Learn – Summer 2017


How to make Meditation a Daily Practice

– Contributed by Vanessa Tran

Have you ever come across anyone who suggested that meditation is good for you? Or maybe through social media or magazines you’ve read articles that indicate there is scientific proof that meditation helps to relax the body, quiet mind chatter, is good for mental health and that it even brings peace of mind, just to name a few benefits?

I come from a family who meditates so the benefits of meditation are ingrained in me … but, for some reasons, I resisted it with all my might when I was younger (I’m thinking that it’s a form of rebellion by saying, “No! I will not quiet my mind and there’s nothing you can do about it!!!”). As an adult, juggling the many tasks including work responsibilities, owning a side business, paying bills, doing groceries, cooking, cleaning and so on, I often described myself in a state of overwhelm. To any close friends who would ask how I was doing, I would respond, “I’m so busy and overwhelmed.” Living in an energy crisis mode everyday with no coping mechanism, I’d burn out once or twice a year.

Has this ever happened to you? If yes, it doesn’t mean that you’re physically, emotionally or mentally weak. It is just the body’s way of communicating to us that we need to slow down.

About 10 years ago, I gave in to my younger rebellious self and started to meditate … because the other option was to medicate. It was really tough because as soon as I sat down, I started feeling itchy and achy, and all kinds of thoughts would race into my mind, one thought after another like a monkey swinging from one branch to another. It was very disappointing because I expected “quiet the mind chatter” would come to me in an instant. That didn’t happen so I almost gave up. Luckily, I decided to give it one more try … so, basically after every single meditation, to keep myself from quitting, I would say to myself, “Give it one more try.”

I’m really glad that I didn’t give up, as meditation is a large part of my life now and in fact it has become a daily practice. On days that I don’t get to meditate, I’m less calm at work, less focused, more frazzled, less mindful and most likely to forget where I left my keys.

I’d like to share with you a few things that I have learned and wish I had learned sooner, in hopes that it makes your meditation journey a little less bumpy:

    • Choose a realistic amount to meditate.
      I always thought that meditating meant sitting still like a statue, for an hour or more, in silence. It doesn’t need to be. It could be for just two minutes! Five, 10, 15, 20 minutes. It could be any amount that you have in the moment.
    • Meditate in the morning.
      Morning meditations set you up for a wonderful day ahead. There’s a little less mental chatter in the morning, right after you wake up. In my opinion, evening meditations are more challenging as I’m already tired and my mind is full of conversations exchanged during the day to reflect on. If the morning is not convenient for you, choose a specific time you have free every day, your morning break or lunch break, for instance. Having a regular routine helps build a habit.
    • Dedicate a little space in your home for meditation. All you really need is a fold-up blanket or cushion in a space that is always available for you to use.
    • Meditate anywhere, even with your eyes open. Unlike exercising your body, you don’t get sweaty exercising your mind. So you can do it in your regular clothing, wherever you happen to be. You can keep your eyes open, pay attention to your breath, your inhaling and exhaling, even for a few seconds or minutes. Here are a few places I’ve meditated:
      • In hotel rooms when I’m travelling
      • when I take public transportation
      • on my walks to work
      • at my desk at work
      • while waiting in line
      • during heated conversations, when I sit back for a moment to take a few deep breaths
      • in public gardens
    • Reflect on how you feel at the end of each meditation. Tune in to see how you feel physically, emotionally and mentally.
      • Physical check in: Were your legs as numb as during the last meditation? Or was your lower back less achy?
      • Emotional check in: Did you need to do a lot of internal negotiation to get yourself to meditate or it is more of a routine now?
      • Mental check in: Were you more aware whenever your mind drifted away?
    • Avoid judging your meditation. It’s tempting to think that you are “good” or “bad” at meditating or “it was a rough meditation session because my mind was all over the place.” If you keep telling yourself that you’re bad at something, you’ll lose the motivation to continue practicing.
    • Manage your expectations. Training your mind is a lifelong journey. If your expectations are too high, you are most likely to feel disappointed and demotivated at some point. My only expectation about meditation nowadays is whether or not I meditated.

    If you’re looking for a way to begin, restart or strengthen your daily practice, try Rob Scott “Back to Breath” 7-Day Challenge. There are many great guided meditations available on apps such as Insight Timer or Headspace or Calm. You can also choose to dedicate 10 days to learn how to meditate at worldwide Silent Retreats called Vipassana.

    May your meditation be fruitful!

    Vanessa Tran
    Registered Holistic Nutritionist & Meditation Teacher

    Feel free to connect with me via email at connect@vanessatran.ca or visit www.vanessatran.ca for weekly dosage of healthy recipes!


    Only One Take Required for Seven Generations Storytelling

    – Contributed by Sarah Dehler

    When you are a good storyteller, you only need “one take” to get it right.

    I experienced this first-hand when I had the opportunity to work with Executive Director and Special Advisor to the President with Indigenous Initiatives, Ron Deganadus McLester recently on a series of videos as part of the Sustainability Education project.

    Ron is a Storyteller. He shares Indigenous knowledge passed onto him from members of his family and members of the Oneida Nation of the Haudenosaunee. These stories are a part of who he is and he has an amazing ability to bring these stories into new environments, prompt a new level of thinking, and help people connect to these teachings and find relevance.

    With the strong alignment between Indigenous teachings and sustainability concepts, I approached Ron to share some teachings within a new set of online learning tools in the Sustainability Education project.

    With a few e-mail exchanges, arranging a videographer (an Algonquin College graduate), and a few brief meetings, the date for the video recording to capture three distinct teachings was lined up.

    I had reserved three hours in Ron’s schedule to make sure we wouldn’t be rushed.

    The three hours were not needed.

    In what seemed to be just a matter of minutes, the video crew got what they needed with the telling of each of three stories: Seven Generations, Dish with One Spoon and Thanksgiving Address.

    The first of these videos is included as part of Introduction to Sustainability, Part II, (Check out the Sustainability Toolkit for the online learning modules: https://www.algonquincollege.com/sustainability-toolkit/ as well as being available as a stand-alone video on the Algonquin Academic YouTube channel.

    When a learner experiences the Seven Generations Teaching in the online learning module, it is followed by a reflection activity:

    Now that you’ve watched this video that shares an Indigenous teaching, take a moment to reflect upon the concepts of resiliency and sustainability.

    What images or phrases provide guidance when you think about resiliency for people, communities and life on planet earth?

    The reflection activity then prompts the user to record their thoughts with the instructions: “Take a minute to type a few key words that come to mind in the box below.”

    Here’s your chance to learn from this Indigenous teaching, reflect and find relevance with aspects of your life. Check out the video on the Algonquin Academic YouTube channel, and available at this URL:

    Full disclosure: I might be exaggerating a bit about Ron’s “one take” ability, but not by much. The video team did very little editing from the raw footage of his one or two takes of each story.

    Thanks to Ron for his involvement in this project. Additionally, thanks go to Jackie Tenute for the suggestion to integrate video footage of natural areas, and to student Joshua Salt and Professor Jeremy Atherton for providing the b-roll video footage used to support the Seven Generations Teaching video. With the inclusion of the video footage of these beautiful, natural areas around Ottawa, the project development team would like to acknowledge the Algonquin Nation whose traditional and unceded territory was where these images were gathered.


    Summer Reading Recommendations

    By Nancy Tremblay, Catrina McBride, Kirstin Morris, Brenda Mahoney, and Catherine Lee

    We asked our colleagues for suggestions on what to read this summer and they provided some great recommendations that others might like to check out. Happy Reading!

    -Patti Kim

    The 100-Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared

    By Jonas Jonasson

    It’s a really funny story with so many twists and turns that I wasn’t able to put it down.

    -Nancy Tremblay, Executive Assistant to the Senior Vice-President, Academic

    Bone and Bread

    By Saleema Nawaz

    The Algonquin Reads book for 2017.

    -Catrina McBride, Professor, School of Business

    The Culture Series

    By Iain M. Banks

    This series explores distinct people, places, and times of the Culture Civilization. It is set very far in the future in a post-scarcity, semi-anarchist utopia populated by humans, humanoid species, and AI (artificial intelligence). The series consists of a number of stories connected through the Culture Civilization. The stories don’t necessarily have to be read in their published order and feel almost like distinct stand-alone stories. This series really got me interested in space and drove home the concept of how large and infinite space is. This series is basically a large thought experiment about one future we may face and it allows the reader to look at their own culture through a different lens.

    -Kirstin Morris, Student Success Specialist, Faculty of Health, Public Service and Community Studies

    Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America

    By Erik Larson

    One of my favourite crime and history reads. Takes an interesting turn from a history of American architecture to a ghoulish true crime event.

    -Brenda Mahoney, Librarian, Algonquin College Library

    House of Leaves

    By Mark Z. Danielewski

    One of the weirdest books I’ve ever read. This book has to be read as a physical book as the story is told not only through Danielewski’s writing, but also through the page layout and typesetting. On the surface, this book is about a man who discovers discrepancies in his family’s new house, and sets out to solve the creepy mystery. In reality, there are two parallel stories running through this book, and the reader’s only clue is the font differences and how each story is laid out on the page. It is quite the adventure trying to anticipate what connects the two stories. I was haunted by the stories after I finished this book, and have read it a few times, as you are left with more questions than answers once you’ve finished it.

    -Kirstin Morris, Student Success Specialist, Faculty of Health, Public Service and Community Studies

    Seveneves

    By Neal Stephenson

    In short, this book is about the end of the world, but it focuses more on the people involved and the scope of the book is larger and longer than most post-apocalyptic fiction I’ve read. This book explores future technology, space exploration, relationships, human foibles, evolution, culture, religion and more. I was drawn in by the premise, but the intriguing characters and novelty of the concept kept me reading. This is a really long read (800 pages) so there’s time to thoroughly explore concepts and track storylines to their completion. The concepts this book explores and the questions it raises will stick with you long after you finish the story.

    -Kirstin Morris, Student Success Specialist, Faculty of Health, Public Service and Community Studies

    So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed

    By Jon Ronson

    This non-fiction book explores the prevalence of public shaming that is found on the Internet and looks at some very real-world consequences. The author approaches this topic with a specific goal in mind, and as he explores the stories of people who have been shamed online, his view-point on public shaming changes and evolves. The book doesn’t necessarily reach any solid conclusions, but Jon Ronson takes the reader on an interesting journey through his exploration of the topic.

    -Kirstin Morris, Student Success Specialist, Faculty of Health, Public Service and Community Studies

    To Capture What We Cannot Keep

    By Beatrice Colin

    This is the human story of the building of the Eiffel Tower in the 19th century, the story of the engineers who designed it. More than that, the lives of the men involved, some of the people of Paris during that time – daily realities of the different classes and the social lives where many paths crossed. Some interesting relationships and romance as well. This book was so interesting, and also a lot of fun. Émile Nouguier is the man who was in charge of making the design work and making sure the construction moved along as planned. And he meets a smart young lady from Edinburgh, Caitriona Wallace, up in a hot air balloon, both admiring the evening lights of Paris.

    -Catherine Lee, Course Materials Planner, Digital Resource Initiative