Minding Your Life Newsletter
Minding Your Life Newsletter
Number 4
In this issue…
- The conditions are perfect
- Upcoming Events:
- NAIS three-hour and one-hour workshops
Several years ago, after a particularly challenging fall semester, I spent the week after Christmas at Thich Nhat Hanh’s Maple Forest Monastery perched in the snow covered hills of Vermont. Even in that beautiful, peaceful place it took me several days to fully relax and regain my equanimity. A day or two later I suddenly realized that all too soon I’d be returning home to my job. This thought unsettled me, and I sought counsel from Sr. Annabel Laity, the abbess of the monastery.
I described my anxiety to Sr. Annabel, explaining how after every retreat I would return home to Maryland and live more slowly and mindfully, in touch with the beauty around me. At least I would for one day, maybe for several days. But I was like a tire with a slow leak. By the end of my first week home, I’d be so caught up in the flurry of my home and school life that friends who hadn’t known I’d been on retreat would never have guessed that I had been (if you’re a teacher, perhaps you’ve had similar experiences returning to school after a relaxing vacation).
When I finished talking, Sr. Annabel laughed. “Richard,” she said, “you know that mindfulness practice is the practice of the present moment. The present moment is determined by many causes and conditions. You are here at the monastery practicing the Maple Forest present moment with the causes and conditions you find here. You shouldn’t expect to do Maple Forest practice in Maryland.” Then she added, “Here is the good news. The causes and conditions back home are perfect for the Maryland practice.”
I’ve often recalled Sr. Annabel’s words of wisdom. When I have a bad day, when I have a difficult student, when I have a difficult class, I try to stay in touch with the fact that there is really nothing wrong. It’s only that the practice called for isn’t the practice I was hoping to do. Often the practice called for is that of compassion, starting with compassion for myself and then compassion for the student(s). Patience is another important practice called for by many difficult situations. Additionally, Thich Nhat Hanh recommends the practice of asking, “Am I sure?” This goes hand and hand with being patient. All of these practices contribute to my looking deeply at what is happening inside and outside myself, to better understand the causes and conditions affecting the present moment.
To better understand what is going on for students, I have also learned to ask them directly. Once, students in one of my 9th grade algebra classes told me that they were unfocused in class because we met right after lunch and they were tired. From a yoga teacher friend I learned a movement that helps chi energy rise in the body. I demonstrated it to the class, the students tried it and thereafter took turns leading it at the beginning of class with very positive effects.
UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR
Wed, Mar 1 – Fri, Mar 3, 2006
National Association of Independent Schools Annual Conference – Boston, MA
a three-hour and two one-hour workshops
More information and to register:
http://www.mindingyourlife.net/