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| Students practicing sitting meditation, Gomdar Central School |
The 4th Annual
Mindfulness camp was held at Chokyi Gyatso Institute in Dewathang from 7th
to 13th January 2018.
As a result of the camp,
teacher participants actively initiated various mindfulness activities for
teachers and students in their respective schools through establishing mindfulness
club and School Based In-service Programme (SBIP).
The mindfulness practice is
integrated in a week long value orientation programme in few schools including
Karmaling Higher Secondary School and Pemathang Lower Secondary School at the
beginning of their academic session (2018). On a regular basis, all the
teachers who took part in the camp do few minutes of practice with the students
every day before they begin their lessons in the class.
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| Mindfulness program at Pemathang Lower Secondary School |
A participant from Arekha
Middle Secondary School, Chukha district integrated the mindfulness practice
during their lunch time to encourage students to eat mindfully, to make meal
offerings, and to sit for few minutes of practice. The mindful walk is another
practice Madam Dechen of the school encourages her students to do every morning
after the assembly as they walk back to their class rooms. For teachers of the school, Dechen was
successful in initiating a 5 minute practice every before and after the staff
meeting.
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| Students of Ura Central School practicing Karma yoga |
Another participant, Madam
Tenzin Dema of Ura Central School, Bumthang integrated the mindfulness practice
in doing community services through the practice of karma yoga (work as practice). The Karma Yoga is a practice to apply the supreme methods for refining
ones intention and motivation to carry out any service selflessly for the
greater benefit of all sentient beings. With the help of Dema the peer
helper club members did a mass cleaning in one of the local temples in Ura. On
the other hand Dema also led the scout club members of the school to clean a
local stream coinciding with the world water day.
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| LME students attending one day mindfulness camp |
Recently, Ms. Sangay Wangmo,
one of the past camp participants from Karmaling Higher Secondary School,
Phuntshothang wrote a proposal to her school administration requesting to
permit her to carry out Mindfulness training as a strategy for the disciplinary
issues in the school. The school administration wholeheartedly accepted her
proposal and she is now ready to commence her plan.
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| SBIP for teacher at Ura CS |
Back at Chokyi Gyatso
Institute a daylong mindfulness camp was organized for LME students, teachers
and CGI lopons. More than 60 participants took part in the program. The program
was organized to continue and emphasize the importance of mindfulness practice.
It was to deepen their understandings of practice and to appreciate it as a
part of themselves. It was also to introduce the existence of mind and the mindfulness
techniques to newly enrolled students.
The mindfulness practice of 3-5 minutes is
maintained on daily basis in the class. Besides daily practice, once a week students
practice karma yoga as they do their social work in the Institute. The karma
yoga practice is also integrated when the students are involved in volunteer works
and social services in their community.
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| Students practicing walking meditation at Karmaling Higher S School |
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| SBIP for Karmaling HSS Teachers |
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| Karma Yoga at Local temple, Ura, Bumathang |
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| Ura CSS, Photo session after the community services |
