When we think back on this week, the image that will come to mind is that of three girls meditating every morning in our garden, spattered with sunlight peaking through the leaves of our trees. When we asked the students what meditation meant, Aleisha volunteered, “It’s about resting your mind for peace,” which was an excellent definition. Vanessa talked to the students about turning their thoughts away from their worries and stresses by focusing on the rhythm of their own breath. Each day we followed our meditation with a cup of herbal tea, and a chapter or two from The Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Coatsworth.

It was wonderful to watch the novel’s message of finding compassion through patience and listening play out in our portraits of Buddha. The students were initially very critical of their work, remarking that adding buns and earrings to their pictures made “Buddha look like a girl.” As they read more and became more patient with themselves, they began to experiment and embrace all aspects and depictions of Buddha’s appearance.

Perhaps the highlight of our time together was our yoga sessions with Vanessa. The students were introduced to basic Sanskrit words, the concept of frog breath and many beginning yoga poses.

This group was deeply curious and willing to put in the effort to get things right. Whether it was practicing a pose or putting the final details on Buddha’s mouth, all three stuck with it until they were happy with the results. As we were adding colour to our portraits, Aleisha asked, “What was Buddha’s favourite colour?” and when she was told that we didn’t know, she didn’t give up. “Well…can you Google it?” she asked. Yoga, Buddha and Watercolours.

Inspired by the book Moody Cow Meditates, each child created their own mood jar so they could settle their minds as the sparkles (representing their own worries) settled to the bottom.