Child's Play the "Mental Workout"

The Loving-kindness exercise was very beneficial the focus on the breath and then the distant healing aspect of it was lovely I also enjoyed the visualization he offers. I found it to be simple, straightforward but enjoyable.


The inner self is a magical place, it's like that best friend you had as a child, you laughed, talked and played together the friend no one knew about but you, the best friend that comforted you, when you were in pain, and only you knew they were there. What does this have to do with "Mental Workout"? Children are closest to Spirit than any one. Children don't question, they just participate, and they know that there is a part of them that is unseen, and that their young knowing is misunderstood, yet they interact with it daily regardless of what they're told; or how often they are scolded not to talk to themselves. :) I believe we should enter our "Mental Workout" in the same way playfully with childlike abandon anticipating and believing that anything is possible. Opening our minds to the idea that what we are doing is limitless and opens up all kinds of possibilities not only for ourselves, but others.


I feel that inner work should be fun, and can be very much like that childhood experience when you created whatever you wanted, all from within. You gave no thought to the outcome you just believed. I believe mental imagery, meditation, and what Dacher calls "Mental Workout" is the same thing. The inner self the part of us we have neglected and as a result must retrain by doing "Mental Workouts".

When Dacher suggest that we do something called "Mental Workout", what he is suggesting is that we do mind exercises; I would compare to calisthenics, naturally expanding our mind by using only our mind. And doing this training requires discipline by setting a specific time, and creating a sacred space in which to do your practice. By doing this you can expand your consciousness towards enlightenment.


Dacher says: A time set aside each day for exercising the mind through meditative contemplation with the purpose of learning to use more of our minds capacity". This is how we arrive at the place of "Olympian mental fitness". The idea is to stabilize the mind thus entering into a higher state of consciousness.


I would call it "Fine-Tuning" the mind. Desiring to be conscious is personal, wanting to be more aware is a positive. We can utilize whatever tools work best for us; however, Dacher's model is a great start. Happy meditating.




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

Well-Being

As we now know well being is a combination of components that includes every aspect of the self. If one part of self is out of balance then then entire self is out of balance. I have been under an enormous amount of stress recently and over an extended period of time, which has become more intense as a result. Consequently, last summer I began to suffer from gastritis and it has escalated, not to mention hypertension and high cholesterol. Not a pretty picture at all.

I would like to say that my spiritual well being is healthier than my body, but how can that be? At the time all of these conditions were being created in my body due to the lack of control and predictability I had over my life and its circumstances and no having no idea how to get to myself, I was led to this place. Conditions like these take time to evolve as did mine. However; as a result of learning new spiritual ways I have been able to subdue the physical issues to a certain extent. Psychological well being as I stated earlier is connected to the physical and the spiritual, if for any reason one is out of balance then all are out of balance. I believe the psychological how I felt and perceived my challenges and responded to them created the physical symptoms and conditions I now experience.

Having said that and in response to the second portion of the assignment, I have begun to take better care of myself and concentrate on my health and well being in a way I never did before, although I always believed I was taking great care of myself (under the conditions) I was experiencing there was much I had no control of.

I presently have joined the YWCA, I walk daily and I did a 21 day cleanse after the first of the year to begin creating changes in my body. Eating only vegetables/fruits, fruit juices, tea and water. Spiritually, I meditate daily and hope to being my Yoga practice again very soon. Listen to spiritual music, read spiritual literature, and also do scent therapy utilizing essential oils. I also am connected to several spiritual websites and communities for support, Reiki, hypnosis, are therapies that I utilize. I am also a Reiki healer,having completed my first attunement which is specifically about self-healing.

Psychologically what I do spiritually is also for the psychological I see the two of these being very closely connected, and what I do for one does elevate the other. I also utilize Bach Therapies for my psychological wellness, which are tinctures made from barks, plants, herbs, etc to address specific psychological issues within and strengthen the psyche naturally.

Lastly, the meditation was similar to one I have by Paul Hoffman and Paul Scheele of Learning Strategies. It is a Healing CD that has you visualize yourself healing yourself. Lying on a crystal table, and injecting light into yourself to heal yourself. It was not difficult to listen to nor visualize and actually the syntax of his voice is far more pleasant than Dr. Scheele's. Overall I have goals and I have a plan and I am doing all I can to improve the conditions that now exist in order not to create new ones. I am evolving spiritually and psychologically and all is well.

The Enlightenment Journey Ahh Relaxation!

My journey of relaxation is a continual journey.  In terms of reflection what I have realized is that over time without a realization of it;  I have begun to change my body and mind based on the modalities I use to bring peace to myself.   Making choices that come to me intuitively based on a new mindset and way of being I am changing my body dynamic daily.  People often comment on how I remained balanced emotionally no matter what is happening around me and am always the same, and at that time I realize that the work I am doing is actually  effective. 

Regarding the journey on relaxation specifically, meditation is my specific modality at present and when I meditate and I'm really in the outer realms I forget where I am and what I'm doing.  There have been times when I am so otherwise distracted that I can feel my body when I'm doing the work, but not as much as I used to.  Each subsequent flight I take builds on the other and I move beyond the realm of the physical to the invisible realm even if only for 20 minutes or so.  I usually meditate in the morning to set the tone for the day and have been meditating for years now and although I may not have the universal experience I'd like to see in my mind, body and emotions I can truly say that I'm on my way to the enlightenment I desire.  Consistancy creates the dynamic, focus and an open mind takes me to my flights of fancy to the invisible realm.

Self Healing

I've always been interested in Integral Health, and always had an innate desire to understand ways of healing unlike the traditions I'd been raised with. Herbal healing and utilization of Aromatherapy has always been interesting to me which is one of the reasons I decided to major in Health and Wellness.

Although, essential oil therapy has been around for centuries and in Europe is one of the leading forms of medicinal healing, I still don't believe it is utilized enough. There are numerous essential oils, and each has a specific purpose.

Aromatherapy is botanical plant based medicine where different parts of the plants are distilled and the essence of the plants are then concentrated into oils, carrying the scent as well as the medicinal qualities which are very healing, both psychologically and physically.

Lavender oil one of the most well known and commonly utilized oils, was discovered by accident by Dr. Rene Maurice Gattenfosse, in his family perfume factory, he burned his had and looking for a vat of liquid to put his hand in accidently put it into the vat of Lavender oil. His hand stopped hurting, healed very quickly with no blisters or scars, this was in the early 1900's.

Tea Tree oil is another commonly used essential oil that has antimirobial properties, and clincial trials have been done regarding Tea Tree's ability to stop the spread of MRSA in hospitals.

As I mentioned early on, Europe has been a front runner in the usage of essential oils as medicinal healing modailty for many decades, the U. S. is just beginning to recognize essential oil therapy as a viable adjunct to other conventional applications used in our country.

For more information regarding this go to Health Online Alternative Health @ http://alternative.holplus.com/