Bringing Mindfulness Off The Yoga Mat

During the 8-week break between Module 1 and Module 2 of our 200-hour Yoga & Mindfulness Teacher Training in Kingston, our students' homework was to have a daily formal mindfulness practice on the mat (yoga,  meditation, Qi Gong, pranayama) and also bring their mindfulness practice off the mat into their daily life (work, chores, daily activities). Hang and I were smiling as we wrote their list of their "off the mat" practices on the whiteboard:

• Practicing Qi Gong in the office and with students at school.
• "Qi Gong Breaks" with tour groups on washroom breaks on long bus trips around Europe.
• Practicing Noble Silence in the classroom.
• Practicing mindfulness in the classroom with breathing and relaxation to help the students take care of their anxiety during concert rehearsals.
• Practicing loving speech to cashiers at the supermarket.
• Good words and loving speech to people at work.
• Enjoying nature.
• Practicing gratitude.
• Mindful driving - appreciating nature.
• Enjoying chores - mindful laundry.
• Cooking with joy.
• Using gathas (mindfulness poems) as reminders to be mindful. 
• Practicing mindful breathing with students.

We've just started Module 3: The Art of Teaching and our students continue to share deep insights as their mindfulness practice blooms and grows. We look forward to sharing some of their insights in another blog post after the training.

A lotus to you,
Sarah