Nurturing Peace in Our Hearts and in Our Educational Settings

Mindfulness in Education
Nurturing Peace in Our Hearts and in Our Educational Settings

With Lyn Fine and Jenn Biehn
Saturday, January 22, 2005
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm

(please come at 12:45 pm for registration)

Location: 3897 Whittle Ave, Oakland
(at Wilbur, one block north of Lincoln.
Exit off Rte 13 or 580)

How can we approach education
from a place of joy, stability, and inner peace?

You are invited to join with educators…

parents, students, school staff, and community organizers in a mindfulness day of meditation, quiet reflection, sharing, and inquiry. Everyone concerned about education is welcome.  As people concerned with creating peaceful schools with heart, we give ourselves the gift of time, to nourish in community our joy and inner peace and deepen our capacity for being present—to see the beauty and intelligence in ourselves and others and to meet each moment with patience, courage, calm, clarity, and joy. We engage in mindfulness practices such as sitting, walking, and eating meditation, deep relaxation, mindful movement, deep listening, and kind speaking from the heart. We learn from the experiences of participants who are integrating mindfulness practices into their classrooms and lives, and inquire how we can co-create peaceful schools with heart. We meet two-three times a year.

Information, registration, and directions: (prior registration preferred but not required):

Call or Email Jenn Biehn, 510-482-8605,  gemfrog4@yahoo.com
Websites:   www.mindfuled.org
www.iamhome.org (go to “Days of Mindfulness”)

Tea and tangerines will be provided.
Please bring ideas, poems, stories, songs, and practices to share.

By donation.

•Lyn Fine, ordained a Dharma teacher by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh in 1994, leads meditation retreats in the USA and Israel. Before re-locating to Berkeley in 1999, she developed conflict resolution and diversity curricula and programs in NYC public schools.

•* Jenn Biehn, a mindfulness practitioner since 1987, coordinated the Bay Area Educators Sangha, 1987-1995. A computer instructor at City College of San Francisco, she teaches Tai Chi Chih as staff development practice.

** Sponsored by Educators BASE Group–Buddhist Alliance for Social Engagement, a project of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship

Day of Mindfulness in Education
January 22, 2005

Proposed Plan

11:00 Lunch for Core Group–open to anyone!
12:45 Registration
1:00 Mindful Movements (Lyn)
1:15 Welcome and Overview, Intention for the Day (Jenn&Lyn)
1:30 Sitting Practice/Self-Massage Practice (Aware Touching)
2:00 Brainstorm Web: Mindfulness in Education–Questions and Concerns
2:15 Introductions (Jenn)
deep listening/speaking from the heart practice
talking piece/breath and bell between each speaker
3-minutes each
question prompts:
What mindfulness practices do you incorporate?
What is the situation you’re facing re mindfulness in education?
What would you like to strengthen or change?
What kind of support do you need?

3:00 BREAK/PAUSE/WALKING MEDITATION

3:10 Whole Group Sharing
Tai Chi Chih (Jenn)
Tangerine Meditation (Lyn)
Practices
Open Questions

4:00 Small Group Sharing
Generate Topics
Group Sharing

4:30 Standing Meditation

4:35 Whole Group
“Essence Sharing” from the small groups
Vision: Setting Intention and Next Steps, Individual and Collective Metta
Dedication of our practice

5:00 Home-going