What are some of the key learnings that resonated with you during this weekend's teaching?

Equally, any observations or questions are welcome

Carmel

Many thanks everyone for a beautiful & knowledge sharing weekend

I really enjoyed the preparations for the teaching side and to jus like flow wat I already no..

Thanks for an amazing weekend! I loved the group work, chat and sharing knowledge and experience. Everyone was so open and present...with a beginners mind as we were all doing presentations for the first time. It was wonderful to have the support and encouragement of Catherine and Kathryn.. i felt very comfortable being my authentic self with them!

I found the mindful eating fantastic, very sense-ual!!!.... as was commented in the group. My sense of taste, smell and vision were alive. Touching the little orange, looking at it, feeling its texture was wonderful...like I'd never seen one before. As for eating it...what an experience! Best orange ever! very memorable happy memory now. V.A.K.G.O in action.

Blessings to you all x p

mark

I loved it when I saw Lao Tzu in our poems in our course material in our first 8 weeks. weekly I got a fantastic surprise with the poem....I thought this is a sign of the right course from the universe!!1! I adore poetry...Lao Tzu's wise words...Rumi's wise words, Mary Oliver, John O' Donoghue, Derek Walcott. Nobel Prize Winner in Literature,, ...

Poetry is magical, evocative. Words are one of the worlds greatest miracles and the pen is mightier than the sword according to W. Shakespeare. x p

Love and blessings to all x p

Realisation I always try to hard ,had so much information written down in preparation I had myself confused ,so coming into awareness that I am enough ,non striving ,trust ,to keep it simple ,enjoyable, it’s your way of being that the group pick up ,Raisin meditation was amazing ,such a little thing and yet so much learned from the humble little raisin ,so for me to slow down ,to savour,to ponder ,to notice,

Life has been challenging with my sons break up last couple of weeks with awful abusive messages ,so hopefully this weekend there will a big move on .

So in these days VKAGO is a great tool ,listening to the birds ,finding daffodils coming into bloom ,feeling the sea air ,smelling the coffee ,and tasting my food ,eating more slowly and all thanks goes to the little raisin !!!

Thank you all ,wonderful to be with ye on this journey 🙏💕

Sorry for long post but some of the key learnings from the Sunday training are:

If I, as a mindfulness teacher, offer classes to children under 18 years I am considered a mandated person.  I then am legally obliged to report an issue of concern regarding the safety of a child to the Designated Liaison Person in the organisation where I work or, if I work for myself, I am the designated Liaison Person.  If you are not the DLP in the organisation you can make a report, if the DLP decides not to do so and it is forward to Tusla & An Garda Siochana.  You can talk to the local Duty social Worker, off the record, about your concerns and to seek advice. 

Retrospective abuse. This is when an adult informs you of an abuse early in their childhood and you also learn that the abuser is dead or incapacitated and therefore no children are at risk.  In this case there is no need to report the abuse. 

Garda Vetting is for Recruitment purposes.  You could ask an organisation that you work for to supply you with a letter to state that you are Garda Vetted with them. 

The importance of self-care and of being authentic when running mindfulness classes. 

When dealing with difficult people it is important that you are very present, that you listen, hear, check validity of concern, & acknowledge what they said & seek to understand. it is important to remember pleasant body language and to respond not react.  It is useful to have a few phrases to help you out in those situations.   The most useful one from the class seemed to be “beyond the scope of this mindfulness class”.

Mark

I wanted to ask whe can you bring the mindful eating to the class. I foundit amazing expereince when Annmarie did it. I found it stopped me in my tracks and totally get soaked up in the whole senses. but would the class all expereince this and perhaps that why do it and end of course.

Any suggestions

I also found the guidance from Anne Marie on ethical issues, difficult participants and child protection to be both concise and informative. The raisin meditation was a real sensory awakening and hugely impactful in triggering a mindful state.

Sunday`s material was very interesting and I enjoyed working with my group on the different scenarios that you can face in your classes. It was good to get a few phrases that can get you out of a tight spot should the need arise.

I`ve done a few of the Mark Williams meditations this week from the book that was mentioned . Thankyou Noel for the tip that they were on Spotify.

I hope everyone has had a good week and is enjoying their weekend .

Catherine

"See if you can give more attention to the doing than to the result that you want to achieve through it. Give your fullest attention to whatever the moment presents. This implies that you also completely accept what is, because you cannot not give your full attention to something and at the same time resist it.

As soon as you honour the present moment, all unhappiness and struggle dissolve, and life begins to flow with joy and ease. When you act out of present-moment awareness, whatever you do becomes imbued with a sense of quality, care and love - ever the most simple actions."

I will try and remember this when next presenting.

My own meditations are getting deeper & colour seems to be a big thing. I'm not entirely sure what it means. I just go with it & enjoy.

having read Catherines post on "the power of Now" it really is the senses that get to NOW

i'm finding hearing and kinesthetic the easiest for me to enter the present. The adage "you may not enjoy it but you must still do it rings through." It certainly does require practice to strengthen that mindful muscle of ours but its magic

Anyone have any other wee tricks to enter presence...

I am so grateful for this course and the deliberate moments of presence that it allows me to create in my life

'There is nothing inherent in the words people use when they speak to me that makes me feel any way,

It is my thought system that interprets the words and gives them meaning to me.

Upset comes from my own thinking, not the event.

My conditioned responses are just that. They are conditioned, they are learnt, they are made up from my own thinking'

So if i give myself a little breathing space from an event by dismissing my thoughts and getting back into a good space, I can then take the event back up in my thought system and see the truth of the ABC model of emotion at work. And therefore I can respond and not react.

Its fantastic.

In our Gratitude notes (28 Benefits of Gratitude)it mentions the benefits of a 4 week Gratitude course. Do you have any more details on what was included in these? Tia

Be present.

See the kindness, the beauty, the abundance in all.

Bring a sense of gratitude and wonder with me in all that i do today.

Everything is working perfectly for me.

See the unconsciousness in others with forgiveness.

Be present!

Are you able to come to a stop in your life, even for moment? Could it be this moment? What would happen if you did?

In January, I decided to add a new bedtime habit into my eldest daughter’s routine. The game is simply called the Gratitude game. Each night my girls brush their teeth, I read them a book, hug and kisses and I do the Gratitude game with Fiadh. She is 5. The game starts I’m grateful ………….

It’s wonderful to lie beside her and she tells me things about her day that was good and made her happy. I mention a few things too and that’s it. It’s very relaxed, bonding session with her and one night recently as I was reading books to my twins, she ran in and said Daddy don’t forget to come back in and do the Gratitude Game. It’s become a beautiful one minute game that I love and she does too.

I’m trying to develop a strong positive program in her little mind. (neurons that wire together fire together)

I will introduce it to my twin girls from September when they start school. It’s just another little bedtime routine habit, put the pjs on, brush your teeth, bedtime story and lastly the Gratitude Game. I make it fun and we have lots of laughs and some of things she says it’s lovely to hear how her imagination works.

If you have little ones give it ago…..

❤️

I really enjoyed and learned a lot from last weekend's course. It was great to connect with everyone, and I found the group teaching practice especially valuable. It was a relief to know that we all shared similar feelings about our first teaching experience and reassuring to realize that we can only improve from here.

The picture I posted is of me and my dad. It holds a special place in my heart because, after living in Trim for about seven years, I never thought he would get to visit. He was very sick about two years ago, and I wasn’t sure he would ever see where I live. Spending a few days with him was really lovely. The weather was surprisingly nice, and the picture was taken on the Hill of Tara, making the moment even more special.

Since being off work with long Covid, I have had time to reflect on what truly matters in life. Before this, I was constantly busy with long shifts and overtime, leaving little time for myself or my loved ones. This experience has made me realize how quickly everything can change and how important it is to cherish the present moment. I have also had the opportunity to spend more quality time with my elderly parents, which I know I wouldn’t have done otherwise because life was always so hectic.

This mindfulness course has helped me become more present and appreciative of the small moments. It’s a reminder that our time on this planet is short, and it’s so important to slow down and take it all in.

Looking forward to continuing this journey with you all!

dee

Aisling ❤️

I thought this was a good image recapo of week 1 and 2 , love the quotes as help me get the information flowing.

I think it was mentioned on the last weekend that flow activities are not the same as hobbies. In our teaching classes we will be asking clients to write out things you like to do which will bring you into a flow state of mind.

I know people who go for a run as their in the zone and in that flow state, others may like gardening, walking their pet, painting, going to the gym, hiking, playing a game of chess, cooking etc but are all of above hobby activities as well as flow activities. I just want to make sure they are the same concept bringing someone into the present moment while minimising negative thoughts or mind wandering.

I'm feeling relaxed or so I think. Then I realise that my body is holding onto the stresses of my sitting position. How amazing is it to notice that your neck is tight & then feel it sink like a pebble being dropped in a into a river .. Going through each area really brings it home how much stress we can hold in our bodies, even when we think we are relaxed.

I find the body scan is really beneficial after a day of sitting for 8hrs in work. I'm definitely not as tight as I used to be but there's a lot more to be done. So I've signed up for Pilates classes, no point doing all this work on my mind when my body is in a heap 🤣. Thanks to the body scan I now know what needs to be done. I need to improve my physical fitness & work on the areas that have been neglected & holding many years of tension. But also keep my daily meditation practice going.

Live is just beautiful. Its a gift & it's been a long time since I was able to say that & actually feel it🥰

I really enjoyed and learned a lot from last weekend's course. It was great to connect with everyone, and I found the group teaching practice especially valuable. It was a relief to know that we all shared similar feelings about our first teaching experience and reassuring to realize that we can only improve from here.

The picture I posted is of me and my dad. It holds a special place in my heart because, after living in Trim for about seven years, I never thought he would get to visit. He was very sick about two years ago, and I wasn’t sure he would ever see where I live. Spending a few days with him was really lovely. The weather was surprisingly nice, and the picture was taken on the Hill of Tara, making the moment even more special.

Since being off work with long Covid, I have had time to reflect on what truly matters in life. Before this, I was constantly busy with long shifts and overtime, leaving little time for myself or my loved ones. This experience has made me realize how quickly everything can change and how important it is to cherish the present moment. I have also had the opportunity to spend more quality time with my elderly parents, which I know I wouldn’t have done otherwise because life was always so hectic.

This mindfulness course has helped me become more present and appreciative of the small moments. It’s a reminder that our time on this planet is short, and it’s so important to slow down and take it all in.

Looking forward to continuing this journey with you all!

dee

I'm pleased to say though that I am really enjoying it. When I finished this morning, I have to say, I had no idea of the time. The kids are lovely, all different personalities, all different sizes - some very cute junior infants and some 6th class, who you can tell are so ready to go to big-big school. They all seem very happy to be going in. The parents too have all been really nice and there are 'good mornings' and 'have a nice day' going back and forth between us.

Getting back into my car, I thought to myself that that 35 minutes had been a perfect example of flow for me. I was fully engaged, not thinking about the past or the future and having a really enjoyable time. It was great to reflect on it afterwards and understand that it was flow and to feel the heartfelt pleasure that those 35 minutes brought me.

P is for Pause - pause to breathe and bring ourselves back into our bodies, calming our nervous system and anchoring us in the present moment.

This allows us to be aware of our emotions and it creates space between our emotions and our actions.

A is for Ask - ask yourself if this thinking is making me feel the way I want or is it making me suffer.

U for Understand - understand that we have a choice to stop and let go of the thoughts that cause us to suffer.

S for Say - say 'unnecessary and negative thinking is the root cause of my suffering'. Repeat this like a mantra anytime you become aware of thinking that is not serving you. Because we cannot focus on 2 things at the same time, saying the mantra takes you away from thinking the negative thought.

E for Experience - experience your emotions fully. When we ignore or fight our feelings, we only make our suffering worse. We try to accept them fully, non-judgmentally. It is easier to let our feelings go if we can accept them, without judging them.

I liked this and I could see myself using it and explaining it to others in times of need.

Hope you all are having a lovely week.

Do you recommend we go into great detail in week 4 with the positive lifeline exercise and memory enhancement exercise in or keep these for another week?

Also on the 12 step positivity toolkit, step 7 and 8 are the same, is this an error or is it the way it's meant to be? (Know your strengths and find ways to use them)

Do you recommend we get our class we are teaching to do the strength test www.viacharacter.org

Thank you

I have read these wise words so many times over the years and rewritten it and given it to people as a gift. My granny truly gave me a blessing and a gift that day. I am forever grateful for her wisdom and the wisdom held in this poem.

The Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant- they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself to others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble-it is a real possession in the changing fortune of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery,

But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself, especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the Universe, no less than the trees and stars ✨️ you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive him to be. And whatever your labours and aspirations in the noisy confusion of life, keep at peace with your soul.

With all it's shame, drudgery and broken dreams, it is STILL a beautiful world 🌎. Be careful. Strive to be happy.

Thanks Granny. With love. Paula

Ive just read the book Into the Magic Shop recommended by Rosaleen (thanks)and found it inspiring, remotivating me again.

I am doing my meditations on a daily basis, but I've come to the conclusion for myself that I would like to up my game especially after reading 'Into the Magic Shop'. I see the pattern in myself, the pattern of reading books and finding so many brilliant but I see the pattern of lack of action in myself. I start off excited and because i dont see change quickly, i tend to move on to the next book.

Its time now as I'm within this fabulous course, to up my action and motivation because I do want the benefits of improving attention and memory and responding to others, control of my emotions and I know to increase my meditations will do this for me. So, Im upping my commitment to at least a full hour a day at a minimum. Have done it today already. I must put in the work to reap the benefits of a quieter mind.

So that's where I am at currently. Life is good, but ive had enough of the constant chatter in my head. lol

I have absolutely loved getting out every day this week for my mindful walking I am trying to tune into my auditory senses which I definitely feel are improving. There's really no better feeling than fresh air and the sun in your face.

I love watching the sun setting in the evenings. It's bliss. Hope you are all getting a chance to enjoy some mindful walking.

"Walk as if you are kissing the earth with your feet" Thich That Hanh.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DHSAARKM1U0/?igsh=cTNpa2xqZHlpczhy

I listened to this interesting podcast recently on a 'Diary of a CEO' featuring a behavioural scientist who describes herself as a 'Recovering Awkward Person'. I was wondering Carmel can this add to our self-awareness? Or are we already working on this by learning to be more aware and connecting to positive possibilities winging its way to us? We are fascinating human beings really.

https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/the-diary-of-a-ceo-with-steven-bartlett/id1291423644?i=1000679711461

Going over week 3 at the moment specifically the 3 minute breathing meditation. In the notes it says ‘it can be beneficial to do a breathing meditation as a lead into this’. 🤔. Did i miss something here ? Scratching my head

Mark

Mihaly csikszentmihaly

This is what you tube says it sounds like

MeHi CheckSentMeHi

Now will we remember it?! 🤔

How to bring the present moment more into my home environment....Inote it takes a lot more effort, although the awareness is growing, it so naturally happens in an unknown environment