Hari om everone,
Hope everyone is enjoying this "end of summer" weather!
Here's a quick recap of our Sunday morning class:
We started with the pebble drop meditation. Everyone kept their eyes closed while Aunty dropped pebbles into a bowl, and at the end, the challenge was to guess how many had been dropped. Many students who thought it would be simple realized it wasn't as easy as they expected! A good reminder that we could all use some extra practice with concentration :).
To set the stage for this year's curriculum, the Bhagavad Gita, we gave a couple of Mahabharata review quizzes to jog everyone's memory. We noticed a few gaps in recollection, but no worries — we'll revisit some of the key stories that always come up in our discussions.
After going over the answers, we segued into a group discussion talking about what type of activities we'd like to do together this year, with the one condition being that they must connect back to the Bhagavad Gita.
The kids shared some wonderful ideas, and we'll definitely revisit them as and when possible. A few highlights:
- Fundraising activities.
- The Escape Room (for team problem solving)
- Six Flags (esp. the rollercoaster ride!) Everyone agreed that this would be a really cool example of how we can remain calm with life's unexpected ups and downs (we completely agree :) … AND it also symbolizes "overcoming one's fears."
- Fall/Halloween Night Fest (overcoming one's fears)
- Taking care of a class pet. (Responsibility) Of course, we immediately shot down the possibility of having a dog or a cat. That's definitely NOT going to happen! However, someone recommended a turtle and said that it related to the Bhagavad Gita:
- The avatara, "Kurma," and
- How the turtle withdraws inward in order to disconnect from worldly distractions. If any parent is interested in housing a small turtle throughout the year, please don't hesitate to contact one of us aunties. (JUST KIDDING!!)
We wrapped up our group discussion and headed upstairs for Aarti.
Hope everyone has a great week … and we look forward to seeing everyone soon!!
Until next time, here's a thought to mull over :) -
Regards,
Jacqueline and Rashmi.
Jacqueline and Rashmi.
