Week 7 Exercise

     My meditative practices were beneficial to me after listening to the mp3 Aesclepius. It was very interesting to listen to this practice and to visualize another person/healer and to connect with them. The person that I visualized is my grandfather, who passed away in 1973. I have very few memories of him as I was only 5 years old when he went away, but I have many pictures of him and me when I was a baby. Pictures of him holding me and sleeping with me when I was a toddler and the look in his eyes was of pure love in these pictures, much in the same way I look at my 3 year old daughter now. I visualized him, for some reason, not sure why sitting in a large chair, the decor and design of the chair would be something you would see in a movie when you would enter into a monastery. I envisioned him sitting there with a very peaceful look in his eyes and found it difficult to concentrate on anything else in the room but him, as if the room faded away and it was just him in the chair. As the exercise went on, I felt like we were speaking to each other without saying any words and it felt like we were one in the same person. It was really quite powerful. It was also powerful when the instructor informed me to imagine the person dissolving into a white light and then entered my body and traveled throughout my entire person. This brought me to a place of total relaxation and happiness as I felt that my grandfather and I connected, even though he is in a better place and I haven't seen him in a long time. This is an exercise which I will do daily as I feel it benefits the connection between me and grandfather but also assists in my ability to reduce stress in my life.

     "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself". This statement I believe holds a lot of truth, however, it depends on the situation in which you are in. For example, as a Soldier, in order to lead others, I feel it is necessary to have experienced the same situation yourself before you can lead effectively. Another example of where this statement may not be as relevant would be if someone was very educated in psychology, for example. They have multiple degrees and have a vast knowledge of text and studies. If they are seeing a patient that is suffering from a divorce, for example, and is need of mental help, I feel the psychologist wouldn't necessary have to had a divorce in order to help that person if they can use all the knowledge and the tools they have learned through their education. With the example of being a health and wellness professional, I believe having been to the places where your clients are at now is very important and the quote above would be applicable in this case. By understanding the roads that your clients are going down by having experienced it first, I feel can only help them get the most out of their experiences. I can meditate, pray, relax, practice yoga and tai chi, are some activities I can do.