Journey to Meeting Aesclepius exercise

This exercise by Dacher (2006) can be a very emotional exercise.  This exercise touches one’s inner heart and reaches out to it in order to heal it.  This exercise helps touches and reaches out to the natural essence of our heart and mind.  This exercise helps guide and heal our innerselves guiding us to positive choices and actions through deep wisdom.  This exercise will fill one’s mind body, spirit by eradicating confusion and stress and giving happiness and fullness within oneself.  Overall this is an exercise of inner essence towards integral health.

With that said, despite the similarities of the voice of the woman and the background of the water hitting the shores, this exercise left me very emotional.  Visualizing a very wise and loving individual, I started to think about my grandmother from my mother’s side.  This is an individual I truly respect, love wholeheartedly and feel as my hero.  My grandmother just reached her 90^th birthday and all I can think of is her as soon as this exercise started. 

I start to think of all the things my grandmother underwent with my grandfather to get their family where they are today.  You see, my grandmother is a great woman who worked during World War II in order to feed and support her family when she was still in the Philippines.  My grandmother was left with nine children to care for while my grandfather helped the Americans fight the war against the Japanese.  When the war was over, my grandparents were offered land and transport of them and their family to the United States or one of its U. S territory (Guam) since my grandfather was one of the men who fought with the Americans and helped the American’s escape the Japanese in the Philippines.  Besides that, my grandmother cared for her nine children and her grandchildren including myself and my brothers and sister.   Even with nine children of her own and all the grandchildren she inherited, she still had the heart to adopt more children from the Philippines and support them while she was in Guam. My grandmother has a big heart.  Also, even though she was hurt by my grandfather’s affair with another woman which resulted in a child where the woman didn’t want anything to do with the child, my grandmother took in the child as her own.  In addition, my grandmother remained strong despite the death of my grandfather.  Therefore this exercise left me emotional because it made me realize that I may never see my grandmother again.  Also, my children will never get to meet their great grandmother one last time.  As a result, as I complete the whole exercise, this exercise truly reached the inner essence of my heart because I am left heartbroken and helpless with this experience and I don’t know what to do. 

Having said that, this experience has fostered an increase in my psychological and spiritual wellness because it made me realize that whenever I am stressed and feeling hopeless, all I have to do is think of my grandmother and that nothing can be as difficult as what she went through.  Therefore this practice is something I can apply in my life to foster greater health and wellness by appreciating what I have and to do my best regardless of the consequences. 

Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA:

Basic Health Publications.

Journeying to Integral Assessment

With the integral assessment practice, individuals learn to focus on areas they would like to address and develop in improving such as personal relationships, emotional development, fitness, or work related issues.  According to Dacher (2006) “It’s important to address that concern in all the related quadrants, lines, and levels” (p. 115).   In other words, it is important addressing areas of concern that is distressful and requires development and improvement.  With this practice, individuals will discover and identify areas that `are affecting them and needs improvement. 

So by practicing the integral assessment, I discover the area of concern I need to address which is worldly.  The source of difficulty that is affecting me is my school work.  I feel overwhelmed with all the assignments required within the week.  I am an overachiever and have high standards.  Because of this, I have a difficult time managing my stress effectively and lack the time to be with my family.  And when I am stressed my family suffers because I have a tendency of secluding myself, therefore, I neglect my family.   The line of development that is most essential in healing is my mental well being as well as my personal relationship with my family.  I need to find better ways to manage my stress more effectively and not let it affect my family also, I need to find more time to work on my school work so I can leave the weekend time focused in spending with my family.  Exercises or activities will probably consist of better time management, and taking breaks so I am not so physically, mentally, emotionally, and psychologically drained.  Incorporating the Crime of the Century meditation exercise can help me achieve greater wellness into this area since it is very relaxing and soothing.  Something I need to practice on a daily basis.  By doing so, I can better manage my stress and have a better outlook towards to my family.

Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA:

Basic Health Publications.

Journeying towards Universal Loving Kindness (Meditation)

The Universal Loving Kindness exercise is a powerful meditation exercise expanding the mind and heart (Dacher, 2006).  Also, this meditation exercise is a short yet great source of practice in alleviating embedded anger and hatred built within an individual’s heart.  Once practiced and incorporated into one’s life, one will be able to move their personal love within themselves to universal loving-kindness to others around them.   In addition, this exercise is considered a thoughtful and reflective healing award not just for our personal being but everyone else around them in the world.  This practice helps individual’s reach out to others.  Best of all, this exercise doesn’t take much effort or time to incorporate this simple practice into one’s daily life. 

So as I practice this simple and short exercise, I discovered a weight being lifted off my heart.  I feel a sense of goodness within my heart.  I felt like getting up and doing some good deed.  Although it was a short exercise, it was refreshing.  I find myself less tense inside and out.  With this exercise the chosen area to be a focus of growth and development is towards my overall attitude and well-being towards others.  I figure if I were to incorporate and practice this small exercise on a daily basis prior to my day beginning I can have a better outlook and attitude towards my day and the people I approach.  This will help me grow and develop a better and less stressful individual not just personally but even with my surroundings.  I can make my surroundings and the environment a better and more approachable place to be in and work in.   Overall, I will have a better perspective towards my peers as well as myself. 

In my opinion, simple practices or exercises that an individual can implement to foster greater wellness towards universal loving kindness is just reaching out to others and showing some type of compassion.  Listening, helping, assisting, being generous or just sympathetic is practicing universal loving kindness because universal loving kindness embraces life and softens the mind as well as opens the heart to others (Dacher, 2006).  And what’s funny is that many of us probably already practice or incorporate some type of universal loving kindness into their lives and don’t even realize it.  So, practicing this little short meditation on a day to day basis can uplift one’s spirit and heart as well as the others around them.

Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA:

Basic Health Publications.

Journeying towards the connection of spiritual wellness to mental and physical wellness

First of all, the connection between spiritual, mental and physical wellness is that they are all needed to achieve integral health and human flourishing.  Also the key role towards wellness and healing is the connection of the mind, body and spirit  (Dacher, 2006).  For example it involves both inner and outer aspects of life.  They are also considered the goals to human flourishing towards happiness, wholeness, and holistic health.  Our physical wellness covers the outer aspects of life while our spiritual and mental wellness involves the inner aspects of life.  Dacher (2006) discusses our physical wellness is vital to total wellness because it addresses the biological aspects of the anatomical, physiological, spiritual, and mindful aspects of the body towards illness, infection, virus or disease itself.  As for our spiritual  and mental wellness, both addresses an individual’s mental being such as awareness and gaining control of one’s mind through stress, anxiety, and depression and an individual’s relationships and social involvement.  Overall spiritual, mental and physical wellness addresses all other factors that play a role in one’s life.  It is one’s way of surviving and reaching some type of fulfillment.   Therefore, in order for an individual to achieve total wellness, they must achieve total wellness of the mind, body, and spirit.  apply all aspects of human experiences in their life in order to receive total healing.  And in order to achieve total healing as a whole requires the interconnection of the mind, body and soul.  Each affects one another and leads towards a healthier and more fulfilled life. 

Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA:

Basic Health Publications.

Loving kindness vs. Subtle mind exercise

First of all, both exercises may take several attempts in order to fully understand the purpose of the exercise.  Also, in order to incorporate this exercise, takes lots of patience and focus.  Therefore, my experience with the Loving Kindness exercise was a difficult exercise for me to follow.  However the practice of opening our hearts to others by being kind, caring, patient, and generous to the needs of others, is a wonderful and compelling feeling.  With that said, practicing loving kindness on a day to day basis is not difficult.  In fact, many of us may have already shown some type of loving kindness and don’t even realize it.  According to Dacher (2006) “Loving-kindness can be expressed in our thoughts, prayers, and advice or through physical assistance and generosity that connect heart-to-heart” (p. 51).  In other words, actions of compassion towards your spouse, family and friends, supporting someone in need, or providing or donating items in needs are practices of loving kindness.  Overall, the goal of the loving kindness exercise is to reach out to others.

As for the Subtle Mind practice, I felt disappointed that the exercise consisted of the same individual’s voice as well as the same background music.   Struggling hard once again to get comfortable and relaxed as well as not allowing my frustrations overtake me, I am trying my best to stay focused on my breathing.  I am focusing on my focal point which is a little insignificant crack on the corner of my wall, I started to think about how much this exercise reminds me of my Lamaze class I took thirteen years ago.  Trying to stay on track with the exercise, I find my mind wandering back to when I was in the delivery room and the wonderful creation God has given me which are my children.  I started comparing all three deliveries and how much the world has changed.  Now I try to control my mind and focus back on the exercise so I can be able to tame it, yet I continuously find myself gazing off again.  So I take control of my mind and decided to focus more on my rhythmic breathing.  As a result, I feel more in control as well as relaxed and at peace. 

Comparing both the loving kindness exercise with the subtle mind exercise, the similarities between the two is that they both utilize the same technique which is the ability to take control of our mind and tame it.  Also both exercises uses the same concept as far as visualizing and trying to ease the mind.  Also, both exercises have similar musical background as well as the individual speaking.  In addition, both exercises were difficult to follow and I continuously find myself wandering off and thinking about other things such as completing all the assignments for this class as well as my other classes.  My mind felt more disturbed rather than at ease and calm.    

However, the differences between the loving kindness exercise and the subtle mind exercise is that the subtle mind exercise is more focused on controlling and taming the mind as well as being aware of your surroundings while loving kindness exercise is trying to reach out to others along with opening oneself to others when needed by the kindness of our hearts. 

Above all, both practices and exercises are meant to help an individual take control of their mind and open up their mind to awareness.  Although I know I may have to practice these exercises several times in order for me to flourish towards integral health, the benefits will sure be worth the effort.  An individual will gain by practicing loving kindness are the wonderful and compelling feeling of fullness within the heart when we act or show some good deed to others.  By doing or showing some type of compassion or kindness within our hearts, we receive the same actions that we practice to others.  Dacher (2006) reports “loving-kindness attracts loving-kindness” (p. 65).  We no longer think of ourselves but of others.  As for the subtle mind, if an individual is to successfully accomplish this exercise, they will be able to control and train their mind to the fullest.  An individual will benefit and gain control to help identify, train and manage the negative aspects of their life and incorporate healthy positive habits and behaviors so they can live healthy, happy, and fulfilled. 

Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA:

Basic Health Publications.

Journeying to the concept of “Mental Workout”

To me, the word “Mental Workout” itself implies exercising the mind or working the mind to be healthy.  According to Dacher (2006) “Mental Workout” means utilizing contemplative practices to help tame the mind’s constant mental activities and train it along with opening one’s heart, expanding consciousness, and progressing towards psychospirtual flourishing.  The goal is for progressive development of an expanded consciousness and healing within the mind, body, and spirit.  There are two contemplative practices; they are loving-kindness and subtle mind. 

Dacher (2006) explains through the contemplative practice of loving-kindness, an individual will be able to open their hearts to others and slowly reduce their selfishness so they can grow towards the development of psychospiritual flourishing.  The contemplative practice of the subtle mind addresses three levels that opens the mind and reveals insightful wisdom of truth of life and existence.  Research indicates the proven benefits of a mental work out results in awareness and experiences of the mind and its many levels and capacities in healing and the development of the qualities of human flourishing which are health, happiness, and wholeness. 

So in order for me to implement mental workouts to foster my psychological health, I would need to devote at least one hour a day of my time and effort towards incorporating one of the contemplative practices of either loving-kindness or subtle mind.   By doing so, I could feel calm and at peace with myself and I can proceed with benefiting good health, happiness, and wholeness within myself. 

Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications.

Journey to Loving Kindness

Since I come from an island, I love being on the beaches and everything that surrounds it.  I love the smell of the water, the feeling of grains in the sands and I love listening to the sounds of the water hitting the shores of the beach.   Having said that, besides the sounds of the water in the background, this is one exercise I do not particularly enjoy.  Just the voice talking in the beginning of the track made it difficult to relax.  No matter how much I try to remain calm and focus on relaxing, I just couldn’t get comfortable during the entire exercise.  The voice of the woman was very stern and not calming like the past two relaxation exercises in Unit 2 and 3.  I could not focus and could not follow through the entire exercise.  Probably if they had removed the voice of the woman and kept the background sounds or maybe changed the voice to a more soothing and calming voice like the past two relaxation exercises, this exercise could have changed my opinion.  I thought it was a waste of time for me.  So to answer the question whether I found it beneficial or would I recommend it to others, I would say no.  If I found it difficult to follow, I feel they will have a difficult time following it as well.  I want others to receive the same feelings and experience I felt when I listened to the past two relaxation exercises.  I want others to feel positive and get a sense of peace like I did.  Therefore, this is one exercise I would not want others to experience.