Huge congratulations to Tami for achieving her Social-Emotional Learning Facilitator (SEL*F) certification, and Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT200) certification from Breathe for Change, a teacher training program registered with Yoga Alliance!  Click on Tami's menu link above to learn more about her, and click the Contact link to schedule a session today!

Today, I had the great opportunity to present a mindfulness and meditation session for the Bellmore-Merrick CHSD's Twilight Program, an Alternative High School Setting that takes place in the late afternoon for students who have difficulty succeeding in a traditional educational setting.  I was able to lead 14 students and teachers in a guided meditation, and speak to them about the importance of developing a peaceful and calm mind.  Huge thanks to Bellmore-Merrick Counsellor Carol Cupo for inviting me!

I am thrilled to announce that, beginning this coming Tuesday, For Teenagers: #UnwindUrMind will run EVERY Tuesday in Massapequa!  We have had some great turnouts, but the '2 weeks a month' plan was causing some students (and their parents) some confusion.  Add to that a snowstorm that canceled one of our classes, and the enrollment started to get a little shaky.  I am hoping that by going to an every Tuesday schedule, it'll be easier for everyone.  :)

This evening's first Teen Meditation Class in Massapequa was everything I could have hoped for, and more!  We had 10 students attend the 1st session, from East Meadow, Amityville, and everywhere in between.  We had a great guided meditation followed by a short teaching on how we can choose to respond to stressors, rather than to react to them.  The students seemed to enjoy the class, and I told them that their homework was to each bring a friend to our next class in 2 weeks. :) 

After finishing my summer meditation series at Kadampa Meditation Center Long Island's Massapequa Branch, a few of the students (who are also parents) suggested the idea of starting a regular class that was geared for teenagers.  I am thrilled to announce that, beginning Tuesday, November 13th, I will be teaching a class titled, For Teenagers: #UnwindUrMind (see what I did there?).  The 45-minute long class will include a guided meditation and a short general teaching on how to navigate the unique stressors that teens have.  The class will meet on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month.   I am honored to have this opportunity.  For more info, go to ​https://meditationonlongisland.org/for-teenagers-unwindurmind-in-massapequa/ 

I am honored to have been accepted as a clinician for the 2018 Balanced Mind Conference, a curricular professional development afternoon held at Molloy College in Rockville Center, NY. The yearly November conference is geared towards music, art, drama, and dance educators, and I will be presenting a session focused on the importance on 'balancing your mind' during the most stressful times of the school year (performance time, etc).  Balanced Mind is attended by hundreds of arts educators from Nassau County, and I am thrilled to have this opportunity!

This past Wednesday was my final class of the Serenity at Noon series at Kadampa Meditation Center Long Island's Massapequa Branch.  It was a wonderful experience, and I think I learned just as much as I taught.  Yesterday, I was asked if I could fill in for today's Noon class (the regular teacher has a conflict), so I will get one more opportunity to teach about how to develop a calm, peaceful mind!  The class is $5, and the Center is located at 516 Broadway in Massapequa (a few blocks north of Sunrise Highway).  Hope to see you there!

Here's more info about the class that I'll be teaching at KMC-LI in Massapequa this July and August-

516 Broadway, Massapequa
Wednesdays, Noon-1pm/ $5.00
​Hope you can make it!

(Text from the Class Website, which will be updated after the series ends.)
Serenity at Noon: Unwinding the Mind... A Summer Meditation Series for Beginners and Newer Practitioners.
Take a break from the stress…
This series of 1-hour classes will help you learn how to relax your mind, sharpen your concentration,  and generally begin feeling more energized and refreshed. They will also provide you with new tools for dealing with stress, anxiety, and problems.
Meditation will help you to overcome negative states of mind such as anger and jealousy, and to cultivate positive minds such as patience and love.
The talks and guided meditations will provide you with the foundation for developing a meditation practice. A regular meditation practice has many benefits:

• • helps reduce stress
  • overcomes anxiety and worry
  • brings inner calm and a feeling of well-being
  • gives clarity to solve our problems
  • helps us deal with challenging people and situations

Everyone is welcome!
July 11- We Can Change Our Mind (Indeed, it’s the only thing we can change)
July 18- This Mountain vs That Mountain (or… Gosh, I am soooo important)
July 25- The Root Nature of Our Mind (and everyone else’s too)
August 1- The Cause of Death… is Birth (Trust me, it’s not as depressing as it sounds)
August 8- What (or Who) Am I REALLY Looking At?
August 15- Emptiness (Part 2)
August 22- Love vs Attachment (It’s not what you might think)

I am so very excited!  I have been invited by my Dharma teacher to fill in and teach the Wednesday Noon-1pm class at Kadampa Meditation Center Long Island's Massapequa Branch.  The regular teacher will be on vacation for July and August, and I am beyond excited to have been offered this opportunity!  More info to come!  

I am honored to have been invited to do a guided meditation at the 2018 Relay for Life, an overnight program sponsored by the American Cancer Society.  The Relay at Calhoun is a big deal, with much of the school community (students, staff, parents and families) participating.  Of course, there is something to be said about the energy created when a community of like-minded individuals comes together for a single purpose, and I am excited for the opportunity to guide a meditation this evening at 10:30pm.

Today is the start of the two-week Advanced Placement Exam testing week, arguably one of the most stressful periods of the school year at Calhoun HS.  Thanks to the incredible support that I have received from my Principal, one of our Guidance Counsellors and I will be offering a quick 15-minute meditation, prior to each exam group being bussed over to the testing center.  For the morning exams, we'll meet at 7:10am in the Vocal Room, and for the afternoon exam, we'll meet at 11am in the Auditorium.  I am fortunate to have this opportunity to help students to relax and focus, prior to their exams.

This morning, while in Virginia Beach, VA with my choral students at a choir competition, I had the great opportunity to offer an early morning guided meditation on the boardwalk.  The view was fantastic, the sound of the crashing waves was calming, and the group that participated said that it was one of the high points of the weekend.  I wish I could do this here once a week!

Flyers have been up in the hallways, reminder emails have been sent, and today begins our first after-school guided meditation program for staff and students at Calhoun HS, "Mindful Mondays"! We have a set of cushions, and plenty of chairs to sit on.  Being the Choral Director at Calhoun, I'm able to volunteer a nice, big space in the Vocal Room.  There are 3 of us who will be rotating as guides... myself, a guidance counsellor, and a paraprofessional.  One of the great things about our Mindful Mondays is, each of us has a different style, so if anyone joins us and doesn't quite mesh with that guided meditation, they are encouraged to return the next week and get a completely different experience.  It will probably start small, and grow organically, but I envision a program where students and staff are sitting right next to each other, and creating a virtuous energy through meditating together.

Beginning today, we are moving the collegial meditation circle of Calhoun HS to my office.  The HVAC in the Dance Room made it rather challenging to meditate, and if you've never seen my office, it has been described by many to be quite "zen".  In addition, the general consensus was to move the meeting to Friday mornings.  My colleague who began this meeting earlier this school year had also invited me to rotate with her in leading the guided meditations... I am honored to have been asked!

Each Monday morning, I attend a collegial meditation circle of teachers, administrators, and staff, in the Calhoun HS Dance Room.  One of our paraprofessionals leads the meditation, and it is a wonderful way to start the week.  Today, I have been asked to fill in and be a guest meditation guide.  I'll get to do a 12 minute breathing/ body of light meditation, and I am thrilled for the opportunity.