Unit 7

Wow!  I honestly can't believe this term is almost over!

The meditation for this unit was good for me, with the exception of the speaker's voice.  I would listen to her and relax - and relaxed even more when she wasn't speaking.  I listened to the flow of the water and the sound of the flute and then BAM! - her voice broke through the relaxing sounds, I thought, very loudly.  I think she could have started talking more gently through the water.  Maybe it's just me.

The more I listen to the guided meditations, the easier it seems, I relax.  Maybe I'm getting used to them, and it is easier to succomb to the quiet and to the thought that the speaker wants us to relate to.  By further listening to these meditations, and with an honest effort of incorporating them into my daily routine, I can see that stress will be easier to handle.  I just need to make a solid commitment - even if it's only for ten minutes a day until the sessions can get longer.

The saying that "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself" means that we, as professionals, cannot ask our patients to experience something that we ourselves have not experienced.  How can we ask our patients to try meditation if we have not practiced it ourselves, or have not seen the benefits first hand?  How can I tell them that yoga is not only good for stress, but also increases flexibility if I have not tried this myself and seen the positive results?  We must "practice what we preach".

I do have an obligation to my patients to be putting my own health on the straight and narrow involving mind, body, and spirit before I could ever even try to make it an obligation for them.  I need to have my own positiveness so that I can overwhelm them with that very same feeling. 

I need to implement these patterns into my own life by making sure that I awaken with a positive attitude, eat the right foods, get physical exercise each day, and make sure that I am meditating to alleviate stress and put my "whole" self in the right path for optimal health.