the active mind and focusing on the deeper layers of the mind, moving toward calm abiding and unity consciousness. I like both practices and find them easier to get into with repetition. I have integrated into my life the piece of the Loving Kindness practice  where we breath in the suffering of another, letting it melt away. Whenever I find my mind wandering to someone’s suffering or I am working with a client, I invoke this practice. I have found it to be a useful tool for dispelling negative energy. The subtle mind practice, so far has been a good meditation, but I’ve only listened to it for a few days now. I will need more time to see how it will effect my life. I’m sure it will help me to increase my level of calm abiding and move me toward unity consciousness.

Get Psyched With a Mental Workout

You are in bondage by your own consciousness and you can be free  by your own consciousness. It's only a matter of turning the angel of the mind. - Baba Hari Dass

Many of us are aware of the importance of exercise training for physical fitness, and today more and more people are becoming aware of the benefits of mental training for cognitive, emotional, and spiritual fitness. Daily practice of contemplation, to develop an expanded consciousness, serves to evolve our psycho-spiritual life, to access our greatest potential and highest Self. These practices have been utilized and taught for thousands of years, across many religions and cultures. We are fortunate today to have access to so many spiritual teachers, psychology books, and practices at our disposal. It has been proven that studying a little every day is better for cognitive memory than cramming. Studies have also shown that people who continuously learn have a lower instance of Alzheimer's disease and dementia. When we make a sustained effort to grow emotionally through contemplative practices, we improve our relationships with ourselves and with others. This evolves into greater awareness and connection to our higher Self, a spiritual evolution.