12:32:10 Welcome everybody. let me see. Oh, okay, we're just gonna get used to this technology, and maybe start off with this beautiful song.
12:32:19 So let's listen
12:32:26 Breathe a a breathe in a a
12:32:49 Go breathe, and a a
12:33:05 Breathe a
12:33:15 Go, breathe a a go, breathe, a
12:33:43 Breathe.
12:34:10 Welcome everybody. I'm just going to start the little slide show for a moment.
12:34:14 Here. Thank you for coming. we're still trying to sort out the tech but we've got Page here and Airy and Lynn.
12:34:25 Is that right? so welcome everybody let's see
12:34:41 So just noting if you have any medical concerns that you can modify or adjust anything as needed. I'll be here every week. so come join us, and I just thought we'd start with some introductions and just
12:34:56 i'll point you to some of the resources that we have so I'm Jen.
12:35:01 I've been doing this wellness for the last couple years. thankful to Airy for inviting me, and I feel very connected with your community, because you know I'm an educator as well I've been teaching for about 25
12:35:13 years. and I also understand the difficulties of doing a master's degree.
12:35:19 So i've done 2 masters degrees while working full time as well.
12:35:21 So I know how challenging can imagine how that is. I really feel like I want to support and offer what I can Upon being a burned out school teacher.
12:35:32 I became a Yoga meditation teacher, and have now moved back, and I work at the Tdsb as an Lto and Ot.
12:35:41 And then I also teach mindfulness in Yoga with Vavaya online jug, mind app and oozy. And wherever people want me like I've done it for Tbsb or within the classrooms that I
12:35:50 teach as well. So i'll be in a grade 1 2 tomorrow. so i'll definitely be doing some brain breaks with them.
12:35:57 But if you guys want to introduce yourself as well, Eric, do you want to introduce yourself next
12:36:05 Sure i'm Erie Brown I coordinate the wellness program to some extent, and i've been authorized for 25 years or the same age.
12:36:21 Lynn, would you like to introduce yourself as well? Hello!
12:36:27 Can you hear me? Well, Deepest gratitude for these sessions?
12:36:34 I can let you know that the link for today's session was broken in email that I got so that maybe one reason why it's not as well attended as I expected.
12:36:50 But thank you for posting sessions as well on the website.
12:36:59 Because there was feedback from a fellow student who was asking precisely this would be done this time around as well.
12:37:08 So as much as possible, whatever you can do to to provide the sessions or replace that would be highly highly beneficial. wonderful.
12:37:21 You here. i'm so glad i'm glad that people can access it in so many different ways.
12:37:24 Now, which is great, right? So live or online. So thank you for letting us know that I guess we can fix the link for next time, right?
12:37:33 And then people can just get the recording for now exactly best Sg: Social justice.
12:37:51 Education. Okay, that was closed. So I still think of myself as working in Philadelphia.
12:38:01 Education Wonderful! I I love your well-being profile picture.
12:38:06 By the way, project, that I I would very much like to see beneficially take off under Covid.
12:38:20 We are so constrained i'm it's difficult to breathe at times.
12:38:29 You can kind of Yama so hopefully that will be helpful and we'll do some chair yoga, so hopefully that will all be supportive.
12:38:35 Thank you so much, Lena, appreciate that that's Why, you're so valuable.
12:38:44 Thank you. Don't worry, thank you so much and Then I just wanted to show you there.
12:38:49 I started a little, doc here. I just wanted to point you towards it, and area will share the different links.
12:38:56 But i'll keep continue posting different things that we share and These are some other links where you can get more resources through oisy or the job in mind app which i'm going to share. today.
12:39:06 It's actually an app that I participated in thankfully during Covid, and was created by a teacher.
12:39:16 So what I appreciate about it is I listen to it while i'm driving to work.
12:39:20 So it's just very simple it was made for teachers there's some free meditations on it, as well, and i'll be introducing that, I think, during the year, so pointing people towards resource that they could possibly use
12:39:36 and see here and that's just some more there's some so many things online.
12:39:42 So I feel like if people need support it's there you know there's so much support for teachers and for students and I wanted to talk a little bit before we started about pointers to freedom.
12:39:55 So i'm certified at a two-year program with Irs.
12:39:59 You'll be needra for my meditation certification.
12:40:03 And one of the things I just wanted to note was that you know many of us already believe that we're a whole right, so that feeling of wholeness that might feel like spaciousness, or when we're feeling like
12:40:14 the opposite of being contracted. so feeling into feeling, the spaciousness or timelessness might be like feeling.
12:40:22 Into this wholeness. so i'm hoping that people can maybe sort of play with that idea of feeling into awareness today.
12:40:29 I'm noticing the time is already flying by, so I wanted to get into the practice.
12:40:35 But the one I wanted to work with today was a messenger of being contracted or limited, so contracted or limited.
12:40:41 It looks better on the website. let's see if I can find it.
12:40:50 It's this one
12:40:51 Let's see. Oh, it's here, okay, that might be a bit clear, so feeling contracted and limited, the more we practice just like in places like this.
12:41:00 Or when apps, and feel the contraction and limitedness we can know that.
12:41:06 You know we're just going away a little bit from that wholeness, that homeless that's always there supporting us, and i'm hoping to bring up these different messengers that we talk about these concepts and I
12:41:16 rest, and the opposite would be feeling space and whole when we feel spacious In whole.
12:41:22 We know that we're in a more positive space and maybe we can respond a bit better.
12:41:26 So it's playing back and forth with noticing because they've come with 5 different ways.
12:41:32 5 different messengers that might appear to make us feel that we're away from our homeless from this ease basically.
12:41:39 And the opposite of stress. Perhaps right. So today, maybe we can play around with feelings spacious and whole in our body, and feeling back and forth between that.
12:41:49 But let's start with an irs if that's Ok.
12:41:52 If we're gonna do a little bit of a meditation i'm gonna stop sharing here
12:42:03 Oh, let me just show you this first. So have you done meditation before Page a little bit. Okay.
12:42:11 So for this one, it's just going to be a short one you'll be guided by my voice, and you're welcome to sit or stand, or even lie down so anybody at home.
12:42:20 You're welcome to lie down or you can lie down here too, and you might fall asleep.
12:42:24 Take a little map and that's okay, and you might be completely awake.
12:42:28 And that's okay, too, and if there's any discomfort.
12:42:33 If maybe something trigger something maybe there's a contraction or limitedness today, just feel free to open your eyes or ground your feet.
12:42:38 Okay, So Let's begin i'm just gonna go into this It's one of Job who minds at by a trainer senior teacher named Sam.
12:42:47 And she's in Australia. So I wanted to kind of draw people's attention to this great resource, so start to settle in and start with the meditation.
12:42:59 Maybe opening up your senses all around you.
12:43:10 Feeling free to have your eyes opened or closed.
12:43:21 And maybe you're just starting your day
12:43:30 So just for a few moments, just maybe you could set aside your autobiographical narrative of you
12:43:45 This narrative that you're separate
12:43:55 Instead, might you come back to just simply being
12:44:06 Maybe feeling into this spacious source
12:44:14 That's unchanging
12:44:21 Maybe step back for a moment
12:44:29 Letting go
12:44:39 Might you invite a feeling of just simply being awareness
12:44:54 Even as perceptions arise or environment arises around you.
12:45:07 The body can continue to rest. The spacious feeling of awareness
12:45:18 And even if sounds arise, maybe just noticing, without attaching or detaching
12:45:31 And just notice how they might arise, expand.
12:45:37 And dissipate in their own time. but
12:45:48 Just like everything else, expands and arises and dissipates in its own way, and own time
12:46:08 Maybe noticing an email or thoughts that might be unfolding and awareness
12:46:24 All those objects happening and arising from awareness
12:46:35 For moment might you feel back to the spaciousness
12:46:45 Without time.
12:46:51 Open
12:46:57 Abundant.
12:47:05 Perfect.
12:47:12 Just some ways that being awareness has been described and felt
12:47:24 How does awareness feel in your body
12:47:34 Rather than thinking
12:47:40 Might you feel the way
12:47:49 Sure being true, home
12:48:01 Might you let the rest of your day unfold, and awareness
12:48:11 Remaining. his awareness
12:48:17 Unaffected.
12:48:21 Spacious.
12:48:28 Whole.
12:48:33 Perfect.
12:48:39 As you're ready we'll start to transition back into waking life
12:48:48 All the while feeling this spaciousness with us.
12:48:54 Perhaps opening and closing our eyes several times into integrate the experience
12:49:02 Just inviting the body to stretch or little fingers or toes. I don't know why i'm feeling the spaciousness and awareness start to transition back to waking life
12:49:21 So that was just a short jab who mind up.
12:49:25 Iris meditations you can find that there actually it's called awareness.
12:49:30 It's week, 39. so if anybody ends up I know ay, has the app.
12:49:34 So if anybody else wants to look into that that's a good one, is there any questions about that one?
12:49:40 Do you have any questions about that that similar to what you've had before.
12:49:46 Look i've done something like that Yeah, Okay, anybody know me can give me a thumbs up or sideways, or how it felt for you, and we're just going to keep going, because I think you've only got 10 more minutes
12:49:56 until it's all done so let's talk a little bit about chair.
12:50:00 Yoga. you can but give me a thumbs up at home. if you've done cherryoga before I was going to share the little slide here.
12:50:08 I know. Ay, has been great. Okay, let's see here
12:50:20 I've got to tell you these are not the kinds of Tvs.
12:50:23 You get in the public school system. So this is quite amazing.
12:50:26 The fact that you like it's wonderful and it does all these things. So just to where you start to do placement, i'm not sure.
12:50:33 Are you? Have you been in the? Are you going into classrooms?
12:50:37 I will be in the classroom for the first time. as a oh, very cool in November exciting I'm.
12:50:44 At Seneca Hill mostly, so if you end up in the north end.
12:50:47 I might see you there, there's a lot of student teachers I actually at the schools that I owe do So it's pretty cool.
12:50:53 So chair Yoga so we'll just do a short it seems like we've only got a short time with that. But that's Ok.
12:50:57 We'll see how it goes and if anybody has questions afterwards.
12:51:01 And of course, just modifies you meet If you just need to sit in the chair the whole time.
12:51:05 That's Okay, too. if you just needed this moment of escape that's fine as well.
12:51:10 We're going to tap into the heart chakra so i'm going to stop sharing again.
12:51:14 So the hard Chakra you know we believe There's energy centers is, Are you familiar with Yoga at all? Good. Okay.
12:51:21 So I was gonna go into the heart chakras i'm wearing green as well.
12:51:24 So bringing it all in so we can connect again. so if you just want to find your stable spot. Maybe you don't have to be exact yet, because we're not moving it.
12:51:32 But usually the ankles under the knees, hips under the shoulders, and starting to align your spine almost like coming into a mountain pose.
12:51:42 But on a chair. So just noticing how the body is at this moment.
12:51:49 Is there anything that the body's asking of you maybe you've already been working a lot to maybe your wrists or your neck and your back, or asking for some attention? and just taking a moment.
12:52:03 Let's bring our hands to our belly again. Just feeling the breath here. So as we breathe deeper into the body, we activate the parasympathetic nervous system.
12:52:16 This is a good way to find relaxation or release and there's 3 breathing spaces actually let's bring our hands up higher to the middle breathing space, where the heart chuck is just notice there like even if you
12:52:30 can't do it. Exactly. just bringing the attention to breathing that middle's heart space, or he brings the energy there, right wherever you bring your attention and intention energy goes and flows.
12:52:47 Then bring your hand up towards the collar. bone and just noticing the breath there.
12:52:50 I mean I didn't realize we had 3 breathing spaces until I learned all this. so. and this is where we tend to be a lot.
12:52:56 This is where we breathe, and we work out more active, sympathetic, and I just wanted to play around a little bit with coming into these different breathing spaces.
12:53:08 So let me bring one hand again, to the belly and the more you exercise these, the more you can bring intention and attention to these spaces, and use them to relax or to be more awake.
12:53:19 So it's. We come to our natural breath first so just clear your breath and alien excel into the nose inhaley, and exhale, and then, just let's inhale through the belly, and exhale through
12:53:31 the valley. One more time, inhale to the belly, and exhale through the belly one more time, Inhale to the belly, exhale through the belly. I bring that hand to the check to the middle area jurassic area so inhale to
12:53:50 the middle, and and exhale to the middle. Inhale through the middle, and exhale to the middle, over time in healthy in the middle, and excel through the middle, and then the upper breeding space you can bring both hands.
12:54:13 there. If that feels good, inhale to the top, ex over the top and help you the top.
12:54:24 I think the collarbone excel here the top, and inhale to the top and exhale at the top.
12:54:37 You can release your hands and just come back to center. I might close the door, and just so excited your breath is now I've activated all reading spaces
12:54:57 So I mean, we teachers are just as like loud as students.
12:55:01 Okay. And so just noticing is there any difference like just be curious.
12:55:06 Maybe there's nothing now but as you practice it's more and more.
12:55:08 You might feel how it's more sympathetic active in the top, and more parasympathetic.
12:55:17 Okay, as you're ready i'd like to do all the different spinal movements.
12:55:20 So again, finding that alignment and then let's read shops, we'll do the axial extensions of the first of is fine, so you can ground through your feet i'm just feeling maybe the space between the spine so this is something
12:55:36 you can everything i'm doing I do actually myself in the classroom, or before I drive you need to stretch one more time.
12:55:46 Yeah. So this is the axial extension. Our body likes to move lengthwise.
12:55:49 Okay, and then exhale. Okay, then, another one that our body likes to do is flex and extend.
12:55:56 So if you will onto the chair. Okay, so you can inhale almost coming into like a cow.
12:56:01 So opening up the chest, really shining the heart, and then exhale gazing at the belly, coming into deflection to round.
12:56:09 If you will release the neck here, inhale again, open up the chest and gaze up.
12:56:17 If that feels okay in the deck, this is really good for our body.
12:56:20 Especially it could be work and hump and hunch over at the computer.
12:56:24 A lot lose the neck. One more time inhale open up the chats really feel into that honoring your body and then exhaling.
12:56:35 Okay, that's 2 and 3 our body also likes to move twist.
12:56:40 So, holding one hand on the thigh and a one hand to the chair versus Feelings don't even twist yet.
12:56:46 So just feeling into this so far inhale as you lengthen and then we're going to excel through a thoracic spine so exhaling a little bit and the neck follows last so inhale lengthen
12:56:55 again, and then exhale, twisting a little bit more.
12:56:59 You can even roll that shoulder back, and it feels okay.
12:57:03 Can inhale again and exhale a twist.
12:57:05 One more time. just breathe here. You might even feel the breath in the middle area where the heart Chakra is just playing with that pranayama that breath again.
12:57:18 Another breath, and as you're ready exhaling back to center you take a moment.
12:57:27 How did that feel? Yeah, it was okay right like let's do the other side to break one end of the thigh one, ended the chair. And these are all things you can do with your own students as well. and how to length.
12:57:37 It exhale, starts twisting throughout 6 wine that follows in your length.
12:57:42 It exhale. Twist just very gentle. if you know, open up that shoulder, inhale lengthen.
12:57:49 If that feels okay, and it exists again, and then maybe notice the breath again in that center area a heart.
12:57:55 Chakra. So all these different practices as we practice when we're calm and useful.
12:58:05 We're challenging times happen We can use these things to help us.
12:58:12 One more breath and then exhale back to center. Just notice!
12:58:16 Is there any difference from one side to the other? You might even need to do that a couple more times.
12:58:20 Okay, Okay, So we've done 1 2 3 4 5. Oh, we can do the lateral extension as well. So let's inhale.
12:58:27 Interlace your hands, and then maybe press down on the one foot because we're going to curve this way so any lengthen pressing down on the one foot as you exhale i'm feeling this big extension on one
12:58:35 side inflection on the other side. Our body likes to do this as well, and just pretty clear.
12:58:42 You might even release the neck. For a moment he was feeling into the neck just a little bit, maybe 1 one extra little length in here, and then exhaling, and then inhale back to center.
12:58:59 Let me just take a moment to expand here, and let's see the other side.
12:59:03 So pressing down on the opposite. but again coming to lateral extension on the other side.
12:59:08 Yeah. So big extension on one side, inflection on the other.
12:59:13 My release the next year.
12:59:19 Other breath.
12:59:24 Then inhale back to center I think we've done 7 right. we've done 7, so I thought we could incorporate just a couple more.
12:59:30 I know the neck often has some pain, so if you interlace the hands you enforcing it, allow the chin to go towards the chest.
12:59:39 You can feel like that Trapezius and serratus in the back, the scaling just allowing that chain coat of it towards the chest.
12:59:51 Just the degree that feels okay in your body if there's any contraction or limitedness.
12:59:57 I'm just noticing that Maybe that's a body telling you to release a little bit.
13:00:02 It's a little bit too much another breath i'm going to read one hand to the 5.
13:00:09 We're going to allow this here to come towards the shoulder just opening up on the one side.
13:00:14 I Seem, good night, muscleles. he's breathing here, Then you might want to rotate just a little bit.
13:00:22 So feel into the neck, even angles in the neck that might need your attention.
13:00:29 Upper back muscles, then come back to center a switch and do the other side.
13:00:34 So again letting the ear just fall towards the shoulder noticing. If you're feeling spacious, or if you're feeling contracted, because if you feel like contracted, maybe the body is telling you something maybe need to back, up
13:00:48 a little bit, and as You're ready breathing just coming into the neck, going into the other different parts of the neck that might need attention and then come back to center.
13:01:04 How does that feel so far? Okay, I mean I feel good when I do it.
13:01:09 Okay, let's do the opposite direction from your hands together. i'm just opening up the neck here, just be very gentle again. Wouldn't listen to the body and tune in what message is your body saying a little bit more or a little
13:01:25 bit less, or just right. Another breath
13:01:32 Back to center. Do you have a couple more minutes? I just want to do the lengths you do.
13:01:37 Okay, they're a little bit overtime, so if you just ground foot.
13:01:41 These are all the things that I love to do. so even on the bus.
13:01:43 I might do this on the subway. so just thinking, sure you cross not on the bone, because it might hurt, but just over the a little bit past the thigh, and just open up, the hip flexer here, you might want to engage the
13:01:55 foot. so the whole like is working. So this would be like the figure 4 that we do supine.
13:02:02 You maybe feel it opening there how that feel. Yeah, No: Okay.
13:02:05 Right. Yeah, I love this stuff So just even like when i'm teaching on zoom.
13:02:09 I might have done this like nobody's knowing that i'm doing this at the same time.
13:02:13 Okay, and then let's just release that gently and come to the other sides around your foot, and then find it on the other side.
13:02:21 So again passing the ankle passing the by so that it doesn't hurt, and then just opening up everything else can relax, engage the foot.
13:02:29 So the whole leg is working and supporting the need. you feel an opening.
13:02:34 You might even feel one side of different than the other. How do they feel?
13:02:39 Both are tigers, and I would put my hand on my eye, because sometimes you can dislocate the knee.
13:02:44 So just yeah, I know it's like a lot of sitting right just opening that up.
13:02:51 Okay. and then maybe if you just wanna do a little bit of action here, you might even hold onto the chair You you start to crack.
13:02:58 You might hear some cracking, and maybe Oh, there. we go I told you how long I've been teaching right.
13:03:06 My bones are all cracking now, and even the toes.
13:03:10 You know this is for appropriateception we want to really take care of our muscles in our toes and our feet in our hands.
13:03:20 As well forget there's muscles there okay let's do the other side.
13:03:24 So we can. Yeah, just feel happy to get some motion. Yeah. okay.
13:03:30 And then again listening to the ankle. not so bad on the side. and then maybe the toes really pushing through the toe pads.
13:03:40 Yeah, we want to be able to, and well and balance well as we get older, maybe just the hands one more. Okay.
13:03:48 So just the hands we're talking about the importance of our feet, the palms, the hands are just as important.
13:03:55 I feel like when I hold senior citizens hands you can feel like the losing muscle. right? So it's so important.
13:04:05 I do a lot of these actually for younger kids so for my kindergarteners before we do handwriting, or, you know, just writing anything, because I guess they don't even really have handwriting Yet we do a lot.
13:04:16 Of these hand exercises to strengthen their their fingers. so it's really good to keep feeling into that, and I think that's it.
13:04:24 We went over time, but I think it went by really fast.
13:04:30 Really appreciate everybody for coming