Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Running Deer's Healing Waters: Unit 8 "Just Breathe"
Running Deer's Healing Waters: Unit 8 "Just Breathe": "Unit 8 Just Breathe The two meditations that have inspired me the most from this class are “Meeting Asclepius” and “Subtle Mind” exercise (D..."
Unit 8 "Just Breathe"
Unit 8 Just Breathe
The two meditations that have inspired me the most from this class are “Meeting Asclepius” and “Subtle Mind” exercise (Dacher 2006). Both of these have an incredible calming effect to my mind but they accomplish a peaceful state of mind in two very distinctly different ways.
First “Meeting Asclepius” meditation is a wonderful way to get through feelings of self hatred, loneliness and isolation. In this meditation you focus on a person that you love and that has shown you love. Next you take on the characteristics of that person, be it their wisdom, open and loving heart or physical strength and power. By imagining this person sitting in front of you it allows you to feel as if you are no longer alone. The second connection begins when you imagine a white light beaming from their head to your head so that you gain their positive thoughts and wisdom, a white light beaming from their throat to your throat allowing you to take in their positive speech and last the white light beaming from their heart to your heart allowing you to receive their love, kindness and compassion and share it to the world.
The second meditation called the “Subtle Mind” is the go to meditation for me when I am experiencing great anxiety or overwhelming fear. This exercise is a focus on the breath. By focusing on your breathing you are able to allow other thoughts to come and go and never attach your focus on those thoughts because your focus is on your relaxing, repetitive and smooth breathing. Your mind does not focus on two things with the same intensity at the same time. By concentrating deeply on your breath the other thoughts are allowed to drift by without great attention toward them. This very meditation was very useful today as I crossed Back Bone Rock alone. In the past I was able to cross two other times both times holding someone’s hand. Not that if I started to fall off the incredibly high and narrow cliff they would actually be able to stop me but I was able to concentrate my focus on their feet and the sensation of them squeezing my hand. Ever since those two times I have taken my daughter up to Backbone Rock and as she is not afraid of anything (so it seems) she would always speed on ahead all the while I would be frantically calling out to her saying “slow down, watch your step and wait up I think I have to turn back.” Yes we have tried unsuccessfully 5 other times to get me to cross that narrow cliff (did I mention it was narrow?). All 5 times I had to turn back around and go down the mountain side we came up with my countenance low. Today was going to be different! I made up my mind I would cross that cliff. I started out visualizing my outcome as the victor and crossing that cliff with a smile on my face. That got my courage up to try again. Then came the anxious moment about a gazillion feet up in the air with nothing on either side just a straight drop into the depths below. I slowed my walking pace and began to do the Subtle Mind practice. Yes up on that cliff I began to slowly breathe in and out methodically and purposefully. Concentrating intensely on the air going in through my nose with a count of 4 and back out with another count of 4. I was able to look at the ground where my feet were taking one step at a time just like I do every day but instead of noticing the huge drop off where before I imagined plummeting to my death I instead paid little attention to it because I kept my mind focused on my breath. In 2-3-4 out 2-3-4 keeping the same pace in a controlled manner and with in 5 minutes I was on the other side of that natural bridge the victor! Yes it was intense and there were times I had to count out loud still in a low deep purposefully slow pace in 2-3-4 out 2-3-4. I am alive and well with a great sense of accomplishment. I thought that would be my metaphor for life. Take it slow, do everything with purpose and just remember to breathe.
Love, peace and happiness,
Angel Running Deer Dobson
References:
Dacher, E.S. (2006). Integral Health: The path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach , CA
The pictures in decending order are:
1. My daughter Robin Little Fawn and me at the top of Back Bone Rock safely on the other side!
2. The narrow drop off part.
3. View from the top.
4. The first time I crossed the cliff with the help of two great guys Phil on the outside and Chris in the middle. Angels sent from above that is for sure. Thanks guys! Notice my hands out as if I am trying to balance and this is the wide part where we can stand on the narrow part was in the 2nd pick above.
Dayton Children's Pet Therapy Program sponsored by Iams
Pet therapy is billiant!!! I wish I could have had a visit from the fury four legged friend before my 3 surgeries.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Meeting Aesclipus
Unit 7 HW 420 Meeting Asclepius
1. This week’s assignment for “Meeting Asclepius” is probably my absolute favorite. I have been practicing this particular meditation since the cd arrived in the mail. I first started out imagining my grandmother and all off her wonderful attributes. I feel like this exercise has really allowed me to see myself with love the way I see my grandmother. For the past few days though I have been imagining a different person one that I do not know very well only that he is an artists and has helped me over the past several months with certain issues I have dealt with. He is amazing so very calm and the way he looks and explains everything is through the eyes of an artist. This person can speak several foreign languages fluently and is so humble. Because of his humbleness, incredible art abilities and language skills I now want to channel those attributes. I have said for so long that I despise my entire art and jewelry as well as feeling semi mentally disabled when it comes to foreign languages. I am now going to imagine that I too can flow in all things of creativity and open my mind to learn new things. Because I have chosen at this point in my life to earn my living through my jewelry and sewing creations I need to have a healthy outlook on my art. I will continue to practice this meditation through my life changing my imagined or real mentor when there is a new attribute I want to obtain. I believe this benefits me in 2 ways. One it helps me connect with individuals in a way I have never connected. I have always been a compassionate and loving person but have not been able to accept love from others other than my daughters. I think this meditation will open the doors for that very thing. The second benefit will be a healing process for me where I learn to love myself because I can see the people I love or admire in me.
2. 2.Describe the saying: "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself” (P.477) How does this apply to the health and wellness professional? Do you have an obligation to your clients to be developing your health psychologically, physically, and spiritually? Why or why not? How can you implement psychological and spiritual growth in your personal life?
I love this saying. We have a similar saying in the Marines that is the my favorite motto. “You can’t teach what you don’t know and you can’t lead where you won’t go.” I do not believe that book knowledge is enough to help anyone develop mentaly, physicaly or spiritually. One must have first hand knowledge and experience in the things they wish to teach. The only way to lead someone safely to a determined point is by first traversing the terrain yourself. There are pitfalls to be avoided that you would not know about had you not seen experienced them yourself. Theory is not fact until proven. Other people must have confidence in you before they fully accept your teachings as credible. Practice what you preach or you are just considered a quack!
Angel Running Deer Dobson.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Elliot Dacher - The Path to Human Flourishing Pt 2
Very interesting lecture on the sacred experience of "Meeting Asciepius"
Thursday, July 14, 2011
HW420 Unit 6
Loving Kindness meditation (Dacher, 2006 pg. 93)
In a relaxed position after taking a few minutes to ease your mind close your eyes and repeat the following phrase for the next 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.
After the first 2 minutes of repeating this I started to analyze it because that is just my nature. At first I wanted to know how this would actually take place. What was the Divine’s responsibility, the universes’ responsibility and what part was my responsibility. The next problem I encountered was wondering just exactly what I would have to do to help people gain freedom from suffering and assist them in finding health, happiness, and wholeness. I continued to repeat the phrase over and over until my mind was at ease and a warm feeling of security and peace came over me. It was like a light bulb going on. I do not have all the answers at this time but my thoughts, love and actions of kindness will help in a positive way the entire universe from my sitting here just projecting the loving-kindness into the atmosphere. A image came into my mind of something very familiar to me. I love the water and take my daughter to swim at the river almost every day. I taught her how to skip rocks and how the final plunge of the rock starts a small ring and progressively increases in size till it looks as if the entire area has been moved by the one small stone. I saw this image in my head and imagined that my arm was my center where I held the rock (my thoughts of loving kindness) and as I released the metaphorical rock it skipped across the universe and landed on the very person that needed to be helped. The waves of loving kindness stirred that person and all people that surrounded that one person until the entire universe was affected by that one metaphorical rock. Not just people as the rock in the river does not simply ripple the water but it also stirs the sand, vibrations reaching to the fish and animals that live in the water sending the bugs that float on top of the water to take flight into the trees. It is a chain reaction set off by one stone. Our one thought of loving-kindness directed to even just one person or group of people has the possibility that the entire universe can be touched.
Results from the integral assessment:
1. The parts of my life that are the most significant sources of stress are pretty superficial. My body image is distressing to me my lack of discipline to eat right and exercise enough to be in good physical shape having caused me to not enjoy many things to their full extent. I am self-conscience when it comes to being in my swimsuit going to the river. Luckily we are there in a remote area with not many people. I have a huge loud voice in my head that says no matter where you are who you talk to or what you do no one will accept you everyone is making fun of the way you look, talk act and dress and you do not belong here. It could be anywhere even with just my family around. I do not meet up to their idea of success, beauty or spiritual beliefs. I feel as if there is no one that will accept me for who I am inside or out. Wow did I just write that. I cannot believe I am sharing this with everyone.
2. I have focused on short term relief most of my life. I am sure that is why I am in the shape I am in. I am overweight and have been single and celibate for 10 yrs. That is because I do not trust anyone and that brings on depression anger and loneliness that in turn brings on the short term relief of comfort food.
3. I do not have now a long term inner self sustained ability to flourish that is why I am taking this class to hopefully gain knowledge in how to achieve that very thing.
4. I am just now begining to develop the psychospiritual aspect of my life in a healthy way. In the past I have suppressed my true beliefs and taken on the belief that everything that I believe that was not written in the bible I would go to hell for believing. Half of my family made sure that every belief and teaching from the other half of my family was driving me straight to the Devil. I am 41 yrs. old now and I am taking a stand. I will believe that which I know to be true deep inside me (that is that I am not going to hell and furthermore there is no bottomless pit where the Devil lives to torture you). I am one with all creation and that the same spirit that lives in me also lives in all creatures. That nature is our healing place and our mind can go past our physical body. I am Native American Indian I believe in the old ways and I am beginning to gain a great amount of peace through connecting with my ancestors and spiritual guides.
5. I realize the need for a spiritual guide and have by the grace of our Great Creator I was given one.
6. I will look over and reassess my integral health many times over my life but this is where I stand now. I am at the door of new beginnings where the balance of all things are coming together and I can reach out my hand and grab a hold of this existence called integral health.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
POWER POINT
So since I can't post the power point here I posted it to the Discussion Board for unit 5 disc.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Unit 5 Disc HW420
Complete the following and post in your blog:
Your mental fitness practice this week incorporates the concept of the subtle mind (Dacher p.75). This week, replace the Loving Kindness exercise of unit four with Practice 2: The subtle mind exercise and listen to track #3 on the Dacher CD.
1.Compare and contrast the Loving Kindness exercise and the Subtle mind exercise. Explain your experience including the benefits, frustrations etc.
2.Discuss the connection of the spiritual wellness to mental and physical wellness. Explain how the connection is manifested in your personal life.
3.Participate in the Blogs of at least two other students. Provide them with feedback on their experiences (Do you have any suggestions or support for them? How does their experience compare to your experience? What have you learned from their blog?)
The image of true love is the calmness that centers me or should I say the center that calms me. This was the one of the loving kindness exercises I did. Focusing on my grandmother and alternating that with focusing on the idea of who Jesus is as a loving pefect person.
This week I replaced that practice with the subtle mind practice and I had a lot of sucsess with it. I was able to eventually just be a witness the thousands of thought running through my head at any given time. I was able to release them as mere thoughts and the strangest thing began to unfold. I started to connect with my natural surroundings. Not just like noticing how pretty the flowers were but actually feeling and believing I am part of that flower, part of the trees and the birds etc. I have always believed we are all made by the same Great Creator and know that one of things in natrue affects all other things but in this meditation I began to see myself as a tea rose. Small dainty fragrant yet strong and powerful. I am not sure why a tea rose of all things is what I felt like I became and you can laugh if you want but I felt as if I took on the thoughts of the flower the opening to the rain the tilting my head toward the sun the ability to just be what the Great Creator made me and nothing more or nothing less. I was just simply being.
I loved this exercise and that will be my second meditation. I still want to continue to the loving kindness to help me ease from this exterior life to a peaceful loving state and then go further into the meditation with the subtle mind meditation. The two are similar in that you goal is to quiet the chatter that goes on in your mind and there by stilling your mind. The two practices teaches you that through love kindness and mindfulness you can change your thoughts and behavior. The loving kindness gets you to focus on someone besides yourself then take in that love the subtle mind exercise allows you to look at things without feeling the need to hold on to them. Both have a similar goal in mind and that is to produce a quieted mind with loving actions. The first connects you to just one other person and the latter connects you to all of creation.
As you all know I practice a differnt type of spiritual beliefs. Incorperating the Native American Indian ways with the Christian beliefs. It is funny to me and so true the statement that Ghandi made something to the affect that he has never met a true Christian. That was in a response to the question do you belive in Christianity. Now I would have to do research to find an exact quote and I am sure it is probably a misquote at that. With that said I would have to agree. I have never really met someone that follows all of what the bible teaches. I do not personally believe that the current day bible is the true scriptures that Jesus spoke of anyway. I do belive however that the Great Creator made an example of true love by giving His son as an example of love. I have in the past experienced major anxiety attacks and I know what calms my mind is meditating on the perfect son of our Great Creator. I believe that by calling on his powerful name you can banish demons. That being said I also believe that we have to train our mind to focus on truth, love and compassion this in itself is what brings your peaceful destination. Relaxing your physical body, calming your mind and becoming fully aware of your spritual self is the connection that heals all three areas of your being. One can not be healthy if the other two are sick. It is the way of the great hoop of life. One leads into the other there is no begining no end simply a circle or as you have read in an earlier post the Lakota teaching of the Medicine Wheel.
I love both of these exercises and feel already a great sense of calmness and well being. This class just gets better and better! My ancestors taught us to meditate to clear your mind, the bible teaches you to meditate on that which is lovely and the both combined teach you just what we are being taught in class.
Love
Angel Running Deer Dobson
Your mental fitness practice this week incorporates the concept of the subtle mind (Dacher p.75). This week, replace the Loving Kindness exercise of unit four with Practice 2: The subtle mind exercise and listen to track #3 on the Dacher CD.
1.Compare and contrast the Loving Kindness exercise and the Subtle mind exercise. Explain your experience including the benefits, frustrations etc.
2.Discuss the connection of the spiritual wellness to mental and physical wellness. Explain how the connection is manifested in your personal life.
3.Participate in the Blogs of at least two other students. Provide them with feedback on their experiences (Do you have any suggestions or support for them? How does their experience compare to your experience? What have you learned from their blog?)
The image of true love is the calmness that centers me or should I say the center that calms me. This was the one of the loving kindness exercises I did. Focusing on my grandmother and alternating that with focusing on the idea of who Jesus is as a loving pefect person.
This week I replaced that practice with the subtle mind practice and I had a lot of sucsess with it. I was able to eventually just be a witness the thousands of thought running through my head at any given time. I was able to release them as mere thoughts and the strangest thing began to unfold. I started to connect with my natural surroundings. Not just like noticing how pretty the flowers were but actually feeling and believing I am part of that flower, part of the trees and the birds etc. I have always believed we are all made by the same Great Creator and know that one of things in natrue affects all other things but in this meditation I began to see myself as a tea rose. Small dainty fragrant yet strong and powerful. I am not sure why a tea rose of all things is what I felt like I became and you can laugh if you want but I felt as if I took on the thoughts of the flower the opening to the rain the tilting my head toward the sun the ability to just be what the Great Creator made me and nothing more or nothing less. I was just simply being.
I loved this exercise and that will be my second meditation. I still want to continue to the loving kindness to help me ease from this exterior life to a peaceful loving state and then go further into the meditation with the subtle mind meditation. The two are similar in that you goal is to quiet the chatter that goes on in your mind and there by stilling your mind. The two practices teaches you that through love kindness and mindfulness you can change your thoughts and behavior. The loving kindness gets you to focus on someone besides yourself then take in that love the subtle mind exercise allows you to look at things without feeling the need to hold on to them. Both have a similar goal in mind and that is to produce a quieted mind with loving actions. The first connects you to just one other person and the latter connects you to all of creation.
As you all know I practice a differnt type of spiritual beliefs. Incorperating the Native American Indian ways with the Christian beliefs. It is funny to me and so true the statement that Ghandi made something to the affect that he has never met a true Christian. That was in a response to the question do you belive in Christianity. Now I would have to do research to find an exact quote and I am sure it is probably a misquote at that. With that said I would have to agree. I have never really met someone that follows all of what the bible teaches. I do not personally believe that the current day bible is the true scriptures that Jesus spoke of anyway. I do belive however that the Great Creator made an example of true love by giving His son as an example of love. I have in the past experienced major anxiety attacks and I know what calms my mind is meditating on the perfect son of our Great Creator. I believe that by calling on his powerful name you can banish demons. That being said I also believe that we have to train our mind to focus on truth, love and compassion this in itself is what brings your peaceful destination. Relaxing your physical body, calming your mind and becoming fully aware of your spritual self is the connection that heals all three areas of your being. One can not be healthy if the other two are sick. It is the way of the great hoop of life. One leads into the other there is no begining no end simply a circle or as you have read in an earlier post the Lakota teaching of the Medicine Wheel.
I love both of these exercises and feel already a great sense of calmness and well being. This class just gets better and better! My ancestors taught us to meditate to clear your mind, the bible teaches you to meditate on that which is lovely and the both combined teach you just what we are being taught in class.
Love
Angel Running Deer Dobson
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