.b Mindfulness in Schools Teachers Training Course

Teach . b Mindfulness in Schools Teachers Training Course

20-23th October, 2014: Three BMHA members (KC Chiang, Dr. Phang, Jasmine Chiam) attended the Teach .b Mindfulness in Schools Teachers Training Course in Phuket, Thailand. The course cum meditation retreat was held in Phuket International Academy (PIA), an international school that integrates mindfulness and social emotional learning in its curriculum. With the four-day training, we now have more certified teachers to deliver mindfulness training to adolescents in Malaysia using the . b model. In .b program, mindfulness is taught using secular, short, and simple methods. Led by James Gibb and his team, step-by-step instructions were given to deliver nine mindful-based lessons in classroom. The video clips, classroom activities and pedagogical discussion are all indeed very useful. Hopefully more Malaysians could be trained to teach .b program in the future.   

MINDFULGym at Kinta Buddhist Society

18th October, 2014 (Saturday) - A half-day Mindful-Gym Stress Reduction & Wellness REST-Shop was introduced to about 30 school teachers and lecturers in Kampar & Kinta. The program was initiated by Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia (YBAM) and held at Kinta Buddhist Society located near Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR). The trainers of the rest-shop were Dr. Phang Cheng Kar (psychiatrist & lecturer, UPM) and Mr. Pheh Kai Shuen (clinical psychologist & lecturer, UTAR). The participants had a wonderful time at the rest-shop and were requesting for more Mindful-Gym training. Hopefully Mr. Pheh could deliver a full 5-week program in Kampar/Kinta by 2015. 

MINDFULGym at International Medical University (IMU)

16/10/2014 - Mindful-Gym has been introduced at International Medical University's (IMU) Clinical School in Seremban. The half-day program was initiated by Consultant Psychiatrist Dr. Philip George and Registered Counselor Madam Yeoh Kim Yeok for the emotional well-being of the students. Hopefully with the Mindful-Gym 'kungfu,' the students could be more resilient in coping with the challenges in medical school and become great doctors. With this, Mindful-Gym has now been introduced in 3 medical schools in Malaysia; UPM, UTAR and IMU.

MINDFULGym in The Star paper

Online version of the article - HERE

Tentative dates for MindfulGym intakes in 2015:

MindfulGym 10 - January: 3, 10, 17, 24, 31
MindfulGym 11 - May: 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
MindfulGym 12 - October: 3. 10, 17, 24, 31

All sessions are on Saturdays, 3-5 pm at Brickfields Maha Vihara.
For registration - HERE. FAQ on MindfulGym - NOW.

Mindful Walking Song

We walk to the left, 

And we walk to the right,

And we walk and we walk,

Everything is alright...

To the left, I let go,

To the right, I dunno,

With a smile on the face,

Rest in here-and-now...

Note:

Let go = let go of regrets of the past & worries of the future

Dunno = keep an open/beginner's mind 

Click HERE to access the PowerPoint file with singing

MINDFULGym Batch 9 Graduates

Congratulations to the 9th batch of 21 MINDFULGym graduates. This is the last batch of training for 2014 and the next batch will likely commence in January, 2015.

Feedback:

Very dedicated trainers and coordinator - yeah.

The smile check is really important. I find that the Japanese version of Happiness Here and Now is really nice. Dr. Phang is really innovative.

Everything is awesome, especially the Whatsapp group and emails that connect and engage everyone in home-gym and sharing. Free training materials, that's GREAT!

I have gained from the exercises in the training. In addition the books and DVD in the training kit, have given me a lot of information and guidance on mental health. I like the informal atmosphere which makes me feel at ease.

Honestly, I can't find any area for improvement at the moment as all aspects of the program is really good. The only thing is we have to remember to put it to practice.

It is a good training for everyone. no matter how educated you are , how senior you are , how rich you are it is definitely helpful to find more happiness in life.

MINDFULGym is useful for meditation practitioners too as being mindful is an important aspect of the practice. The beginner's mind approach to things we take for granted does open up new discoveries. This is really amazing. For example, sitting on the steps of the main shrine hall and just looking at the bodhi trees - with just a gush of wind, the leaves seem to be lightly dancing in the air, reminds me of those window chimes (foong ling in Cantonese), gives a very light-hearted feeling.

It will benefit everyone, may everyone be more grateful and mindful. Count your blessings, and send blessings to people around you!

It's good program for everyone, especially on managing stress.

MINDFULGym provides a list of ways to calm and relax one’s mind. It heightens one’s awareness and in the process empowers one to live a more effective life. Go for it!

Good for reducing stress, tools easy to practice.