Mindfulness in Schools

 

I brought mindful movement, breathing, and meditation to our MVMMS 6th graders. Many thanks to The Bridge Melrose for inviting me! We had 6 hour long sessions with ~50 students per session. With the assistance of our MVMMS teachers, I was able to have a discussion about mindfulness, offer a Q&A period after viewing a short video on mindfulness, guide mindful movement, breathing, and close with a meditation experience. We used many techniques to become aware of the present moment with the goal of providing these practices as resources, support, and coping tools. 

Mindfulness is observing our thoughts, emotions, sensations, or experiences in the present moment. It is a skill that is developed over time to help build self awareness, self control, enhance focus/attention, manage stress, and improve academic performance. I had fun with all the kiddos and was inspired by their knowledge and participation in the activities. 

Sharing mindfulness in the community, our schools, and our home is an ongoing effort. My friends over at Pathways to Restorative Communitites are continuing this work by offering another 4-week session of Restorative Practices for Parents & Caregivers at the The Worklery in Melrose, MA starting Thursday 1/23/25. 

As a parent and caregiver in my community, I have a vested interest in the mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing of young people. They are our future. Setting a standard of respect, integrity, safety, care, and kindness assists our younger generation to feel valued and to thrive.

Winter offerings: Yoga + Meditation for you 💫

Winter is here and it is a season filled with light, warmth, rest and growth. 

Like the new moon times of the year, winter can be a special time of going within and caring for ourselves. 

Wherever you are, I invite you to turn your attention inward. Notice how you are feeling in mind and body without judgment. Observe yourself in the moment you are in. It may be helpful to place a hand on your heart and a hand on your lower belly. Feel into the softness of your body breathing in and out. Ask yourself what is needed and give yourself a few moments to listen. Perhaps it's a simple act of nourishment with food or water, maybe it's a change in body position or the need to take a break and rest. Offering a quality of gratitude and loving kindness to yourself is a powerful energy shifter.

Here are a few practices to help sustain your self care.

Gentle Chair Yoga is a ~40 minute seated yoga practice to boost energy and presence as we continue to navigate all that is heavy in this world. This video can be practiced anywhere, anytime you need support and renewal.

Rest & Restore is a guided meditation I wrote a few years ago that explores the mind and body through the observation of breath and sensation. This winter meditation offers steadiness and stillness bringing rest to the body, heart and mind. 

Winter Solstice Flow is a zoom practice I recorded in December 2020. This video is an active breath and movement flow intended to stoke our inner fire for the year ahead. 

These classes are recorded from my home in Melrose located on native land of the Massachusetts/Pawtucket tribe. I found these websites helpful in learning the history of the land and how to support the ongoing reparation for those who came before us. 

www.mcnaa.org

www.naicob.org

Thanks for contributing to the collective care of this community by showing up just as you are and continuing to inspire me. 

Wishing you all an easeful close to 2023 and a spark of hope to ignite our New Year.

Warmly,

Michelle

Mandala is a Sanskrit word meaning both "circle" and "center" representing the visible world around us and the invisible world within us. 

For December's nature mandala I placed pinecones, rocks, a sea urchin, quartz, onyx, malachite, labradorite, snowflake obsidian, aventurine and turquoise inside a wreath of cedar evergreens. These mandalas symbolize intention in the ordinary moments of the day and staying connected to the earth as the seasons change. Look around your home, go outside for a walk, get into nature and see what beauty you can gather. Nature mandalas are easy to create, just follow your inner wisdom. 

Reiki, Meditations, Inspirations + Summer Solstice

Happy Summer Solstice!

Thanks to all who joined me earlier this month for our reiki meditation. We had a nice turnout with a good mix of those who were new to reiki and some who have an established reiki practice. It was a beautiful 20 minute virtual practice that started with a few rounds of reiki light breath followed up with self holding techniques. So many of you sent me messages expressing interest but were unable to make the scheduled zoom time. I am so happy I decided to record it and can send this beautiful moment of peace and calm for you to practice anywhere, anytime!  Email: heronyoga@gmail.com for the video. No reiki experience necessary, just follow along and enjoy!

Since today is the summer solstice I'm sharing Soften & Shine, a guided meditation I wrote honoring the transition of spring into summer. Finding moments in our days to relax our body and release responsibility from our minds is so important for our health. All biological functions occur rhythmically, our heartbeats, the rise and fall of our breath, the ups and downs of our hormones, our sleeping cycles and more. Our bodies are like nature with its cycles of light and darkness, warmth and cold, changing seasons, the sun and the moon. If we give ourselves time and attention, the connections begin to harmonize. 

With all that is continuing to go on in our world, I find that listening to others reflect on how to keep going brings me hope in difficult times. So, as I catch up on some of my favorite podcasts, I thought I would share this episode from On Being called To Be a Healer with Dr. Vivek Murthy. Many of you know I am a nurse and work with patients at the bedside. I have had the pleasure of working with many amazing practitioners in my career, but Dr. Vivek Murthy stands out as one of those hard to forget doctors. I met him almost 20 years ago while working overnight in a small community hospital. It's a gift that he is our nation's leader in health and wellness.  I love that Dr. Murthy prioritizes mental health care and supports the benefits of meditation as an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. 

This summer I am only teaching 2 Thursday morning yoga classes at the Melrose Senior Center.

Here's to making space in our days for rest, joy, fun, adventure and holding light. 

Wishing you all a wonderful summer with your families and friends!

With love and care,

Michelle

Spring Yoga, Reiki & Meditation

Spring is in full swing here and the way we move and feel can be influenced by our environment.  The shifts of nature have long inspired my yoga practice and helped me to adjust and adapt to what is needed moment to moment. 

Gentle Yoga & Guided Meditation ZOOM practice 

Wednesday 5/31/23 7:30p-8:30p ET

This month I'll be sharing a slower practice with longer held poses using supportive props (blankets/bolsters/blocks) followed by a ~20 minute guided meditation for rest and relaxation as spring shifts into summer. Over the last few years, I've been leading online classes to honor the transition of the seasons. These moments are meaningful to me as there is beauty within each phase and ways to be with each season. In my home practice, I have found that moving slowly with intention helps me find balance in my life and in my health. 

Health is built on balance, literally every cell in every body system has a role in finding balance. This process known as homeostasis is so important that the body has amazing compensatory mechanisms to bide time until homeostasis can be achieved. Rest is essential in this process. Restorative yoga is the use of props to create conditions of physical comfort, ease, and safety so that we can restore ourselves, allowing time and space for our bodies to adjust to a state of equilibrium. Resting in a supportive state enhances our body awareness, attentiveness and presence, regulates our emotions (hormones), and assists our sensory processing functions.  This directly impacts our nervous system which is seen in our reactiveness and our responsiveness. In an effort to integrate all of these benefits, we simply need to get grounded (earth connection), lean into our supports (yoga props!), and find space within our days to rest. 

Reiki Self Practice 

Wednesday 6/7/23 at 12n ET on ZOOM.

Many of you know I share yoga + reiki in my class offerings. It is a powerful combination with mutual benefits of stress reduction, improved sleep, and relaxation. After many years of teaching reiki practice, I have been thinking more on how to share reiki for self care and community connection. Since I am no longer affiliated with any yoga studios and I don't have an in-person space, many of my offerings have been online. Over the past two years, I have been sharing free seasonal classes from my home to yours through the ZOOM platform which widens the circle of connection for those who may or may not live near me. I've decided to offer a reiki self practice session. We will meet for ~20 minutes as a mid-day moment of reconnection and meditation. I am opening this up to everyone, those who have trained in reiki, and those interested in learning about reiki. Reiki is a Japanese healing practice that encourages rest, balance, emotional, and physical well being. Our hands are extensions of our heart, with focus and attention we can send care and compassion to ourselves. Reiki works on the body, mind, and spirit to relax the sympathetic nervous system ('fight or flight') and activate the parasympathetic nervous system ('rest and digest'). My intention is to offer reiki through a guided self practice as well as exploring other reiki techniques that can bring balance and peace into our days. Email: heronyoga@gmail.com for the ZOOM links.

THANK YOU to all who signed up for the 4-week 'Strength Series' I hosted on ZOOM in March. I'm grateful for the messages and supportive feedback, which is so helpful in guiding me on sharing future offerings. The recordings are available for purchase. For class details and to learn more about the benefits of building strength, read on here. 

For those who can't join my live zoom, practice anywhere, anytime!

FREE Yoga and FREE Guided Meditations

I recorded a ~60 minute 'Spring Flow' yoga class that focuses on twisting, balancing, and strengthening for enhanced circulation and energy activation within the body/heart/mind. 

'Rest & Restore' is a guided meditation I wrote that highlights our connection with nature. This meditation practice offers a space to ease into the seasonal shifts of our current moment. 

This spring marked one full year of sharing yoga in Melrose at the Milano Senior Center! My Thursday mornings teaching Yoga (8:45a) and Chair Yoga (10a) continue to be a joy as I get to know more people in the community and guide a practice that brings so many wonderful moments of care and connection.  I also teach Chair Yoga (11a) on Monday mornings in Wakefield at the McCarthy Senior Center September through May. 

Participants must be 60+, those living in surrounding towns and cities are welcome.

Wishing you all a beautiful month of May! 

Enjoy all the trees and flowers in bloom.