Unit 6 - Loving Kindness / Integral Assessment

1. Practice the universal Loving Kindness (meditation) exercise.
I found that using the Universal Loving Kindness meditation was similar (at least to me) to using the Jesus Prayer ("Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner"), or using Taize prayers or reciting the Rosary. I find that if I use any one of those forms of prayer or meditation, any anger or malice that I might have had towards an individual has been diffused, and in its place is a sense of loving concern, and the beginnings of a sense of empathy and (hopefully) rapport where we can begin to connect as human beings instead of adversaries.

2. Complete the Integral Assessment.
An integral assesment means for me to assess where I am in terms of psychospiritual, biological, interpersonal and worldly development. I'm finding that this is a long term assessment and one that changes on a daily basis. Is there a particular weakness that I'm working on? No, not necessarily for there are many weaknesses in all aspects of my life. I am not perfect - so there is certianly more than enough room for me to grow and develop in all areas and aspects of my life.

3. Describe the exercise and assessment process. What did you discover about yourself? What area have you chosen to be a focus of growth and development? Why? What are some specific exercises or activities that you can implement to foster greater wellness in this area?

The assessment process that I needed to be more cognatively aware of was my biological development. Fitness, nutrition and self regulation are just three of the areas that could use extra work and attention. For example, since I am no longer working full time, I no longer use the amount of calories that I might have ordinarily consumned... therefore I need to be more aware of what I eat. Using a salad plate instead of a dinner plate gives the illusion of eating a large portion. Learning to say no to seconds is another "exercise" that I can use. The point is that I am becoming responsive rather than reactive to food and it's call to "eat me!"