Integral Assessment (Unit 6 Blog Post)

I can't believe we are in unit 6 already!  Over half-way through the class and I have learned so much, but still feel like I have so much more yet to learn.  Anyways...

The Integral Assessment is sort of a meditative state in which you focus on a few questions, and then search out and find the answers within yourself.  The first question is “what aspect of my life is causing suffering?”  For me, this aspect is the biological aspect.  I have been trying to get into shape and exercise more often, and this was going very well while I was training for the mud run, but since then I have had very little motivation to make time to exercise.  Along with this lack of motivation, I have been stressed out at work, and so have not been eating as healthy as I have been in the past, (not to mention I just has a family reunion this past weekend in Chicago, and they catered all sorts of Italian foods, along with Chicago style hot dogs, and I consciously made the decision to over eat for some stupid masochistic reason!).   I also discovered that if I am honest with myself, the unhealthy eating is almost an addiction, and that it does affect the way I feel.  I have tried to get back to healthier eating the last couple of days, and I feel better rested, more energetic, and already back to my motivated self.  I need to continue on this path and also make more time in my schedule for exercise.  The next question is “what aspect of my life is ready for growth?”  With this one, I waffled back and forth between psychospiritual and interpersonal.  I eventually ended up decided on psychospiritual, and decided that to grow, I need to get back to being outside in nature more.  I feel at ease in nature, and my meditation will grow to the next level if I practice it outside.

The loving kindness exercise I found helpful, but sort of like other meditations we have done so far in class.  However, I do appreciate getting more ideas for meditation mantras.  The more written ones I read and use, the more it will help me define my own meditation style, and the more I can refine my own personal mantras.  The more sources I can draw from, the more I can customize meditation to me.

Going through old photos with my grandmother, and ran across this one of my grandfather and grandmother from the mid 1960's.  She kept reminiscing about my "handsome" grandfather and his "big blue bedroom eyes."  Awkward when you grandmother talks about her sexual attractions.

~Catherine