just sitting

BCBG Max Azria silk top, thrifted

DKNY jeans, Macy's

necklace, Forever 21

       Another simple outfit to deal with the heat while looking somewhat put-together ...
      A month into the new school year, I'm feeling pretty settled into my routine, although as usual, I would like to work on getting to bed earlier. Waking up at 5 a.m. is always challenging when you're a night owl! My main motivation for getting to bed earlier is that I'd like a little more meditation time. I find that my thoughts slow down and I get really settled after about 8 minutes of sitting, and guess how long I can afford to sit in the morning? 8 minutes. You see the problem ...  
    After a great deal of thought, I decided to share my personal practice with my students. At first I was reading this book to get some ideas, but it made me feel overwhelmed and doubtful that I knew enough to even get started. So I returned the book to the library, added it to my Amazon wish list for future reading, and forged on with what (little) I know. 
     Most days we do "breathing exercise" after our morning meeting. I deliberately chose to not call it "meditation" because I worried that I would get complaints about my teaching religion. I found a singing bowl for a great price (unfortunately, the price was so good because the store is closing this month, but it was a lucky find for a teacher on a budget), and we ring it to start and end our breathing. The students expressed interest in ringing the bowl, so I've started choosing one person each day to do so. Most of my students do it with me, some don't, but I don't force anyone to participate. I was heartened, however, when I forgot to do it on Friday and one of my students reminded me! I truly hope that this is a life skill my students can take with them that will help them be more focused, resilient, and peaceful. 
      p.s.: My classroom's Donors Choose project is alive! If you feel inspired to help, your donation will be doubled ($100 limit) if you enter the code INSPIRE and donate by Sept. 14. I won't make a regular habit out of touting my classroom fund-raising projects in this space, but this is my first time using Donors Choose and I thought I'd put it out there just this once ...