I'm back. Still interested with the experience and the possibilities.
Seating Chart:
Worked on a colorful seating chart and shared with Kr. She made a few changes and they turned out to be perfect. Separating the older girls was key. I prepped for hours 4 or 5 days ahead of the session. Copying each page of the program and placing that on the color-coated cards. This second session was in this large room. We moved all of the tables and set up twelve chairs. I printed out adhesive labels with the girls first name and the staff by the last names preceded by Mr. or Miss.
They came in tired and wandering and unfocused. It was decided to let the girls have their snacks before our session began. The room was big so their was not much intimacy. Learning about starting with an art project once they arrive would have made each session begin so much better. Also, once we used the smaller room, we also noticed a much better, quieter result but battled with heat in the room, also an impediment to a calmer experience. And fully expecting that it was never going to be calm, without interruptions and having their full attention.
The image I had of Ka finding her soothing touch gesture of holding her face with both hands and To petting her forearm like she would a cat kept me going. If the youngest were already finding something of value then I was sure each girl would find one thing out of the five days that would last them into their adulthood.
Light the Candle and Soft Landing:
This is as much about calming myself as with the group.
One Word Check-In
Great way to start the session. This is the first time I realized the individual personalities and the deep integrity each girl had. Nothing superfluous here. Ca in most cases said, "Boring."
Quick review from the flip chart about Mindful Self-Compassion and Soothing Touch and Self-Compassion break.
Talking Stick:
There is so much talking and not listening. There was much need for a talking stick so I went to the Native American store to buy one and found a small, round natural rattle. This was introduced as a way we were going to speak. Fully expecting a rough start I got one but gradually it improved. As one girl would get the principle, they would help the others to follow.
This gets more interesting however and an important learning about myself.
Diversity:
This section was from session I but there was not enough time nor quiet to take it in. I practiced this session a lot and felt it in my bones. It became my mantra.
Everyone belongs - Everyone has a voice - Everyone is more alike than not alike.
It was when I said everyone had a voice that Ca interrupted me talking about something, I can't remember but it led the whole group to erupt. I asked Ca to wait for the talking stick and I did not notice but she was holding it in her hand. The words I chose to use, made her angry and she shut down and threw the gourd to the ground and it opened a hole where the beads fell out. While later this became a silver lining story, once we were done with that section, I apologized to Ca but describing what i said and then she nodded to me. An, said to me that was a nice apology. I explained it was not about me but that I appreciate her saying that.
Soles of the Feet
Going by Dr. Chris Germer's advice, I shifted the program around the situation and started Souls of the Feet. Movement was important and retrospectively, learning from Dr. Bluth, teens love this meditation. Also realizing it was not my role to discipline the group, and the best thing I could do was to do the meditation with them and I did. As always, nothing was ever quiet like adults. They will always be one girl being disruptive but it had a good vibe and calmed things down well.
Here Now Stone
I must have realized that these concrete meditation were working as this is an alternative meditation offered in the adult program but was repeated twice as a favorite. I stopped at the Science Museum to add more stones to my collection and passed them around on a wooden tray. To was wildly excited and they all wanted to know what the stones were. As the tray was being passed everyone took quality time looking at the stones and I could start to comment on what they were doing. When I've doing this before, I always call this their meditation stone. A stone that they can have to keep and remind them of this practice.
Home Practice - Mindfulness in Daily Life:
This was repeated the second week. It was fun to introduce and use examples with the use of the flip chart but not until session IV did I realize the importance of writing out the Home Practice on a piece of paper and handing it out to them.
Practices from the adult program I left out:
* Affectionate breathing
* Poetry
* Extroverts versus Introverts
Key Learnings and Debrief with Kr:
* Be diligent about seat assignments
* Be flexible about breaks. Take them when it feels right.
* We need to make our own Talking Sticks.