~The Loving Kindness Exercise and the Integral Assessment~

Greetings all!

            Well, upon completing the universal Loving Kindness (meditation) exercise and the Integral Assessment, I will begin to explain my experiences and the developments that took place. The Loving Kindness (meditation) exercise and the Integral Assessment were unique processes in which I discovered some unique qualities that I have, but also showed me some areas where there needs to be some improvements. The exercise was a great asset in helping me discover some of my weak points in my life, but also helped me discover why I continue to selflessly give myself even when others don’t appreciate it or recognize it. The Integral Assessment process wasn’t quite as formal as I had expected, but the assessment did reveal some unique aspects about myself upon the completion of this process. One specific area that stuck out to me was that I noticed just how much healing I have left to do; I hadn’t realized how much work there was to do in this area alone.

            Through these two processes (the Loving Kindness exercise and the Integral Assessment), I have discovered that for a very long period of time I have been focusing on other people’s health and wellness instead of my own. So, that is now the area that I am going to focus on; creating health and wellness within myself through the process of putting myself and my healthful needs as a priority instead of something that is neglected. Because I have experienced suffering and the effects that it can have on a person, I feel that I have also grown as an individual and have gained a certain amount of freedom, sustained health, happiness, and wholeness. Once I have spent some time working on my own development, I feel I will then be able to help others again in the future. Through putting my wellness and development first, I will then be able to develop a stronger me; I will be able to help others find their strength, freedom, health, happiness, and wholeness. Just like with many things, we need to start with healing ourselves before we can help others heal.

            Exercises and activities that I am going to do to promote this growth and development will be exercises like the loving kindness exercises. Even though I will be devoting time to healing and strengthening myself, I still wish to foster feelings of loving kindness towards others. I think having and maintaining these feelings for others helps immensely in our journey towards a more fully developed and intentional lifestyle. Another exercise that I will continue to do will be meditation; it is during this time that I am able to foster positive feelings that promote health and wellness while still helping my development of mindfulness and will aid in my journey towards unity consciousness.