Unit 10: Rating Comparison

In unit 3, I ranked myself at a 6/10 Physically, 7/10 spiritually, and 8/10 psychologically.  Now, having been through a course that allowed me to...and sometimes forced me (smiling) to look more deeply into these areas and form a clear, unbiased assessment...those numbers had changed.

I started to develop more in these areas throughout this course and by this unit, I assessed that I was 8/10 physically, 7/10 spiritually, and 6/10 psychologically.  Where my life can have the most impact on my overall health, the psychological and the spiritual, I found a lacking development.  It was made clear to me that I had listened to the negativity that had been surrounding me and believed that I was stuck...in life, in loss, and that there wasn't much hope left.  However, my practice in mindfulness meditation, loving-kindness, and a renewal of my daily Bible study helped to reveal a world of possibility, hope and joy that was already present in my life.  I have been given the tools, some of which were already within me to develop these areas, find the peace and joy that we all seek in life, and  pursue the purpose in my life that is becoming more clear as I become more disciplined.

The score could still use some tweaking, I'm certain, but for now I will work toward a more regular daily walk of physical fitness, good nutrition as well as psychospiritual development.  My activities have changed quite a bit since Unit 3.  I am seeking a time of quiet in my day that was lacking before.  Exercise is an even higher priority, too.  Practices in Loving-kindness and Meeting Aesclepius have become albeit altered a bit to suit my Christian faith, but more regularly practiced to develop a stronger sense of purpose, motivation to live by higher standards, seek perfection and love others as I am called...to truly have compassion and love as well as forgiveness for those who may be more difficult to do so than others.  This class is helping me not only deal with adversity but to flourish in the midst of it.

Melissa Rasberry

Unit 9: A Personal Plan to Integral Health

I. Introduction: 


The world of medicine is always changing.  And in order to keep up with this progression, health practitioners must equally evolve, sometimes even leading the way toward necessary change and transformation.  This evolution must first begin within the health practitioner, a personal walk of development of the psychological, spiritual and physical aspects of health and wellness. Medicine will not be transformed if we do not first take this step ourselves (Dacher, 2006). 

Integral medicine is holistic, evolutionary, intentional, person-centered and dynamic (Dacher, 2006).  This means that there is an embrace of all four aspects of the human experience, and not merely a manufacturing of new treatments and methods of the same stagnate medical practices we see in many communities (Schlitz, 2005).  The health and wellness professional must develop and be transformed in order to guide others on their journey toward wholeness and health (Dacher, 2006).  Otherwise, the risk increases of repeating what has become customary to many conventional medical practices in which only a patient’s symptoms and disease are the focus of treatment.  The whole person must be the focus: the mind, body and spirit (Schlitz, 2005).

In order to achieve my personal goals in health and wellness, I must make stronger efforts to develop each domain of my life: the physical, psychological and spiritual.  However, the most transformative evolution will occur throughout each area if I put a stronger focus on the psychological and spiritual domains of health and wellness, known as psychospiritual development.  It is my belief and experience that by first, allowing the spirit and mind to be changed, all other aspects of development will come naturally with greater transformation and development.  For example, by addressing the mind, it’s fears, fixations and distress; we release the hold they have on the mind’s ability to take the necessary steps to health and wellness. This opens doors to biological healing, development and evolution.  As Dacher writes, psychospiritual development “is the one are of our development that will most directly catalyze the full development of our life” (pg. 59). 

II. Assessment:

By using the six principles of Integral Assessment, I have become more closely aware of the areas in my life that need attention.  Asking myself such questions as, “Which aspects of my life is the most significant source of distress?”  And, “Where is my greatest opportunity for growth and development?” I am able to identify more specific focus on where changes need to occur.  This can be useful in the spiritual, physical and psychological domains of health and wellness.  Immediate identification can take place, which leads to long term relief of suffering and distress through a practice of inner, self-cultivated and maintained integral approaches toward healthy living. 

This assessment required me to be open-minded, unbiased and have guidance from someone who has insight and wisdom, assisting me in giving form to my assessment (Dacher, 2006).  I incorporated the assistance of a wellness counselor, who helped me identify areas in my life that I wanted to see change, both removing the suffering of stress and mental fatigue as well as building my awareness of and attention toward the aspects of my life that I see opportunities for growth.

Spiritually, my assessment led me to the conclusion that for several years, my life had been motivated mostly by survival needs, “driven by fear” (Dacher, pg107).  The condition of my marriage had directed me to turn toward my faith in Christ to sustain me physically and emotionally.  Upon leaving the abusive environment, I remained in survival mode and gradually decreased my spiritual development.  It had become habitual, yet unfulfilling, wandering and undisciplined.  My foundation in Christ as a Christian was evident, yet lacking still.  Inconsistency was the main identifying component of my spiritual development. 

  Psychologically, an integral assessment has shown me that I have been guided and made many of my life’s decisions based on fear and insecurity. Stability has been evident, but inconsistent.  My psychological development has been acquired mainly by information and partially pure awareness.  The emotions of fear were surprisingly evident in many areas of my life, affecting the interpersonal, the worldly, the biological and the psychospiritual development in my life.  This is a major point to focus on as I continue my journey toward integral health.

Physically, assessing my development was fairly easy to identify.  While my fitness progress has not been developing as quickly as it could, I am gradually addressing and making improvements to many areas of my physical health.  Nutrition has been the greatest development in my life physically.  However, a level of self-regulation in physical fitness and a progression into a highly trained mind and body has been lacking.  Again, consistency and self-discipline have been my weakness. 

Of all the areas of development, I have found that my greatest strengths lie in the physical domain of integral health.  I would give myself of score of 8 out of 10.  Spiritually, I would rank in second place at 7 out of 10.  And psychologically, my score would be approximately a 6, where I have found my greatest need for improvement.  The mind affects the body and its action; therefore, this is where my greatest focus should be.  A great connection lies between the psychological and the spiritual, in my opinion, since our spiritual beliefs and practices highly motivate and direct our thoughts and emotions.  I believe both will see great improvement with attention focused more closely.

III. Goal development: 


Physical Goals:

• Nutritional Improvements
•  Weight loss

My goal is to have a renewed energy, vitality and confidence in my health physically.  Ultimately, this means weight loss, continued improvements made to my nutritional practices and regular daily exercise involving cardiovascular and strength training for at least 60 minutes most days of the week. 

Psychological Goals:

• To reduce and cope with stress more effectively
•   To be motivated by wisdom and compassion

My psychological goals include the desire to reduce the stress in my life that comes from fear and insecurity.  I also hope to develop practices that train my mind to be motivated by wisdom and compassion, rather than emotional reactivity.  This will be a collaborative effort along side my spiritual practices and development as they are often connected and responsive to one another. 

Spiritual Goals:

• Daily Bible study
• Prayer and meditation  

My goal is to be motivated more toward finding wisdom and wholeness, seeking to renew a personal relationship again with Christ so that my purpose may be fully experienced and fulfilled. In so doing, my confidence, purpose and joy can be more easily restored and the painful circumstances that I face will not seem so insurmountable.  This goal includes a daily commitment of time toward Biblical study and prayer and meditation.

IV. Practices for personal health: 


    Strategies to foster growth in each domain of development will sometimes be isolated.  At other times they will be all inclusive.  For instance, the first step toward creating opportunities for reaching my goals in all domains will require an assessment of my priorities throughout each day and a withdrawal from activities that hinder my success.  Namely, time management assessments will be the first focus and habits like watching television will be the first daily routine that will decrease drastically in order to open up the time necessary to implement the practices required to reach my goals.  Another exercise in time management will be a healthy sleep schedule that will foster a healthy lifestyle and reduce stress.  Since I want to encourage success, my strategies for growth will be gradual and progressive.  I will begin with a small step rather than a huge leap.  For example, instead of making the commitment to immediately begin the day with a one-hour run, followed by a 30-minute Bible study and eventual 30 minutes of meditation during the day, I will start with one practice for only a few minutes.  As discipline and motivation increases, my time and involvement will increase and improve.  This is the best method toward reaching these goals toward integral health (Dacher, 2006).

Physical Strategies:

  I will walk/run in the morning for 20 minutes at least three days for weeks 1 and 2, increasing by 10 minutes and one additional day each new set of weeks until I reach 60 minutes/day five days per week.  At week #9, I will have reached my goal of 60 minutes of cardiovascular exercise.  I will do this in the morning and will adjust my sleep schedule to wake one hour earlier.

  I will consult with a nutritional counselor and personal trainer on how I can best reach my physical goals and work with them at least once a week through the first month of my new routine.  I will learn what foods work best for my metabolism and nutritional needs and develop a weekly meal plan that works for my children and me.

  I will document my physical activities, thoughts regarding my exercise program, changes that need to be made and how I feel when I eat.  My notes will be useful when consulting with the trainers.  It will also help me self-monitor.

Psychological Strategies: (psychospiritual)

  Domestic violence counseling once a month through my church/local women’s shelter is available.  This will include group discussions, journaling (blog) and educational practices on the subject.

  I will reduce the amount of time I am involved in mindless activities like entertainment television viewing by two hours each day.  It is my hope to nearly eliminate the need for a television aside from its minimal usefulness.

  Mental workouts will begin with at least 5 minutes each day of such practices as the Loving-Kindness practice as well as The Subtle Mind, and Meeting Aesclepius (Dacher, 2006).  As time progresses and I find what practices work best for me, I will increase the duration and focus on one or two practices. These can be done at the end of my exercise routine, or done separately during the day.

  I will find a Yoga and/or Tai Chi class in my local gym and begin to learn how to use these practices from the direction of a qualified instructor and improve my mind/body fitness (Dacher, 2006).

Spiritual Strategies:

  Bible Study is first and foremost the most important activity I need to consistently include in my morning routine.  It has been possible, but difficult to maintain a daily time of prayer and study.  I will begin to remedy this by waking 15 minutes earlier each day to allow for a quiet and, hopefully, uninterrupted time of study.  As time and spiritual growth progress, I will increase my time and possibly add a separate time in the day for further prayer/study.

  Regular attendance in Sunday church services as well as participation in the Wednesday evening Choir practices would greatly encourage my spiritual growth and faith-walk.  A church-sponsored retreat would also be an option I’d like to consider participating in when possible.

  Joining the women’s bible study on Tuesday mornings would allow me to have a time of fellowship and study with the women in my community and church.  This would open doors to greatly needed friendships that have bee lacking since I became so isolated in my marriage.  I believe fostering friendships can be a spiritually healing practice altogether. 

  Five to ten minute Mind/body practices that include my children will be helpful in fostering psychospiritual health and wellness as well as develop their habits to incorporate this holistic approach to integral health.  Turning off the noise, reading and quietly resting our minds with the use of visualization and breathing techniques will help us all to take the necessary time we need when things get too chaotic and flustered.

V.   Commitment:

My progress will be assessed in several ways.  Through counseling, I will see the results of six months of my efforts from the accountable perspective of the counselor as well as my own.  Another way to track my progress will be by the journaling I publish through my blog and in private journals.  I can track my physical activities, eating habits and my thoughts on how the various contemplative practices are affecting my mental fitness and improving my overall health and wellness.  Accountability is critical and I believe it will be imperative to have a committed friend, relative and/or hire practitioner to assess my progress.  Weekly and monthly assessments will be sufficient to track my progress or lack thereof and direct my efforts.

For long-term practices in health and wellness, I will conduct another integral health assessment and then seek the assistance where it is needed at that time.  The inclusion of friends and family are essential for long-term success, but may not always be available.  Seeking professional help from a health practitioner who supports the holistic or integral approach to healing would be my first choice and seeking his/her wisdom and guidance in further health assessments would be the best way to see long-term success toward integral health (Dacher, 2006).

Reference:

Dacher, E.S.(2006) Integral Health: The path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications, Inc.

Schlitz, M., Amorok, T., and Micozzi, M.S.(2005) Consciousness and healing: Integral approaches to mind-body medicine. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone

Unit 8: Preferred Practices

During our course, we've been introduced to some familiar...and some not so familiar practices in creating a more relaxed state, a more focused and still mind, as well as mind body practices that help to improve both the mental and the physical aspects of our health.  The two I feel have been most useful and enjoyable for me are the mind-body practice of Yoga and The Loving-Kindness Practice.

Yoga gives me the opportunity to exercise both my mind and my body and this is a helpful stress reliever for me, personally.  It allows me to focus on the pace and repetition of my breathing, sometimes the calming music or waves that I play in the background and this gets me out of my head, which is very helpful since I tend to have an inner monologue that won't shut up.  My mind tends to be constantly thinking about...the housework, because once I get a room squared away and tidy, a tornado comes barreling though called Kids and it's all undone again...or I start to wonder and worry about finding a job that will successfully support myself and my six kids (who help clean up their messes - they are great little gifts that I can't imagine my life without) And this leads to other worries or frustrations that I have found difficult at times to quiet. The chattering mind is easier to quiet through prayer, exercise, and breathing/mindfulness meditations, etc.   Yoga helps increase my heart rate and improve the balance I need from heavy and longterm stress that I deal with and the mental concentration and focus on breathing help to eliminate needless chatter in my mind.

The Loving-Kindness Practice has been one of my favorites this entire term.  I enjoy thinking about positive things, remembering the ones that I've been blessed with in life, and focusing positive energy and thoughts into their lives.  I also feel better and more relaxed, positive, patient and intentional about my actions when dealing with people that might not be as easy to communicate with.  This practice helps me to focus love and kindness on those who have hurt me.  It encourages me to offer positive thoughts and prayers toward those I would otherwise try to merely be civil to.  It a convicting practice, one that shows me where I might need to improve my thoughts and seek a more kind approach.  This practice, for some reason, sends me quickly into prayer mode.  I usually mingle this exercise with prayers of thanksgiving, and intercession for others.  I also seek Christ's forgiveness during some of these encounters because I realize my thoughts or words had been less than my best toward someone or something.  It's a practice that encourages me to be better, think better, and live better.

Melissa Rasberry

Unit 7: Meeting Aesclepius (continued)

This week's blog discussion included the instruction to reflect on the important aspect of the healing process that includes the transformation of the healer...

"One cannot lead another where one has not gone him or herself (Schlitz, 2005)."  What does this mean to us as health and wellness professionals?  Do we have an obligation to our present/future clients to be developing our health psychologically, physically, and spiritually?  Why/why not?  How can we implement this kind of growth in our personal lives?

I believe this to be a true and accurate statement, no matter where it comes from...whether originally from Ken Wilber himself, or borrowed from ancient spiritual teachings.  It's quite common sense, in my opinion.  For example, a person cannot offer directions to a location one has never visited, identified on a map, or become familiar.  This may seem like a simple analogy, but it fits.  If I do not pursue health to its optimum level, then how can I teach someone else how to reach their own health goals on a physical, psychological and spiritual level?  It would be impossible.  This is not to say that I have to be fully accomplished and arrived at what I feel to be human flourishing, but it does mean that I must recognize the benefits to living a life of holistic health, identify and remove the aspects of my life that hinder my ability to arrive at human flourishing and continue practice within my daily routine to facilitate total health.  My life and health can serve as an example of the positive outcomes that result from living such a lifestyle.  As a health professional, I can see my clients/patients as the "luminous jewels" awaiting refinement, instead of a number to fit into a busy schedule or a symptom to mask with medication (Schlitz, 2005).  The relationship between health professional and client/patient should be enjoyable, pleasant and fluid.  A health professional has an obligation to "practice what he/she preaches" in order to guide others on their paths to human flourishing.  Not only does this show evidence of its effectiveness, but it leads the relationship in the right direction, bringing enjoyment to the process of diagnosis and treatment as well as the compassion and care that should be reflected in every aspect of medicine.  This kind of growth in our personal lives can be implemented through integral assessments, education, daily practice of mental training, meditation, and mind-body therapies like, Tai Chi and Yoga (Schlitz, 2005).  From a personal perspective, I feel that it is essential for me, as a Christian, to pursue Biblical study, devotional prayer and supplication, as well as meditation that is dedicated to my personal relationship to Jesus Christ.  This may not be the choice for others, but it has proven itself to me to be a critical component to my health from every aspect.  Physical exercise and mental training are also essential to my psychological, physical and spiritual health.  Without one piece of this holistic puzzle, I would be deficient, lacking joy and prone to suffering that would not otherwise be distressing my life.  That is not to say I would never experience suffering, but my life is greatly enhanced and has less risk of preventable disease.  By living a life dedicated to the pursuit of integral health, I can set an example and walk side-by-side, guiding people on their journeys, instead of coldly pointing them in vague and unfamiliar right direction.

Schlitz, M., Amorok, T. & Micozzi, M.S. (2005) Consciousness and healing: Integral approaches to mind-body medicine. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone Publishers.

Unit 7: Meeting Aesclepius

This exercise was helpful to me in focusing on Christ, my Mother and Father, as well as my sister.  During different exercises, I chose to focus on different entities, because they all deserve my respect, thankfulness and love.  They also possess qualities that I admire and desire to strengthen and emulate myself.  As I Christian, I am called to pursue the qualities of Christ...to love others as myself, to develop and strengthen the eight fruits of the spirit, which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galations 5:22-23)   My mother's ability to endure astounds me and I long to have that kind of strength.  I thought of my Father during an exercise this week because of his great love for his family.  He commands respect, without demanding it.  His sacrifice for his loved ones over the years deeply moves me and I hope to be so dedicated to my children throughout their lives.  When I thought of my sister, I was concentrated on her diligence and patience to work for the goals in her life in order to acquire the things she wants in life.  Her ability to stay the course, saving for a house with her husband, has been a great example that dreams can come true when you work towards the goal without getting distracted.  They were able to design and build their log cabin and are now enjoying the fruits of many years of labor.

All of these people in my life, including my Creator, have inspired me in some way.  I long to be better than myself, while still appreciating who God made me to be.  I have a purpose and hope to do everything I can to pursue that purpose and live abundantly.  This practice helped me to focus on those who have set the examples I long to follow.  I truly enjoyed the practice, excluding the uncomfortable feeling when "the healing god, Aesclepius" was mentioned toward the end of the practice. :)

I look forward to reading about others' experiences during this week's exercise.

Melissa Rasberry

Integral Assessment

It's been quite a challenge this week to create a silent mind.  My children are out of school now and it seems there is always something going on, an appointment, an errand, a sibling rivalry that must be attended to before I can accomplish the things I would like to do with this week's assignment.

I have spent two separate time periods, early in the morning (5am) in which I was able to find some time in the stillness of the house to prepare my mind for this exercise.  As I cleared my head of the random chatter that came to the surface involuntarily, I started to design an image in my mind of the four aspects of integral health.  My thoughts would take me to various areas of stress in my present circumstances.  It was difficult to keep my mind from overflowing with the bombardment of issues...the divorce, the kids' summer plans, the bills, the grocery list, etc.  The exercise itself somewhat created an open window to invite the white rapids of ramblings that came crashing through my mind.  When I tried to read the sentences from the book, I got distracted, lost focus and my mind would wander again.

I chose to take some time out and pray, read some scripture to help me quiet the worrier in my head and focus on my breathing, depend on God to guide my thoughts and create a stillness within me.

This exercise is challenging, but I'm certain it will be better the next time.

Melissa Rasberry

Unit 5: The Subtle Mind/Loving-Kindness Exercises

The Subtle Mind and The Loving-Kindness Practices:
While last week's mental training included the Loving-Kindness Practice, we had the opportunity to participate in what's called the Subtle Mind Practice during this week's unit of study.  It was distinctively different from last week's practice, in that we had a more constant directive by the narrator in the Loving-Kindness Practice.  It was easier to remain focused on the intended thought, person, emotion, etc.  However, I found the Subtle-Mind Practice to be quite challenging in that regard.  I was repeatedly having to draw my mind back to the stillness of my breath, my focal point and turn from the randomness of my thoughts.

The first time I participated in the practice, I closed my eyes and focused on the pattern of my breathing and the sound of the waves crashing in the background.  I even made a mental focal point of a large Oak Tree among the crashing waves.  This helped, but only for moments at a time.  My mind would turn to the random thoughts of my children, the tasks I hadn't accomplished yet, the difficult conversations I had with individuals this week...it was mentally challenging to keep the thoughts out of my head. "How can I silence my mind?",  I thought.  It felt frustrating that I was unable to extend my focus beyond a few minutes.

During the Loving-Kindness Exercise, I was able to more successfully focus on the directives of the narrator's voice.  It was easier to visualize the eviction of negative conversations, images, feelings and people from my mind and replace them with the calming, loving, positive concentrations that we were instructed to practice.  I welcomed the idea of having an image of my loved ones and the warm emotions that followed the loving-kindness practice.  It came more naturally to me.

I feel challenged by the Subtle Mind Practice and will have to make a stronger effort to improve my mental focus and calm-abiding mind.  I look forward to being able to reach this subtle and still mind that is so critical to integral health and wellness.

Spiritual Wellness Connection to Mental and Physical Wellness:
I believe there is a direct connection between our spiritual health to our mental and physical wellness.  They are all interconnected.  When one is neglected, they all suffer in one form or another.  It is possible to connect them further in our efforts toward integral health, for example, our times of physical exercise.  During these workouts of our physical bodies, we can mentally train our minds while enhancing our physical performance by visualizing the strengthening of our muscles, the flexibility of our limbs and the release of tension in our joints, muscles and tissues.  Likewise, our spiritual health can  and is improved when we choose to focus on the stillness of our minds, our breath and our focus.  Prioritizing our thoughts on the positive, the compassionate, the entity to which we pray can be practiced during periods of repetitive exercise that doesn't require much concentration.  One example that I use in my life is to listen to music that is Christian, uplifting, encouraging and a reminder of who I am as a believer in Christ.  They replace the self-centered, insecure, and/or negative thoughts that can invade the mind with positive, motivation for giving my best in all that I do.  I run longer, harder and faster when I listen to music that inspires me.  My attitude is improved.  There is a pep in my step and a smile on my face.  Some examples of music that gets me training harder with a positive attitude and focus are Johnny Lang's Thankful, Chris Tomlin's You Lifted Me Out, Nicol Sponberg's All Things New, and Third Day's Everywhere You Go.  Songs like these help me focus on what I'm called to be as a Christian, how I am to respond to adversity and what unimaginable strength I have within me.   On some of my walks/runs, I am able to spend time praying, talking to God about various things and it always has a profoundly positive affect on the productivity and direction of my days.
During these workouts, I find focus, guidance and a release of the negative things that hold me down.  I attribute that accomplish not to any one act, but to the interconnected practice of joining the physical, mental and spiritual wellness "workouts" that lead me to integral health.

I look forward to reading about my classmates experiences with this week's assignments.

God Bless,

Melissa Rasberry

Mental Workouts Research

After spending several days participating in the Loving-Kindness exercise, I have found that it has helped me refocus my attention to more positive thoughts and reduced some of the negativity that seemed to infect my life during difficult situations.  It will continue to be a practice in my daily routine.  I am very thankful for this assignment.


The trained mind can have a positive influence on several aspects of our health and wellness.  Research has shown how the brain, when properly trained, can reduce unhealthy and destructive emotions that lead to anger, hatred, fear, and anxiety.  Positive emotions can replace these less desirable emotional responses with happiness, loving-kindness, patience and a sense of well-being.  
During a study by Antoine Lutz at the University of Wisconsin, brain waves called gamma waves were found to increase when the subject was in a contemplative mental state.  This indicates a higher level of organization and mental integration.  Aside from the measurable aspects of the human brain, the personal testimonies of mental Olympians can show that by training the mind they experience a loving-kindness, well-being and wholeness that is foreign to the untrained.  


Reference: Dacher, E. S. (2006) Integral health: The path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications, Inc.

Loving-Kindness (continued)

Just as the body requires physical training to be at its best, so too, does the mind require daily workouts to improve focus, clarity, concentration and healthier thoughts.  If we allow the negative to invade and occupy the mind, we become infected with the fear, dread, worry, anger and bitterness that can form roots within us.  It can spread like unwanted weeds in the garden of our minds if we don't tend to it daily.

A mental workout requires only a small portion of our time but offers major changes to our health by helping us to eliminate the negativity in our minds, replacing them with healing, powerful focus and concentration, as well as a mind centered on others instead of self, love rather than hate and flourishing rather than fear.

Melissa Rasberry

Loving-Kindness

Our assignment this week includes a twice-daily exercise in Loving-Kindness.  My first reaction during and after the first physical experience of this exercise in mental training is hard to describe.  A few words that I immediately think of are intriguing, awkward, pleasant and hopeful.

I was intrigued by the potential result that we would like to accomplish in mentally focusing our energy, our thoughts and our complete attention to the removal of all the negative, stressful and destructive thoughts, images and people in our lives and turning our focus to compassion, love and positive energy.

Although, I honestly felt that I had to question the new age feeling I had, I completed the first session...and the second, with some hesitation and found myself actually turning it to a prayer, asking God to reveal to me the negative things that keep me from experiencing His love, peace and joy. I also prayed to truly learn how to deflect the negativity that comes in the future and respond like breathing in a loving manner, with compassion and kindness.   I listened to the instructor's voice.  It was peaceful, gentle and easy to follow.  My focus sometimes got distracted, but it was possible to get back on track with continued effort.  As I responded to the instructor's words, I was able to focus positive emotions of love toward the ideas, emotions and people.  I especially enjoyed thinking of my children's faces and focusing my energy and thoughts on their prosperity and emotional well-being.

I will enjoy this practice as the days follow and would suggest it to others.  I believe it to be very beneficial.  We so often fall into a trap of negative thoughts, stressful issues and difficult relationships in our lives.  This exercise, if given proper attention and concentration can lead to a better mental and emotional state.  It will be easier to act with loving-kindness, I believe.  

I look forward to hearing from others who took part in this exercise.

Have a blessed week, Everybody!

Melissa Rasberry

This week, we answer several questions on our personal experiences and evaluations of our physical, spiritual and emotional health. 
First, I'd say that I rate at a 6 out of 10 for my physical health, a 7 for my spiritual health and an 8 for my psychological health.  My goals are to, A- consistently walk/run for 45 minutes each day, 4 days per week in addition to my current exercise routine...B- regain the self-discipline of having a consistent daily devotional/Bible study for at least 20 minutes...and C- apply specific techniques that I've learned in order to retrain my mind toward more positive thinking.  


The activities I will participate in will vary, but will include such things as Hatha Yoga, Relaxation Exercises, Walking, Jogging, Visualization, Prayer, Bible Study, Books, etc.


I will now start my Relaxation Exercise and report my findings on its benefits or frustrations tomorrow.


Thanks for reading.  Good night and God Bless,


Melissa Rasberry

Relaxation to the Max!

This week, we were able to participate in a relaxation exercise.  I thought that the end of the day was the perfect time.  My kids were in bed, the house was quiet and I'd actually get to focus on the technique.  Well...I got comfortable, closed my eyes and began to listen...I felt my muscles relax, my breathing began to deepen and slow its pace, and then...four hours later, I woke up with my headphones on.  I'd say the exercise worked, but I think I need to try again and finish it to its ending to have a better sense of how the relaxation exercise made me feel. :)  It all else, I now have a new way to fall asleep fast.

Good Evening!  My name is Melissa Rasberry and I'm starting a blog to communicate with others, share ideas, learn from and encourage those I am blessed to connect with on this blog that I hope will be a platform for families to promote health and wellness.  I welcome your ideas, stories and questions.  God Bless!


I am new to blogging, so I'd appreciate any helpful advice regarding such subject matters, as well.


Sincerely,


Melissa Rasberry