by Jennifer R. Dignon | Mar 18, 2018 | Blog, Wisdom from the Children
Who’s the Teacher Here Again?: How the Simple Words of a Child Just Reminded Me. She said it so simply, yet with such gratitude that it could not go unnoticed. Volumes in a couple of lines from the wisdom of a child’s heart has blessed me again. It was about 10 minutes into a small group class. A beautiful class, but no different than the normal, it seemed. I had a new student, and I loved that. This new lovely student was a 7 year-old girl (I later found out that she is considered as having autism and ADHD) who made a gentle exclamation that miraculously summed up the reasons I need to keep reaching the children who need this care: lesson heard. This child was curious, delightful, and enthusiastic. She seemed to be needing the same acknowledgement and encouragement that any “typical” 7 year-old child would. She raised her hand to speak. I told her that she doesn’t ever have to raise her hand here, but she may out of habit and that’s cool too. It’s fine to just speak up whenever she needs to. Class went on for a bit. She shared a few things while never missing a moment of the practice, and working diligently and peacefully on finding her balloon breath. It was only about 10-15 minutes into the class when she shared something that I am so glad she felt safe and free enough to just say. It was something so simple, yet so clearly from her Heart. My quote may be a bit off, but it is very close to her words. She...
by Jennifer R. Dignon | Nov 8, 2014 | Blog, Wisdom from the Children
It wasn’t the first time I had watched My Stroke of Insight, Jill Bolte Taylor’s Ted Talk about her brain disorder, but it was the first time her story fired up a part of my brain instantly connecting the results of many years of observations from paying attention to the children from the heart. It was just a few words that she said that triggered the connection, “Light burned my brain like wild fire…”. In that moment, I instantly thought of a beautiful student of mine who is often wearing sunglasses to protect himself from the intensity he feels from the sunlight. Jill went on to describe her reaction to sounds. My mind began to realize that almost every student I have served through the years in the often called spectrum could also be experiencing a part of the many extraordinary symptoms Jill experienced on that December day in 1996. Jill was describing what happened when she was hit by a stroke located in the left hemisphere of her brain. So at this point you may be thinking that I am saying that these children have something very wrong with their brains. Actually, I am saying that the opposite may be true. The location of Jill’s stroke is not only relevant in a scientific sense, but as this brain scientist more than just alludes to in the talk, it is even more relevant in a spiritual sense. Jill got a taste of evolution in the form of a stroke. You can hear how even her elegant and passionate words can’t fully contain what her Heart experienced. As a part...
by Jennifer R. Dignon | Oct 21, 2014 | Blog, Wisdom from the Children
Wisdom from the Children Series Are you paying attention? Many of you are. It seems that your children will have it no other way. They are here to change us, all of us. They are starting with you. The Wisdom of the Children blog series is the stories of the children who are touching my life. They are always sharing their wisdom and helping us evolve. All you have to do is pay attention. So what does that mean, to pay attention? The kind of paying attention that I am talking about is deeper than the usual implication of the term. The type of paying attention that I am talking about is consciously paying attention. So what does that mean? That means you use all your abilities to to hear the children and see the children. Above all, it is using your Heart, your intuition, and learning to trust yourself and your child. It is using all that you are and have ever been to create a gateway that allows for them to show you who you are meant to be. It is without judgement, control, fear, or ego. In letting go of those things, so you can pay attention consciously, you are stepping into to a path that allows them to serve you. You are opening up to letting them show you what your work is. When you start to shift to your Heart, you are giving space for them to do their work. We are here to maintain their wisdom and not squash it. Our ego has been training us to squash for countless generations. That way is...
by Jennifer R. Dignon | Mar 31, 2014 | Blog
My greatest Guru did it again last night. He opened my eyes even further to what I thought I already knew. My greatest Guru is my child (I’m sure, if you think about it, yours is your child too). Last night he taught me that I have a lot to learn about what I already know. This story has been wanting to be written for some time, but last night I found out why it needed to wait just a bit longer. After having company for dinner, my son and my friend played a game with my yoga ball on the stairs. We were all laughing at the silliness that was unfolding. After the play session was over, my son started to cry and say that my friend was bulling him. Was she? I had to think. There was playful name calling that he seemed to be taking part of. It all just seemed like just fun and games. I was wrong. It turned out that his name calling was in serious response to what he considered bulling. As I mediated between him and my well intending friend, I found myself comparing the incident to how I felt when my dad would call me a space cadet. Why do, or did, adults think it was okay to playfully call us names? My son pointed out that his friends don’t do this when they play. He was right. When adults or children did that when I was young I was always hurt. I always took it seriously even when I may have seemed to have played along. The children that...
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