Unit 9 Project

I INTRODUCTION

In order for health and wellness professionals to teach integral health it is crucial for them to develop their psychological, spiritual, and physical selves. Having optimum health in these three areas will allow one to become whole. The only way to relay this message to others is to have experienced this journey themselves. Passionate teachers are the best teachers. I cannot imagine that if one were to truly develop integral health, they would not also develop passion over this new lease on life.

I also believe that it is almost impossible to have one but not the others. First of all, if we are not physically in balance, it will be hard to have the energy and dedication to follow through with the commitments necessary to live a holistic lifestyle. If we are not psychologically balanced than we do not have spirituality and if we do not have spirituality we are not psychologically in a calm state nor do we have control of our mind. The bottom line is; our mind is in control of our body, so this step is extremely necessary.

In order to be a professional in this area, it is crucial to have mastered this. Obtaining integral health will allow one to have loving-kindness, patience and understanding towards their clients. They will also have the ability to be fully conscious when interacting with them. Listening carefully to every need and complaint will allow a health and wellness instructor to take on a very person-centered approach to their client’s healthcare.

I’m very proud of myself, in that I have fully grasped this class. Integral health is something that I truly want for myself and everyone that I care about. I can not wait to be in a position that I can truly help others. I do realize though, that I have a long ways to go. I have changed certain aspects of my lifestyle, but I look forward to the many changes that lie ahead for me. Due to the fact that I have Lupus, I suffer from lots of fatigue.

I also am a very busy mom, and I spend lots of time on the road during commutes to school. The type of lifestyle that I am currently living is one that fills my days with stress and frustration. Frustration that I do not have the time, and most importantly the energy to accomplish what is necessary for me to have a holistic lifestyle.

The first area that I need to work on is the physical part; I need to slowly begin an exercise program that will help give me much needed strength. Starting today, I have gone back on my medication that I have been reluctant to do, but now realize that it will improve my health in order to one day, be medicine free. Spiritually, I am really making progress. Psychologically, I am struggling because I have not accomplished all my goals, although, I am confident I am on the journey to make them happen. Finally, I am staying positive and grateful; even though I do have an illness, it could be so much worse. Ultimately, I have the locus of control to achieve all my goals.

II ASSESSMENT

With each chapter in the class, I have acquired more profound awareness into integral health. With every word I have read, I have reflected on myself. It is for this reason, that I have assessed my integral health. Physically, on a scale from 1-10, I would rate myself a 5. God has allowed me to be healthy enough to make changed in my health, for this I am fortunate. Even though I am not attempting to run marathons, I am still no where near what I want to be.

Psychologically, I am fighting the fact that I have not reached my goals, for this reason I will rate myself a 6. Spiritually, I am making progress, but do feel like this one is so hugely necessary that I am still at a 4. Prior to this class, I would not feel that I was very spiritually connected to myself other that just my daily prayers, but now, I feel like I am on the right track.

III GOAL DEVELOPMENT

In order to achieve integral health, I have set goals for myself. Physically, I want to get back to Yoga. This will require more time management, energy and commitment. Psychologically, I plan to continue meditating. Obviously, my mind is not affected by my fatigue, because it is as busy as a bee! The reality is that my busy mind is aggravating my fatigue. Learning to quiet my mind will have the same quieting affect on the inflammation in my body that is raising so much havoc on me physically.

Spiritually, I will continue to be conscious of the benefits of a calming mind. I will continue to witness my mind, whether is it racing or in a peaceful state. I will acknowledge the racing thoughts and allow them to dissipate and return to a calm abiding mind. I will intentionally work through each layer in order to achieve unity consciousness. This state of unity consciousness will deepen my spirituality.

IV PRACTICES FOR PERSONAL HEALTH

The strategies that I will put in place will need to be concrete. I will not only have proclaimed these mentally, I will also have them in writing. I plan to go over this and read them each day as a reminder to myself as to why I am living and breathing. Not to just get through another day, but to make it a day towards human flourishing.

Physically, I am back on my medication, which is giving me a wonderful outlook today in order to return to physical health. I look forward to practicing yoga at least twice a week and also using exercise bands to help regain strength and tone in my body at home, when I cannot get to the gym. Having physical health will give me the energy to practice the other areas of improvement.

Psychologically, I will continue the practice of meditation. I will integrate this into my days in either the mornings upon awakening, or the evenings when the kids are in bed and I can quietly focus on my breath. Spiritually, I will intentionally practice my calm-abiding mind. I look forward to acquiring a deeper level of consciousness that will allow my spirituality to continue to grow.

V COMMITMENT

Once class is over, it will be extremely easy to lose focus of necessary actions in order to stay committed. I believe that it will take an enormous amount of self discipline to achieve psychospiritual flourishing. This type of practice of slowing life down is not the norm in our society. Particularly with the lifestyle that I am in the midst of now; with raising three children, school, and just the incredibly fast paced schedule that is in place, stilling one’s body and mind in not an easy feat.

I have come to the decision, that this is necessary, if I am to educate others in health and wellness. Even if I do not go on to acquire my masters, I will be getting my own masters in integral health. This will be a bigger gift to my clients than a certificate hanging on my wall.

I will be able to assess my progress by simply having a witnessing mind. The ability to see myself “slipping” so to speak will keep me in check. In the next six months, I hope to be meditating for longer periods of time. I want to be more aware of my unity conscious mind as opposed to my witnessing mind. I want to have loving-kindness in every aspect of my life, even unpleasant ones.

Setting time aside to meditate, and practice yoga will be strategies used to continue making progress. Committing myself to doing this everyday as a routine, just as I make meals for my family, or kiss my children good night, will help make my vision of integral health a reality. I can then become like the wise man Asciepius, and live a more meaningful life and help other at the same time.