September 28, 2024 • 34 mins
Do you feel like you're authentic in your teaching and in your life?
How does we "become" more authentic?
Can mindfulness bring authenticity or is it more than that?
In this episode, Amy unpacks the elusive quality of authenticity. We all think we know it when we see it but how do we develop it?
Authenticity brings integrity and stability into our classrooms. Embracing vulnerability and aligning with our core values revolutionizes our teaching and enables our students to trust and let go so they can learn.
Join Amy in this episode of the Conscious Classroom podcast as she uncovers the essence of authenticity and its transformative power in educational settings. With a focus on mindfulness and restorative practices, she outlines how educators can foster a genuine connection with their students, moving beyond arbitrary emotional outbursts into emotional intelligence, which leads to a place of integrity and growth.
Key to developing authenticity is self-knowledge, deeply exploring our motivations behind and supporting students in facing challenges on their own. By integrating mindfulness as an orientation to life, we embody authenticity and create a safe, supportive, and fear-free learning environment.
Listen to the end to close with a guided meditation that will open up a new relationship to being present, available, and true to yourself, which in turn will contribute to a more resilient and impactful educational experience for both teachers and students.
If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review!
Your review supports our podcast to reach more educators and share the importance of creating more conscious classrooms.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Amy Edelstein (00:10):
Welcome to the Conscious Classroom podcast,
where we're exploring tools andperspectives that support
educators and anyone who workswith teens to create more
conscious, supportive andenriching learning environments.
I'm your host, amy Edelstein,and I'll be sharing
transformative insights andeasy-to-implement classroom
supports that are all drawn frommindful awareness and systems
(00:32):
thinking.
The themes we'll discuss aredesigned to improve your own joy
and fulfillment in your workand increase your impact on the
world we share.
Let's get on with this nextepisode.
Share let's get on with thisnext episode.
Hello, welcome to the consciousclassroom.
(00:52):
My name is Amy Edelstein.
Moving forward in our consciousclassroom episodes, we're going
to be looking at some of thedeeper qualities of mindfulness
and other restorative reflectivepractices and how they really
transform us and, as wetransform, how that transforms
(01:13):
our classrooms and our students'learning experiences.
We're also going to be doingsome very interesting deeper
dives into the future ofeducation.
What's it all about?
What are we trying to do andhow do we get going in enacting
our beta visions of the futureof education?
We'll be doing some interestingdialogues that are going to
(01:38):
uncover probably more questionsthan answers this episode,
though.
We're going to dive right inand talk about how mindfulness
cultivates that elusive qualityof authenticity, which is
something prized among friends,family, peers, and also a
(02:03):
quality or value that's veryimportant to the younger
generation.
Authenticity is a veryinteresting quality because we
know it when we feel it, whensomeone's being authentic, when
we're almost taken off guard bysomeone's vulnerability,
(02:27):
integrity of being, where, whatthey say, who they are, what
they believe in and how theylive all line up where we feel
that sense of transparency, thatsense where there are no veils
or subterfuges covering thatperson, where their heart is on
(02:51):
their sleeve, whether they'retelling a joke or relating a
serious and meaningful story.
There's a quality of sameness,of evenness, of integrity of
being, of being one, of beingrooted as well as being flexible
(03:14):
.
So, as you can see, there are alot of seeming paradoxes in
someone who embodiesauthenticity.
Those paradoxes aren'tcontradictions.
They're not contradictory, theydon't cancel one another out
and they don't create a sense ofdoubt, because they're two
(03:37):
seemingly opposable qualitiescoexisting in a way that makes
perfect sense.
Coexisting in a way that makesperfect sense.
Authenticity is a rare trait andit takes a lot to cultivate,
even though it's not somethingthat we can gear ourselves up to
do.
You can't wind yourself up tobe authentic.
(03:59):
You can't stretch your way intoit, you can't warm up like you
do for a performance or a raceor competition or a game.
Authenticity has a lot to dowith resting in ourselves, with
that sense of being deeplyrooted in ourselves, in our
(04:25):
heart, in our values, in what wecare about, and oftentimes
people don't really know whatthey care about, what's
important to them as teachers ormentors or people who really
care about creating consciousand awake environments for our
(04:46):
young people, knowing what wecare about, what we value,
what's important, is crucial.
How can we guide our studentsto make decisions that are
aligned with their higheraspirations, with what they can
become, with the world they wantto see, if we're not clear
(05:09):
ourselves, if we're not takingthat time to look and align and
realign?
So it's interesting about whyauthenticity is important.
(05:30):
Has a lot to do with the qualityof life that we want to live.
So when we're authentic meansfundamentally we're true to
ourselves, so we don't doubt, wedon't second guess our actions,
we're in alignment with ourintentions and motivations,
(05:53):
we're able to trust ourselvesbecause our actions are going to
cohere and if we make mistakesor we do something that doesn't
turn out, or if our intentionsturn out to be not quite as pure
as we thought.
They might be, not quite astrue, not quite as kind, not
quite as wise, that's okay.
(06:15):
That quality of resilience andability to recognize a growth
point and lean in and growbeyond that limitation and
become a greater person than wewere.
(06:36):
Authenticity doesn't havereally anything to do with
getting it right.
It has more to do with knowingwhat rightness means to us and
really measuring that rightnessagainst very high standards of
(06:56):
those principles that we admiremost and even those human beings
who embody those principles toa great degree, people who
inspire in us faith and love anda sense of safety and
well-being.
(07:39):
I think oftentimes, in thesedays of options and choices and
personas, of being able tobecome what it means to act in
alignment with their own highervalues and intentions and
purpose.
We want to work on our ownauthenticity ourselves and then
(08:18):
be able to guide our studentspotential movement, where you
saw everything from primalscreaming to, you know, pillow
bashing, therapy to all kinds ofexperiments and free expression
as a way to uncover what'sgoing on in our psyche and
(08:41):
emotions and hidden memories andpast.
I think that what authenticitymeans became a little bit
confused and authenticitystarted to mean just letting it
all hang out.
Now, letting it all hang out isnot necessarily authenticity.
(09:03):
You could be feeling angry foran absolutely petty reason and
being upset in a way that youcouldn't justify in the best of
times, or even in the worst oftimes, or spewing that onto
(09:26):
those we care about or on ourcolleagues and coworkers, or
even on our students in class,which I have seen teachers do,
is not authenticity.
It's immaturity in relationshipto emotions.
It's not emotional intelligence.
When I was in my 20s, I did amonth-long teacher training for
(09:46):
yoga at a very well-known centerin Western Massachusetts and
one of our instructors therewere probably about 100 people
on a month-long course.
It was an intensive program inthe mid 80s and one of our
teachers was going through aseparation with her husband and
(10:09):
she had the mic and she wasteaching us yoga practices and
theory and at one point she juststarted telling us what was
happening in her personal lifein a very emotional and intense
and distraught way and by theend of it she took the mic and
(10:31):
just threw it down in the centerof the room and even though I
was just in my mid-20s, I justthought no-transcript, so that
(10:55):
would have been an example of amistaken understanding of
emotion, of authenticity andwhat it could mean that we're
engaged with and to recognizethat, as an instructor, one
(11:25):
holds a position of authorityand is always a role model.
And, being a teacher, we alwayshave to embrace that because,
whether we like it or not, we'renever off.
We're always that role model.
So our authenticity is to betrue to what that means to be a
role model.
And it might be for her at thatmoment to say you know, I'm
(11:49):
experiencing a lot of challengesand I'm going to hand today's
session over to my colleague torun with you so he can be fully
present and I can tend to whatneeds to be tended to.
So it doesn't mean denial, butit certainly was very unhelpful
for us to be exposed to that.
(12:27):
Authenticity means being able tocreate a hierarchy of the roles
that we're embodying at anygiven moment and be true to the
one that is the most importantat that time and that recognizes
that there might be multipleroles that we're taking at any
one given time and so,intuitively, we need to digest
all of that, internalize it all,synthesize it all, absorb it
(12:50):
all and have that guide ouractions.
That's where mindfulness reallycomes in.
That's where mindfulness reallycomes in, because when we're
really one with our practice,when practice isn't something
that we sit down and do on acushion and then get up and go
do something else, when practiceis just a different modality of
(13:14):
how we explore our lives, thenour mindfulness will always
serve us, whether we're tellingjokes and hanging out, playing
with a baby, listening tosomeone's heartbreak, mentoring
(13:37):
and guiding, caring for someonedear to us who's at the end of
their life.
Our orientation that's beenhoned and refined by our formal
exploration of contemplativemodalities will mean that we can
(14:01):
be authentic and present andspontaneous and unselfconscious
and free in the moment.
Being self-aware whichmindfulness, certain types of
mindful reflection and insightpractice can bring us doesn't
(14:26):
mean that we're constantlydisassociated from ourselves and
sitting back on some cloud,looking down at ourselves and
judging everything we're doing.
Judging everything we're doing,the type of mindfulness that
I'm talking about, is not aseparate voice in the head
that's telling you what to do.
(14:46):
It's an integration.
It's almost like we'reconnected at an elemental level
with the energy coursing throughour body that keeps us alive,
which is none other than theuniversal energy that is flowing
through our whole world andsolar system and cosmos.
(15:09):
When our practice ofmindfulness helps us really
understand how the mind works,how it interrelates with thought
and feeling, then we becomemore integrated, more unified,
(15:31):
more one.
And part of that exploration,of course, is really looking at
motivation.
Why did I not want to helpsomeone?
Was it skillful means?
Was I not the right person?
Was I not going to do a goodjob?
(15:53):
Were they in a place where theyneeded to do it themselves and
not have somebody intervene?
Our young people need to learnhow to deal with difficult
situations and not always getrescued or protected.
(16:14):
Helicopter parent that rolls uptheir child up in bubble wrap
so that when they fall down theybounce instead of skinning
their knees, is not doing thatchild any good, because the
child's going to grow up fearfulof the world and afraid that
they don't have the resources tocope because they've never
(16:35):
tested them out.
Our students in the classroomthey need to struggle with
things they don't understand ina good way.
They need to dig deep and findtheir own resources and
creativity and problem-solvingskills.
And of course we support thatand we discern when a student is
(16:59):
in a negative struggle that'sdevolving into self-doubt and
self-criticism and when they'rejust struggling, and that's good
for them.
It helps them find their edgeand it helps them grow on their
own and gain confidence thatthey can grow.
So what's our intention?
Gain confidence that they cangrow.
(17:22):
So what's our intention?
Mindfulness helps us see that,oh, I didn't like that child as
much as the other child I helpedand so I didn't extend myself.
Now, why didn't I like thatchild?
(17:43):
Was there a reason?
Was there a trigger?
Was there a memory?
Was there an association?
Was there behavior that, unlessthat behavior gets curved, I'm
going to have to keep mydistance in some way?
Teachers are human beings.
We're not automatons.
I know we are gettingpersonalized AI tutors and those
personalized AI tutors will beable to help individual children
(18:07):
all of the time, 24-7.
But our relationships with ourstudents and our colleagues is a
human one and there has to be agive and take.
There has to be growth anddevelopment.
So these questions around whatcreates authenticity and looking
(18:30):
at motivation and how thatrelates to authenticity are all
a big part of our own practiceas educators, mentors and
contemplatives.
Now I think it's very powerfulto reflect on the different
(18:55):
qualities that help us stayauthentic, and one of them, I
think, is also balance.
When we know who we are, we'renot leaning forward trying to
please somebody above us forsome kind of suspect reason and
(19:16):
we're not shrinking away fromcalling it like it is when we
need to, when we're rooted inour own deeper cares and we're
not off balance, grasping aftersome position or recognition or
(19:38):
acknowledgement that we want,we're able to be authentic,
we're able to be present,completely present, and that's
powerful because we're notcontorting ourselves and our
values in order to satisfy ourmore questionable motives.
(20:04):
So we can work on not graspingand being off balance and
reaching out for somethingoutside of us to fulfill us, or
we can do it.
What I feel is a simpler way isto focus on centering in
(20:25):
ourselves in that very, verymindful way, so that we're
always authentic and that'sgoing to take care of that all
kinds of positioning and allkinds of ulterior motive.
Because when we're reallyconnected with our own values in
a higher way, what we aspire tobecome, then we're less tempted
(20:52):
by bad motive, we're lesstempted to move off balance and
when somebody is doing somethingfor an ulterior motive, you
feel they're not true, they'renot authentic, they're not real,
you don't know who they are.
You don't know why they'redoing what they're doing.
That creates a sense of lack ofsafety, and if there's anything
(21:17):
that's needed in a consciousclassroom these days is a sense
of safety.
We need safety from gunviolence oh my gosh, do we ever?
We need safety from bullyingand abuse and ridicule.
We need safety from prescribedways of being that stunt
(21:41):
creativity, and we need safetyfrom adults who hold power over
students who are bending theirvalues for motives that aren't
so good.
It's a really big deal in ourculture right now, and this
(22:12):
doesn't mean allowing for atyranny of cancel culture either
.
We're always growing, we'realways developing, we're always
learning.
A diversity of viewpoints thatare valid and not hateful,
(22:35):
tolerance for others, differentperspectives on life and
different conclusions, beingwilling to learn, recognizing
our common humanity is again allpart of that authenticity.
Authenticity is not imposingsameness.
It's not a fascism of belief orconformity.
(22:57):
In our contemporary world,there's a lot that goes under
the name of change, that becomesan overbearing imposition of
one person or group's opinion orpreference on the whole.
(23:21):
So we have to watch for that inourselves.
And being true to ourselvesenables others to also be free
be true to, perhaps, their owncultural outlook, their own
(23:42):
background, their own path upthe mountain.
So if we're heading up themountain to greater and greater
authenticity and awakeness andmindfulness and wisdom and
compassion, it's the samemountain and there are many
different paths.
Let's let our differentstudents and our different
(24:02):
colleagues take their own pathand recognize when it is the
same mountain or if they'vegotten lost and headed up the
wrong mountain.
I was once hiking somewhere witha very good friend of mine and
there was a whole group of usand there were two mountains and
(24:26):
they looked very similar.
They were two lumps in thenorthern part of a country where
we were hiking in, big lumps inthe northern part of a country
where we were hiking in and myone friend very, very
confidently took us up the wrongmountain and only when we got
to the top and looked down didwe realize we had climbed the
(24:53):
exact wrong one.
So it is possible to go up thewrong mountain.
Well, we don't want to do thatand we don't want to let our
kids do that, our students.
But if it's a different path upthe mountain of
self-development and unfoldingof potential, the more space and
room we give them and ourselvesto find our way, our own way.
(25:18):
Then we're going to becultivating, growing, developing
, advocating for a culture ofauthenticity, and that's very
profound.
It's hard to find.
(25:44):
As we start coming to the end ofthis reflection on authenticity
, let's do a short guidedmindfulness practice that will
allow us to sink into ourselvesand to recognize those qualities
(26:05):
that we're always working withwhen we're doing our mindfulness
practice, and qualities thatwill help us be more centered,
be more grounding, be morepresent and more integrated,
which the end result is going tobe.
We're just going to be muchhappier, less guilty, less shame
(26:29):
, filled with shame and lessnervous about doing the wrong
thing.
So let's do a little practice.
Allow yourself to rest inyourself, sitting back,
(26:50):
releasing your grip fromeverything that you're trying to
keep going at once, lettingyour eyes close so you can leave
those emails and texts alone.
You won't even see them comingin, you won't feel that itch to
(27:15):
respond.
Give yourself to this moment topay attention to your
interiority.
Hold that word, that spaceinside yourself, and see what
(27:47):
arises.
Find your balance, that postureof meditation where you're not
(28:21):
sleepy and too relaxed, whereyou're not tense and grasping,
trying to shape your experience,where you're alert, curious,
(28:45):
resting lightly Like when abutterfly lands on your
outstretched finger you see it'sthere, but you can barely feel
(29:10):
its little feet.
Hold on to your quality ofattention that lightly, let a
(29:32):
smile rise from within andsettle on your face, lighting up
your cheeks and your eyes andyour forehead and your lips.
(29:55):
Pay attention to the movementof impatience, wanting things to
be different than they are,wanting to disrupt the stillness
(30:21):
just because of habit, of thedifficulty of being intimate
with ourselves, and let yourattention fall to your intention
(31:04):
.
What moves you?
What do you care about Ifeverything was taken care of and
(31:27):
there was no worry?
What draws you forward?
What gives you the greatestsense of purpose and joy?
(32:10):
Allow yourself to hold thatintention.
Imagine imagining it was likenectar.
It was nourishing every cell ofyour body, your brain cells,
your heart cells, your stomachcells and every other part, and
(32:43):
notice how our deepest corevalues are food, not only for
our soul but for our regularbeing in all the dimensions that
we have to show up.
And on your next breath, bringyour attention back to your
(33:16):
familiar surroundings andprepare yourself to move on with
that joy of authenticity,centeredness, intention and love
(33:38):
.
I'll see you next time.
Thank you for listening to theConscious Classroom.
I'm your host, amy Edelstein.
Please check out the show noteson innerstrengthfoundationnet
for links and more information,and if you enjoyed this podcast,
(34:01):
please share it with a friendand pass the love on.
See you next time.
Welcome to the Conscious Classroom podcast,
where we're exploring tools andperspectives that support
educators and anyone who workswith teens to create more
conscious, supportive andenriching learning environments.
I'm your host, amy Edelstein,and I'll be sharing
transformative insights andeasy-to-implement classroom
supports that are all drawn frommindful awareness and systems
(00:32):
thinking.
The themes we'll discuss aredesigned to improve your own joy
and fulfillment in your workand increase your impact on the
world we share.
Let's get on with this nextepisode.
Share let's get on with thisnext episode.
Hello, welcome to the consciousclassroom.
(00:52):
My name is Amy Edelstein.
Moving forward in our consciousclassroom episodes, we're going
to be looking at some of thedeeper qualities of mindfulness
and other restorative reflectivepractices and how they really
transform us and, as wetransform, how that transforms
(01:13):
our classrooms and our students'learning experiences.
We're also going to be doingsome very interesting deeper
dives into the future ofeducation.
What's it all about?
What are we trying to do andhow do we get going in enacting
our beta visions of the futureof education?
We'll be doing some interestingdialogues that are going to
(01:38):
uncover probably more questionsthan answers this episode,
though.
We're going to dive right inand talk about how mindfulness
cultivates that elusive qualityof authenticity, which is
something prized among friends,family, peers, and also a
(02:03):
quality or value that's veryimportant to the younger
generation.
Authenticity is a veryinteresting quality because we
know it when we feel it, whensomeone's being authentic, when
we're almost taken off guard bysomeone's vulnerability,
(02:27):
integrity of being, where, whatthey say, who they are, what
they believe in and how theylive all line up where we feel
that sense of transparency, thatsense where there are no veils
or subterfuges covering thatperson, where their heart is on
(02:51):
their sleeve, whether they'retelling a joke or relating a
serious and meaningful story.
There's a quality of sameness,of evenness, of integrity of
being, of being one, of beingrooted as well as being flexible
(03:14):
.
So, as you can see, there are alot of seeming paradoxes in
someone who embodiesauthenticity.
Those paradoxes aren'tcontradictions.
They're not contradictory, theydon't cancel one another out
and they don't create a sense ofdoubt, because they're two
(03:37):
seemingly opposable qualitiescoexisting in a way that makes
perfect sense.
Coexisting in a way that makesperfect sense.
Authenticity is a rare trait andit takes a lot to cultivate,
even though it's not somethingthat we can gear ourselves up to
do.
You can't wind yourself up tobe authentic.
(03:59):
You can't stretch your way intoit, you can't warm up like you
do for a performance or a raceor competition or a game.
Authenticity has a lot to dowith resting in ourselves, with
that sense of being deeplyrooted in ourselves, in our
(04:25):
heart, in our values, in what wecare about, and oftentimes
people don't really know whatthey care about, what's
important to them as teachers ormentors or people who really
care about creating consciousand awake environments for our
(04:46):
young people, knowing what wecare about, what we value,
what's important, is crucial.
How can we guide our studentsto make decisions that are
aligned with their higheraspirations, with what they can
become, with the world they wantto see, if we're not clear
(05:09):
ourselves, if we're not takingthat time to look and align and
realign?
So it's interesting about whyauthenticity is important.
(05:30):
Has a lot to do with the qualityof life that we want to live.
So when we're authentic meansfundamentally we're true to
ourselves, so we don't doubt, wedon't second guess our actions,
we're in alignment with ourintentions and motivations,
(05:53):
we're able to trust ourselvesbecause our actions are going to
cohere and if we make mistakesor we do something that doesn't
turn out, or if our intentionsturn out to be not quite as pure
as we thought.
They might be, not quite astrue, not quite as kind, not
quite as wise, that's okay.
(06:15):
That quality of resilience andability to recognize a growth
point and lean in and growbeyond that limitation and
become a greater person than wewere.
(06:36):
Authenticity doesn't havereally anything to do with
getting it right.
It has more to do with knowingwhat rightness means to us and
really measuring that rightnessagainst very high standards of
(06:56):
those principles that we admiremost and even those human beings
who embody those principles toa great degree, people who
inspire in us faith and love anda sense of safety and
well-being.
(07:39):
I think oftentimes, in thesedays of options and choices and
personas, of being able tobecome what it means to act in
alignment with their own highervalues and intentions and
purpose.
We want to work on our ownauthenticity ourselves and then
(08:18):
be able to guide our studentspotential movement, where you
saw everything from primalscreaming to, you know, pillow
bashing, therapy to all kinds ofexperiments and free expression
as a way to uncover what'sgoing on in our psyche and
(08:41):
emotions and hidden memories andpast.
I think that what authenticitymeans became a little bit
confused and authenticitystarted to mean just letting it
all hang out.
Now, letting it all hang out isnot necessarily authenticity.
(09:03):
You could be feeling angry foran absolutely petty reason and
being upset in a way that youcouldn't justify in the best of
times, or even in the worst oftimes, or spewing that onto
(09:26):
those we care about or on ourcolleagues and coworkers, or
even on our students in class,which I have seen teachers do,
is not authenticity.
It's immaturity in relationshipto emotions.
It's not emotional intelligence.
When I was in my 20s, I did amonth-long teacher training for
(09:46):
yoga at a very well-known centerin Western Massachusetts and
one of our instructors therewere probably about 100 people
on a month-long course.
It was an intensive program inthe mid 80s and one of our
teachers was going through aseparation with her husband and
(10:09):
she had the mic and she wasteaching us yoga practices and
theory and at one point she juststarted telling us what was
happening in her personal lifein a very emotional and intense
and distraught way and by theend of it she took the mic and
(10:31):
just threw it down in the centerof the room and even though I
was just in my mid-20s, I justthought no-transcript, so that
(10:55):
would have been an example of amistaken understanding of
emotion, of authenticity andwhat it could mean that we're
engaged with and to recognizethat, as an instructor, one
(11:25):
holds a position of authorityand is always a role model.
And, being a teacher, we alwayshave to embrace that because,
whether we like it or not, we'renever off.
We're always that role model.
So our authenticity is to betrue to what that means to be a
role model.
And it might be for her at thatmoment to say you know, I'm
(11:49):
experiencing a lot of challengesand I'm going to hand today's
session over to my colleague torun with you so he can be fully
present and I can tend to whatneeds to be tended to.
So it doesn't mean denial, butit certainly was very unhelpful
for us to be exposed to that.
(12:27):
Authenticity means being able tocreate a hierarchy of the roles
that we're embodying at anygiven moment and be true to the
one that is the most importantat that time and that recognizes
that there might be multipleroles that we're taking at any
one given time and so,intuitively, we need to digest
all of that, internalize it all,synthesize it all, absorb it
(12:50):
all and have that guide ouractions.
That's where mindfulness reallycomes in.
That's where mindfulness reallycomes in, because when we're
really one with our practice,when practice isn't something
that we sit down and do on acushion and then get up and go
do something else, when practiceis just a different modality of
(13:14):
how we explore our lives, thenour mindfulness will always
serve us, whether we're tellingjokes and hanging out, playing
with a baby, listening tosomeone's heartbreak, mentoring
(13:37):
and guiding, caring for someonedear to us who's at the end of
their life.
Our orientation that's beenhoned and refined by our formal
exploration of contemplativemodalities will mean that we can
(14:01):
be authentic and present andspontaneous and unselfconscious
and free in the moment.
Being self-aware whichmindfulness, certain types of
mindful reflection and insightpractice can bring us doesn't
(14:26):
mean that we're constantlydisassociated from ourselves and
sitting back on some cloud,looking down at ourselves and
judging everything we're doing.
Judging everything we're doing,the type of mindfulness that
I'm talking about, is not aseparate voice in the head
that's telling you what to do.
(14:46):
It's an integration.
It's almost like we'reconnected at an elemental level
with the energy coursing throughour body that keeps us alive,
which is none other than theuniversal energy that is flowing
through our whole world andsolar system and cosmos.
(15:09):
When our practice ofmindfulness helps us really
understand how the mind works,how it interrelates with thought
and feeling, then we becomemore integrated, more unified,
(15:31):
more one.
And part of that exploration,of course, is really looking at
motivation.
Why did I not want to helpsomeone?
Was it skillful means?
Was I not the right person?
Was I not going to do a goodjob?
(15:53):
Were they in a place where theyneeded to do it themselves and
not have somebody intervene?
Our young people need to learnhow to deal with difficult
situations and not always getrescued or protected.
(16:14):
Helicopter parent that rolls uptheir child up in bubble wrap
so that when they fall down theybounce instead of skinning
their knees, is not doing thatchild any good, because the
child's going to grow up fearfulof the world and afraid that
they don't have the resources tocope because they've never
(16:35):
tested them out.
Our students in the classroomthey need to struggle with
things they don't understand ina good way.
They need to dig deep and findtheir own resources and
creativity and problem-solvingskills.
And of course we support thatand we discern when a student is
(16:59):
in a negative struggle that'sdevolving into self-doubt and
self-criticism and when they'rejust struggling, and that's good
for them.
It helps them find their edgeand it helps them grow on their
own and gain confidence thatthey can grow.
So what's our intention?
Gain confidence that they cangrow.
(17:22):
So what's our intention?
Mindfulness helps us see that,oh, I didn't like that child as
much as the other child I helpedand so I didn't extend myself.
Now, why didn't I like thatchild?
(17:43):
Was there a reason?
Was there a trigger?
Was there a memory?
Was there an association?
Was there behavior that, unlessthat behavior gets curved, I'm
going to have to keep mydistance in some way?
Teachers are human beings.
We're not automatons.
I know we are gettingpersonalized AI tutors and those
personalized AI tutors will beable to help individual children
(18:07):
all of the time, 24-7.
But our relationships with ourstudents and our colleagues is a
human one and there has to be agive and take.
There has to be growth anddevelopment.
So these questions around whatcreates authenticity and looking
(18:30):
at motivation and how thatrelates to authenticity are all
a big part of our own practiceas educators, mentors and
contemplatives.
Now I think it's very powerfulto reflect on the different
(18:55):
qualities that help us stayauthentic, and one of them, I
think, is also balance.
When we know who we are, we'renot leaning forward trying to
please somebody above us forsome kind of suspect reason and
(19:16):
we're not shrinking away fromcalling it like it is when we
need to, when we're rooted inour own deeper cares and we're
not off balance, grasping aftersome position or recognition or
(19:38):
acknowledgement that we want,we're able to be authentic,
we're able to be present,completely present, and that's
powerful because we're notcontorting ourselves and our
values in order to satisfy ourmore questionable motives.
(20:04):
So we can work on not graspingand being off balance and
reaching out for somethingoutside of us to fulfill us, or
we can do it.
What I feel is a simpler way isto focus on centering in
(20:25):
ourselves in that very, verymindful way, so that we're
always authentic and that'sgoing to take care of that all
kinds of positioning and allkinds of ulterior motive.
Because when we're reallyconnected with our own values in
a higher way, what we aspire tobecome, then we're less tempted
(20:52):
by bad motive, we're lesstempted to move off balance and
when somebody is doing somethingfor an ulterior motive, you
feel they're not true, they'renot authentic, they're not real,
you don't know who they are.
You don't know why they'redoing what they're doing.
That creates a sense of lack ofsafety, and if there's anything
(21:17):
that's needed in a consciousclassroom these days is a sense
of safety.
We need safety from gunviolence oh my gosh, do we ever?
We need safety from bullyingand abuse and ridicule.
We need safety from prescribedways of being that stunt
(21:41):
creativity, and we need safetyfrom adults who hold power over
students who are bending theirvalues for motives that aren't
so good.
It's a really big deal in ourculture right now, and this
(22:12):
doesn't mean allowing for atyranny of cancel culture either
.
We're always growing, we'realways developing, we're always
learning.
A diversity of viewpoints thatare valid and not hateful,
(22:35):
tolerance for others, differentperspectives on life and
different conclusions, beingwilling to learn, recognizing
our common humanity is again allpart of that authenticity.
Authenticity is not imposingsameness.
It's not a fascism of belief orconformity.
(22:57):
In our contemporary world,there's a lot that goes under
the name of change, that becomesan overbearing imposition of
one person or group's opinion orpreference on the whole.
(23:21):
So we have to watch for that inourselves.
And being true to ourselvesenables others to also be free
be true to, perhaps, their owncultural outlook, their own
(23:42):
background, their own path upthe mountain.
So if we're heading up themountain to greater and greater
authenticity and awakeness andmindfulness and wisdom and
compassion, it's the samemountain and there are many
different paths.
Let's let our differentstudents and our different
(24:02):
colleagues take their own pathand recognize when it is the
same mountain or if they'vegotten lost and headed up the
wrong mountain.
I was once hiking somewhere witha very good friend of mine and
there was a whole group of usand there were two mountains and
(24:26):
they looked very similar.
They were two lumps in thenorthern part of a country where
we were hiking in, big lumps inthe northern part of a country
where we were hiking in and myone friend very, very
confidently took us up the wrongmountain and only when we got
to the top and looked down didwe realize we had climbed the
(24:53):
exact wrong one.
So it is possible to go up thewrong mountain.
Well, we don't want to do thatand we don't want to let our
kids do that, our students.
But if it's a different path upthe mountain of
self-development and unfoldingof potential, the more space and
room we give them and ourselvesto find our way, our own way.
(25:18):
Then we're going to becultivating, growing, developing
, advocating for a culture ofauthenticity, and that's very
profound.
It's hard to find.
(25:44):
As we start coming to the end ofthis reflection on authenticity
, let's do a short guidedmindfulness practice that will
allow us to sink into ourselvesand to recognize those qualities
(26:05):
that we're always working withwhen we're doing our mindfulness
practice, and qualities thatwill help us be more centered,
be more grounding, be morepresent and more integrated,
which the end result is going tobe.
We're just going to be muchhappier, less guilty, less shame
(26:29):
, filled with shame and lessnervous about doing the wrong
thing.
So let's do a little practice.
Allow yourself to rest inyourself, sitting back,
(26:50):
releasing your grip fromeverything that you're trying to
keep going at once, lettingyour eyes close so you can leave
those emails and texts alone.
You won't even see them comingin, you won't feel that itch to
(27:15):
respond.
Give yourself to this moment topay attention to your
interiority.
Hold that word, that spaceinside yourself, and see what
(27:47):
arises.
Find your balance, that postureof meditation where you're not
(28:21):
sleepy and too relaxed, whereyou're not tense and grasping,
trying to shape your experience,where you're alert, curious,
(28:45):
resting lightly Like when abutterfly lands on your
outstretched finger you see it'sthere, but you can barely feel
(29:10):
its little feet.
Hold on to your quality ofattention that lightly, let a
(29:32):
smile rise from within andsettle on your face, lighting up
your cheeks and your eyes andyour forehead and your lips.
(29:55):
Pay attention to the movementof impatience, wanting things to
be different than they are,wanting to disrupt the stillness
(30:21):
just because of habit, of thedifficulty of being intimate
with ourselves, and let yourattention fall to your intention
(31:04):
.
What moves you?
What do you care about Ifeverything was taken care of and
(31:27):
there was no worry?
What draws you forward?
What gives you the greatestsense of purpose and joy?
(32:10):
Allow yourself to hold thatintention.
Imagine imagining it was likenectar.
It was nourishing every cell ofyour body, your brain cells,
your heart cells, your stomachcells and every other part, and
(32:43):
notice how our deepest corevalues are food, not only for
our soul but for our regularbeing in all the dimensions that
we have to show up.
And on your next breath, bringyour attention back to your
(33:16):
familiar surroundings andprepare yourself to move on with
that joy of authenticity,centeredness, intention and love
(33:38):
.
I'll see you next time.
Thank you for listening to theConscious Classroom.
I'm your host, amy Edelstein.
Please check out the show noteson innerstrengthfoundationnet
for links and more information,and if you enjoyed this podcast,
(34:01):
please share it with a friendand pass the love on.
See you next time.
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