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Mindfulness Pioneers Visit New Delhi, Offer Insights
By Meena Srinivasan 01-Feb-11
The Kabat-Zinns, at right, share their thoughts during the school visit (photo: AES New Delhi). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jon and Myla Kabat-Zinn, pioneers in bringing mindfulness into the mainstream and authors of Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting, spent a day at the American Embassy School in New Delhi, India last November. Their time at the American Embassy School included making a classroom visit; conducting a free, interactive workshop on cultivating resilience through mindfulness practice for the entire school community; and connecting with teachers interested in deepening their mindfulness practice. Their visit was a spectacular enhancement to ongoing mindfulness in education programming at the school. Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn developed Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) at the University of Massachusetts Medical School while working with patients attending his stress reduction clinic. Since then, MBSR has helped thousands of patients worldwide. He is an acclaimed speaker on the science and practice of mindfulness, and was in New Dehli in association with the Mind & Life Institute. In Dr. and Mrs. Kabat-Zinn’s words, “Mindfulness is truly universal since it is simply about cultivating the capacity we all have as human beings for awareness, clarity, and compassion. Mindful parenting calls us to wake up to the possibilities, the benefits, and the challenges of parenting with a new awareness and intentionality, as if our conscious engagement in parenting were virtually the most important thing we could be doing.” During their school-based workshop the couple shared thoughts about the importance of bringing different kinds of education into the classroom, to help students connect with and understand themselves. Myla Kabat-Zinn explained that the core of mindfulness practice “involves bringing an open-hearted awareness to whatever arises, with kindness.” For the past 10 years teachers at the American Embassy School have met weekly to share in mindfulness meditation, often drawing upon Dr. Kabat-Zinn’s writings, talks and guided meditations. The couple’s visit to the school and generous gift of time and energy meant a lot to these teachers, many of whom are actively bringing mindfulness practice into their classrooms. For more information, email the author at [email protected]. You can also visit her blog, “Documenting a Year of Mindfulness in the Classroom,” at http://mindfulteacher.posterous.com/
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Comments
03/08/2011 - Cindy
Kudos to AES New Delhi for bringing mindfulness practice to the school!!
As I was driving to work this morning, I heard a radio interview about one organization's efforts to bring mindfulness practice to students and teachers at public schools in Massachusetts. It was wonderful because the speaker, Adam Liss, from Calmerchoice.org, was explaining that when a student comes to school after having an argument with a parent or sibling they are not ready to learn.
First, they have to clear the emotional baggage they brought with them to school that morning. Through the practice of mindful, non-judgmental awareness they learn to leave behind any mistakes or conflicts of the past, so they can let go of guilt or emotional distress and focus positive energy to the moment. When actively engaged in the moment, their mind, body and spirit are aligned and they are then ready and receptive for the process of learning.
Not only do they report a reduction in behavioral problems, but more positive peer interactions and an increase in test scores have resulted!
I wish all schools could put this into practice for students, teachers and parents alike.
