Thank you for this wonderful article filled with practical wisdom. I am in the healthcare profession and found it equally compelling and timely. I, too, am delighted to see your mention of Parker Palmer and the Center for Courage and Renewal. As Valerie Brown beautifully stated in her comment below, in our work as trained courage facilitators, mindfulness practice is vital to our human flourishing and expanding our inner capacity to lead a more meaningful, authentic, and resilient life. I love how you address not only educators but also students - a both/and approach, highlighting the far reaching impact mindfulness practice has in transforming ourselves (moment by moment) and ultimately our world - time and time again.
2
Hi Anne - my wife and i left greenville in 2010. We taught mindfulness at the North Main Yoga Studio for about 1 1/2 years. As far as I can recall, there was talk here and there about instituting more mindfulness programs but not much got off the ground.
I'm glad to here you're trying to expand this work there. Given the strong evangelical presence there, I would think that Parker Palmer's work would be a great way to create greater acceptance of mindfulness (rather than stressing the Buddhist connections). I wish you well in your attempts to expand the teaching that leads to a more meaningful, authentic and resilient life.
I'm glad to here you're trying to expand this work there. Given the strong evangelical presence there, I would think that Parker Palmer's work would be a great way to create greater acceptance of mindfulness (rather than stressing the Buddhist connections). I wish you well in your attempts to expand the teaching that leads to a more meaningful, authentic and resilient life.
1
For educators and youth-serving professionals interested in learning more about the promise and challenges of mindfulness in education, you can check out the Mindfulness in Education Network at http://www.mindfuled.org/
1
Hi, Dzung Vo is being modest here. MIEN (Mindfulness in Education Network) is one of the great internet resources for mindfulness in education. And they have one of the best listservs I've ever participated in. Mindfulness educators from around the planet who are passionate, fiercely intelligent and regularly willing to go out of their way to provide advice, suggestions and extra resources for educators attempting to integrate mindfulness in everything from pre-K to post graduate.
1
Excellent choice NYT's as a focus as our collective consciousness gears up in the fall " first school."
I can vouch for Mindful Schools and the follow-up comments that encourage a spacious awareness beyond self.
Lastly my bedside book is Don't Take Yourself Personally by Ajahn Sumedho available online.
It is a collection of dhamma talks to lay people the focus - opening with compassion to what is.
I can vouch for Mindful Schools and the follow-up comments that encourage a spacious awareness beyond self.
Lastly my bedside book is Don't Take Yourself Personally by Ajahn Sumedho available online.
It is a collection of dhamma talks to lay people the focus - opening with compassion to what is.
1
HI again - I just wanted to bring to the forefront the comment from KDN of Albany. He (she?) linked to a very well written article on mindfulness: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12144-017-9631-7
I had commented that unfortunately, modern mindfulness is often presented as an isolated technique, wit a tendency to reinforce the sense of the individual as a separate entity. There is little attention to ethics or a deeper philosophic context, as mindfulness was traditionally presented.
I just skimmed the article, but from what I could gather, it's an excellent attempt to reintroduce some of that broader context without requiring religious faith or belief in the supernatural.
Finally, one of the commenters mentioned the MindUp! program, developed by Dr. Dan Siegel and actress Goldie Hawn. From what I've seen of it, it appears to be an excellent integration of mindfulness and social-emotional learning in schools.
I would also strongly recommend that people look into Arthur Zajonc' work bringing contemplative practice and philosophy into the schools, for children as young as 10 and 11 years old.
www.remember-to-breathe.org
I had commented that unfortunately, modern mindfulness is often presented as an isolated technique, wit a tendency to reinforce the sense of the individual as a separate entity. There is little attention to ethics or a deeper philosophic context, as mindfulness was traditionally presented.
I just skimmed the article, but from what I could gather, it's an excellent attempt to reintroduce some of that broader context without requiring religious faith or belief in the supernatural.
Finally, one of the commenters mentioned the MindUp! program, developed by Dr. Dan Siegel and actress Goldie Hawn. From what I've seen of it, it appears to be an excellent integration of mindfulness and social-emotional learning in schools.
I would also strongly recommend that people look into Arthur Zajonc' work bringing contemplative practice and philosophy into the schools, for children as young as 10 and 11 years old.
www.remember-to-breathe.org
2
I am so appreciative of this focus on the value of mindfulness for our hard-working and stressed-out educators. As a mindfulness coach focused on bringing these practices to my colleagues in education, I would like to offer a few more resources to the list.
The SMART in Education course, run by PassageWorks here in Colorado, is like CARE for Teachers and of equal benefit. As a SMART facilitator, I have had the benefit of exceptional training, in addition to being able to take advantage of opportunities like the Hemera Foundation's retreat fellowship.
I would also offer my own organization, TeachingBalance.com, as a resource because many educators are either in areas without courses like SMART, or do not have the time in their schedule to attend an in-person class.
Thank you again to Alison Cohen and Michael Gonchar for such a comprehensive article!
-Kristin
The SMART in Education course, run by PassageWorks here in Colorado, is like CARE for Teachers and of equal benefit. As a SMART facilitator, I have had the benefit of exceptional training, in addition to being able to take advantage of opportunities like the Hemera Foundation's retreat fellowship.
I would also offer my own organization, TeachingBalance.com, as a resource because many educators are either in areas without courses like SMART, or do not have the time in their schedule to attend an in-person class.
Thank you again to Alison Cohen and Michael Gonchar for such a comprehensive article!
-Kristin
1
A very timely, and much needed publication as it does not boast all of the burgeoning research on the effects of Mindfulness and meditation. However, I wouldn't be here (reading about mindfulness) without finding it necessary for my life and career!
I have been attempting meditation for 18 years, something clicked about four of those years ago. I began meditating longer and longer and the result was intrusive to my teaching and everything I touched. I started adding with sincere intentions little moments of Mindfulness into my physical education classes. My school was already on board with MindUp and breath awareness practices, including a chime that could be heard through out the hallways. After several months of documenting my altered classes, I slowly began taking more mindfulness classes online, reading books until I found Mindful Schools training and signed up for their yearlong certification program. Today, my standard based PE classes have an interwoven feel of fitness, neuroscience and mindfulness in them. Students are developing a sense of emotional awareness and the power of taking a pause when they need one. I love two feet and a breath! I am totally tweaking an encouragement that I have with feel your feet 10 times a day to two feet and a breath.
Thank you!
I have been attempting meditation for 18 years, something clicked about four of those years ago. I began meditating longer and longer and the result was intrusive to my teaching and everything I touched. I started adding with sincere intentions little moments of Mindfulness into my physical education classes. My school was already on board with MindUp and breath awareness practices, including a chime that could be heard through out the hallways. After several months of documenting my altered classes, I slowly began taking more mindfulness classes online, reading books until I found Mindful Schools training and signed up for their yearlong certification program. Today, my standard based PE classes have an interwoven feel of fitness, neuroscience and mindfulness in them. Students are developing a sense of emotional awareness and the power of taking a pause when they need one. I love two feet and a breath! I am totally tweaking an encouragement that I have with feel your feet 10 times a day to two feet and a breath.
Thank you!
5
Inspiring!
1
Thank you for this powerful article. I especially appreciate the 'I am aware' practice, which feels like a key to reconnecting with the present moment.
I also appreciate your mention of the Center for Courage & Renewal. As a Facilitator with the Center, mindfulness practices are at the core on my work and are critical to the Center's approach to helping teachers and others align their inner values with outer actions, 'soul and role'.
Thanks,
Valerie
I also appreciate your mention of the Center for Courage & Renewal. As a Facilitator with the Center, mindfulness practices are at the core on my work and are critical to the Center's approach to helping teachers and others align their inner values with outer actions, 'soul and role'.
Thanks,
Valerie
3
Valerie - would you mind telling us a bit more about the Center for Courage and Renewal? Is this the same place founded by Parker Palmer?
I was just talking with a friend who worked with Parker for a number of years, and recommended the Center to me as a resource. Jan (my wife) and I are very interested in creating community, and extending mindfulness from its customary individualistic focus toward a more socially-conscious tool, something which is just one of many ways to create unity in diversity.
I'd be very interested to hear how you weave mindfulness in with that larger goal of aligning inner values with outer actions.
I was just talking with a friend who worked with Parker for a number of years, and recommended the Center to me as a resource. Jan (my wife) and I are very interested in creating community, and extending mindfulness from its customary individualistic focus toward a more socially-conscious tool, something which is just one of many ways to create unity in diversity.
I'd be very interested to hear how you weave mindfulness in with that larger goal of aligning inner values with outer actions.
1
Hi again - I just googled "soul and role" and found a wonderful article by Palmer on this theme: http://www.couragerenewal.org/parker/writings/heart-and-soul/
Thanks for mentioning this, and looking forward to learning more about it.
Thanks for mentioning this, and looking forward to learning more about it.
1
This is an excellent article. I would only add, since the popularizers of mindfulness (folks like Thich Nhat Hanh and Jon Kabat-Zinn) made an effort to abstract mindfulness practice from the larger "spiritual" context, it has been unfortunately all too easy to present it as just one more project for the isolated individual.
in virtually all contemplative traditions, practices similar to mindfulness are present, but always woven into a beautiful fabric of ethics and philosophy. The core element in all contemplative practice is letting go of the separate self. This doesn't require faith in anything supernatural. It can be understood simply as founding one's life in service - service to something larger than the separate self, whether to be compassionate caring for the hungry and the poor, dedication to create beautiful art or making a contribution to human knowledge through science and other means.
There's no reason why such fundamental elements cannot be included in a public school curriculum. Arthur Zajonc, for example, has included philosophy in classes for children as young as 11, skillfully integrating contemplative/mindfulness practice with challenging questions about one's role in society - whether as part of a family, a neighborhood, a schoolroom, or the world at large.
And Zajonc doesn't leave it at that - as an internationally renowned physicist who has questioned some fundamentals of science, he offers similar challenges to his students as well...
mindfully!
in virtually all contemplative traditions, practices similar to mindfulness are present, but always woven into a beautiful fabric of ethics and philosophy. The core element in all contemplative practice is letting go of the separate self. This doesn't require faith in anything supernatural. It can be understood simply as founding one's life in service - service to something larger than the separate self, whether to be compassionate caring for the hungry and the poor, dedication to create beautiful art or making a contribution to human knowledge through science and other means.
There's no reason why such fundamental elements cannot be included in a public school curriculum. Arthur Zajonc, for example, has included philosophy in classes for children as young as 11, skillfully integrating contemplative/mindfulness practice with challenging questions about one's role in society - whether as part of a family, a neighborhood, a schoolroom, or the world at large.
And Zajonc doesn't leave it at that - as an internationally renowned physicist who has questioned some fundamentals of science, he offers similar challenges to his students as well...
mindfully!
2
I fully agree with you that mindfulness can be woven into a beautiful fabric of ethics and philosophy. For anyone interested in understanding this further (and how it makes sense) – I suggest reading the following article:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12144-017-9631-7
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12144-017-9631-7
2