The Future of My Yoga & Some Critical Thinking :)

My plan is of course to continue my new occupation but I think at a more “leisurely” pace. There are a lot of other classes that are offered at the place I do aerial yoga and I would really like to try some of those, as well! So, my plan is to still continue aerial, but try some other classes and if I miss a week here and there, no big deal! I definitely think that I have benefited from this class greatly in that it’s given me a place to relax and unwind and also provided me with some much needed exercise. I also feel that I’ve been able to do a lot of inner reflection in this class, which is great for my overall well-being.

The two presentations I attended were mindfulness practice of practitioners and informed consent of limited English patients. The one I will focus on here is mindfulness practice of practitioners. The purpose of this study was to determine whether mindfulness meditation practiced decreased levels of perceived stress and increased factors of mindfulness among first-year, graduate level speech therapy clinicians. The question and the purpose surrounding the study were relevant to one another and I felt were unbiased. The researcher cited a similar study done and used that study to base this smaller study on. I thought the speaker did a great job discussing the relevant evidence and experience of mindfulness and how it can be very beneficial in relieving stress and promoting well-being. However, from what I have experienced with mindfulness, I think it’s a lot more difficult than it was portrayed, which seems silly but for me it’s really difficult to constantly focus on just being in the moment and keeping my thoughts right there. In meditation, my mind constantly wanders and thinks about other things and I really believe it takes skill to master the art of mindfulness. I know there are different aspects of how to be mindful, which she addressed briefly, but I felt there was this underlying assumption that one can just instantly become mindful, I don’t think it’s that easy at all. Overall, I thought the researcher explained her data well and how she arrived at the conclusions that she did. The concept of mindfulness is really a beneficial practice and thus that was the only point of view being conveyed, but in this topic, I don’t really think there’s ever a time where being mindful wouldn’t be beneficial in a situation, but maybe I'm making assumptions now!

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Oddly enough, the presentation on being mindful I felt pertained nicely to not only this class, but recently Kelly’s class as well. Many of the topics that we have addressed in this course deal with mindfulness and just being aware of all the circumstances surrounding occupation. Topics like flow, hope, motivation, spirituality, identity, well-being, participation, meaning, etc., are all concepts that we should be mindful of as practitioners and how these all play a role in partaking in occupation. Although we haven’t discussed the meditation aspect of being mindful, it think it’s something that is relevant to both the class and our profession and is incredibly beneficial in promoting health and well-being

Hope

This week was a wonderful week in my new occupation as I was able to feel truly mindful and enter a new state of relaxation that I really had yet to experience in this class. I was so relaxed that at the end of each class when we lay in the silks, I almost fell asleep. Plus the instructor and another gal gave each person a Thai massage (where they lay under the silk as you lay inside the silk and they massage your back with their feet). Sounds a bit weird, but it’s the best way to end the class! It only happens occasionally, but when it does it’s my favorite!

There are a few points made by Spencer, Davidson, & White that I feel are applicable to my new occupation. The first one regards the cognitive aspect of hope, more specifically the imagined possibilities that lead to the establishment of goals. Before starting this new occupation, I imagined what it would be like. After my first class, when that imagination became a reality, I then was able to establish more goals. The second point that was made that I feel is most applicable is the spiritual aspect of hope. As a form of relaxation and inner reflection I feel that this class has provided me with even more opportunity to find spirituality and through spiritual aspects of hope, both meaning and purpose in my life. According to Hasselkus (2011), occupations bring about connections with the self, others, the environment, and a sense of a higher being. I think this aligns well with what Spencer, Davidson, & White (1997) defined spirituality as, which is a force permeating all of life that gives meaning through a sense of connectedness with something larger than one-self, such as nature, other persons, or an ultimate other. Through my new occupation I can honestly say that it brings me closer to this sense of connectedness.

If I were to characterize my experience with my new occupation as a movie I would say that it’s definitely a “chick flick” of sorts. And not like a sentimental chick flick but like a bridesmaids type chick flick that's funny with maybe some vulgar humor mixed in. We have a lot of fun and often joke around throughout the session. The class typically consists of 8-10 women and about 4-5 of us are “regulars,” so we’ve gotten to know each other pretty well and it’s definitely a comfortable and open atmosphere. My instructor is very energetic and likes to have a fun time, so I would have to say that’s probably the most relatable movie genre to my new occupation!

The Importance of Story Making

This week was a relaxing aerial yoga class as many of the poses we did weren’t super demanding or difficult. We hung out in the silk a lot and I’m all about that. As I continue my occupation I can feel my body getting used to the silks in that a lot of the poses that were once rather uncomfortable have become less painful and more relaxing (which she said was going to happen!) She also purchased some yummy essential oil sprays that she spritzed on us when were in “the fig.” (Still one of my favorite poses.) I am really becoming a fan of essential oils lately (since Liz H’s yoga class- thanks Liz!) and I can’t seem to get enough, so when she sprayed us with those I was in my happy place!

Clark, Ennevor, and Richardson (1996) described how important stories are because they truly define who we are. Every decision we make leads to an event that we may consider to be small in terms of the bigger picture or impact our lives in a tremendous and significant way. These experiences help shape our beliefs, views, thoughts, actions, and choices and truly create who we are as a whole. Right now aerial yoga is just one small aspect of my life. It provides me with a means of relaxation, exercise, and gives me something to look forward to each week. In the grand scheme of things, it’s not something that I feel is a significant part of my story or really defines who I am but it’s certainly something that I feel I can relate to and enjoy and that’s really important to me. If this is something I continue to do and make progress with, I can definitely see it becoming a larger part of my story- but for now it remains pretty small.

Although there were a number of occupational science concepts that were discussed in this video, the one that really stuck out to me was content reframing. This involves changing the meaning of the situation itself, which ultimately leads to changes in expectations, the possibilities that we see for ourselves, and the choices we feel we have (King et al., 2003). I think a lot of people would take the diagnosis of ALS and have a hard time looking it from a “glass half full” perspective. Although, Morrie openly discussed the negative feelings he had associated with the disease, he truly kept a positive mentality throughout the entire interview process. One thing that was discussed was the fact that soon, Morrie wouldn’t have the use of his mouth anymore making the articulation of words impossible. This is a very scary thought to most and Morrie wasn’t an exception as he feared for this day. What sets Morrie apart though, is that he felt this would allow him to just listen and he didn’t see that as a bad thing. He thought of ways he could still communicate, which is through the answering of yes or no questions, and he felt his facial expressions spoke for themselves. I think this is a great example of content reframing as Morrie didn’t see it as “now I can’t talk anymore” but rather “I can still listen, and that’s what’s important.”

*another example of content reframing from Morrie :)