I am sitting in front of the screen- the only thing that is illuminating my face. Luckily, the light is not bright enough to highlight the dark circles under my eyes. I need to write the editor's note for one of the last issues of the e-zine "Inspirational English" but no inspiring ideas come to me. It's another night when I am burning the midnight oil. There's a rather thick fog in my mind. Some lost ides are trying to find the right junction but their efforts remain futile. Not only do I feel disconnected from the most important people in my life but also from myself. It would appear that my train of thought has become derail. And then I remember a breathing exercise I've seen recently. It's called Alternate Nostril Breathing and is a powerful way to enhance the use of both the left and right hemispheres of the brain. I have nothing to lose so I decide to give it a go:
1️⃣I sit comfortably in my chair making sure my back is straight, 2️⃣I close my right nostril with my index finger and breathe in through my left nostril, 3️⃣Then I close my left nostril and breathe out through my right one. It feels alright so I drop my gaze and continue with the practice for about a minute. Surprisingly, it leaves me feeling energised. My brain is suddenly awake but most importantly I am able to connect with my inner world. My fingers start to type quickly...tap-tap-tap... as the gate of inspiration is fully open. The lights are green again.
This story took place about three years ago as I was on the threshold of burning out and at the same time welcoming mindfulness into my life. Since then many a tool have I learned and experimented with. However, if it hadn't been for the benefits I've witnessed in my personal life, I wouldn't have felt motivated to use these mindful techniques with my students. And it is only because of the positive changes I've seen in them that I felt inspired to write the book "101 activities to teach English mindfully".
Sharing my knowledge and experience with other English tutors feels like my duty and I am so pleased to see that so many colleagues have decided to purchase the book and utilise the mindfulness activities in their lessons. The energy in modern education seems rather stagnated and in order for all of us to see a shift, we, educators, need to make the first steps in order to transform our students' lives.
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Until we meet again, be blessed
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