Elements mindfulness exercise
During the mindfulness exercise, I was reminded of a moment recently when I took myself to a park during a stressful time and noticed my breath, the wind, and the sound of water. Sharing this practice with the group showed me that they saw the prison garden in another light, they were able to connect with similar calming sensations and notice more than they had before. It reinforced the importance of both practicing and sharing mindfulness.
Trauma Informed Facilitation
The trauma‑informed modules brought up early memories - some were my own experiences but other were things I had witnessed and pin-point that early empathy that I gained. It showed me how trauma can surface in unexpected ways as I felt sensations in the body when thinking about the trauma that I had also experienced as a child.
During chair practice I became more aware of how I arrived in practice, feeling unsettled and not ready to sit at first. Jen helped me recognise that the body and mind don’t always align, and that this is part of the process. I’m becoming more attuned to the cues and stress responses of others as well, and learning to trust that understanding often comes in time through my own understanding or through the TIY sessions and modules. Feeling very grateful for this 🙂