We build a beginning

This year we began our exciting exploration of Planting Seeds as a family practice. We've only just begun to scratch the surface of what we can build together, and yet in this  s h o r t  t i m e  we've learned so much about what it means to gather and practice mindfulness as a family and community in some kind of intentional way. 

With so much thanks and gratitude to ALL OF YOU, we close our season and look forward to seeing you again in the fall

In the meantime we encourage our families to continue a home practice, and explore this and other sites for fresh ways to keep mindfulness a part of your daily life. On our blog you'll find Family mindful challenges, a recommended book list, craft ideas, song videos & other site links... all great ways to keep mindfulness fresh for everyone.

MAY 30th we INVITE YOU to join us 

and the whole Petersham Community as we celebrate

E A R T H   D A Y ... IN MAY!

a Petersham Cultural Council created event**

 beginning at 10:00 am on the common 

come celebrate the Earth with:

Live music

yummy food

Lou's upcycle workshop

 nature talk 

 guided hike

scavenger hunt

  community art project 

trash fashion ball

and more

**this event is sponsored by the Petersham Cultural Council together with volunteers and businesses of Petersham

We deepen understanding

In the mindful kids workshops this season
WE will be be using Meena Srinivasan's book TEACH BREATHE LEARN as our overall guide. Through story, art, music, games, & guided meditation practices relating to a monthly theme, we will focus on exploring for ourselves 3 essential questions...                                     

What is mindfulness?      How can I be mindful?     Why be mindful?

 
In the parents & caregivers forum 
WE gather for a short sitting meditation, followed by a facilitated discussion on parenting issues and mindful family life in relation to a monthly theme, or teaching. 

More about Mindfulness…
"Mindfulness is a way of being, a practice we can engage in. It's not an abstract state; it's a curious nonjudgemental awareness that we try to bring to each moment." Teach Breath Learn by Meena Srinvasan

"Mindfulness is energy we cultivate through kind, present moment awareness. It involves the practice of coming back to the peaceful, compassionate space we all have inside our selves… when we come back to this space repeatedly, it grows. The mind is like a muscle - the more it lies in certain states, the more it will seek them. Mindfulness is a way of training our minds through intentional awareness so that they come back to peaceful and compassionate states more often" Teach Breath Learn by Meena Srinvasan

"Mindfulness is a very effective response to stress and enhances the neurological process called “executive function”, or the ability to organize tasks, manage time, set priorities, and make decisions. Children can benefit from learning to focus their attention, becoming less reactive, and more compassionate with themselves and others."

- Planting Seeds by Thich Nhat Hanh & The Plum Village Community

“Teachers may often ask their students to “pay attention”, but they may not teach them how to do so. The practice of mindfulness teaches students how to pay attention, and this way of paying attention enhances both academic and social-emotional learning.”

- Planting Seeds by Thich Nhat Hanh & The Plum Village Community

“Because meditation is an activity that children can improvise and do for themselves, it is fundamentally empowering.Children learn techniques they can use to sooth themselves when upset, focus when they need to, and just be comfortable and awake in the world”.

- Child’s Mind by Christopher Willard

We grow together

So Good to begin again with you!

PARENTS & CHILDREN gathered in the Davis as we formed our welcome circle... HAZEL invited the bell, & together we arrived. 

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"Waking up I smile

24 brand new hours before me

I vow to live them mindfully 

              with love and compassion for all beings"  -Thich Nhat Hanh

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Stretching TALL with arms open wide we moved to our waking up Gatha. This poem and stretch is an Excellent way to start the day, & bring the mind and body together.  Why not make up your own family poem & stretch? You might create one for any reason, occasion, or mood. They can be especially helpful when preparing for a transition, or navigating a difficult situation. SHORT or long, they serve as a gentle reminder and bring much needed awareness to any moment. 

Theme: Watering seeds.    

"With each happy step, we plant a happy seed" 

- Thich Nhat Hanh

"We ALL have helpful and unhelpful seeds of emotion inside of us. Depending on which seeds we choose to water, certain seeds grow more than others. Mindfulness helps us build awareness around what seeds we are watering". from Teach Breathe Learn by Meena Srinivasan. "When I tell my students I care about them, and act in caring ways I water helpful seeds inside of them and inside myself." Goodness, generosity, friendliness, patience, anger, jealousy, resentment, intolerance etc. Whichever seeds we water grow strong and can become our habit patterns of reaction. The seeds we water become our inner garden, and inform our way of being with ourselves and with the world. So join us this month as we set our intention to practice "selective watering" and mindfully commit to watering helpful seeds in ourselves and in others. 

The Two Wolves

a native american teaching tale

One Evening while sitting around a fire under the open sky a cherokee elder was teaching his grandchildren about life. "There is a battle between two wolves going on inside us all, he said. One wolf is hatred, greed, anger, and jealousy, the other wolf is kindness, peace, love and generosity. The children sat quietly, staring into the fire, thinking about what their grandfather had said, and imagining such a battle. After a long silence the oldest of the grandchildren spoke, "which wolf will win grandfather?" he asked. His grandfather replied "Which ever one you feed"

Jody, Zoe and the younger kids had a blast recreating this story in an interactive way with furry wolf puppets, and a lot of attitude!   

In the older group, working with the book Teach Breathe Learn by Meena Srinivasan, we uncovered some essential questions: What is mindfulness?  How do we know which wolf we are feeding / seeds we are watering?  How can mindfulness help? TURNING to the SCIENCE FACTS of Hebb's rule for some help, we discovered that "neurons that fire together wire together" Which was good news… it meant the more we practice mindfulness, the more mindful we become! In her book Meena points out that mindfulness is "a skill that improves our ability to stay focused, remain calm in challenging situations, and increases our understanding of ourselves and others."

WE HAD FUN testing  our focus by balancing books on our heads and observing just exactly what is happening  as we try to keep the book from slipping. We tested our focus a second time, by choosing an object of focus and noticing in a 30 second period just how often our mind wanders. Each time we noticed our minds wandering, we brought it back to the object of focus.

MINDFUL CHALLENGE: count how many times your mind wanders in a 60 second period & record your findings - do it twice or over a few days, and see if there are any changes. Try noticing if your mind wanders more to the past or the future?

Bringing the kids all together we decorated vessels & planted seeds of happiness, gratitude, hope, peace, love, patience and more before heading over to the cafeteria to meet up with parents & friends for a delicious community dinner*.

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What a lovely way to spend our Sunday afternoon! 

Come join us next time as we strengthen our intention and continue our exploration of "Watering Seeds"!

Planting Seeds In Petersham 

The Davis Memorial, Petersham MA

workshops 4-5pm

community soup / potluck 5:15-6:30pm
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*WE invite all  to join us in sharing a meal together. Planting Seeds in Petersham offers a Vegetarian Soup, so everyone can feel welcome regardless if they have prepared a potluck dish. Any donations received will go towards the next soup supper.  
All types of potluck dishes are welcome.