Unit 10

I feel my scores from Unit 3 have changed. My spiritual score has not though. I feel I am still at a 9 with that even though I know that it is not just religion but a complete spiritual score. Here I do believe there is a higher being and it is up to me to be as close to it as possible especially to my fellow man. My other scores, I feel, have gotten better. I do eat better and I am trying to do yoga with meditation at least 3 times a week with a better feeling toward it. I think this has put me on a better path towards a healthier lifestyle and a calmer mind. Psychologically, I do feel so much better knowing how and why to clear my thought pattern and rid myself of the pains I have clung to. Forgiveness has no doubt been the best thing to learn of.
Now I just need to do as I say I would. Practice at least 3 times a week faithfully. It is always so easy to say you will do it until it comes down to it. Because it makes me feel better physically and about myself, I think I am going to be able to keep this up. My mood is definitely better according to my coworkers and people don't seem to be afraid of me. Letting go of the anger and learning to forgive has made such a difference. This to me has not been easy. Change is never easy and probably not really understanding this course slowed my progress down. I am glad I understand the benefits better.
Craig Touchette

Unit 9 Final Project

INTRODUCTION:

It is very important to practice what we preach. This is the basis for not only integrity, but for believability. Psychologically, we need to be in balance and calm along with the understanding of letting the bad or passing ideas just pass. I like the way of letting them come into my head now and just being aware then letting them go without pondering over them. Spiritually, we must believe there is a higher being. Not being religious, but just to believe I or we are just here and there is a higher being or level. We must believe to help others believe. Then there is the physical. A healthy mind leads to a healthy body. If a person is morbidly obese, it is hard to tell someone who is overweight to lose weight or if someone smokes, then who are they to tell someone else to quit. There has to be believability to what one says or teaches.

ASSESSMENT:

My assessment of myself has changed. I feel I have a better understanding psychologically and can deal with stress much better. Here I feel I may be an 8/10. There is more to improve, but I feel I am in a better place than I was at the beginning of this course. Physically I am the same. I eat as I please and when I please. I am not in the best of shape but I see myself as happy as I am so I don’t feel as though I should change. My rating of spiritually is also the same. I am not religious and do not push my beliefs onto anyone but I do believe in a higher being and I feel like heaven may be a real destination. As far as I know, it could just be when I get to the inner peace I am striving for.

 

GOAL DEVELOPMENT:                                                                                                                                3

My personal goal physically is to maintain a happy weight and continue to do things in the great outdoors. I love to camp, fish, and to mingle with the wildlife in the forests. If I am able to do that, then I can maintain my goal. Spiritually, I would like to enjoy my faith and believe I can be better than I think I am. I also would like to help others understand they can be better people and help one another. Psychologically, I want to gain more peace and loving-kindness towards my fellow human being. I still get frustrated and angry at the trivial things and even if I know that it is wrong, it still happens.

PRACTICES FOR PERSONAL HEALTH:

Growth in these domains remains a mystery to me. Physically, I want to maintain what I do. I plan on attempting yoga to stretch and focus. I really like meditation to relax and understand what has happened and this helps me refocus on what is important. This will help me psychologically as well as physically, I think.

COMMITMENT:

How I am doing in the next 6 months will determine how well I feel. I am planning a hiking trip to the state park which is one of my favorite places. Here I will believe whether physically I am better and psychologically I am planning on practicing meditation so I believe that my moods will be better and more relaxed. This I am looking forward to. Maintaining this will be easy I feel. The better I feel, the more I will want. This is just as addicting as anything else.      

 

Unit 8

I have found this course to be very useful. Not really believing in this prior to the class, I find myself wondering why I didn't believe and just try it.  Maybe it's just the way I was taught, western medicine was right and all others are wrong. Maybe it's just because I am stubborn and didn't want to believe because it would mean that I was wrong. The two practice sessions that I find most useful would be meditation because of the concentration and relaxing it brings out. The other would be the subtle mind exercise where I can learn to just view my thoughts and let them go. I haven't learned it that well yet but I am trying. My mind is still cluttered and I find myself thinking of things that seem relevant at the time, but proves in the long term to be just another distraction. From here I can continue to practice and practice with hopes that my mind will eventually clear and the quiet will be observed. I find the breathing is relaxing and my heart rate can drop while controlling my breathing.
This still boils down to the same thing though: practice, practice, practice.
Craig Touchette

Unit 7

This practice was very relaxing. I never really had a mentor so my imagination could wander and the image I pictured was more of an animal, a bear to be exact. The meditation or relaxing helps soothe the pains of the day and allows me to let go of the anger that builds. Picturing a bear watching me just puts me back into the forest where I am most comfortable. The relaxing can be done after I get home from work and carry on and off through the evening. I believe this will help me find that quiet that I have been looking for.
One cannot lead where one has not been. That, to me is very true since if you have never been in a situation then you cannot possibly understand what the emotions are that got them there. Everything that has led up to that point in time has had help in getting there. I feel that your ways of life have brought you to the health that you are in now and has had started the chain reactions of what will happen. I feel my obligation is to alter the course that has already been set to a better lifestyle but it is up to the patient to either follow the advise, wise or not, and make the best judgment for the individual. I can only explain what is happening physically. I am not qualified or even comfortable to judge them on how they live their lives. I can only better my own life and so I can help others do the same.
Craig

Unit 6

The exercise of universal loving-kindness sort of confused me. I tried to relax and clear my mind. I really wanted this to start to work but I found myself not only reading the phrases but my mind continued to wander. Then I tried to just read the words and found myself reading before and after wondering if I was doing this right. After the 10 minutes or so were up, then I wondered if I am just not at that place yet and need to clear my mind more or at least better. It seems as though the day that happens affects how calm the mind is. I know that during the summer, I can sit on my deck and just stare into the forest and be at such ease with everything but now I cannot. I really think I am not there yet.
Deep down I know this can work. I honestly feel the work I need to concentrate on is forgiveness and calming my mind. There is a lot of anger and this will help. We all make mistakes and over the years I have made a few. I want to work on this and let things go since they are just annoying and getting in the way. I love how this works with just letting go of the thoughts and healing from within but never knew what it was or how. This class is teaching me the reasons why some things have worked while others have not.
Craig Touchette

Listening and comparing the two practices did not convince me anymore that what I know. I know that this works and that with practice and patience it does wonders for the better of my health. But I really did not understand "breathing in someone else's pains". I tried to understand what that person is going through but since I don't know the pain, I cannot help. Like I said before, my wife has MS and I would love to be able to alleviate even some of the pain. The breathing relaxes me and I understand much better how the breathing and mind are connected, when the breathing is easy, steady, and relaxed; the mind can be relaxed. Obviously, I am not there yet.
Spiritual wellness links with physical and mental wellness as a whole. One cannot be fully whole without all the links together. I believe that everyone believes in something better whether it is science, religion, or whatever. Prayer has been proven to work even in small ways but perception is the key. Does the person really want prayer to work? Is the body capable of getting better by "thinking it better"? As a member of humankind, I hope it is possible, but also as an amateur scientist, I would like to see the proof. I believe but don't know why or even how. I just do.
Craig Touchette

Unit 4

I listened to the subtle mind but did not find it as relaxing. The breathing awareness does work and I plan on using this to "tame my mind" but I did not like the water in the background. Being from Maine and so close to the coast, I know that the waves are crashing onto the rocks. I also see the waves as they come over the rocks and then ebb back out to sea. I don't find that gentle but it can be relaxing and somewhat mesmerizing. These practices are challenging for me because my mind is noisy and uncontrolled. Maybe I am one that cannot attain that peace and calm.

Mental training is a daily task just as this is. The more one tries to calm the mind the stronger the mind should get so these may work hand-in-hand. These workouts can work on many different aspects of not only clearing the mind of clutter and noise but awaken the mind to a better life style with a happier sense of being. It could also strengthen the immune system in coordination with yoga to strengthen the body and make it more flexible. A flexible mind sounds pretty good.

Week 3

Week 3 we are to answer these questions on how we rate ourselves:
1a. My physical well being I would say is a 7. I tend to eat what I want when I want. I also love to hike and be in the outdoors so I feel it is a trade off. Of course I know better for what I eat but I know that life is short and I really like to enjoy the moment so if a piece of pizza or a Twinkie is there then why not enjoy it. Just my thought.
b. My spiritual well being is closer to a 9. I believe in God, and I am not ashamed to say so. I strive everyday to try and do the right things not because I am afraid for my soul but it is just the right thing to do. I am always thinking of helping my fellow people no matter what I think of them because they deserve to be treated as I would want to be treated.
c. My psychological well being is something else. I am a veteran and have some nightmares sometimes just remembering. I know it would be good to see someone for them but I feel they are part of me so why would I change what I made myself. I rate that at a 6 but it has gotten better over the years and I am opening up more because of this.
2. My goal is to continue to improve my psychological well being. I know it will happen and my family and friends make all the difference. That is why they are there. They help by being there when I need them but not to push.
3. My activities are boy scouts. I am always going out on a hike or trip and seeing them become excellent citizens makes all the difference. It helps my soul regenerate because they are the future as is all the children. These ones just can be the leaders and pass on the knowledge and skills that I learned and then taught so maybe I do live some through them.

4. I did not understand this exercise as much. I imagined or tried to imagine the colors but didn't relax because that is not who I am. Somehow I know this would work for some but it hasn't worked for me. I am going to keep trying but this one did little to relax me but did make me giggle a little thinking of a rainbow coming out of me. If you knew me, you would know that probably would not happen. Thank you

This week we are talking about mind and body working together for healthier lives. I am "old school" so I really don't understand this but I do believe in it. My wife has MS (Multiple Sclerosis) and uses yoga to stretch and strengthen the body. She also uses meditation to ease her mind since there is no cure and honestly, I don't think there is a lot of control of it even with medication. I believe in western medicine since that is all I know but I do know that the mind is very powerful when it can be controlled.
Craig

So now for my thoughts on relaxation. The voice was very clear and concise with the pronunciation of the words. The music in the background helps the mood. It has a sustained tone so it must be vibes with the constant tone of the voice and you concentrate on what he is saying. This does help if you take this seriously. I tend to keep tense and aware of my surroundings where I am most comfortable.

Week 1