Friday, March 28

By Jayla - March 28, 2024

By: Jayla Balderas

Today was our last day of the term! We started the morning working on the final presentation for next week when we welcomed our peers and parents to see what we learned. This presentation allowed us to reflect on what we have covered and our key takeaways. My reflection was the different creative mindfulness-based activities in the last two weeks, such as Metta Stones, Sand Manadalas, Zen Gardens, and Zentangles. My favorite creative activity was my Mandala coloring book. This is a great activity to ease anxiety and tension, and I used this coloring book throughout the week and during our breaks. Other students worked in the coloring books during student presentations, a great way to focus on what our peers were saying while we colored.

After working on our Google slide show, we chose three meditations from the meditation resource page. We did a five-minute meditation that you can do from anywhere at any time of the day. I enjoyed this five-minute meditation because it focuses on grounding you in the present moment and choosing something you can do today that brings you joy. Since this meditation is short, you can easily incorporate it into your morning routine to set the intention of peace and happiness for your upcoming day. We also did a two-minute meditation, which a lot of us agreed was too short and felt rushed, but doing it showed us that an excellent minimal time for meditation is five minutes. Finally, our last meditation was a 30-minute Yoga Nidra. We all have loved doing this type of Yoga in the afternoon every day. A 20-minute restorative yoga is very rejuvenating and gives you the energy to complete the rest of the day with more brain power.

In the afternoon, we decided to go for a nature walk. We were each given a plastic bag to collect natural elements and create a "Nature Mandala." In my bag, I collected leaves, sticks, and flowers. We did this walk in complete silence, allowing me to be more immersed and grounded in nature and the present moment. I was able to be more attuned to my senses so I could feel the breeze and the ground beneath my feet. Once we arrived at a strip of nature in the neighborhood, we spent five more minutes gathering material for our Natura Mandala before finding a spot to sit down and create our pieces of work. When making my Nature Mandala, I used what we learned during the Sand Mandala. I set my intention of peaceful and compassionate vibes/intentions while I created my Nature Mandalas, and I wished peace and compassion for all individuals without exception.

After this creative activity, we finished the day with a walking meditation. For this mediation, we took ten slow and meaningful steps in one direction before taking ten steps in the opposite direction. While doing this meditation, the intention was that you become grounded in your body and with the earth. Overall, this meditation is great if you need a break during the day to ground yourself back into the present moment before continuing with your day! We finished the day by taking a trip to Blackhole!