Dear all,
I have decided to keep our Food
for Thought going for those who want to read it.
I thought that following last
week’s mindfulness workshops I would continue to focus on this topic and
provide links to Hang’s drop box information, an interesting article that
questions the way we live our lives and a short video that also encourages us to connect with
our minds. Following Hang and Sarah’s work I have been thinking about how we as
a community of teachers can maintain our positive and mindful attitudes. I have
come to the conclusion that to stay strong as individuals we are all going to
have stand up when colleagues and friends aren’t mindful and allow their ego’s
to try and pass on negativity (gossip) to us and then in a non-confrontational
manner point out their action and request that they do not involve you in their
ego’s struggle. If we all do this I am confident that we can move our ISHCMC
culture to be more positive and supportive for all our community.
Here are a few words from Hang
and Sarah and links to their drop box materials.
"Kindly share our deepest thanks
to everyone for creating such an open, welcoming and calm practice space. Sarah
and I have been inspired by so many teachers and staff at the retreat. We are
grateful to have met so many loving and compassionate people who understand
this life-long mindful journey. Happy teachers will change the world. I can
feel that it's going to be a fantastic school year for many of the teachers,
staff and their students this year as they continue to incorporate mindfulness
into their daily life. As mentioned, we'll be back on September 22nd and
would love to drop in and run a mindfulness practice (refresher) for about 90
minutes or so. Payment in hugs are welcome.
After the retreat we had a
number of requests for a Yoga & Mindfulness Retreat in Mui Ne
that coincides with the ISHCMC holiday week in October ie. Sat. Oct. 17 - Wed.
Oct. 21. We are pleased to say that Full Moon Village Resort is happy to accommodate.
To keep costs down, we are suggested to have a minimum of 10 participants to
get a group discount. To register we kindly request a deposit by August 31 to
secure the accommodation. Note: ground transportation from and to ISHCMC is
included in the fee. Families are welcome. Please joyfully follow this link for
cost and details: http://www.saigonom.com/yoga--mindfulness-retreat-oct-17-21.html
As mentioned, below are the
Dropbox links.
Mindfulness
Song Files
Mindfulness
Song Lyrics
Gathas
Deep
Relaxation (for adults)
Hugging
Meditation
A Practice
Handbook for New and Growing Sanghas
PowerPoints
of Both Days
Day 1
Day 2
Bell of
Mindfulness app on Google Chrome
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/bell-of-mindfulness/lggmmceliiaoddfnbaccgpfnpoifilic?hl=en
The short article that I want to
share is, Life is too short for
a full-time job. Too short, and too precious, again it links
with mindfulness, how we spend our time, what we focus upon in our lives and
some of the thinking that Hang shared with us last week. Should we be following
the same conveyor belt as everyone else? Is it the right path for us as
individuals? Have we actually stopped to think about how we are living our
lives?
“Time unwatched is
its own treasure, gracious host to conversations that drift and swoop,
afternoons that stretch into evenings, dinners that slur into a last coffee.
And, if you’re like
me, and can spend entire winters watching tongues of fire flicker in an open
fireplace, as Bill Watterson said, “there’s never enough time to do all
the nothing you want.”
But you don’t have
to listen to me, part-time mountain dweller and full-time maverick. Here’s
Carlos Slim, the world’s second richest man: “We should be working only 3 days
a week.” It is time, he says, for a radical overhaul of our working lives. We need
more time to relax, for quality of life.”
My final food for thought for
this week is a short video (2 minutes) about a 60 year old skate boarder who is using
his hobby to investigate the quietness of his mind. This video is a testament
to mind over matter, shows us that age really doesn’t mean anything and again
links to mindfulness. For us older member of our community it also reminds us
that you’re only as old as you feel!
Finally I sincerely wish you all the best for the year ahead. We have the potential to be the best school in the universe, it is up to us to believe and make this happen.
Enjoy your year and have fun teaching our students.
Yours
Adrian
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