My Mindfulness Journey
I became interested in yoga and meditation in my early twenties, but never got too seriously invested.
However, that changed after my first year as a public elementary school teacher. I was jolted by how emotionally draining most days could be. There were intense pressures to get kids performing at "grade level," and when coupled with many students' resistance, behavior problems and never having enough time to adequately prepare for each day's teaching load, I started to experience chronic, persistent stress for the first time in my life. I soon developed sleep problems due to constantly having an overactive mind. I was constantly thinking about my teaching, my students and everything I needed to get done to keep my head above water.
I decided to become certified to teach yoga, as I knew that I was more likely to make yoga a bigger part of my life if I was teaching it, but then after teaching yoga one evening a week for a few months, I became pregnant with my older child, Nathan, and I gave up teaching yoga and just focused on being a mom for awhile.
The stress and busyness of my life was exponentially increased when I returned to work after a year of maternity leave. I began to experience depression, fatigue and anxiety on a regular basis and despaired that I would never find a healthy work-life balance because of the overwhelming demands of my job and home life. I would gain five to ten pounds each school year because of stress eating and then take it back off in the summer, when I had time to recuperate from the marathon of the previous school year.
About seven years ago, I discovered Eckhart Tolle (The Power of Now, A New Earth) and his teachings regarding being in the present moment. I experienced a genuine shift in my outlook and an earnest desire to progressively become more mindful and present in my life, each moment of each day. It was only a few years ago, however, after the birth of my daughter, that I began to take meditation seriously. I was back at work again after a two-year break and I knew that I needed to do something to care for myself. I started waking up early in the morning, by 5a.m., and began a daily ritual of "quiet time" in which I would drink a cup of coffee, read some spiritually uplifting material, light a candle and experience gratitude, meditate, journal and do some a few minutes of gentle stretching. This spurred some amazing changes in my life. In the past year, I have begun running and biking regularly. I delegate more child care and house tasks to my husband and plan breaks for myself to get away from work and parenting. I spend time with close friends and am able to get and give social support. Best of all, I have learned to slow down the pace of my life, enjoy the beauty in my life and feel significantly less depression and anxiety. I don't have to do it all anymore. I don't feel the need to be perfect all of the time. I am learning to be my own best friend.
Teaching Mindfulness formally in my classroom during this past year has deepened and accelerated the growth I am experiencing. I don't just teach my students Mindfulness practices and mindsets. I practice them with them when we are together and model them to the best of my ability. I try to "walk the talk." Even though I still get stressed, tired, overly busy and unskillful at times--I am improving my ability to check myself and readjust. Mindfulness has saved me from a lifetime of grappling with the overwhelming demands of modern life. I am so grateful and obviously, I am eager to share Mindfulness with anyone who is interested!
I became interested in yoga and meditation in my early twenties, but never got too seriously invested.
However, that changed after my first year as a public elementary school teacher. I was jolted by how emotionally draining most days could be. There were intense pressures to get kids performing at "grade level," and when coupled with many students' resistance, behavior problems and never having enough time to adequately prepare for each day's teaching load, I started to experience chronic, persistent stress for the first time in my life. I soon developed sleep problems due to constantly having an overactive mind. I was constantly thinking about my teaching, my students and everything I needed to get done to keep my head above water.
I decided to become certified to teach yoga, as I knew that I was more likely to make yoga a bigger part of my life if I was teaching it, but then after teaching yoga one evening a week for a few months, I became pregnant with my older child, Nathan, and I gave up teaching yoga and just focused on being a mom for awhile.
The stress and busyness of my life was exponentially increased when I returned to work after a year of maternity leave. I began to experience depression, fatigue and anxiety on a regular basis and despaired that I would never find a healthy work-life balance because of the overwhelming demands of my job and home life. I would gain five to ten pounds each school year because of stress eating and then take it back off in the summer, when I had time to recuperate from the marathon of the previous school year.
About seven years ago, I discovered Eckhart Tolle (The Power of Now, A New Earth) and his teachings regarding being in the present moment. I experienced a genuine shift in my outlook and an earnest desire to progressively become more mindful and present in my life, each moment of each day. It was only a few years ago, however, after the birth of my daughter, that I began to take meditation seriously. I was back at work again after a two-year break and I knew that I needed to do something to care for myself. I started waking up early in the morning, by 5a.m., and began a daily ritual of "quiet time" in which I would drink a cup of coffee, read some spiritually uplifting material, light a candle and experience gratitude, meditate, journal and do some a few minutes of gentle stretching. This spurred some amazing changes in my life. In the past year, I have begun running and biking regularly. I delegate more child care and house tasks to my husband and plan breaks for myself to get away from work and parenting. I spend time with close friends and am able to get and give social support. Best of all, I have learned to slow down the pace of my life, enjoy the beauty in my life and feel significantly less depression and anxiety. I don't have to do it all anymore. I don't feel the need to be perfect all of the time. I am learning to be my own best friend.
Teaching Mindfulness formally in my classroom during this past year has deepened and accelerated the growth I am experiencing. I don't just teach my students Mindfulness practices and mindsets. I practice them with them when we are together and model them to the best of my ability. I try to "walk the talk." Even though I still get stressed, tired, overly busy and unskillful at times--I am improving my ability to check myself and readjust. Mindfulness has saved me from a lifetime of grappling with the overwhelming demands of modern life. I am so grateful and obviously, I am eager to share Mindfulness with anyone who is interested!
