Meditation
HLTH 1240
Reflection Question 1
What connections have you had from what you’ve studied in this LW course with what you’ve learned from other courses you have taken at SLCC or have learned before taking this class? Make specific references to your work in this class and in other courses.
This class has helped me outside the classroom in my other courses and in my daily life more than any other class I have taken in the past. I have taken a few meditation classes before, however they were more of a one off occasion rather than a consistent learning structure.
I have used the meditation skills I have learned in this class while driving, preparing for sleep, and calming myself before an exam in biology and chemistry. I have even enhanced my concentration and focus in my lecture classes with my mandala.
Where ever you go, there you are.
— Jon Kabat-Zinn
Reflection Question 11
Reflect on what you thought about fitness and lifelong wellness before you took this course and how you think about it now that you have completed the course. Have any of your assumptions or understandings changed? Why? What assignments/activities/readings were influential in this process? How will you approach what influenced you differently in the future?
My thoughts on lifelong wellness have been a journey all on their own. It used to be superficial. I used to think being healthy meant having a specific physique. However, I have come to learn that lifelong wellness is a multi-dimensional approach that touches base on my emotional, spiritual, intellectual, physical, environmental, financial, occupational, and social health. It is not sustainable to focus all my attention on one of these areas, rather I am working on a balanced approach in each area of health.
The assignment that was most influential was our module 5 - The importance of sleep. I find myself putting sleep on the bottom of my priority list when in fact it should be in the top three of my health focuses, up there with hydration and healthy food. This is still an on going process to establish a healthy routine with sleep. I guess that is the biggest take away from this class. In each of the dimensions of health, I am always working on making healthier choices. Health and wellness is truly a lifelong journey.
Sakyong Mipham
The body benefits from movement and the mind benefits from stillness.
Signature Assignment
Discussion 2
Last year I focused on emotional wellness by doing somatic experiencing and therapy. It was a solo practice, which is what I needed last year. This year I am focusing on social wellness because I feel the next phase of my healing journey is to share it with others and to be a witness to others' healing as well. I have started a journal book club with some of my closest friends and co-workers. I wanted to create a space for women to come together to share their trials and triumphs, blockages, and revelations in a close, intimate and vulnerable setting. There aren't many places where it's acceptable to honestly answer the question "How are you doing?". As a group, we are meeting once a month to discuss the things we have learned or struggled with while following a guided journal. We actually meet for our first official session on Monday!
My Response
Last year I focused on emotional wellness by doing somatic experiencing and therapy. It was a solo practice, which is what I needed last year. This year I am focusing on social wellness because I feel the next phase of my healing journey is to share it with others and to be a witness to others' healing as well. I have started a journal book club with some of my closest friends and co-workers. I wanted to create a space for women to come together to share their trials and triumphs, blockages, and revelations in a close, intimate and vulnerable setting. There aren't many places where it's acceptable to honestly answer the question "How are you doing?". As a group, we are meeting once a month to discuss the things we have learned or struggled with while following a guided journal. We actually meet for our first official session on Monday!
My Reflection
I chose this discussion because it demonstrated how seriously I was taking the discussions as assignments. I thought seriously about the dimension of health I wanted to focus on and why and though it was personal and somewhat vulnerable, I decided to share it and put my true self out there. Looking back on my college experience this is not how I would have handled this type of assignment in the past. Which shows me that I have come along way in my own healing journey, this class was what I needed to keep the momentum going.