This week we explore yoga and mindfulness for the classroom and self-care. But before you jump in to this week’s readings and videos, be sure to check out the savoring beauty photo gallery.

The learning objectives of this module are that you will be able to:

• Explore the use of meditation in schools and learning environments
• List benefits of meditation and yoga for learners
• Experiment with yoga and meditation practices for self-care
• Develop a meditation or yoga routine for yourself or your community or learners

Key ideas and terms from this module are: meditation, yoga, conscious breathing, self-care

The exercises for this week are:

• Daily peace actions (Peace Is Every Step)
• Talk with your learning partner over the phone by Saturday, August 9th
• Contribute to forum 6.1 by Sunday, August 10th @ 12:00pm

Continue reading to see the full outline of this week’s assignments…

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Let’s begin with a short message from one of our AU peace educators, Vanessa King.

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MEDITATION IN SCHOOLS

In previous weeks we’ve explored community building and conflict resolution practices that are built around how to effectively communicate one’s emotions, how to actively listen, and how to facilitate talking circles that foster story telling and communal sharing.  Speaking and listening, however, are only the interpersonal parts of the peaceable community equation. Intrapersonal reflection and self-care are also a key part of building peaceable learning environments and much of that involves no sound at all, but are rather built around silence, breathing, and meditation.

Click here to continue reading and then post a response to the reflection question at the bottom of that page.

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MEDITATION FOR SELF-CARE

Meditation not only benefits students and the learning environment, but can also benefit one’s personal life outside of the school.  The lives of students, educators, and teachers are filled with a number of stresses, challenges, anxieties, and tasks that can, at times, seem overwhelming.  Meditation can help calm the mind and help focus energy in healthy ways so that as educators we can care for ourselves and in turn better care are for our community of learners and the larger world around us.

Click here to continue reading and then post a response to the reflection question at the bottom of that page.

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YOGA FOR KIDS AND TEENS

In these three short interviews, ShantiGeneration yoga instructor, Abby Wills, talks about the benefits of yoga for young kids and teenagers and the different kinds of yoga experiences that are appropriate for various age groups. In other words, how would educators engage elementary school students in a yoga experience and what would that look like? How would educators engage high school students in a yoga experience, what would that experience look like and how would it differ from yoga with younger kids?

Click here to continue reading and then post a response to the reflection question at the bottom of that page.

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YOGA AND SELF-CARE

There are many scientifically proven health benefits of yoga and a lot of these benefits do not require any physical poses, per se.

The four short videos below come from yoga and dance instructor, Hemalayaa Behl and introduces viewers to some simple practices that can be incorporated into one’s life.  None of these exercises require any body positions, but are rather more focused on specific ways to focus in on one’s breathing – an integral part of yoga.

Click here to continue reading and then post a response to the reflection question at the bottom of that page.

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PHONE CALL WITH A CLASSMATE

Click here to see who your partner is this week.

The theme for this week’s paired discussions is “mindfulness.” Here are a couple questions to help guide your conversation:

1. In what aspects of your personal or professional life do you feel you bring a sense of mindfulness (e.g. eating, teaching, being with family and friends, exercising, etc.)? In what aspects of your life to you feel you bring little to no sense of mindfulness?
2. Remember the first week of this class. Your daily peace action was quiet time. Did you keep practicing this as the course went on or did you stop after the first week? If you continued with this practice how did the experience change, if at all? If you stoppped doing it, why did you stop?

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FORUM DISCUSSION

Please contribute to forum 6.1 by Sunday, August 11th @ 12:00pm