The Beauty of Waiting Rooms

The beauty of waiting rooms is that they're the perfect place for a little mindfulness.  Tuck yourself in the corner are you're all set.  Breathe in, breathe out. 

A Mindful Marriage

What if the way you communicated with your spouse or significant other directly affected their health and well-being.  Are you communicating mindfully?

My husband was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease over twelve years ago at the age of 21.  Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease which causes inflammation of the lining of your digestive tract and although stress doesn’t cause Crohn’s it does however make symptoms worse and may trigger flare-ups.
 
Now let’s break down what exactly that means for both my husband and I, and our marriage as a whole.  Simply put, stress makes my husband sick, very sick, hospital sick, and in order to cope with this we have had to learn different techniques to not only deal with stress but more importantly avoid stress all together.

 The most effective technique that we have implemented into our lives is Mindful Communication.  Mindful communication means to listen and speak with compassion, kindness and awareness.  In order to engage in effective communication using mindfulness, we have to listen mindfully and speak mindfully.  Easy enough, right?   Here are some tips to help.

Cultivating Mindful Listening

1)      One Focus

Clear your head of any thoughts that are occupying your mind.  Clear your hands of any devices that are occupying your fingers.  Don’t look at your feet or a spot on the wall.  When someone is talking to you, look into their eyes.  It shows that you care about them and that they have your 100% attention.

2)      Don’t Assume

We all know the saying about assuming, so just don’t do it.  If the person says something that you don’t understand and you need clarification, don’t assume but rather ask them to clarify their statement.  Just be sure to come from a place of compassion. 

Cultivating Mindful Speech

1)      Pause, Breathe and Respond

When responding to either a question or comment, don’t just immediately start talking.  Pause, breathe and then respond.  Be LESS reactive and MORE responsive.  It’s amazing what this one little technique can do!

2)       Be Honest

The best thing you can do for yourself is to be yourself.  That means speaking your truth.  This doesn’t mean that you have to be mean or rude.  You can speak your truth with compassion and kindness. 

Cultivating a Mindful Relationship

1)      Lose the Ego

This isn’t a competition or a battle to be won.  This is your significant other and although you may not see eye to eye right now, ultimately the end goal is the same.

2)      Be Gracious and Grateful

Too often we focus on the negative.  You love this person; seek out the good in them and in the relationship that you’ve built together.  Seek it out, write it down and TELL them, over and over again.  Gratitude can cultivate some pretty amazing things.



My husband and I quickly learnt about the importance of 'picking our battles'; pick the wrong battle and communicate it poorly and you'll hear his gut grumble from across the room.  The physical effects of stress on my husband's body are immediate and severe.  But Crohn's or not, stress that's left unchecked can contribute to long term health problems, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, diabetes and short term problems such as headaches, insomnia, and indigestion.


So let me ask you again, knowing now that the way you communicate with your spouse or significant other directly affects their health and well-being, are you communicating mindfully?

Mindfully Late = Mindful Opportunity

My lunch date was running 15 minutes late.  A perfect excuse for some mindful breathing. 

10 Minute Mindfulness

Today I had an important meeting at Grand River Hospital.  A busy and hectic day, but I was still able to get in 10 minutes of steady mindfulness.   

Sometimes it's not about 5am meditations, sometimes it's about a 10 minute piece of zen during your lunch break.  

Find what works for you, and do that. 

Mindful Kids - A Year in Review

A Year in Review!

Wow!  Exactly 1 year ago I officially launched the first ever Mindful Kids series.  12 months later and nearly a thousand students under my belt, never in my wildest dreams did I think MK would grow into what it is today.   I am so grateful.

Not only will 2013 be filled with more classes, but this year I will be offering workshops, retreats and training programs!! 

I have made a conscious decision to continue to focus Mindful Kids privately, to continue to provide small group classes for both children and parents, and to offer both private and semi-private sessions to those that need it most (both in person and via skype).   We, as a society, are at a pivotal point with our children and NOW is the time.  Kids are overwhelmed by their busy schedules and they are having a hard time coping.  They are finding it increasingly difficult to “calm down” and “pay attention”, and as a result their self-esteem is at an all-time low.   Mindful Kids take you from chaos to clarity, creating calm, confident and focused kids.  The next series starts the second week of January.  Register early to avoid disappointment.


Testimonials

I am looking for comments, feedback and testimonials for my new website.  Be a part of this Mindful Movement and send me your testimonials!

Please email your comments, feedback and testimonials about this program to sheena@blue-bamboo.ca or put together a family package and I would be more than happy pick it up.  Children's quotes and drawings are also welcome. 




Registration IS Open

Hard to believe that we are in our last week of Mindful Kids.  Wow!

Registration for the next Mindful Kids series opens THIS WEDNESDAY! BUT early registration is available to PAST AND PRESENT Mindful Families NOW. Classes are $120.00 and run for 6 weeks. Monday’s classes run from January 7th – February 11th and Wednesday’s classes run from January 9th – February 13th.
Mindful Kids
Monday: 4:00-4:50pm
Wednesday: 4:00-4:50pm
Wednesday: 6:00-6:50pm
Mindful Parents
Wednesday: 7:30-8:30pm
Abraham Erb P.S. after school pick up is available.
Payment plans are now available email sheena@blue-bamboo.ca for more info.


And as always, please feel free to pass this along to anyone whom you see fit.  Your continued support is always appreciated.   Thank you.

Have an amazing holiday!  
Relax and take time to really truly enjoy the simple things in life.  


Sheena Bounsanga
The Mindful Kids Movement
www.blue-bamboo.ca
646 Wild Ginger Ave.
226-868-1634

Sometimes I'm Speechless... So Grateful.

Wow!   What a great series, with such a great group of kids and parents!  This was unlike any other Mindful Kids series that I have taught.  Through my course in San Fran I was taught to really get back to the basics, to keep it simple and to not overwhelm (both the kids and myself), and that is exactly what we did!

The Wednesday night class ends today, and the Monday night class ends next Monday.   The new series starts the week of November 12th.

In this series we learned about:
Week 1:  Mindful Bodies and finding our quiet space
Week 2:  Being Mindful of our breath and where in our bodies we can notice that breath
Week 3:  Heartfulness - sending kind thoughts
Week 4:  We created our own tornado and talked about different ways to get still and calm
Week 5:  Mindful Eating (always a fav!) - really experiencing a meal, slowly, mindfully, with all of our senses.
Week 6:  Mind the Music - Taking something as simple as a song on the radio and turning it into a very deeply relaxing mindfulness experience.

Each series is built in such a way that :
A) past students can continue to build on the skills they already have and learn brand new techniques along the way.
B) new students can join in and start their own journey of Mindfulness: Calm, Confident and Chill.

Think of it as a yoga class... the more you come, the more natural the techniques feel.


SNEAK PEAK!
Here's what's coming up in series 2!!

Week 1:  Quick Review & Body Awareness
Week 2:  Mindfulness of Breathing using base words to focus
Week 3:  Heartfulness - Generosity
Week 4:  Our Thoughts
Week 5:  Mindful Seeing  (& back by popular demand, a little bit of mindful eating as well)
Week 6:  Mind the Music - Making our own mindfulness cards for focus

EARLY REGISTRATION ENDS TONIGHT, AND FULL REGISTRATION WILL OPEN TOMORROW AT 9AM!!  
These spaces will fill up very quickly, so book your spot first.... then go tell all your friends.  ;)

Mindful Parents
We had an amazing group of mindful mama's in this series, and I was honoured to spend every Wednesday evening with them.  And although I can't tell you everything (what happens in Mindful Parents, stays in Mindful Parents ;)  ), I can tell you this...
We had some great laughs, a few tears and lots and lots of amazingly insightful conversations.

How GRAND!

A sneak peak at the summer issue of the Grand magazine.  De-stressing the Kids!  

The Mindful Kids Movement Summer Schedule

It's been a BEYOND busy day today.   Grand magazine launched it's Summer issue yesterday, and I am super excited to be featured in an article about anxious kids.   The picture above is from our photo shoot at Abraham Erb Public School here in Waterloo, Ontario.

Summer can be a very busy time for families.  Vacations, sports, summer camps and visits at grandma and grandpa's house pretty much throw any type of routine out the window.  For this reason The Mindful Kids Movement classes will only be holding private classes for July and August.  

Private classes can be as small as 1 child or as large as 8+ children.  Private family classes are also available.

 To book a private class please email, Sheena@blue-bamboo.ca.  

News, Updates and Summer camp!

I hope this blog finds you happy, healthy, and relaxed.

I have a lot of news, events, and updates to share, so bare with me as I try to stay as organized as possible.

The Mindful Kids Movement

I have some exciting news!!   I am thrilled (and so very very grateful) to say that Mindful Kids is doing amazingly well.  With over 35 Mindful Kid currently enrolled, running 6 classes a week, I'm trying very hard to keep up with the demand.  Amazing!

We are only half way into our 2nd series and parents (and kids) are asking about the summer and fall schedule.   I know how hard it is to commit to ANYTHING in the summer, and that's why I've designed a "drop-in" Mindful kids program.  There will be two evening MK classes that will run on a drop-in basis every Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm-6:50pm.  Drop-in classes are $20 a class or you can buy a summer pack at a discounted rate.  Come as often, or as little as you'd like.

I have been completely overwhelmed by the amount of parents asking me to run a Mindful Kids Summer camp program....  SO here it is!!  (...with a twist!! Be sure to read to the very end!)

Camp dates are:

July 16th-20th
July 23rd-27th

July 30th-Aug. 3rd

Aug. 7th-10th

Half day: 9am-noon 

$40 a half day or $175 for the week.

*morning snack will be provided*

Full day: 9am-4:30pm 

$50 a day or $225 for the week.

*lunch and 2 snacks will be provided*

(extended hours available upon request)

Blue Bamboo Holistics recognizes the busy summer schedules that some families have, that's why Mindful Kids Camp and summer evening classes are running on a drop-in basis!!  

Want to book summer camp for every Monday, and Wednesday? Great!

Only free Fridays?  Perfect!

Do you need camp Monday to Friday every week?  Excellent!

Book in as many or as little days as you'd like!!   My goal is not to over schedule your children, or empty your wallet.  My goal is to provide the mindfulness classes and camps in a schedule that works for you!

CHECK YOUR CALENDARS, and email me the dates that you'd like to reserve!! You'll receive a confirmation email, along with a registration form and invoice.

As always, keepin' it simple :)

Mindful Parents

As a thank you to all my amazing Mindful Clients, I will be doing a 1 hour Mindful Parents talk at Olivier Waterloo.  Located at 75 King Street South, Uptown Waterloo. www.oliviersoapswaterloo.com  Space is limited, so please rsvp if you are interested in coming!

Join us May 19^th @ 2pm for a Mindful Kids parent talk.

We’ll talk about…

·         The importance of mindfulness

·         Finding the mindfulness in everyday life

·         Mindfulness practices that help children be more focused, calm, and relaxed

You’ll walk away with…

·         A better understanding of what mindfulness is and why you and your child need more of it in your life

·         Lots of great tools, tricks, and tips for both you and your child.

·         The confidence to follow your heart and parent from a place of calm and clarity.

Reflexology and Reiki

A new promo!   A loyality promo!!  

I'm no longer offering the flex pass in a lump sum, rather I'm breaking it down to a "pay as you go" option.

Here are the details...

Initial 1 hour session - $60 (regular price)

Book Monthly - $50

Book Bi-weekly - $45

Book Weekly - $40

The rate is based upon your last booked session, and as a result, the rate can fluctuate depending on the frequency of your sessions. 

The more often you come, the more you save!!

Thank you

As always, thank you for your continued support!!!  I am so very very grateful that I am able to follow my passion (and pay some bills while I'm at it.)  ;)   Thank you!

Relaxations,

Sheena

Back by Popular Demand!!! Round 2 of the 6 session Flex Pass!!