We are inconsolable at the recent loss of a very dear friend. We are devastated that this lovely, kind, crazily funny saxophone player, the rock of his family, devoted father to his son, friend to all, in a moment of darkness, chose to end it all. Dear Simon, thank you for the always ready, helping hand, the many, many hot cups of tea, the laughter and the fun we shared. We would have loved to see you without your teeth on your ninetieth birthday. You left us too soon dear friend.
And so today, I will write about the need to teach Mindfulness. A while back, I read about Mindfulness in Thich Naht Hanh’s book - Creating True Peace: Ending Violence in Yourself, Your Family, Your Community, and the World.
You can also listen to Daniel J. Siegel’s insightful explanation of the concept of Mindsight and the need to teach Mindfulness. These ideas are being implemented in many schools in the US.
Mindsight is the ability to step out of and see your mind, to be an aware observer. It is the ability to pause and observe your thoughts and emotions. "Mindfulness is the energy of being aware and awake to the present moment."
Mindfulness techniques have been used in schools to decrease bullying, increase empathy, and to teach children to pause before acting.
Going further, he speaks about the correlation between Mindsight and mental health and the role of relationships and experiences in changing synaptic connections in the brain.
Read also about the Mindfulness in Education Network – working to cultivate compassion and empathy in school settings. They see mindfulness as an “antidote to the growing stress, conflict and confusion in educational settings”.
Today, we need to be strong in body, mind and spirit. And we need to teach our children to be strong, and resilient so that they can bounce back and pick themselves up and carry on in the face of hardship.
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