Unit 6-Exercises for Mind-Body-Spirit Wellness and Healing

Hello Class,

I will start with the exercise first which was the loving and kindness meditation. You had to lay down and repeat the same mantra over and over again while visualizing.  It was a weird experience mainly because at first I felt a sort of sadness because I felt as if I was reflecting on the suffering.  So I began to try vision that freedom from suffering and I felt my sadness lift. I actually saw myself helping others in becoming health, happy and whole. From there I felt a sense of vanity as if it should not have been a feeling for me. I had to redirect my focus and feelings for everyone else. It was a different experience. It left me feeling as if I had reflected on myself and how I should be doing more. The assessment started with a meditation on what part of me is the source of suffering.

 The second aspect was to ask myself what ready of my life is ready to grow and develop. This one really made me look what I need to be doing and want to be doing. Also giving me a greater insight to what could be the cause as well. This one reminded me of a therapy session for some reason. Seemed like a counseling more than a meditation. One thing I realize is the source of a lot of my suffering is fear.  On almost every level I can think fear has had a hold on me. I have decided to work on that fear sense I feel it to be the biggest part of my life that brings me suffering. I think I can spiritually, mentally, and physical flourish by finding he proper methods and tools to conquer fear. I believe strongly in knowledge so I plan to start my reading different books on fear and overcoming it. I also plan to speak with my spiritual guide and possibly even a therapist about it. I thinking taking martial arts and studying yoga more are other areas I will dive deeper into in order to help me develop through this issue.

Thanks,

Ebony

Unit 5

Hello All,

I had a hard time with this exercise for some reason. I believe my biggest reason is the fact that I am in pain. Recently I injured myself and I am currently on crutches. So right now my mind is consumed in pain. My mind kept going to the pain and the crutches for some reason. I literally felt pulled back to pain when I was trying to let it go. I felt as if I had no control over my thoughts almost helpless. So I decided to use the anchor visualization and felt myself being pulled in different directions.  Then strangely once I concentrated on breathe to just being calm and I actually lost the feeling of pain. I am sure no one will believe this but my foot was not hurting anymore. I think it’s because I did not concentrate on it. I was concentrated on my breath and the stillness in the moment. Then out of nowhere I totally became freaked out. I can barely walk and within 15 minutes the pain had left my foot and I became completely calm, still, and peaceful.

This all but made me really think of how my spiritual health is affecting my mind and body.

 During my meditation I thought of nothing but yet I felt light, love and god within me. Flowing through me and keeping me grounded. From there my mind became strong and behind that I felt the pain leave my body. I did not know I could possess such a power. I saw this as a power and something I wish to master. I have read stories about people who THOUGHT themselves out of pain. People who go into prayer and come out healed. I am not sure I believed it until this exercise. It shows the power of the spirit and mind. The way the body responds to things we have control over. I think that in my personal life being a skeptic over certain spiritual things has affected my mind. I never felt a strong sense of spirit as in I was always questioning.  I am in a growing phase spiritually and see the difference in my life.

Ebony

Unit 4: The Mind-Body-Spirit Paradigm

Hello Class,

This meditation was different for me. It was very relaxing but seemed to be more work than the other ones. I had to rely on myself to keep me center. There was more verbalization in the other two where this one left you to stay on your path connected to your spirit and mind. I have always felt peace by hearing the sounds of water. I just felt calm and even felt my brain and body trying to fight this experience more than anything. I felt my mind trying to think of everything else other than what I was doing. It was interesting to feel my spirit and mind being pulled toward stressful thoughts. Eventually I was able to totally succumb to the meditation and from there I felt light and relaxed.

Mental work outs are to exercise the brain. Many research have show positive results in treating or preventing Alzheimer and dementia. It exercises the brain and without exercising the brain it can affect the later stages of our lives. I can implement this in many ways through meditation, puzzles, brain teasers and deep breathing. My grandmother is 74 years old with no health problems or issues with her memory. She believes in meditation, puzzles, and anything that builds hand eye coordination. She has always told me " Baby it starts in your head. Keep your mind strong. Keep your brain strong. Everything else will be just fine."


Thanks,

Ebony

Where I am going, What I want to do and how I plan to get there.

Hello Humans,

Currently my physical well-being could be much better. I suffer from high blood pressure and high levels of stress but over time I deal much better than I use too. Sometimes life gets so heavy I swear it's like waking up with bricks tied to your back. It makes you tired and weak. I believe this has led to my weight gain, depression, and high blood pressure. I truly believe stress is my trigger for every negative thing in my life. Yet I struggle with stress and play a game of tug-o-war with it. So right now I would rate my physical well being at about a 3 and that's actually an improvement just because I have taken the steps to change this. Thinking of my spiritual well-being makes me smile. Because it seems to be improving more and more every day. I become more connected through learning, listening, teaching, praying, meditating and experiencing how to connect to god/universe in different ways that give me a sense of peace. I would rate myself realistically on a 6 "growing" on 7. My psychological well-being I would rate right now at about a 5 just because of recent events in my life that have been beyond my control. I battle with this yet I am no Braveheart. My mind has been weakened over the years from letting depression control me. I hate that. But even at a 5 I am better than I was before. Still fighting battles but with better weapons and more powerful tools. Realizing I have an army and that I am not fighting a alone.

For my body I need to exercise more, drink more water and eat healthier including raw and organic foods. Taking time to center my body through exercise such as doing yoga and Pilates. And both of those forms of exercise are both good for the mind, spirit, and body. For my spirit I truly believe more prayer, meditation, and even prayer circles will help me commune with my spirit side. Reading more on spirituality and different faiths will help me grow as a human and also see life from different perspectives spiritually. And for my mind I have been thinking about going back to therapy and using some of the tools I have in the past to help. Knowing my triggers and redirecting my energy is the best thing for me right now. After doing the rainbow meditation I felt amazing. It's definitely one I will do again especially since it is based on the chakra's which I am a huge fan of. I literally felt as if I was gleaming with light and weightless for some reason. Every bit of stress seemed to melt away from me. I felt relaxed, free, and confident. I want to feel that way everyday. I want every moment of my life to feel that way. But I can't do that meditation all day long so I guess the next thing to think about is how to keep that with me daily.


Keep elevating,

Ebony

Welcome

Humans,

My name is Ebony Lathan and I am 34 from Baton Rouge, La. I welcome you to my world and hope that maybe my words can both add insight and positivity into your lives. I believe strongly in mediation and holistic healing as it has and continues to change my life. I think we have been so caught up into modern medicine that we are disconnected to other elements of healing and happiness. I mean that is the goal right? Happiness? We all want happiness in some way or another whether it be through love, sex, praise, family, or any other vice we may have. But many times I wonder how our definitions of happiness have been controlled through our society. This is one of the main reasons I decided to suck it up and start learning alternative ways of living.

After doing the relaxation exercise I felt lighter, freer, and even felt like I wanted to rest. I have actually done it several times since the first time we did it. I have done this at work, after work outs, and even in the middle of doing homework when becoming stressed. After doing these exercises I felt centered ready to move on to my next project or adventure. I do believe in peace and happiness but I believe these things are elements we have to keep with us. Things we have to work at within ourselves and keep with us daily. I truly believe in a matter of minutes with the right tools we can calm ourselves down. It makes you wonder how powerful we could be if we just focused on additional ways to heal ourselves and keep ourselves happy.


Be Peace

Eb