September 17, 2012

Mindfulness in Action

345am. Awaken to the darkness of night. A time when all else sleeps except the teachers of APV school and the crickets. Sitting in silence with one’s body, breath and thoughts. Some days it feels as though the hour is an eternity. Other days the hour is not long enough and the mind craves more silence.

5am. Our eyes open to the budding light. We take a breath together.

We sit together, study together, eat together, teach together, clean together and trust each other. Mindful living releases one from personal cravings and desires and focuses on creating synchronous collective action. Deeraj Bhai, one of the APV teachers tells me this morning, even if you don’t come to meditation, we will sit for you. We will hold the space for you, just as you would for us.

Walking down the hill to school. The focus is on the breath otherwise falling is inevitable. Every action in the day requires complete one pointed attention. Sitting in morning assembly. The children rush in like a tornado and sit as if they are in the eye of it. Complete quiet, eyes closed, feeling the breath in the body. We all count ten breaths together, listen to the birds outside and the breath inside. We open our eyes and the music begins. The children play instruments and sing songs written by the founder of the school. The words are about meditation, self knowledge and courage from fear. They enter one deeply and the school day begins.

Author

Khushi

Indian heritage and American opportunities have defined Khushi's integration of philosophies that span continents. She is honored to return to India in the spirit of seva to share the knowledge she gained from these incredible opportunities. After graduating from college, Khushi's conversations with her grandmother led her to the Himalayan Institute where she served as a Herbal Apprentice for 1.5 years, studying Ayurveda, Yoga, Meditation, and the Cultivation of Medicinal Herbs and Healing. After falling in love with meditation, Khushi became certified to teach these practices to others. Since living in Philadelphia, she earned two Masters with the intent to bring Mindfulness to underserved communities through research and practice. In Philly, she formed Finding Freedom Within, a social service organization that combines traditional modalities with meditation and yoga for incarcerated individuals, drug rehab, at-risk schools, and traumatized children at the UPenn Center for Youth and Family Trauma. Khushi also served as a public health researcher and writer in her time at Temple University in the areas of parenting and teacher well-being. She is a dancer, gardener, artist and aspiring mountaineer, and one day hopes to follow in her grandfather's footsteps to learn the sitar.

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khushimalhotra

Indian heritage and American opportunities have defined Khushi's integration of philosophies that span continents. She is honored to return to India in the spirit of seva to share the knowledge she gained from these incredible opportunities. After graduating from college, Khushi's conversations with her grandmother led her to the Himalayan Institute where she served as a Herbal Apprentice for 1.5 years, studying Ayurveda, Yoga, Meditation, and the Cultivation of Medicinal Herbs and Healing. After falling in love with meditation, Khushi became certified to teach these practices to others. Since living in Philadelphia, she earned two Masters with the intent to bring Mindfulness to underserved communities through research and practice. In Philly, she formed Finding Freedom Within, a social service organization that combines traditional modalities with meditation and yoga for incarcerated individuals, drug rehab, at-risk schools, and traumatized children at the UPenn Center for Youth and Family Trauma. Khushi also served as a public health researcher and writer in her time at Temple University in the areas of parenting and teacher well-being. She is a dancer, gardener, artist and aspiring mountaineer, and one day hopes to follow in her grandfather's footsteps to learn the sitar.

One thought on “Mindfulness in Action”

Sridar says:

September 25, 2012 at 11:00 pm

Khushi
You are in a special place. Those kids are adorable and it is magical to sit in assembly with 2/3 of the tots on your lap each wanting to cuddle up closer to you. enjoy
Sridar

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