Blog Archives

Mindfulness Day 7

2/12/2015

Back to the Beginning

At the end of this 4 week journey, the students finally respond to their ocean waves. The image begins where we left last session, the mist. The soundtrack of the ocean waves acts as a guide to their final image.

Script (5 min.)

"Begin breathing routine
Your eyes are focusing on the Image
You eyelids are growing heavy as they slowly begin to drop
You are standing on a path and see the mist in front of you
slowly the mists roll over you and begin to chill your body
The chill starts at your scalp, as it touches your scalp it begins to pass over your faces
Your eyes begin to relax, your cheeks,nose and ears. Your neck begins to relax as does your shoulders, arms and hands
Your spine begins to relax, along with your hips. The mist flows down your thighs, knees, shin, ankles and toes.
Your body is relaxed and calm. You look out to the mist covered path and begin to walk
Walking down the path you hear the ocean in the distance. The mists begin to part as you reach the shore.
You sit on the beach and feel the texture of the sand beneath your toes
Your body slowly relaxes, laying flatly on the beach as you look up.
Here you are safe, Here you are at peace. Anytime, throughout your day, you may return to this spot.
Slowly the mist rolls off of the see, cooling your face as your eyes begin to open
Welcome back"

Student Responses

The students were asked to draw half of their face before the mindfulness and half of their face after the meditation.

Conclusions of a Month with meditation

While meditation has improved my classroom management and mood of the classroom, it has not increased students art abilities (i.e. focus). The quality of work remains the same, however the amount of participation has improved. I did not meet my original goal of enabling artistic expression. In the end I found meditation made vast improvements in my classroom experience.

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Mindfulness Day 6

2/10/2015

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Distance, memory and recall

Today we will travel to a place where the student has both been and felt safe.

Image created by Rod McLean

Forest Impression Canvas Prints and Forest Impression Canvas Art for Sale

We listened to the Yoga station on Pandora

Yoga Music Radio

Time: 8 minutes

Begin by reintroducing breathing posture. The expectations for today's meditation are to complete a drawing that must contain value. You will summon this image to your mind when I ask you to recall and remember.
Your eyes focus on the image as you breath in and out.
Your eyelids slowly grow heavy. Your muscles begin to relax. Your eyes begin to close.
You call the image of the standing trees to your mind
You feel the cool mists rise from the forest floors and pass over your feet.
The chilled mists rise up your feet, chilling the soles.
The mists rise through your calves, knees, thighs, torso and spreads out through your arms.
The mists begins to creep up your neck, throat, head and leaves your mouth on your next exhale.
You are shrouded in mist.
In your minds eye, you stare into the mist and begin to see an object form, you remember this object.
The object slowly begins to move. It is taking you to a place. You follow it. As the space emerges from the mist, your eyes begin to focus.
You follow the object to where it leads you
The mists begin to clear as your see the outline of a house.
You have been to this house before. You have never lived here, but It is owned by someone you trust. In this place you feel safe. Remember this place.
The mists begin to rise and cover the house. Slowly night begins to fall as the cool mists leave your body.
Welcome back.

Students were asked to draw the place they have visited. include value

Positives

Improvements

The students quickly get into proper posture
the session was shorter
the students were guided to a place that they knew but I did not.
With the new expectations, quality of work did improve.

Next journey will include new media. in hopes for new artistic exploration

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Mindfulness Day 5

2/5/2015

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Slowing the journey, Freeing the Wanderer

Image of and Ice Castle in the Forest, uploaded by toib as a wallpaper at the following address http://tudogal.com/ice-castle-beyond-the-forest-wallpaper/

During this Journey we listened to the following station:

Yoga Music Radio

Time: 10 min.
Image: Ice Castle in the Forest

As students come into class I explain to them that today's journey will be shorter and there will be periods of silence as they will become their own guide.
Students arrange into relaxation pose and begin to breath in and out as their eyes go heavy.

Script:

"You feel the the slow and gentle forest breeze brush over your skin
You hear the leaves rustle above your head as the forest prepares for night.
In your minds eye, you begin to move your fingers, wiggle your toes and stretch your legs.
You stand and look around the forest clearing and then look out at the ice castle across river.
A deer walks to you and lowers his antlers. He starts to kneel, permitting you to ride on his back.
You grab hold of the antlers and climb on to your forest friend. Slowly this deer begins to walk.
The deer walks away from the ice castle travelling further into the woods. With every step, you leave my guiding words behind.
(Pause...10 seconds...)Here you wander
(Pause ...15 seconds...) Here you see the forest
(Pause...20 seconds..) In your minds eye, you hold and remember what you see.
(Pause...15 seconds) As night grows on, you begin to leave your vision.
Welcome back. "

Positives

Need for Improvement

Format was brief and provided more time for instruction.
Students said that it was easier to respond will illustrations

Next session should involve more open sight experiences to allow the imagination to take part.
Illustrations not of high quality. Provide more time and expectations for student response.

Response images to the question; What did you see on your journey?

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An Experiment

2/4/2015

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In order to gather whether this experience can be successful for all my classes, I am experimenting with a more complex story line, that will be the same with each class. The script and feedback are posted below
Image Credit to XPE, found here http://xpe.deviantart.com/art/desert-castle-428283242

Meditation conducted through Pandora Radio

Nature Sounds With Music: Inspiring Thunder And Rain With Relax

Script

Introduce the methods of mindfulness. Explain that this experience is a reward, just for them and to see it as such. Introduce to students how to use their chair in mindfulness and the purpose of posture and the breath.
Script:

Your eyes are focusing on the image, capturing every detail, as your lids slowly close
You feel the warm air cross your face as you look at the castle in the desert.
The light from the desert sun is shining on the top of your head, warming your scalp. The light is traveling through your neck, down your arms and out through your palms. The light is traveling down your spine through your knees, shins, ankles and returning to the earth through the soles of your feet.
You limbs feel light and warm as you begin to walk over the desert plains. You feel the course dirt beneath your feet.
You look up to see the desert castle with its door wide open.
You feel the cool temperatures as you approach the castle door.
The hard desert earth is changing to cool marble floors
You eyes adjust to the dark tones of the desert castle as you walk down the main hallway.
You start to walk forward and bend down, piercing the earth with your spade.
You begin to dig a whole that is perfectly circular.
You place the spade down as the center of the whole fill with water
The water seeps out to the edges and goes still.
In this water, an image begins to form. You see the circular grove and the moon shining above. As you stare at the moon, a cold wind passes over your eyes as the lids begin to lift.
Welcome back
You begin to dig a whole that is perfectly circular.
You place the spade down as the center of the whole fill with water
The water seeps out to the edges and goes still.
In this water, an image begins to form. You see the circular grove and the moon shining above. As you stare at the moon, a cold wind passes over your eyes as the lids begin to lift.
Welcome back

Block 7 Art II, 2/3/15

Time: 20 min.
Prior experience with meditation? No
Reaction to Experience: The majority of Students
Behavior Before mindfulness: Students came in with high energy, two students were told to stop rough housing.
Behavior After mindfulness: Students remained rested and calm as I introduced their assignment for the day. There were brief periods of activity between the students who did, or had issues with, not participate in the meditation.

Response to Questions
How do you feel?

safe
rejuvenated
tired(3)
Enlightened
relaxed
Rested
good
the same(3)

Do you feel different after the meditation?

yes(10)
the same (4)

If you could meditate every day, would you?

yes(5)
maybe(3)
no(3)

Draw and image of what you saw on your journey.

Images Collected

Block 2, Drawing I 2/4/15

Time: 20 min.
Prior experience with meditation? Yes (4 months prior)
Reaction to Experience: For most of the class the experience was positive or benign. The majority would want to participate in meditation once a day.
Behavior Before mindfulness Student came in with high energy
Behavior After mindfulness: Students worked quietly with brief moments of energy

Response to Questions
How do you feel?

sleepy(4)
refreshed
happy
relaxed
good
relieved
frustrated

Do you feel different after the meditation?

no(4)
yes(6)

If you could meditate every day, would you?

yes(5)
maybe
no(3)

Draw and image of what you saw on your journey.

Images Collected

Block 4 Painting I 2/4/15

Time: 20 min.
Prior experience with meditation? Yes (4 months prior)
Reaction to Experience: Calm. Majority of students were positive. Majority found success with experience.
Behavior Before mindfulness: Students came in with higher levels of energy
Behavior After mindfulness: Students remained calm, if distracted. 1/20 had attentiveness difficulties.

Response to Questions
How do you feel?

relaxed(3)
tired(6)
lost
calm
connected
sleepy(3)
restful

Do you feel different after the meditation?

yes(12)
no(4)

If you could meditate every day, would you?

yes(8)
no(3)

Draw and image of what you saw on your journey.

Images Collected

Block 6, Drawing 1 and Drawing II, 2/4/15

Time: 45 min.
Prior experience with meditation? Yes 4 months prior
Reaction to Experience: This class had mixed Reviews. 3/18 students could not focus, thus they felt no results from the experiment.
Behavior Before mindfulness: Students came in stressed, were playful and were making excessive contact with one another.
Behavior After mindfulness:
Students were attentive to the assignment. While there were some bouts of playfulness, they produce a high quality of work
Response to Questions
How do you feel?

calm
relaxed(3)
tired(3)
sleepy(3)
good
refreshed
couldn't focus
annoyed (2)

Do you feel different after the meditation?

yes(7)
no(5)

If you could meditate every day, would you?

yes(7)
no(4)
maybe

Draw and image of what you saw on your journey.

Images Collected

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Day 4 of Mindfulness

2/3/2015

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Going back in time

Image:Ruins of Palmyra, Syria
Time: 20 minutes (due to phone interruption)
Note:
It's important to note that in the last two weeks the students have taken their midterm exams and started the new semester. As a brief experiment (because the whole school seems to be in high stress) I will attempt this same exercise with all of my classes. I will include feedback below.
Script:

Students settle into their seats and are given a chance to relax and look at the screen while the teacher takes attendance.
Teacher begins the breathing strategies. In through the nose and out through the mouth. Students breath deep breaths and hold and then slowly filter out their breath through their mouth.
Teacher says the following :

"Memorize the image on the screen and slowly close your eyes.
You are standing in the ruins.
You begin to feel the dry winds brush across your skin
The sun in shining brightly, sending heat to the top of your head and down through your limbs.
You feel your whole body getting warm.
The heat from the sun-warmed rocks is warming your feet as your begin to walk.
Your eyes are set on the ruined
You pass by stone columns, you step over broken rocks. You wonder who lived in this place. What were they like? Did they walk down the same streets as me?
You continue to walk towards hill and feel the terrain change from stone to hard packed earth. You start to walk up the path towards the ruined building.
You reach the building and begin to walk inside. This building looks like it hasn't been touched for years. Parts of the roof have caved in and dappled light is shining into the niches between columns.
You look in the niche and see a series of paintings. These paintings show people with tools. Each tool is specific to the trade.
You stop by one image to see person holding up their tool. This time the tool is three dimensional. You reach forward to grab the instrument only to find that you are holding a spade. This person was a gardener and their relic has left you with a tool.
You turn towards the center of the temple and see the light from the ruined roof is shining on one small patch of earth.
Phone Rings
Students continue to breath in and out as I answer the phone
Now that the phone conversation is over with, continue to breath in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Breath in Breath out. Breath in, return to the temple. Breath out, feel the warmth of the desert air. Breath in, feel the spade returned to your hand. Breath out, see the patch of earth.
You start to walk forward and bend down, piercing the earth with your spade.
You begin to dig a whole that is perfectly circular.
You place the spade down as the center of the whole fill with water
The water seeps out to the edges and goes still.
In this water, an image begins to form. You see the circular grove and the moon shining above. As you stare at the moon, a cold wind passes over your eyes as the lids begin to lift.
Welcome back"

Student Feedback

I asked the Students the following questions:

In one word, how do feel after this experience?

tired(3)
peaceful(4)
relaxed (5)
sleepy(3)

At any point did you relax?

yes(15(all))

What was your experience when the phone rang?

surprise(4)
came back here(2)
distracted(5)
didn't notice(3)

Draw an image of what you saw on your journey.

images documented separately

Positives

After 2 weeks of 0 meditation, all students were able to reach a point of relaxation
Even with the phone ringing, 3 students claimed to not notice
Unlike the last meditation, only one student commented on the noise from next door

Improvements

Reduce time to 10 minutes
create more detailed drawing assignments...Is there a way I can include their sketchbook prompts into their adventure?
Focus on mindfulness lessons of meaning

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Mindfulness Day 7

Back to the Beginning

Script (5 min.)

Student Responses

Conclusions of a Month with meditation

Mindfulness Day 6

Distance, memory and recall

Image created by Rod McLean

We listened to the Yoga station on Pandora

Time: 8 minutes

Students were asked to draw the place they have visited. include value

Positives

Improvements

Mindfulness Day 5

Slowing the journey, Freeing the Wanderer

During this Journey we listened to the following station:

Positives

Need for Improvement

Response images to the question; What did you see on your journey?

An Experiment

Meditation conducted through Pandora Radio

Script

Block 7 Art II, 2/3/15

Block 2, Drawing I 2/4/15

Block 4 Painting I 2/4/15

Block 6, Drawing 1 and Drawing II, 2/4/15

Day 4 of Mindfulness

Going back in time

Student Feedback

Positives

Improvements

Virginia Murphy

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