Unit 7- Meeting Aesclepius

1. This week's meditative practice used visualization which I found more of a challenge. I visualized Jesus standing in front of me, and noticed that His eyes were loving yet piercing.  The beam that flowed from His heart to mine was more expansive and all-encompassing than the first two, which helped show me His capacity to love the unlovely, something I am also called to do.
It seems I do much better when I am following a more consistent train of though however. When there is too much time between verbal directions I find my mind wandering too much. All this after a full day with quite a few "monkey wrenches" thrown in - my son's car died, our dog regurgitated her breakfast all over, our printer quit working... just another day... So perhaps things would flow a little more if I practiced these things in the morning before life decided to happen. But isn't that point of all this- to get to the place where no matter what happens we can "ride the waves of adversity" and go with the flow with peace and grace. I guess I'm not there yet, but I'm farther than I was before this class started :)
I do know that I am much quicker to catch myself when I am in the midst of a stressful situation. I have always been someone who talked to herself, but now my self talk sounds much different and is constantly bringing my mind back in line, rather than letting it just lead me where ever it wants to go. Those random thoughts are no longer ruling--I am!  I am still challenged everyday with making the time to enter into these times of meditation- exercising my mind and spirit, not just my physical body. When I do take the time, my day seems so much more relaxed and satisfying. I need to cultivate my inner knowing and trust in that inner voice.

2.  As for developing my own health, I feel this is very important for me as a wellness professional. It reminds me of how single "experts" tell you all about how to parent, but they have never been parents themselves. I am much more likely to listen to someone who has been there and has personally passed through the valleys and over the mountains.  It's one thing to have all the right words, but when they are backed by experience, now that's when they have power behind them. I think my clients will know when I speak out of experience and conviction, not just put out theories to them. I want to strive to continue to grow in every aspect of my life- psychologically, spiritually, relationally, and physically. When we stop growing we begin to die on the inside. Life is all about change and adaptation and stretching us out of our comfort zone. I am beginning to accept change more in my life and am trying to embrace it rather than fight it. So much energy can be consumed in resisting and holding back, when that same energy could be utilized a hundred fold in running towards and embracing the challenge. This is a different mind set for me and one I am attempting to get a hold of.