Unit 4: The Mind-Body-Spirit ParadigmDescribe your experience.

1.  Did you find it beneficial? Difficult? Why or why not? Would you recommend this to others? Why or why not?   I did not find this exercise to be difficult and not sure if it was beneficial. Part of the exercise says to breathe in the suffering of strangers.  When I think of this instruction  I think of John Coffey.  He would say " I took it away Boss" meaning, he took away whatever sickness was inflicting the people he wanted to help.  Once to sucked out a terminal cancer, which in turn left him sick because he did not breath it all out.  So because of this image in my head I could not enjoy this assignment.  I must admit that the calming sounds of the ocean took me back to the days when i'd lay out on the beach and just relax. While I did not enjoy the second part of the assignment, I liked what was said in the beginning " We Get Back What We Give".  This may not be true in all instances but for the most part when you love a person they love you back at some point.  When I was allowing the loving feelings to enter my body I was thinking of my 2 sons and I could not help but to smile.  I was calm and at piece and I realized that being a mom is the best feeling in the world. That is an unconditional love that I treasure. 
2. What is the concept of "mental workout"? What does the research indicate are the proven benefits of a mental workout? How can you implement mental workouts to foster your psychological health?  The concept of mental workout is to work out ones brain.  The brain is said to need exercise just like the human body.  These workouts have been proven to have lasting affects on memory, clarity, and problem solving.  Right now I am in the process of studying different supplements to help support brain function as I am very forgetful at times.  So by implementing a daily regimen I can hopefully foster good psychological health.