For unit 4, we were asked to listen to a Mp3 ( I attached a link for your enjoyment) Loving Kindness Practice 18:16 dacher path to human flourishing Miscellaneous 1

I hope the link works..

For the class, we were asked to answer the following:

1. Describe your experience. Did you find it beneficial? Difficult? Why or why not? Would you recommend this to others? Why or why not?

I did find this beneficial. Probably because the images evoked were relaxing and more subtle than previous exercises. (The voice of the narrator was also less irritating to me personally)
some basic instructions were given,and while you were in the areas of quiet, the music was soothing.. ( I happen to enjoy this style of music , sounded like native American instrumentals )
Yes I would recommend this to to others.. I would actually recommend many of the exercises to others, even the ones I found less helpful because as we are unique so are our needs and preferences for how we relax and relate to others.



What is the concept of "mental workout"? What does the research indicate are the proven benefits of a mental workout? How can you implement mental workouts to foster your psychological health?

This can be defined many ways, but basically a mental workout is just  getting to know yourself better. It's being able to consider others and how they relate to you and your life..
The proven benefits of being more contemplative are a increase in gamma wave activity and this can be short or long term.. meaning the more you do, the more you gain.. By being more proactive in considering mental wellness, and by DOING it.. ( yes, this means looking inward and trying to discover what make you react, what makes you feel content and what angers you) it's as simple and as complicated as that.. the only way to love others is by first loving yourself.. some goes with knowing yourself..


My way of growing "mentally" and increasing my mental health is oftentimes by just appreciating mother nature and enjoying the quiet she offers..and the lessons.. Great balancing act in play there and while it's clear that people not always treat the environment the best..we can hope that enough of us can keep it going.. I don't have kids,but I'd like my nephews and nieces to be able to see beautiful lakes and majestic mountains .. nature keeps us in perspective.. we have power, but can be insignificant at the same time..



Andi

Unit 3.. Crime of the Century.
Again.. this voice is not what I call relaxing.. I had this same exercise in another class, and I did try to be more open minded ( at least as much as I can be with feeling a bit suspicious the whole time)
The images of colored light emerging from the portions of the body are, to me , more alarming or frightening than even remotely relaxing.. I tried to picture it the way I imagined the  reader intended, but all I ended up with was feeling that someone needed medical attention. Maybe I am spending too much time with medical books,or I know too much about what can go wrong in a body to "enjoy" a red light coming out of any opening in said body.. I immediately think of bleeding/hemorrhage.. in my humble opinion nothing red should be coming from any opening in the human body without trauma!!  Hard to "re-wire" my brain to relax with this stuff.. I'm trying but.. wow.. maybe I need to read fewer psychological  thrillers and more poetry?? However, If I play a CD of nature sounds.. I'm there.. I can picture the animals/trees/water, and this I can relax with.. no voice.. just.. nature.. quiet steady.. even the hum of a highway or a rain is enough..
On a scale of 1-10,
a)I think I may be a steady 5 for my physical well-being.. making strides to change to a 10, but not willing to let myself get too bogged down by the numbers game. I'll never be model thin or beautiful, but I make up for it in other ways.. like by being a good person. I am adding one more gym day to me schedule,, only 30 minutes, but it's a tough 30 minutes:-)
b) Spiritual: I place myself at a 7.. I don't believe in following an organized religion.. but the concepts can be sound ( like the Golden rule.. do unto others..) my motto and creed, with the caveat that while  I don't believe in a god.. I believe if you believe, that's your prerogative.. just don't force your opinions on me.. I am a firm believer in nature and that we could really learn  so much just by observing nature... and not destroying it. I make a point to support nature where I can, and support those that help others as well whenever possible..
c) Psychological: again a steady 5..maybe 6  I am inpatient and have some issues letting go of anger in certain circumstances..( I think everyone does) but am getting to the point where I am not letting the little things annoy me, and in turn this means I can deal with the larger issues at hand more effectively.. and by getting  them dealt with..this means  they loose the power to drag me down and interfere in my life negatively.. I am really trying to be more proactive in letting go of the anger for those that hurt me purposely..( and yes, this is specifically aimed at one person who has made  point to be deliberately cruel and dishonest in their dealing with me and my family)  and while I may never forgive 100%. I won't let that anger guide every decision I make..
In Dog I trust..
Andi

Honey, the hound, really knows how to relax:-)

Unit 2

Hello all
 For the class assignment we were asked to participate in a relaxation technique called "journey on Relaxation"
I can honestly say that I found this less than relaxing. I think the man's voice is annoying, and I had a really hard time concentrating on his words, more on his tone. ( sounded like a side show act to me.)
And some of his imagery that he spoke of was actually quite disturbing. He asked us to "send" our blood from our "Stomach area" to our arms and hands.. then told us our arms should feel too heavy to lift.. not so much here.. but when he said to return the blood to our core, and we should feel the vessels dilate to accommodate that blood.. Ok, I guess I know too much about biology to accept this as anything other than scary!! if you feel your abdominal vessels dilating , then something is wrong and you need to call 911. You could have an aneurism or something for Pete's sake!
I know that I am a visual learner, and I suspect that I must be a visual relaxer, too!


Some relaxing pictures.. enjoy!

Some of my favorite moments are when I am watching animals interact. The bear ( taken at the North American Bear Center outside of Ely, Mn.) is actually being weighed at the same time this photo is being taken. They have been conditioned to go to certain areas in the enclosure for treats and scales have been buried under the dirt.  Because she has been slowly acclimated to the people in the window, she can eat without stress or uncertainty.. The staff is also able to perform exams and give medications in the same manner.

Animals have stress, just like people do, but they react to it differently. The wolf in front ( her name was Maya.. she has since passed away, but was an incredible example of leadership by example) is actually  a bit annoyed by Denali, the reddish male behind her.. As the only female in the pack, she is by default the dominant female.. he is the lowest ranking male and is just nudging her with his foot.. She is showing her angst by having what's called "Airplane ears" ears are to the side ( versus his are upright) Now, she could be baring teeth, or chasing him, but she makes her point by her ear posture. Wild animals are constantly communicating with their body posture and , in the case of wolf packs, the "stress" of dominance issues are being relieved on a daily basis.  It's rare to have huge disputes among members.. Denali eventually leaves.. He's not getting a very strong response, and gets bored .. which means Maya won.. no blood shed, no growling .. just quiet success and status maintained for both. Hard to tell from the photo, but Maya was about 85 pounds.. Denali was about 120. The biggest is not always the leader, but size is not a factor in dominance or leadership.. The best suited gets the job.. Wolves can get into a very loud and seemingly dangerous fight for status one  minute, and the next, the same two can be sleeping next to each other calmly and with no  issues. They make their point and the matter is settled until the next time. The conflicts doesn't get a chance to build over long periods as they are always subtly communicating with all the members.. Humans could learn a thing or two from wild animals when it comes to stress management. Open communication and effective leadership go a long way to determining how successful the pack is, and they work as a unit for food safety and pup care. (it takes a pack, er I mean a village?:-))
They release their stress as it happens.. not letting it build and suffering damaging cumulative effects like humans tend to..They also don't do things like binge eating, or other unhealthy activities.. in fact the are more likely to pace or exercise to relieve stress. ( great idea.. why didn't I think of that!)
NO their life is not easy or stress free, but  wolves and other animals seem to instinctively know how to dissipate stress before it hinders their health and ability to survive. I wonder if they meditate????

Andi

So it begins...

As part of a school project, I am required to start a blog.. sooooo. here it is. Having had no desire to ever do this on my own, don't expect too much excitement here.. If you have horses or hounds ( or any canine for that matter) feel free to post.. the more the merrier?
Anyone that knows me, knows that I am passionate about animals. I am a Veterinary Technician ( for 14 years, now) and prior to that , I worked in food service ( baking primarily). I also actively support wildlife conservation in Minnesota and the rest of the country and am proud to say that I have been allowed many moments with critters of all kinds:-)
Honey and Speedy are the hounds... China is the horse.. these are my girls and I can honestly say everyone who meets them loves them... What's not to love??

Andi