I recently engaged myself in an integral assessment, asking myself to reveal any difficulties in my life- psychospiritual, biological, interpersonal, or worldly, I found the most challenging to be the biological aspect. I struggle with attaining enough fitness during any one week that allows me flourishing in the mind/body connection. Diet is yet another factor that is tough to handle- especially in this day and age where convenience can be king. The foods and water we put into our bodies fuel our minds and give us strength. If we are what we think then we can most certainly feel what we put into our bellies.
Witnessing the mind and its tendencies has been a real eye opener. By witnessing such I have become better about filtering out the nonsense and dissolving any negative thoughts. Thus, witnessing the mind and calm-abiding are two areas that are most important for me to further develop in my life. These are foundational in my spiritual connectedness and growth, and give rise to me responding with intention rather than reacting to life’s challenges. These qualities further enhance my overall psychospiritual awareness and growth, fueling integral health and well-being.
I believe in the practice of meditation so much that I have made it part of my daily practice. Whether I am on a machine at the gym, hiking amongst nature, or engaged in yoga- I witness a higher level of self that comforts me in the unison of all things. I feel a spiritual awakening taking place. The biggest challenge for me is to stray away from the three poisons of attachment, hatred, and close-mindedness-with the first one being the most challenging for me to overcome because of the appeal of material things in life.
It is clear to me ore than ever before that yoga, fitness, and qigong should indefinitely be incorporated into my life as a way to sustain better health and well-being and to propel myself further along the road to spiritual flourishing. I believe these kinds of exercises can be helpful for anyone seeking a higher level of well-being.
Below is a loving-kindness meditation exercise from Elliot Dacher’s (2006) text. Feel free to explore its effects. Close your eyes and find a comfortable, restful position. Repeat the loving-kindness exercise above for 10 minutes.
May all individuals gain freedom from suffering.
May all individuals find sustained health, happiness, and wholeness.
May I assist all individuals in gaining freedom from suffering.
May I assist all individuals in finding health, happiness, and wholeness.
Dacher, Elliott. (2006). INTEGRAL HEALTH: The Path to Human Flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications Press.
Just as you have welcomed meditation into your lifestyle, it sounds like once you set your mind to working on nutrition and exercise you will be on your way to a healthier you in no time. It can be challenging to change you eating habits, but after making a few changes over time it becomes something you don’t think about. Hoped to send you some words of encouragement. Diabetes runs on both sides of my family and I heard that following a diabetic diet could prevent one from developing diabetes. So about 10 years ago I decided I didn’t want to poke my finger three times a day like my dad, so I started making better food choices. My husband on the other hand battles healthy food choices and has not been able to make that choice yet. He pokes fun at me at times, saying I eat like a bird. No diabetes yet :o)
ReplyDeleteI am impressed that you have seemed to fully integrate meditation into your daily life. Although you feel you may full short in other aspects, it is still a notable achievement. Our society is constantly on the move, being able stop is a real feet that I have not mastered. I find that I do much of my self reflecting during my workouts. More specifically my cardio workouts. It's always nice to beable to multitask. I hope that aftet this class you will be able to keep up the mental training and incorporate more traditional workouts.
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