Being with What Is During the Holidays

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Holidays are awe-filled and also can bring about feelings of sadness, grief and loneliness for ourselves and our students. Join Amy Edelstein in this episode of The Conscious Classroom Podcast as we explore how to let go into the present moment and find the posture that allows us to be with what is with grace, strength, and presence.  

The holiday season can be a challenging time, filled with mixed emotions and societal expectations. As educators, we have the unique opportunity to guide our students through these complexities with grace and awareness. This episode goes deep with a guided meditation that will transcend the superficial and allow you to access an experience of presence that can sustain and fulfill you. 

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Episode Transcript

Amy (00:10):
Welcome to the Conscious Classroom podcast, where we're
exploring tools and perspectivesthat support educators and
anyone who works with teens tocreate more conscious,
supportive and enrichinglearning 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.
Hello, welcome to the ConsciousClassroom.

(00:53):
My name is Amy Edelstein.
Today, I want to talk about theholiday season and how we can
approach it in a way that reallydeepens our own experience of
the holidays and provides asteady and confident example for
our students.

(01:14):
Holidays in our culture areoften times that are a little
bit ambivalent for us and forour students.
Our students often experienceloneliness and mental health

(01:34):
challenges, and, whether they'redeeper mental health challenges
or just simply an inability tonavigate, a sense of aloneness
or a sense of not quite fittinginto the roles, a sense of not

(01:56):
being where, in the state ofmind that one feels like one
should be, in a sense where onemay not have as many close
friends or near or dear ones orwhere there may be grief and
loss.
The push from our culture toconsume, to get gifts, that

(02:20):
gifts make one happy, thatbuying will fill the void,
further exacerbate thesefeelings of not quite fitting in
.
As teachers, we need tonavigate this for our students
as people, human beings.
We have to navigate this forourselves and as role models of

(02:48):
what's possible, of people whopractice mindful awareness, in
order to develop our capacitiesfor unconditional love,
acceptance of what is ability tobe present now, acceptance of

(03:14):
what is ability to be presentnow, a sense of the fullness and
completeness of the moment, aliving in the center of
sacredness and awe.
It's incumbent on us todemonstrate that joy and
fulfillment and love andcompassion and rejoicing and

(03:35):
celebration that comes from anintimate connection with the
moment, with the moment.
So how do we do this?

(03:55):
What the conscious classroom isall about is holding out that
ideal that we're striving for,that we want to share, and
demonstrate that we can practice.
There are tools along the way,there are activities and

(04:15):
exercises and contemplations andorientations that will help us
get there.
So where do we start?
First of all, starting with ourown practice of being present,
being aware, being able to tendto ourselves, to tend to what's

(04:40):
happening in the moment.
Being fully present, even withsadness or grief, or emptiness
or loneliness, means that we'refully alive.
We're fully present.
We're awake and able to bearwitness to, to be with, to be a

(05:06):
companion to ourselves, unafraidof emotion, not drawing any
conclusions about what we may befeeling, recognizing that some
of these deeper wellsprings ofemotion lead to insight, lead to

(05:30):
openings, lead to an enrichmentof our humanity.
We simply don't want to dwellin them in a morose way.
But when we're dwelling inthose morose feelings, we're not
really present.
We've lost touch with theimmediacy and awakeness of the

(05:52):
moment.
Being present, you can use yourbreath as an anchor, watching
the inhalation and theexhalation, really being with
the sensation of the moment andthen noticing of interpretation
around the feelings or thoughts.

(06:12):
Our interpretation that comesfrom the past, comes from memory
, comes from identity, comesfrom fear, comes from indulgence
in those feelings.
Indulgence in feelings is notbeing present.
It's slipping away from theimmediacy of the present into

(06:37):
our minds, into our memories,into a morass that's
disassociated from reality as itis.
Being present with grief orsadness or loss or confusion, or
simply spaciousness, bringswith it an aliveness and an

(06:59):
awakeness.
If you're struggling with this,I encourage you to practice
longer.
So if you're used to practicingfor short amounts of time and
you even want to shorten thosebecause you become impatient,
practice much longer than you'reused to.

(07:20):
Let yourself be with yourselfwithout moving away.
That being with oneself, beingpresent with, is a deep
expression of self-acceptanceand love.
It's a deep acceptance of beingwith oneself as one is and

(07:51):
letting that be enough, withoutstories or confusion or
distraction.
Really being disciplined aboutyour mindfulness practice during
these times can reveal to youyour own strength, the momentum
you've built over your monthsand years and decades of

(08:11):
mindfulness practice.
And as you tap into thatreservoir of strength and
consistency, there's an anchorand a weightedness and a
firmness and a resoluteness anda confidence in oneself, in

(08:35):
one's ability to be with life asit is, that allows for the
richness, the juiciness of beingalive to come to the forefront.
And when that richness andjuiciness of being alive comes
to the forefront in your ownbeing, it's that strength that's

(08:56):
going to show up in theclassroom for your students, for
your family, for your spouse,for your relatives, for your
spouse, for your relatives, foryour friends.
So the first thing is alwaysreturning to the essence of the
practice of meditation, beingbearing witness to what is with

(09:24):
loving friendliness, with lovingfriendliness and companionship.
You know that picture of abeloved dog snuggling close by
the fireside, fireside, it'sthat loving friendliness and

(09:53):
settling in with yourself thatyou want to bring to yourself.
That loving friendliness isgoing to enable you to be
present, peace of mind, to notget involved, to feel empathy,
to feel connected but not to tipinto your students'

(10:17):
emotionalism.
And that ability to have lovingfriendliness and that ability
to have loving friendlinessfirst towards yourself and then

(10:41):
towards your students, is whatshifts the classroom context
during this time.
The second practice during thistime is to really work on
extending gratitude, bringinggratitude to the forefront of

(11:01):
your consciousness.
Let it not be to get your stepsin, let it not be a cold and
scientific measurement for yourhealth or a self-criticizing

(11:24):
activity in relationship to yourweight or your strength.
Let it be a pilgrimage and,whatever that means to you, you
hold on your right shoulder thatimage of that which you hold
sacred, so that as you'rewalking around the park, or

(11:48):
you're walking around the block,or you're walking around the
shopping mall, or you're walkingaround the parking lot in your
townhouse unit, you're actuallydoing a sacred pilgrimage
without what you hold most dearon your right shoulder.

(12:10):
On your right shoulder, andmaybe you listen to music that
inspires you, or maybe you havea poem or a phrase or a prayer
that you repeat to yourself, ormaybe you have beads that you

(12:31):
can click through your fingersas you walk, keeping your
attention on that which you holdmost dear, that which you value
, that which is sacred to you,and making each step a part of
your expression of that sanctity.
Whether this holiday timealigns with your own religious

(12:58):
practice or not in some sensedoesn't matter.
You can allow the presence of aholiday spirit to tap into your
own interpretation andunderstanding and knowingness of
that which is near and dear toyour heart.
We don't have to believe in theChristmas trees and mistletoe

(13:21):
and all of the other symbolismof this moment in order to turn
our attention to that whichfills us with joy, with
preciousness, with sacredness,with that which is not measured

(13:45):
by money or by time, or bysuccess or by the practical.
Letting ourselves be full andcomplete and express all of that
is what will bring the holidayspirit to life, and when we care

(14:10):
about that, we can be presentin our classrooms with our
students and when we care aboutthat, we can be present in our
classrooms with our students.
Happy for those who havematerial gifts that they're
excited about and supporting ourchildren, but happy because of

(14:30):
something deeper, because ofthat valuing of connection and
joy and signs of affection andsigns of love.
The human connectedness is soimportant and I know that our
culture has really struggledwith that.
Since COVID, we've been movingfurther and further away from

(14:54):
community and family and thesimplicity of being together in
person and sharing time andsharing silence, sharing games
and sharing food, sharing warmthand sharing spirit with each
other.
The COVID time had a deepimpact on our culture and on our
global culture.

(15:14):
It lodged a fear of one anotherin us.
It lodged a preference forisolation over connectedness.
It created loneliness and thatloneliness is still a bit of a

(15:36):
shadow over us.
As practitioners of mindfulawareness and systems thinking,
we want to understand that howwe came to this holiday season
is deeply impacted by the recentholiday seasons.
We carry with us some impact,some effect and understanding.

(16:03):
That brings a sense ofgentleness and sympathy and
empathy for ourselves, for ourculture, and it brings a sense
of openness and curiosity.
How can we lean in, how can weengage with this moment, with

(16:23):
the momentum that's led us here,and not just try to go back or
fix it, but recognize that therehave been disruptions In our
sense of human connectedness,and what can bring those about?
Simply forcing ourselves onothers doesn't help bring that

(16:47):
connectedness back.
First we need to connect withourselves and feel that sense of
goodness and joy, feel thatsense of wanting to be with
others and others wanting to bewith us, and then creating

(17:08):
possibilities and environmentfor that to happen.
Creating gatherings and notworrying about them being
perfect, not worrying about themeven having everyone we love
present.
Creating simple ways to connect, simple ways to get together,

(17:31):
simple ways to be with oneanother, simple ways to get
together, simple ways to be withone another and, through that
being with one another,experiencing and rekindling the
joy and love and holiday spirit.
Let's take this time to do ashort meditation and really

(17:56):
allow yourself to come into apresence, a sense of
spaciousness and awareness andbeing where you can really let
go.
Bring your attention to yourwhole body, to that warmth in

(18:24):
your belly, that prana, that chithat brings light and life into
you.
As you turn your attentionthere, feel your sense of

(18:59):
boundaries move further andfurther away from your core,
feel that sense of vibrancy inyour center and yet feel that
you are as big as the ocean.

(19:21):
Really, let yourself rest inyourself, experiencing that
field of consciousness, thatprofound sense of self.

(19:44):
Thank you, and work with yourbreath, breathing in in a

(20:11):
natural rhythm, breathing infullness, presence, a quiet and
subtle, almost invisible, butvery real ecstasy and joy flood

(20:55):
your being, expanding your heartarea, your chest, expanding
your vitality center in yourstomach, expanding your wisdom

(21:26):
center behind your eyes, behindyour forehead, feeling the shape
of your body beginning to glowso that those three energy

(21:46):
centers become stronger and thelight and the pulse from each
merge with one another.
So there's a central core ofluminosity and love.

(22:46):
Take a deep breath in breathingin the presence of all
dimensions, of all life, of thatone unified essence of
consciousness in all itsmultiplicity of form.

(23:09):
Let it fill your whole being,which has no boundaries,
breathing in the infiniteconsciousness so that it pools
in the infinite consciousness ofyourself no difference between

(23:34):
the outer and the inner, fulland vibrant and filled with
bliss and joy.
Open your palms and imagineholding two orbs glowing with

(24:02):
that presence and consciousness,two balls of energy, or prana

(24:32):
or chi, vibrating thatmiraculous paradox and illusion
of a form made out of all thatis and what it could never be

(24:54):
separate from.
Recognizing that you areinherently all the love that is
and that you could never beseparate from.
And now begin to release yourfocus, allowing your attention,

(26:01):
your vision, your mental stateto return to your familiar
surroundings, focusing on whatis around you and feeling the
glow of that different object ofattention.

(26:26):
Object of attention, feelingthat glow from putting your
attention on the current ofenergy and love and presence and
awareness that permeates allthat is.

(26:53):
And now, no longer feelingseparate, no longer feeling
bereft, no longer feeling likethere's anything you need to do
or be or become in order toexperience the awe and joy of
the holiday season.
Reaffirm for yourself, your ownexperience, that you are in

(27:24):
this moment exactly enough.
And, as we close this podcast,let's collectively dedicate the

(27:49):
joy and bliss and fruits of ourpractice to our own calm,
abiding in presence, to theupliftment of all beings in all

(28:15):
directions and all times, and toharmony, love and care
throughout the cosmos.
Happy holidays.
Thank you so much.
Thank you for listening to theconscious classroom.
I'm your host, amy edelstein.
Please check out the show noteson inner strength foundationnet

(28:39):
for links and more information,and if you enjoyed this podcast
, please share it with a friendand pass the love on.
See you next time.