Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Exercises

Since June 24th, I've been seeing a woman named Nadine who's an integral life coach. 

The main goal for these coaching sessions over the next 6 months is to help me grow in ways I'm currently struggling with. I want to get more physically fit and as always focus more on spirituality and religion. 

1. The Rose Exercise
The first thing she had me do was take home 3 yellow roses in a  vase and observe them each day for 2 weeks. 

It was interesting to watch the roses progressively change. You'd be surprised what a difference can make in the life of a rose.The biggest rose out of the three seemed to thrive longer. It opened up more and dried far more slowly than the other 2. The 2 smaller roses began to golden and dry almost immediately. They also started to wilt and their stem eventually turned black. As the flowers began to weaken, the 2 actually started to bend in towards each other -almost in support. The big rose stood alone and maintained its stature. 

  I kind of interpreted it as meaning -those who stand apart and alone are often stronger and more resilient. But those who are in relationships -though weaker individually- gain strength and support from one another. 

2. Something Different Exercise 
The next exercise was to purposely do something different every day. Big or small. In a months time I:
-Changed my hair style
-Went to a mixer/networking event
-Met up with Jos a couple times
-Watched a new movie (Paranormal Activity 4)
-Went swimming
-Spoke at my Toastmasters group
-Met with Nadji
-Went to a Toastmaster Training Event
-Tried new food
-Revisited my old Flickr site 
-Parked my car in a different spot

What I got from this exercise was observing every day the things that will naturally come up to make it distinctly different from the day before. It also made me more aware of the things that were going on on a daily basis in my life. It made events of the week easier to recall. 

3. Physical Exercise and Impromptu Movement
This exercise was intended for me to gain physical well-being and also allow myself to open up to free movement. I opted to go swimming because I figured it would accomplish those goals and I'd get a tan. 

I was surprised how awkward I was for the first 10 minutes of swimming. I tried going under water and couldn't dive that deep. It felt like water was going up my nose and it was very uncomfortable. I felt like an idiot. Then I swam back and forth and eventually fell into a natural rhythm and swam on my back. It felt nice and relaxing. When I got out of the pool I felt like I had accomplished something. Mentally it reminded me of when i had gotten baptized. A sense of renewal. 

4. Silent Listening 

15 minutes of silent listening. Not an easy task to accomplish. My first couple attempts failed. I was lying in bed telling my brain to shut up. Trying not to pay attention to my thoughts. Then I kept hearing outside noises -not silence. It wasn't serene or relaxing. It felt annoying. 

But then there were times when lying in bed when I didn't feel like thinking or listening to music. I just kind of lied their and "was". I accomplished the goal without trying to, but when I did try to I failed. Silent listening is something you have to allow to happen naturally and then make sure you don't get in the way of it. It isn't something you can schedule or plan though. Your mind has to decide when it's ready for it -not you. 

5. Smiley Exercise
I kind of failed at this one too. You're given a couple of smiley faces to try and replicate in the mirror. You need to focus on your feelings and what comes up for you when you try on each smile. There's a casual smile, a "Kodiak moment" smile, and a roller coaster-off-the-charts smile. 

I could handle the causal smile. But trying to smile the other ones felt fake and ingenuine, which made me depressed, which deflated the smile I was trying to make. I guess you're suppose to feel the smile -then show it. But how do you consciously bring yourself to that kind of moment when you feel pressured to meet a certain standard? It's not exactly conducive to happiness. 

Current Exercises: 

1. Continue Swimming
2. Read the Bible at least once a week (I opted for this one)
3. Heart Exercise -Feel your heart once a day and note what you feel physically and emotionally
4. Body Scan -a 30 minute exercise led by a Youtube video that helps you get in touch with different parts of your body
5. "I Love You and Prayer" Exercise -I'm suppose to say "I Love You" to myself in the mirror every day as well as a prayer that affirms God's love for me as well. (So far it's awkward...)

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