We Breathe Space

KITES! We made kites and they flew. (who knew?... woo hoo!) What a way to start our Sunday~ good friends, good fun! Thanks to all for flying with us. (click here for a trip to our Art gallery)

With some new FACES, and a few courageous parents willing to join our circle now and again, we have had an enthusiastic and engaged couple of weeks. Our door is always open to parents and caregivers ~ we invite, encourage, and welcome you to be with us.

The gift of space. The morning circle began with quiry: "What creates feelings of freedom within you?", and boy did we get some fun narratives! Visions ranged  from fast moving, (on horseback or bicycle) to wind blown (in a convertible, or running along a beach) to peaceful (picking pears, or hiking with Dad). We even had the big skies of Oklahoma, and a Wyoming horse ranch conjured before us. It was fun sharing memories & reflections and imagining them to life in our circle.

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"Like The moon traveling through the beautiful night sky, 

we have the capacity for space and freedom no matter where we are."

-Thich Nhat Hanh

We sang another beautiful reminder from the Planting Seeds book and cd. Here is Sr. Morning light singing her song Peacefully Free ~ the simplicity of her voice is lovely. We sang it together, and i've been singing it ever since. The words and tune carry a joy that, is clear, strong, and unmistakably free.

(Click here to see youtube Sr. Morning Light & Br. Phap Bieu)
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"I am so free because I can be me.
Look at the clouds at play, passing over everyday.
Inside the sky so blue, immense, spacious, and true

-Sr. Morning Light

Talking space can be a tricky business. What kinds are there? How do we know when to give it? or get it? how much space is enough? Can time be space? If so, how so? The questions themselves can be frazzling and claustrophobic, so we partnered up to play "How close is too close?", and attempted to find out for ourselves. Rulers, string, and a partner were all it took to bring us to some pretty stark conclusions... We started our investigation with partners getting as close together as they could - toe to toe if possible - with one partner holding the ball of string, and the other partner the string's end. The grumblings and reluctance began almost instantly, and were loudly noted. We moved on to phase two. Taking small slow steps backward, each pair was to decide when they were "close enough", and cut their string to measure. We sat comfortably back in the circle to reflect and share our findings.

"Breathing in, I see myself as the big blue sky, with lots of space in and around me

Breathing out, I feel very free and at ease."

- Thich Nhat Hanh

We discovered that the closer together, the more "uncomfortable", "tense", "inward" the feelings. "like a sardine", "restless", and "it was hard to see" were other telling reactions.  As soon as one stepped backward the uncomfortable feelings immediately began to fade, and an important connection between our physical space and our emotional state was made. 

"Space is within you.

When we cultivate spaciousness inside and outside of us, 

we can offer our acceptance and generosity to our beloved ones."

- Thich Nhat Hanh 

Instances illustrating the everyday need for space because of irritation "with sisters" or annoyance "at my brother" were recounted even with siblings clear across the room, and the idea of another type of space was discovered. "I like to hide in the closet for a while to get away from my sister" was an honest example of physical, and emotional space everyone could understand and relate to. It also answered questions about time - and how it can sometimes act like space too.

"if you don't have enough space for yourself, 

how can you offer space to the person you love? It is crucial we know how to cultivate more space for ourselves. Pebble meditation can help cultivate more freshness, solidity, stillness, and freedom "

- Thich Nhat Hanh

After our Space meditation, POPcorn, & Strawberries with WHIP cream puffs, refreshed and made us smile. Thank goodness for seconds!

Dedicated to "all who listen" Douglas Woods beautifully illustrated picture book "A Quiet Place" begins... "Sometimes a person needs a quiet place", and perfectly underscored our celebration of space. 

And then of course, we made KITES... 

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~*~(vimeo privacy password: breathe123)~*~

Next week we combine the four elements of the pebble meditation we have been exploring; flower, mountain, still water, and space. We'll head outside to find some representative stones, and put our pebbles to practice - inviting the bell, following our breath, and imaging ourselves each element. In Art we'll create a lovely felt and bead meditation pouch.   

Here's a peek ahead...

Week 8 

we bask in nature

Sing-a-long I Love Nature from Planting Seeds CD

Feelings poem and stretch from Planting Seeds

Re-cap, child led discussion and Review

Nature walk: collect 4 symbolic pebbles from A Handful of Quiet

Native food contemplations with tortilla chips and apple cider

Our story is Brave Irene by William Steig

Pebble meditation from A Handful of Quiet

Create a felt pebble pouch