Becoming a Pebble

Many children's books are full of important life lessons.  For this week's Mind Move Make class I started by reading the lovely book Extra Yarn.  Before reading the book, I asked my students to reflect on how its message connects with the ideas we are exploring in creating our Kindness Creatures.

Extra Yarn is about a little girl who lives in a village that is completely devoid of color; only white, black, and shades of grey exist in her town.  One day, she finds a box filled with yarn of every color.  She begins to knit sweaters for everyone in town, starting with herself and her dog Mars.  These acts of kindness towards everyone in the community transform both the people and the physical place in a positively beautiful way.

The Mind Move Make students successfully connected the story to their Kindness Creature creations.  Kindness Creatures are meant to remind their owners of kind actions they can take in the world.  Some students are choosing to keep their Kindness Creatures for themselves, while others are giving them to family members.

After our discussion it was time for relaxation.  During this time I shared a story from Thich Nhat Hahn, a Buddhist monk who is a pioneer in bringing mindfulness to the West.  I asked each student to imagine that he or she was a pebble that was thrown into a river:
"What would it feel like to sink through the water?  Imagine the light slowly dimming as you sink farther and farther down.  You are pulled this way and that with the currents of the water.  Imagine the plants and the animals you might encounter along your journey.  Then, finally, imagine landing at the very bottom and finding a comfortable place deep in the fine sand at the bottom of the river."

After that, we began the movement portion of class.  We played Yogi Says, and three different students got to become the "yogi" and lead everyone in their favorite yoga pose!  Each leader did a great job.  Below is a picture of one student leading the class in Tree Pose.  The students are helping each other with balance by holding hands.

Everyone was anxious to get started on their Kindness Creatures!  We only have ONE CLASS LEFT after this one, so a few students are afraid that they won't finish in time.  I trust that everyone will finish, and some students might even have time to create a miniature version of their Kindness Creature.  Here are a few photos of works-in-progress:

Balance and Concentration

This week we started Mind Move Make's tenth class with relaxation time instead of discussion.  Right away the students rolled out their yoga mats, got comfortable, and followed the path of their breath while I played the singing bowl.

One student brought in something she wanted to share, so after relaxation we took time to see and hear about her object.  It turns out she made an entire Kindness Creature at home on her own!  It was adorable, green and blue with tiny wings that she created separately and attached to her creature.  It was wonderful to see a student take the ideas we've been working with in class and continue to develop them at home.

During the movement segment of class, I told the students that we would play Yogi Says for the next class and asked them to pay close attention so that they could lead a pose if selected!  We went through a Moon Salutation and a Sun Salutation to warm up.  Then we practiced Tree Pose, which requires balance and concentration.  I asked the students to remind me of what is needed in Tree Pose, and they remembered that having a gazing point (or drishti) is helpful for balance.  Many of the students held hands to help one another with balance.  We then broke up into partner pairs and practiced Tree with another person for help and support.

The children are working hard on their Kindness Creatures!  Most of them have added facial features, and some have even begun to sew the back and front panels together.  Sewing is another task that requires focus and concentration, two of the same skills that are needed in Tree Pose.  Hopefully everyone finishes their Creatures by our last class, which is only two classes away!

Being kind to ourselves

This week we started our Mind Move Make class with a discussion about two questions: 1. Why is it important to be kind to ourselves?  2. What are three to five ways you can show yourself kindness?  Almost all of the students focused on the idea that we need to be kind to ourselves so that we don't hurt our physical bodies.  One student talked about brushing her teeth and eating healthy food.  I was surprised no one discussed thinking kind, positive thoughts about one's self, exercising to stay healthy, or using the breath to stay calm and focused.  Hmmm, I think we'll revisit this topic again next week and see if any of their ideas expand to also include some of these other ideas!

The movement part of this class was especially exciting!  We warmed up with Cat/Cow and Sun Salutations, and then launched into our ocean adventure.  Starting in Navasana (Boat Pose) we rowed out into the ocean.  When a wave came our direction, we stood up on our yoga mat surfboards in Warrior II pose and road the wave back to shore!  Then we paddled out again and did it one more time, as was requested by a few students.  It was quite the yoga adventure.

Art-wise, students are working hard on their Kindness Creatures.  Most of the them have the front and back shapes for these stuffed animals cut out.  Many have also started adding fabric and buttons to become facial features.  Some started sewing the front and back pieces together and might be ready to start stuffing their creatures next class.

Becoming a raindrop

One student holding up his Kindness
Creature design

At the beginning of Mind Move Make's eighth class I hung all of the Kindness Action artworks on the wall.  We had a discussion about the artwork in the form of a game.  The students each got the chance to guess who created which piece of artwork.  When their work was chosen they had to tell their favorite thing about the work and talk about some of the ideas they put into the work.  Turning a critique into a game made it fun and helped the students stay engaged in the discussion.  We left the artwork up for the parents to see at the end of class.  Many of the students made their parents guess which artwork was theirs!

It was raining on that particular day of class, and the weather inspired a fun guided meditation during relaxation time.  I asked the students to imagine they were a raindrop falling from the sky.  What would that feel like?  I also told them that they could choose to land on anything they wanted to land on once they reached earth.  What would they choose to land on?  A squirrel's nose?  A puddle to join many of their friends?  The ocean's wave?  It was interesting to hear their choices.

After warming up the body with a few rounds of Cat/Cow and a couple Sun Salutations, the students took part in another partner movement activity.  Each pair of children became a human seesaw!  Sitting across from one another they grasped hands.  One student leaned forward while the other leaned back.  I asked the students to connect their breath to the movement by exhaling when bending forward and inhaling when leaning back.  This activity is great for stretching tight hamstrings while encouraging connection between partners.

The Kindness Creatures are starting to come to life!  (Check out this blog entry to learn more about the Kindness Creature creations!)  After looking at their designs from last class and reading through their ideas about this project, the students jumped into creating the creatures.  Most of the students designed a template for their creature and transferred the shape onto fabric.  A few students even began sewing facial features onto their creatures.  It looks like a few students might have time to create two Kindness Creatures.  Stay tuned to see how these purposeful stuffed animals take shape!

Writing and design ideas in one student's sketchbook

This student sewed basketball pajamas onto her Kindness Creature

Meditation, Yoga, and the Seattle Seahawks

Honestly, I am not a football fan, but reading this article was inspiring.  I am interested in the new ways the Seahawks head coach, Pete Carroll, is choosing to lead his team.  What do meditation, yoga, and the Seattle Seahawks have in common?  Mindfulness and yoga are both integrated into Pete Carroll's new vision of how to coach football.  ESPN had an article explaining some of the new methods Carroll is using to improve the team's performance as well as caring for each player in a more holistic way.  Here is a link to the article.

Every week a sports psychologist leads the team in a guided meditation that always starts with "Quiet your minds, focus your attention inwardly, and visualize success."  The sessions are not mandatory, but many members of the team show up to practice mindfulness each week.  One of the biggest advocates on the team for incorporating meditation and mindfulness into his routine is quarterback Russell Wilson.  He schedules individual sessions with the psychologist for guided meditation.  This helps him relax when game time arrives.  Yoga has also become a part of the Seahawks weekly training.  Last year this was an optional activity, but after seeing the results of practicing yoga on the field, it is now mandatory.

Mindfulness and yoga are great for human beings.  Period.  Many people come to yoga and meditation because they want to improve their performance in a specific area of life, from playing a sport to having more energy at work.  But after feeling the transformative effects, they continue to engage in the practice for what it does in almost EVERY part of life.  For example, one of my favorite yoga teachers, Rosie Acosta, started practicing yoga because she was running the Los Angeles marathon.  Now it is her life's work, a very central part of who she is.  It will be interesting to see if the game of football is similarly changed by the innovative tactics of Pete Carroll's incorporation of mindfulness and yoga into the lives of his players.

  

Kindness Creatures

Get ready for Kindness Creatures!  This is our new Mind Move Make art project, and we started it this week.  The children are creating stuffed animals for either themselves or someone they love (HUMANS ONLY!) to remind the lucky recipient to remember kindness in everyday life.  The students answered several questions to help them gather ideas together before starting.  Here are the questions:
1. Who is your Kindness Creature for?
2. What kind actions will your Kindness Creature remind its owner of?
3. How can the way the creature looks be influenced by its function?
4. What will your Kindness Creature's name be?

After finishing our brainstorming session about this new project, it was time for relaxation.  The students got into a comfortable position on their yoga mats and listened to the sound of the singing bowl while following the sound of their breath.  I asked them to stretch their arms above their heads when they couldn't hear the singing bowl anymore.  Connecting physical action with mindfulness activities helps to keep the students focused.

Then the students launched into movement.  We began with Sufi Rolls in a seated position.  After the students got this motion down, they each grabbed a partner.  Sitting back-to-back, they linked arms and moved through Sufi Rolls together.

After that, the students changed partners and we performed another partner activity.  The students created The Elevator by joining hands, leaning back in Chair Pose, and bending their knees up and down.  For this partner pose it is easier to have people of a similar height working together.  Partner poses are excellent for building trust, teamwork, and confidence.

Art-wise we had many things to accomplish!  My expectation was that all students would complete their Kindness Actions artwork, and everyone accomplished this goal!  The actions that ended up in the artwork were fantastic.  Here are some of the actions that ended up in the artwork:

"Start a community garden"

"I won't steal oysters at dinner"

"Be a good friend"

"Help someone feel better"

"Recycle paper"

"Help my mom and dad around the house"

I'll share all of these artworks at the end of this blog entry!

The Mind Move Make students also started planning their ideas for the Kindness Creatures.  Most of them had time to begin drawing a sketch for what they want their final creature to look like.  Some even transferred their design onto a final sheet of paper.  This design will act as their template or pattern.  They will cut out the Creature shape and trace it onto fabric.  I'm excited to see these Kindness Creatures come to life!



Here are all of the other completed artworks!

Aesthetic Choices

At the beginning of this class I asked the students to finalize their Kindness Action Ideas.  I explained that today we would incorporate the ideas into their finished piece of artwork.  I also read them the next part of the story Zen Shorts.  This traditional Chinese story is about how we choose to view and respond to events in our lives.  In the story, an elderly farmer experiences what his neighbors describe as "bad luck", but each event turns out to have a positive outcome.  Instead of dwelling on or worrying about something that seems negative, the farmer is open and accepting of each event and the possibility of something good coming out of it.  It is easy to dwell on "bad luck" in our own lives; this story challenges us to see the good in a seemingly bad situation.

We also reviewed Gabriel Orozco's artwork My Hands Are My Heart, pictured below.  

We discussed how our hands are the part of our bodies that usually perform kind actions in the world.  Our hands become an extension of our hearts in this way.  If you'd like to know more about Gabriel Orozco's work, here is a video about him from the PBS series Art:21.

Moving into relaxation time, the students listened to the singing bowl and counted their breaths until they couldn't hear the sound of the bowl anymore.  I asked them to place a hand on their stomachs when they could no longer hear the bowl singing.  This activity invites the students to focus attention on two things: external sound and internal breath.  It is a great way for them to find calm in stressful situations, both at home and at school.

For the movement part of the class, we began by warming up the vertebrae with Sufi Rolls.  The students rotated around their center point while sitting on the floor.  We also warmed up the neck and shoulders, and did some side stretching.  Working to strengthen the muscles of the lower back, we balanced in tabletop pose and alternated picking up our left arm and right leg, and the right arm and left leg.  Then, after a few sun salutations, the students practiced Lion's Breath again.  One student who has experience in other yoga classes taught everyone (including me) the Eiffel Tower, a partner pose.    

Artistically, the students had many things to do before completing the project.  Many students needed to finish painting and cutting out their hands.  Some students still wanted to layer more color into the watercolor portion of the work.  Everyone needed to write their Kindness Action Ideas onto their artwork.

My vision for this piece was for the Kindness Action Ideas to be written onto their finished artwork, along with incorporating their hand drawings into the piece.  That way, this artwork would combine words and images to depict a message about kindness.  It would also serve as a reminder that what we do in the world is important.  Combining thinking and talking about kindness must be paired with actions taken.

Many of the students don't share my vision for this piece!  Most of them wanted to keep the hand drawings separate from the watercolor painting.  And this is OK!  I am happy that my students have their own artistic ideas, and are choosing to make their own aesthetic decisions about their artwork.  I'm proud of them for this.