unit 5 post:

The subtle mind practice and the loving kindness practice were the same yet different. Using different sounds like the waves crashing against the ocean can relax many people. I have come to think that the reason why the sounds of waves crashing against the sand reminds adults how it sounded when we were in our mothers wombs. It relaxes us and until this day we comfort babies as if they are still inside their mothers so they fall asleep or feel safe.

In loving kindness its about thinking of your life and how you can change your attutude to things that make you angry to letting go of the anger. Where as this practice wants you to focus on your breathing and then how still your body is. It also wants you to focus on keeping the focus of the stillness in your body without mind wondering. If you mind wander it asks you to bring it back to focus.

I think this exercise can help me with keeping that kind of peace in my life. I am contantly moving and I always tend to mind wander. I think of so many things at once. Without this practice I wouldnt have realized that.

My personal life is built around my son and two jobs, as well as school and looking for a third part time job. Calming my mind from time to time should help me to release my mind and help with stress. I can see things in more perspective and be more aware of things.

unit 4 exercise

For starters the exercise was kind of hard for me because I had my eyes closed and the sound of the waves on the beach was soothing, except my son was playing angry birds right next to me so it was kind of hard to focus. Besides that, this exercise really made me pay attention to how I feel about many aspects in life, bith pleasant and unpleasant things. I didnt realize how horrible somethings could be but yet the exercise tought me how to forgive and understand them. How the meaning of my life is to this world. It made me think of how I see my son, I created him from my own body, I have created life! It dawned on me that, hello, I was created as well by my mother.

I enjoyed that feeling, it made me feel like I am one in a million. The one thing that touched me was the breathing for our family or friends that are suffering, it made me think of my aunt. I do wish the best to her even though we have had out differences, and this exercise made it feel good and calming.

The concept of a mental workout is to open our mind up to further development. Without trying to calm our mind some way, it can be working out, releiving stress in our own way, these things help clear the mind. Without that than I suggest these exercises because it really feels good to let go and really "relax."
Thank you and hope you have a good week.

unit 3 blog

1. I rate my physical wellbeing at a 7 because I think my physical state right now is fine. I am contantly on the move during my day and I have been an athlete my whole life. I do train athletes now so I like to think that I am physically active. I rate my spitual well-being at a 5 because I do not think I am connected to my spiritual sense much. I think to much about what people think about me and I do not know how to look to the brighter things in life, I take a lot of negative in. I rate my psycholgical well-being at a 5 as well for the same reasons, I do not think that I am strong enough in my mind that I can be succesful. I feel a lot of people think I can not make it in life. 2. My goal for physical wellbeing is to be more active, try to really focus on making better decisions when being active and eating good. The goal I choose for spiritual wellbeing is to try to connect to myself. Try to relax myself and remember that as long as I have me, I am ok. My last goal for my psychological wellbeing is to beleive in myself. Once I do that I am capable of anything. 3. I think I will have to use this blog as a way to help me towards my goals. Another thing that helps me is when I have someone to do it with. I have a friend who wants to change her life style and her active status as well so she can help push me to stick to it and vice versa. 4. The relaxation exercise is very calming, the only thing that makes it too calming is that at this moment I am very tired as it is, doing a relaxation exercise almost put me to sleep. But I guess that is a good thing in a way because it really shows how much I relaxed. I have been very stressed latley and I could use more time to myself to relax. 0 Thank you for reading my post. Until next time =) Nicole

Unit 2 blog/reflection

Hello professor and class, Welcome to my blog, I have had this blog when I first started school but it has been a while since I have posted. I hope I am able to find some kind of calm with writing since writing can ease the soul. We shall see. The relaxation exercise that I listened to was pretty cool. I did not realize how powerful it was until it told me to take a deep breath and tell myself in my mind to relax. My body felt completly as ease and I could feel my body let go of any tension it had for this brief segment. I think I will be using this technique of relaxation when ever I feel the stress of life is getting to me. I have so much things to do day to day and it would just be an awesome way to use this to help me cope with it. Thank you for reading my post, I look forward to reading all of yours as well. Nicole