And the journey begins...

There were many meaningful parts in the "When Mindfulness Meets the Classroom" reading. I am definitely a "quote person." Both of these were significant to me.

On this slide, I used the concept of mindfulness and identified other words that came to mind when I considered the practice. This slide was made using Word It Out.

The garden was an excellent place for me to practice mindfulness. It is very calm and peaceful, and I tend to focus on the sights, smells, and sounds that are around. Thus, my mind tends to be very quiet. There is always a discovery to make in the garden - you have to look closely and focus. This slide shows part of our flower garden.

This is our vegetable garden where we are growing beets, eggplant, peppers, cucumbers, bush watermelon, and deck corn. There are purple potato plants on the ground to the right of the corn. This is also a place where I am able to focus, stay centered and be very aware of my surroundings. Every day is a new discovery and wonder in the garden - I just have to find it!

Mindfulness in the external world continues through my daily walks. Blanca, our American Eskimo, is my regular partner. We travel in our neighborhood where we have taken literally hundreds of walks. I noticed, however, that before this week I was walking out of habit and rarely taking the time to really focus on the walk - the sights, the sounds, my breathing, and my actual steps. Truly a positive difference in the experience when I became more aware. It was also more relaxing.

I would like to have a photo of me doing yoga, but I'm not there yet. My previous experience with yoga was a positive, although short-lived one. I did find it relaxing, calming, and I became much more aware of my breathing and of being centered. My mind was quiet, although I tended to focus a lot of attention on the poses and found some very challenging.