Day 184 - A mindful day. xx

Wednesday 3rd July

A warm but muggy day in Portsmouth and I had another day with Joshua.  So there was the obligatory visit to the park when we came across a dog walking group with about 30 dogs.  We spent ages deciding which were our favourites and one or two followed us so we nearly brought them home.  With the three dogs on Arran I think I have more than my fair share.  Joshua was delighted that he managed to beat his previous times on his obstacle challenges so we went off to get something lovely for lunch to celebrate. 

I have enjoyed my time with Joshua and I think I have helped me to prepare for secondary school and that should make his summer more enjoyable.  Today we did some simple mindfulness training which Joshua got very easily.  He has a good mind which is agile and alert but sometimes it works against him.  He can turn the smallest problem into the biggest mountain to climb in an instant.  Mindfulness training is all about understanding your mind and working with it to distance yourself from anxiety and stress.  I do think that modern youth have far too much stress placed on them so I am a big fan of anything that will ease that.  Joshua may not speak the language of mindfulness but he understands it perfectly and that is an important first step.  The hope is that we can lay down some effective mindfulness practice that can become habitual for life.  That way he will be able to navigate his way through whatever life throws at him. 

Like all 11 year olds he has a way to go but he has made an excellent start.  Working with Joshua this week has taken me all the way back to my teaching career.  My job was to prepare top primary children for secondary school and I have been amazed how easily it has all come back to me.  That said, my work with Joshua has been a blend of that and my mindfulness teaching which is a feature of my current work. 

I was hoping to leave Donna and Joshua with some exercises to do once I have returned to the island.  Sadly, despite a great deal of searching I have found nothing suitable that I could recommend.  I spoke to Joshua about it and have agreed to send him some things via email but it occurs to me that these exercises might of use to any child going through a challenging time and in need of some support.  Transition times for children are always challenging and, as parents, we do all we can to support them.  But we all know that, ultimately, we can't go through the transition for them.  What I propose here is a collection of well selected exercises written in language that the child can access.  This would provide the child with an important tool in his kit as he navigates the transition and moves into the new stage of his life.  I have some Scottish island mum pondering to do on this but if any of you have children struggling with a transitional stage in their life and you have thoughts do share.  I would love to hear what you see as the main issues as I could take this into an exercise of matching with the most appropriate mindfulness training.  If it helps the children it will be a very worthwhile task. 

I am currently working through a number of short courses on line where I purchase the pdf and then work through it at my own pace.  It is a good way of using technology to get some great teachings out to as many people who want them.  The pdfs are not expensive but I have a super collection stored on my ibooks shelf and I can reference them as necessary.  Perhaps this would be a way forward for this project?

It has been a day for mindfulness as I am working on my month two of my meditation through writing course which is delivered online and face to face.  The theme for the next month is silence and stillness; two things that are very challenging.  The meditation and writing exercises are designed to work with the constituent parts necessary to create a still and silent space.  Working with the internal mind and the external environment the intention is to train the mind to be able to move between the two and even, at its best, swap them round.  I don't deny the challenge of this collection of exercises but, with practice, the rewards are incredible.  We can not expect to move through life without anxiety and stress.  However, mindfulness meditation and associated journaling can teach you to keep the anxiety and stress at arms length and not to allow them to overwhelm you.  Our mind and body quickly become contorted with anxiety and stress and we hold onto them in a deep and damaging way. 

My mindfulness training has allowed me to navigate life in a far more measured and uplifting manner and I can't imagine not using it on a daily basis.  To learn to live in the moment rather than in the future or dwelling on the past is one of the outcomes of good mindfulness training.  When this is part of your daily journey the simplest activity can sprout wings and feel truly amazing.  I very much hope that the students moving into month two will benefit from these teaching and be able to absorb some of them into their daily lives. 

So, much of the day has been spent in this context one way or another and, as always, it helps to move my practice on.  I am aware that on the island George is working on his first celebration cake order complete with icing piping!  I am also aware that we have received an order for a large bouquet of flowers presented in a living vase and Pete is giving it a go......good for him.  You know I will be on the phone later checking that my men are OK.  Meanwhile I get a media text from Molly with a view that ends all views.  I can not think that a month on the beautiful Isle of Eigg will not change her in some way.  What a wonderful opportunity for her to let the natural environment speak to her over and over again.  I hope she will find some time to blog and then I can share it all with you. 

Speaking of living in the moment Andy Murray is on court......

Until tomorrow. xx