Inward Journey

The blog has gone 'private,' quiet, dark to the outside world.  Though I will still be sharing the 'outside' journeys, I am focusing on the 'inward journey' of practicing mindfulness (or awareness).  In addition to daily practice, which Jon Kabat-Zinn says I should just do and not speak about, I read Pema, Kabat-Zinn, and Joseph Goldstein (the latter to better understand the dharma behind MBSR-style mindfulness practices).

The practice is essential for me personally in order to avoid the prison of my own thoughts, but I also see it as informing my teaching.  I'm not certain exactly how I will implement mindfulness in education.  I will consult articles and conferences in mindful education (e.g., The Center for Contemplative Mind in Society), but it is mostly my hope that "the doing will come out of the being" (Kabat-Zinn, "Mindfulness for Beginners").

For my own benefit as I revise my classes, some 'doing' that is coming out of 'being' thus far includes:

• Policies that reflect what I really value.  My electronics policy will be a reflection of my desire to have everyone in class be present with the material and with each other.
• Assignments will allow the students to drive the conversations.  In viewing "Breaking Through" and "Beyond Pride" recently, I was reminded of the past 'compassion fatigue' I've felt regarding oppression of the LGBT community.  I realized that perhaps it is time for me to speak about these issues less and rather just allow the emotions they evoke to 'just be.'  Likewise, I can have student assignments (questions and examples generated from the text, theoretical applications, links to material, current events, outside research) contribute to group discussion rather than relying on me as the source of the 'fatiguing' content. 

Beyond what I have mentioned in these two bullet points, I know only that it is time to hone and implement my awareness of mind, body, and heart in higher education to the same degree that I have honed my critical thinking skills (as suggested in Kabat-Zinn's "Mindfulness for Beginner's").