Your Stories: August 2011

When did you first start practicing mindfulness and why were you motivated to do so?

Eleven or twelve years ago, while teaching music in a public high school, I began to notice anger in the faces of students, teachers, administrators and parents.

I felt tired and the joy of the classroom was swallowed by testing, or similar methods of assessment. I noticed young teachers lasting four years and then leaving, weary from the encounter. I noticed students sleeping in the classroom, yet full of life in the halls. Then, I became curious. I noticed that I was noticing. Unaware of mindfulness practice, I turned to a friend who seemed "steady." Only later would I even know to call that steadiness, grounded or mindful.

Did you take a class? If so, what sort of class was it?   

Realizing without a major change, I would soon be following my younger colleagues to find a new career, far away from the school house. A friend pointed me toward a new masters degree offered by Naropa University. Living on the North Carolina coast, I had never been to Colorado, or even heard of Naropa when I connected with the department head, over the phone, during intermission of my spring musical. Although, much he said sounded quite foreign, it was his ability to really hear me all those miles away that persuaded me to pursue this degree in hopes of helping my students.