I hope that you and your families and friends are staying healthy and finding some ease of being and even joy in the midst of this world-changing time. It is a time when turning our attention towards the better world we want to create is a contemplation that can not only uplift our own spirits but actually bear fruit. When great challenges present themselves to a culture or a world as a whole, it creates a demarcation line. The time before, and the time afterwards. In that inbetween, which we are in the midst of right now, structures, assumptions, convictions, and beliefs are all re-ordering themselves. When that happens, there is the possibility to make real changes. Those changes may start small, as one individual or one local group begins to relate, communicate, and support each other in ways that are not common to our culture. A small change can reveal a new possibility. And that can begin to change culture from the inside out.
Take your own situation now. Have you always wished you had more time to contemplate? Just be, without doing so much? Do you have the time now but feel too distracted by the news, by worry, by cultural inaction? Set yourself a space and a time during the day when you can do just that. I have my morning coffee with contemplative music. It's a time when I do my own reflective writing, my way of being and allowing deeper visions to come forward. I have a special journal, which is just for my aspirational writing. No lists, no projects, no courses I want to create. That's my contemplative time before I meditate (you can join me at 8:00 AM weekdays!)
Being sequestered at home is like a little retreat time. Now that the weather has warmed up, I sit in my tiny backyard with the bright-faced pansies and the four lone daffodils that decided to show their heads this year. I just sit and listen to the birds, watch the leaves on the willow begin to unfurl, and allow for some unstructured being. This used to be one of my favorite things to do in the afternoon when I lived in the Himalayan hills, taking time not for structured meditation or learning or contemplation, time just to enjoy and appreciate the mystery and delight of just being alive.
I encourage you all to find your own way, but really do it. Make your home and the rhythm of your life the expression of what you want it to be. Little ways are best, we don't need big projects now. Create a little unstructured positive time. A virtual reading night with friends. Music time that lets you dream. We have a rare opportunity now. As we start living in a way that feeds us inwardly, when it comes to creating new and better structures for our shared culture, we'll be pulling from possibilities that are fueled by wonder and gratitude, rather than the more challenging emotions we can't help but experience right now.
For now, we have a full newsletter for you, put together by Alyson Showell LaPorta,
I send you my best,
PRACTICING KINDNESS
A note from our now-virtual offices, from Alyson Showell LaPorta, Program Manager:
In the blink of an eye, our world has changed. Our current reality is very different from the one we were experiencing even just a month ago. It is important to realize that now, more than ever, we can actually put into practice all of the tools that we have learned and marshal all the resources available to us. At first I wasn't sure what to share with all of you this month, then I realized that being a part of Inner Strength has given me tools that I can give you. And so I would like to share a portion of our Love & Kindness meditation with you.
Form the intention in your mind to cultivate happiness for yourself and for others. Begin with yourself, then friends/family, and then the whole world and say:
"May you be happy, may you experience well being, may you be safe and free from fear, and may you be surrounded by Love and Kindness."
As soon as schools closed in our city, the Inner Strength team got together to figure out how we could best support teachers and students during these uncertain times.
Fortunately, we didn't have to look far. All our programming is designed to cultivate Inner Strength for Outer Stability. It's what we all need now, along with a big dose of calm and kindness.
Starting in late March, we have been sending a Mindful Activity Handout for Teens to the school district, to be posted in GoogleClassrooms and distributed in Learning Packets to all high school and middle school students across the School District. This could reach students in more than 60 schools and give them a positive focus for their attention.
Teachers, already under a lot of pressure, are now trying to figure out how to deliver their classes virtually, learn new technology, teach while watching their own children at home, and worry about their students whom they no longer see every day.
Amy Edelstein is hosting Self Care sessions every Wednesday at 1 PM US ET for educators. A Self Care worksheet is then sent to the District, with reflections, guided stress reduction audios, and other resources. These can be distributed to all 6,700 teachers to support their well being at this time.
If you are a teacher or school administrator and would like to join these sessions or receive the weekly resource materials please email.
Please help us build our new Learning Management System so we can send out stress reduction, love & kindness, and context building tools at this time!
Instructor Spotlight
Haylee Warner, Inner Strength Instructor
Haylee Warner
The vital work of Inner Strength could not be accomplished without the dedication of our instructors, so we’re going to be featuring some of our talented team in the Instructor Spotlight. Get to know the faces and people who give so much to move this work forward. For April, we’d like to introduce you to Haylee Warner.
How did you first hear about Inner Strength?
I was working at the Healing Arts Collective managing their social media accounts. I was referred to Amy, who was looking for some help and when I researched Inner Strength, I knew I wanted to do their training and eventually teach for them. The Inner Strength mission is something I really feel confident and passionate about.
How long have you been teaching with Inner Strength?
I have been teaching with them for 1 year!
What made you want to become an Inner Strength teacher?
I had been teaching trauma sensitive yoga for a few years, mostly all with adults. Teens have always been a sweet spot for me and I was looking for a way I could use my skill sets to reach them in a positive way. I had taught dance to teens before, but being in a mindfulness/philosopher/morality mentor place feels more impactful and a better fit for where I am in my life. The few adults I had in my life who helped push my thinking and believed in me made a huge imprint, in a positive way. I hope I can be that adult in a teen's life.
Describe some of your related professional experience and how it helps you as an Inner Strength Instructor.
I studied art for many years and it helped me recontextualize a lot of information and experiences. I think that way of thinking really helps me teach the teens the cultural development aspects of the Inner Strength curriculum. Being a trauma sensitive yoga instructor has prepared me for so many situations in life; and especially classroom situations. Having experience holding space for people to show up exactly as they are and allowing them to participate wherever they feel able is massive. It helps ease the stress of a class, leaves space for the students to open up as they feel ready and allows them to have agency to learn the information and decipher it how they need to.
What is the most rewarding thing about the program for you?
Honestly, the curriculum that focuses on evolutionary development of the brain and large scale culture shifts is a game changer. You need the first half which teaches foundational mindfulness practices to get there, but when I get a chance to go deeper with the students about the cultural development of our world then I get to see them dream up new possibilities to combat the issues of our world. That is what gives me hope.
What changes have you seen in students who have taken the training?
I have seen them become more respectful and thoughtful of themselves and others. I have seen them gain more confidence and ease of being - at least within my classroom.
What advice would you give to others who are interested in this path?
I would suggest becoming very consistent in their own meditation first. That is what helped me really focus and become ready.
Inner strength podcast
Inner Strength now has a podcast! Called "The Conscious Classroom," it is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all the major podcast platforms.Connect hereand sign up for RSS so you don't miss a single episode.
Episodes feature Amy Edelstein exploring the world of mindfulness in education while sharing best classroom tools and practices for adolescents. Amy discusses the importance of teaching students about perspectives, worldviews, and context and how those tools are just as critical as teaching classic stress reduction techniques. The podcast will also examine racial literacy, trauma sensitive approaches, systems thinking, social emotional skills and how to empower teens and support mental wellness. New episodes are posted every two weeks, with some more frequent discussions and practices to support teachers and parents during this stay-at-home time. If you enjoy it, please leave a review, it helps others discover the support of Inner Strength! https://consciousclassroom.buzzsprout.com/
