Mindful Moments Singapore
  • Home
  • About
    • About Erin
    • About Mindfulness
  • Coaching
  • Corporate
  • MBSR
    • MBSR Program
    • MBSR Preview
    • Register for MBSR
    • What Participants Say
    • Private MBSR Group
  • Community
    • Take A Pause
    • The Big Sit
  • nian

The Mindful People Series: Ooi Ching Ya the Educator

19/8/2016

0 Comments

 
In The Mindful People Series, we interview people from different walks of life and get them to share their mindfulness experience, as well as how learning and practicing mindfulness have made a difference to their personal and professional lives.
Singapore Educator Ooi Ching Ya says only mindful teachers can nurture mindful learners
MiMo: How did you get into learning and practicing mindfulness?
OCY: I knew about meditation way back but the very first time I got to know about mindfulness was when Erin and I had a discussion about Vipassana Meditation.

MiMo: Tell us about your experience in the MBSR program.
OCY: I enrolled in the MBSR program in August 2015 in Singapore. The 8-week program was fulfilling and experiential. I could put all the teachings and principles of mindfulness into action and apply them in my daily practice. The biggest challenge was to commit to a scheduled slot of time every day for mindfulness practice - without giving myself any convenient excuses! 

MiMo: How has mindfulness contributed to your personal well-being?
OCY: I feel my personal well-being has improved tremendously since I began practicing mindfulness from moment to moment in my everyday life. I feel more grounded in the here and now, rather than worry too much about the future and regret the things I've done or have not achieved in the past. Whenever I get anxious, I will just try to stop thinking negatively and start breathing. Breathing in and I know I am breathing in. Breathing out and I know I am breathing out. When I am paying attention to my breath, I am able to keep my mind calm to work with the challenges I encounter in life.

MiMo: How has mindfulness supported you in your professional work?
OCY: As an educator and coach, mindfulness has helped me manage my level of stress in education management as well as more effectively coach my core team in 1-to-1 digital teaching and learning - a relatively new area of curriculum integration which many teachers are still getting used to. I practice deep, mindful listening when I have dialogues with my colleagues and the young learners in school; I find that I am more compassionate when dealing with the problems or difficult situations that my team members have to face; and most importantly, I am always aware of my emotions and energy in different work scenarios - this has been especially helpful for me in managing my stress levels.

MiMo: How have you incorporated mindfulness into your daily life?
OCY: I meditate and do the body scan practice twice a day, and I schedule a mindful swim of about 20 minutes every day. Whenever I am walking, I will remind myself to walk mindfully - Singaporeans tend to walk quite fast due to our more stressful pace of life, and I have found that it takes practice to remain mindful when we are walking at a faster speed!

MiMo: Any words of advice for people who are thinking about learning mindfulness? 
OCY: Mindfulness is a liberation of the soul and a lifelong skill that every human being should acquire. It will help you discover your true authentic self, I promise. And I personally feel that mindfulness training is much needed in the education field, especially for our teachers, because of the heavy responsibilities we have in nurturing the future generations of Singapore. I believe that only mindful teachers can nurture and develop mindful learners. I strongly encourage teachers, principals and even students to learn and practice mindfulness. 

---

About Ooi Ching Ya
A former trainer at the Ministry of Education Singapore and key founding member of the School of Science and Technology Singapore (SST), Ching Ya is currently Special Advisor to the Principal at RDFZ XISHAN SCHOOL in Beijing China. As a strategic consultant who bridges the educational development between Singapore and China, Ching Ya is focusing her contributions on international relations, branding, as well as lifelong learning in global digital education. She is passionate about showcasing how technology can support the rich interactions and connections across life. In 2015, Ching Ya was selected to sit on Apple Inc's ADE Regional Advisory Board for Asia-Pacific, and is responsible for the professional development of Apple Distinguished Educators in individualized digital teaching and learning. 

Are you a mindfulness practitioner or do you know one who would like to share their mindfulness experience on the MiMo blog? Do drop us a message!
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    About The Author

    MiMo founder Erin Lee is a Mindfulness Coach and MBSR Teacher at Mindful Moments, and advocate of mindfulness as the way of life. She conducts the classic 8-Week MBSR Program, as well as the 8-Week MBSR Workplace Program. 

    Erin holds a Masters of Science in Studies in Mindfulness with University of Aberdeen, UK. She is a Certified MBSR Teacher as acknowledged by the Mindfulness-Based Professional Training Institute (MBPTI) of the University of California San Diego (UCSD) Center for Mindfulness to conduct and deliver the classic Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Program. 

    View my profile on LinkedIn

    Categories

    All
    Anxiety
    Awareness
    Benefits
    Body
    Brain
    Challenge
    Contributors
    Curiosity
    Daily Life
    Education
    Events
    Feelings
    Information
    Interview
    MBSR
    Media
    Meditation
    Mind
    Misconceptions
    Musings
    Non Judgmental
    Pain
    Participants
    Pause
    Paying Attention
    People
    Practice
    Present Moment
    Program
    Quotes
    Reaction
    Research
    Second Arrow
    Sitting
    Stress
    Suffering
    Talk
    Talks
    Thoughts
    Training
    Videos
    Visuals
    Waking Up
    Walking

    Contribute

    Are you a mindfulness practitioner and have meaningful experiences or thoughts about mindfulness that you'd like to share? You can contribute an article on the MiMo blog! Please contact Erin to find out more. 

    Archives

    June 2021
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    July 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015

    RSS Feed

Connect with us, because we would love to practice mindfulness with you. 

FAQ
Contact

Copyright © XDG Labs Pte. Ltd.
  • Home
  • About
    • About Erin
    • About Mindfulness
  • Coaching
  • Corporate
  • MBSR
    • MBSR Program
    • MBSR Preview
    • Register for MBSR
    • What Participants Say
    • Private MBSR Group
  • Community
    • Take A Pause
    • The Big Sit
  • nian