This week there were two separate exercises that we were asked to participate in. The first was the Universal Loving-Kindness. I actually really enjoyed this practice. I took the 10 minutes and really cleared my mind of any other thoughts and focused on the instructions. I was skeptical of the phrases at first, but afterwards I did feel very open, much more understanding and more caring. For quite awhile after the exercise, I approached each task I needed to accomplish and person that I talked to with a open mind and open heart. I felt more at ease and almost serene.

The second exercise we were asked to participate in was the Integral Assessment. This exercise forced me to really consider my overall wellbeing and assess areas of my life that need to be further developed. The area that I think I need to focus on would be the psychospiritual. Between school, my full time job and part time job, there is often not enough time in the day to get everything accomplished. I often feel overwhelmed and extreme tension and stress. I do a lot of deep breathing exercises to calm myself, but a lot of times my mind is still focused on what else I need to get done. I have a hard time winding down at the end of the day, and when I am attempting to sleep at night I'm usually wide awake thinking of what all needs to be done tomorrow. I think my first step is to rid myself of unnecessary projects and activities that are only causing more stress and not serving a beneficial purpose in my life anymore. Once I release a few more responsibilities, I would like to sign up for a yoga class that will help teach me to focus my mind and provide me with the skills to calm myself and clear my head of stress.