For the second time in the last four years I am embarking on an educational journey at St. Bonaventure University. Yesterday and today were my first classes at the Franciscan Institute. I’m taking a course called “Retrieving a Franciscan Philosophy for Social Engagement.” This class leapt out of the catalog in March and after two days I’m not surprised. Our professor, Keith Douglass Warner, OFM is an engaging friar who has put together lecture and readings that invite us to explore and retrieve an authentic Franciscan approach to social engagement. Dr. Warner is a scholar who comes from Santa Clara University in California.
Franciscan philosophy emphasizes praxis before abstraction and in this course already we have explored both contemporary and medieval models of that engagement. All of this has re-energized me with ideas about how this can help both educators and students in contemporary education.
In the past few months I’ve been reflecting on a reinvented self and a redirection of my life journey that respects and honors my own experience while at the same time reflects personal growth and an effort to bring innovative approaches to problems faced in our educational communities today.
Stress is at an all time high and it’s fracturing communities of all descriptions and especially educational ones. The old formulas and approaches aren’t working as they used to. Therefore a new approach that features principles of mindfulness, yoga and other healing practices are becoming increasingly relevant.
I wrote an essay four years ago which earned me the “Dean’s Scholarship” at St. Bonaventure University enroute to a masters degree in educational leadership. Now, I have a chance to bring that heart and theory into a practical application that unites and heals. Namaste.
Yoga for teachers
In the past year I’ve discovered that there are many teachers who are stressed about a variety of things. For many it involves high stakes testing and tying their evaluations to the results of those tests. For others its a combination of raising a family, higher fuel prices, uncertain futures, children in college and more. I’ve been taking yoga classes locally and one at Bikram Yoga in Tempe, Arizona when I was on vacation this past February. I’ve found in all of this a relaxation and stress relief that not only works but also invites others to respond the same way. There are some in our society who classify Yoga as a religion and some go so far as to insinuate sinister forces in operation at its core. Those assertions are not grounded in reality but they do keep some from seriously investigating this practice and applying it to their own lives.
My approach to this discourse has been Franciscan. I have let my activity, actions, reactions and other people’s reactions to me be the testimony of my practice. I’ve found other Franciscans who practice Yoga too. Of much greater importance is a natural method to deal with stress and improvement of one’s life and the lives we touch each day. Who among us doesn’t witness the reactions of our pupils to these incessant high stakes tests. Add to that the normal stresses of growth and maturation and you have a climate that invites bullying and other negative behavior.
This year I used some simple practices like mindful breathing to reverse these conditions with students. Each class period we began with six deep breaths. This mindful moment focused the children and calmed them too. It provided a natural break between the excitement of passing from class to class to the learning environment and it brought more oxygen into their blood which helped them to be more alert and focused too.
Each day prior to class I spent a few minutes in downward facing dog and forward bends along with mindful breathing to help me relax and prepare for my time with the students. I know that this was reflected in my teaching and my other interactions with them each day. Recent interactions with some of my peers invited me to consider how I could share my experience with other teachers and encourage them to consider yoga for themselves and their students too.
Breathing in and breathing out
It’s been eighteen months now since I began to follow my breath and it has lead me to peace and stillness. I first took a meditation class in 1976. It was Transcendental Meditation. There was a mantra and formal training. There was a cost too. I don’t remember what it was. I didn’t stay with it. Over the years that followed I read and practiced at various times but always I was filled with conflict. Was I doing it right? Is this it? Do I need a mantra? What about Om? What about Jesus or Abba? So what’s different now? I have up the debate and just accepted following my breath. I do it morning and night a d sometimes in the car. Sometimes I follow my breath before teaching a room full of anxious middle schoolers. One of my students asked me if I was a monk. A common thread amongst them all and with me too is that I’m relaxed and at peace and they sense that. I’m filled with energy too. One young man said each day as I shook his hand before class that my hand was warm and it was after a few minutes of forward bends and sun salutations. Even I am impressed with the relaxation and fitness. Yoga class begins in a few minutes and I’m glad to be here. It’s a weekly event that has come to be a good habit in my life. Namaste!
Yoga & mindfulness
Who doesn’t like warm weather? I long for these lovely sunny days we are experiencing right now. This morning I was able to head to work with no jacket. A tie, a shirt and slacks. What a great day! Add to that the sun was shining and that’s not a given here in Western New York. Much of our year is spent under overcast skies. I was relaxed thanks to a morning routine that includes yoga and meditation. It’s been 14 months since my first yoga class. Who would think that some asanas and mindful breathing could provide the relaxation they do. My thoughts too went to those souls in Oklahoma whose lives have been seriously changed and impacted by the recent horrific weather. Pray for Oklahoma!
Yoga in Schools — an alternative that is worth your consideration.
In the past five months I have incorporated a daily practice of mindfulness. Along with this I’ve incorporated Yoga and I’ve been reading everything I can about both topics. K-12 schools are in chaos around the country due to a number of reasons that include high stakes testing, teacher & principal evaluations and shrinking budgets. I recently read Tim Ryan’s, Mindful Nation along with several other books and dozens of websites. I’m recommending that you listen to this Blog Talk Radio Program on Yoga and mindfulness in schools.
Yoga and Mindfulness in Schools 03/13 by Yoga In My School | Blog Talk Radio.
When another makes you suffer
“When another person makes you suffer, it is because he suffers deeply within himself, and his suffering is spilling over. He does not need punishment; he needs help. That’s the message he is sending.” ― Thich Nhat Hanh
Just what I needed to read today. Another did make me suffer at least for awhile and then reading this tonight put it in perspective. Like Thomas Merton I realize that Thich Nhat Hanh is my brother. This brilliant monk who is now in his 80’s is remarkably in tune and that’s because he is mindful. His whole life is devoted to mindfulness. I love to hear him talk and I have read many of his books.
When another makes me suffer I’m inclined to want to retaliate rather than absorb the maltreatment. Though I am disciple of Jesus and Gandhi I am inclined not to “forgive them, Father.” Thank you to Shanti Generation for posting this onto my Facebook timeline. Namaste.
What impact does technology have on your breath
“After a few days of these breathing exercises, [Linda Stone] noticed something interesting: just a few minutes after doing her breathing exercises, she’d head to work, check her email, and find herself holding her breath. Noting that there may be something wrong with that, she grabbed her gadgets and got to work finding out if she was the only one holding her breath in front of a monitor.
After about seven months, and about 200 interviews, Stone found that 80% of the people that she talked to and observed were holding their breath—especially when email came into their inbox.
So I decided to buy one of these devices and test myself during the writing of this book. I scheduled email checks only twice a day for one hour, and found that during those hours, sure enough, my breathing was more shallow and more irregular than during the hours in which I was writing.
Linda describes the problem with a term she coined: email apnea. But the irregularities go beyond email: I found that when I was dealing with all different sorts of incoming information online, my breath and heart rate became irregular. Any time I was dealing with something with a number by it or a queue, my breathing changed.”
–Clay Johnson, The Information Diet (O’Reilly Media, 2012), Kindle edition, 1693
All creation is shouting for joy
Gosh, it’s been over 5 months since I last wrote! I’ve been busy. Had my first ever major surgery which scared the heck out of me. I made a mountain out of a molehill. I’m grateful to my surgeon who repaired an umbilical hernia. I’m good for another 100,000 miles now. While I was convalescing I read a book which challenged me to meditate at least three minutes twice a day. That challenge has borne great fruit as I’ve been meditating twice each day since January. My daughter suggested I take a Yoga class. I signed up for Hatha Yoga for men at Yogabetsy in nearby Olean, New York. the combination of yoga and mindfulness has been profoundly quieting and has lead me to read all that I can about how both yoga and mindfulness can help relieve our nation and world of stress.
I’ve even added a bell of mindfulness to my iPhone which chimes every fifteen minutes reminding me to “breathe.” It has invited conversation at my work place too and reduced overall stress. I just took a picture this morning which sums up how I feel today and it is inspired by the words of a song we frequently sing at Mt. Irenaeus. Namaste!
“The heavens are telling the glory of God, and all creation is shouting for joy! Come dance in the forest, come play in the fields. And sing, sing to the glory of the Lord!”
Metanoia and mindfulness
In a few weeks I’ll be a graduate of St. Bonaventure University. I’ll have my degree in hand and I’m looking to make a difference in the lives of children. I’ve got some ideas of applying Franciscan spiritual principles to the education of students. I think you can do it in any setting whether public or private. St. Francis kissed the leper and that was a metanoia for him. In the past almost two years I’ve had a metanoia too. I think it’s time for a change in education. We need to re-humanize the process. Too much emphasis on testing and more testing. I recently read a book called “The Fourth Way” by Andy Hargreaves and Dennis Shirley. I’m also a devotee of Parker Palmer and I think that we need to re-create community in our schools and specifically authentic learning communities to guide our communities and our students into the years ahead. I’m hoping this blog ignites some new thinking. I’m looking for others who are like-minded.
The Lord’s Prayer
Since writing this morning’s post I thought of how much my thoughts align with the Lord’s prayer and how attention to this day is what’s implied and expressed in the Lord’s Prayer.
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever.