My Self Assessment...

After completing this assessment, I realize that I have a pretty balanced life except for one area. I exercise daily, my nutrition is great and I incorporate mental fitness to keep my mind sharp. But my one downfall is interpersonal-- my family stresses me out. My brother and his wife, my sister and her future husband and my mom. They all come to me for everything and I just can't say no, not to mention they are always fighting among themselves and like to pull me into it. It interferes with the intimacy with my husband, my business and at times my workouts. I have talked to them about boundaries I set, but in the end I give into calm the mob. My mom has just recently been diagnosed with Dementia  and I am the one she trusts the most. But in reality the needs of mom need to be shared by the whole family. To help with my relationship with my husband we have planned some out of the home activities and I turn my phone off or give it to someone to answer in case of an emergency, so this time is just one on one time with my husband. We have actually started taking a ballroom dance class to bring us closer together. Seems to be working! As far as my family, I feel when I am out with my husband unless it is an emergency, I do not need to respond. There is only two people I let know where I am at all times and that is my two daughters, who believe that our time together is precious and should not be disturbed. 

The Subtle Mind

This Exercise~ the subtle mind practice made me more aware of myself and my breathing, it was very relaxing for the most part, but as I got further into it, I started to lose concentration and started getting figity. The subtle mind practice focuses on awareness of self through breathing opposed to the loving kindness practice that focused more on the healing and well - being of others. There is a direct connection with breathing and ones mind. As your breathing is, so shall your mind be. The benefits of the subtle mind practice helps with awareness of oneself. The frustration is trying to quiet the mind and keep it quiet.

The mind, body and spirit are connected. We reach overall wellness when we train and exercise all components of our selves. When you exercise the body the mind benefits as well. Our spiritual body is our essence, a peacefulness within. Spiritual wellness can keep us from physical illness and bring us to an all encompassing higher level of consciousness. 

Yours In Health,

Cyndie

Inhale....

I found this exercise to be very enlightening. Today I got calls from two of the most important people in my life. They were both upset and disheartened. I am the oldest of three, so everyone looks to me for support and calming. This exercise came at the right time. I needed to remember Loving - Kindness because someone hurt the ones that I love. This exercise was very helpful, it helped to bring a stillness to me at a time when I lost control of my temper and yes at that time it was extremely difficult to calm my mind. It was only because I was really frustrated with what was actually going on in my world at the time. I do believe I would recommend this exercise to quite a few people and some of my clients. I believe that there are great benefits to be gained by this exercise. 

The mind as like the body also needs exercise to reach an exemplary level of our psychospiritual development. It has been shown within research that mental workouts can enhance with the positive as well as diminish with the negative emotion, which in turn helps the mind and body resist mental distress and physical disease. ( Dacher, 2006). Mental stimulation, such as mind games, crossword puzzles, word search, using the opposite hand in everyday things will help to strengthen neural connections and even create new ones. Learn new things like chess or yoga, engage in thought provoking exercises. Reading or even learning a new language can keep a persons mind engaged and alert. Any cognitive stimulation that forces the brain to think will give a great mental workout. 

Yours In Health,

Cyndie

The Seven Chakras

At one with the world? Maybe...

To have more you need to become more, is something my mentor has said many times and I am not just speaking of material things here, I am speaking also of the physical, psychological and spiritual. I have always tried to attain the highest level in all I do. So when reflecting on those areas in my life this is what I see. In the physical I would rate myself a 9, I can always improve I also believe that since I am a personal trainer, I need to walk the talk. I walk every morning and workout early with my husband to get in a full workout to start my day and I try to end the day with yoga or tai chi and meditation. I believe I am in the best physical shape in my life. My nutrition is excellent, following a clean eating and carb cycling lifestyle. My psychological well-being, I would rate at an 8. I follow certain body work practices that lend to my psychological as well as my physical fitness. I have a set appointment with the following each month that helps with my mental fitness. Chiropractor, massage therapist, acupuncturist, yogini or tai chi master. I incorporate all of these disciplines to create a sense of well-being in my life and to improve my energy level. My doctor being holistic in nature holds me to these practices. I have been utilizing these practices for the past seven years and they have made a world of difference in all areas of my life. As far as my spiritual, I rate myself at a 7. To me my spirituality is who I am, its learning who I am and who I want to be. It is my connection between me and all those in my life. My passion to help all people keeps me balanced and on track. I believe in keeping a positive and open mind.

My goals in these areas are simple but will help to create a more focused person. In my physical well-being my goal is to train and complete my first triathlon and to tighten my nutrition to better utilize the foods I eat as I train. In my psychological well-being my goal is to take my yoga to a whole new level not only in the physical but also to reach a peaceful place within it. In my spiritual well-being I would like to incorporate some type of community service program to help other people in the areas I excel in. Which is where I would like to end up permanently; helping to transform other people and their lives for the better. 

Activities that I would implement into my life to better assist me with my goals would be to keep myself on a routine adhering to a stricter schedule, to make better use of my time for my physical and psychological goals, I tend to lose track of time when I am working with clients, they fuel my passions. As for my spiritual activities I would love to start journaling and read more books.

This exercise, "The Crime of the Century," reminds me of the seven chakras, the energy centers of the body, each chakra represents a different emotional outlet for our energy. This exercise made me feel more awake and happy and it also relieved my headache. I love this exercise and will perform it again. It was very beneficial.