Today I participated in the exercise "Meeting Aesclepius." This was an interesting exercise. I found it easy to imagine a wise person and even to commune with this person. I was able to imagine a light shining from his forehead into my mind cleansing my mind. I was able to imagine the light flowing from his throat into mine, cleansing my speech. I was even able to imagine the light flowing from his heart into my heart giving me a heart of loving kindness. I had some difficulty imagining the entire light flowing into me and me becoming that wise person. It seems it was easier to receive from the wise healer than it was to "be" the wise healer.
The practice of mindfulness and meditation has brought an awareness to my life that was not there previously. I find I am able to calm my mind with greater ease. This calming practice has given me more energy during the day with less mental stress.
I can continue these practices daily to get more and more skilled at mindfulness and meditation. This will enhance my physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing. With this enhancement, I can be a blessing to others and make a difference in their lives.
"One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself" (Schlitz, Amorok, & Micozzi, 2005). This saying applies to health and wellness professional because the professional needs to be able to heal them self before teaching others. If the healthcare professional can take on an attitude of loving kindness and see each patient as precious, the patient can experience a greater healing with a feeling of respect and tender-loving care. This will bring more job satisfaction to the health care professional too, giving them a sense of purpose beyond just tending to someone's physical needs (Schlitz, Amorok, & Micozzi, 2005).
Sherry
Reference:
Schlitz, M., Amorok, T., & Micozzi, M. (2005). Consciousness & healing: Integral approaches to mind-body medicine. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone Publisher.
Sherry,
ReplyDeleteUsing the Meeting Asciepius practice was an exercise in visualization. One of my favorite types of meditation (I have a great imagination).
My walk with him was to the ocean, sitting on the beach listening to the waves wash all the mind clutter away. Filling me with wisdom, clarity of mind, peace, and love. What a wonderful wise man he was.
This type of practice gives me strength and a feeling that all in life will be good. Feeling empowered, supported, nurtured one can go into the world and offer others the same.
Learning to practice myself is the first step to helping others heal. Teaching from experience.
Cynthia
Hi Sherry,
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed the meditation at least for the ten minutes that it lasted. There are days that I would like to be in that state of mind for the whole day, impossible with all the responsibilities that I have, but I could keep trying. I enjoyed the part of imagining an old person that I know or knew, to my surprise I chose my old pastor who passed away many years ago, I felt humbled and happy to have that memory of him and that peace of mind.
Sherry, you make a good point that "practicing what we preach" as health professionals will lead to more job satisfaction. As I reflect on my career as a nurse who did floor work in the hospital. To me it was more like herding cattle out of the barnyard to make room for new stock. I felt like the doctors and hospitals didn't really care for the patients as they should. It was all about the money. When people feel like their health is not being taken seriously, how can we expect them to heal appropriately? If we exude loving kindness and compassion our patients will react accordingly.
ReplyDeleteSherry,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading about your experience. It is wonderful to be able to visualize the person and the light surrounding them. Knowing this, it seems that you have gained wonderful insight! Best wishes on your progress.
I agree with your statement that we, as health and wellness professionals, need to present an example for our clients. The addage, seeing is believing is something that comes to mind when I think about this. I wouldn't be inclined to follow advice from person who doesn't follow it themselves.
Great blog post!
Thank you,
Kris
Good point about practicing what we preach. That is another way of looking at things. It is so easy to give medicine, but it's time for us, it's always hard to swallow our own.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder Sherry!
Samie