Never has an alliterative phrase felt so good.
Month: August 2022
Teacher Without A Classroom
Not being in a classroom on the first day of school since 1975 has been a textbook meditative exploration of riding the flow of emotions. In meditation, we learn to ride our emotions as they arise in our practice and our life as a series of waves.
The Vote to End The Strike Comes Today
But if you want total transparency, I am disgusted that this elected group of people led by an out-of-touch superintendent played chicken with our classrooms and the education of the students we serve, many of whom are already notably behind their peers due to COVID and the negative impact of digital learning in an environment where technology is often unavailable and unreliable.
This Just In
More later.
This Teacher Is On Strike IRL (But Not On The Blog)
Why are we striking? The superintendent and board will have you believe it's over our pay. The 1000% unvarnished truth is that our 103 school building district in the heart of Columbus, Ohio, has been poorly managed and even more poorly maintained over the years (I have been here since 2001), and we are requiring the superintendent spend some of the $400 million dollars she was allocated from the federal government from COVID funds (ESSA funds) to do some of these tasks:
Mindful Meditation Project, Day 20: Using Can’t As A Map
I really appreciate your patience with the pauses in this 30 day experiment. Part of me wants to say that it's an exercise in pure mindfulness, to have lags and flows in the videos, which mirrors life and meditation, and part of me gets agitated that it isn't perfect. Thanks for watching, whenever it crosses …
Continue reading Mindful Meditation Project, Day 20: Using Can’t As A Map
Mindful Meditation Project, Day 19: Kindness Begins With You
If we can't be kind to ourselves, how are we going to extend kindness to others? https://youtu.be/42bnczQbmQ4
Sunday Musings
That seems so ridiculous to say. Don't you think meditation would be the perfect place to find calm and peace when mental and emotional chaos becomes intense? I do, and it's what I believe and teach. But there's also a piece of meditation that invites compassion along with the discipline. A place to be soft and vulnerable and open and a part of the flow of chaos rather than trying to stop it.
Mindful Meditation Project, Day 18: The Importance of Posture
You're already meditating every day in every moment of your life. You just don't know that yet.
Mindful Meditation Project, Day 17: Alternate Nostril Breathing
Sometimes even the most beautiful meditation spaces aren't enough to stop a vicious cycle of mental thoughts from running rampant. Dealing with an unexpected situation in my life made my brain grasp for answers in all directions, and before I knew it, my meditation was off and running in a thousand different directions. Grounding myself …
Continue reading Mindful Meditation Project, Day 17: Alternate Nostril Breathing
Mindful Meditation Project, Day 16: Omniscient Observation
How do you come back to yourself when your mind wanders from what you think is 'right' or 'wrong' in meditation?
Mindful Meditation Project, Day 15: Granting Yourself Permission
Perhaps you want to learn to meditate, or you're just curious. But when you "try" to meditate, or even attempt to be more mindful, you're convinced it doesn't feel right or look right. What if it doesn't seem correct because you're not really allowing yourself permission to explore? Let's look into that idea with today's …
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Mindful Meditation Project, Day 14: Deliberately Seeking Joy
It might take some doing, some breath, a pause to use my imagination to carry those sensations and allow them to linger, but the idea of fully investing the self into a moment of bliss to make it last and release the need to go hunt out another bit of happiness in my day to keep me going is where I'm hanging out today.
We Interrupt Your Regularly Scheduled Post
Sorry, no Mindful Meditation video today, due to a number of reasons. Instead, enjoy this shot from my moody afternoon walk on the Camp Chase Trail. See you tomorrow!
Mindful Meditation Project, Day 13: Modern World Meditation
It breaks my heart when students tell me they don't meditate because they can't empty their minds. Well, of course you can't...we live in a chaotic world full of life, energy, and action. We are no longer required to take time away to become monks in a monastery by denouncing everything and everyone in our lives in order to explore ourselves and our spiritual path.
Words by Beth 