"Our Bodies' Leading Edge" inspires untapped youth and adults to realize their inherent leadership and creative capacity through body based exercises. Our Bodies' Leading Edge example Abstract for SF East Bay Schools:
The curriculum involves two somatic trainers coming to your classroom and leading an engaging and interactive 45 minute weekly lesson, for six weeks. We build on the existing social
and emotional curriculum by expanded learning through kinesthetic practices. These simple and fun somatic exercises will grow student readiness for learning. The curriculum is designed to maximize their ability to stay in a proactive and resilient state even when they are under stress or feeling triggered. This will allow students to stay connected with their own voices and creativity while being able to listen and include others voices during group learning. Example Exercise Details: Respectful Opposition
Goal: Students learn that it is okay to disagree, yet it can be done in a respectful way. They also learn how to suspend their view and to see things from the other person’s perspective
Outcome:
Students will be able to move from a conflictual posture of right and wrong to being aligned in a centered way with their head, heart, and belly. They will be able to see various viewpoints and see the value of a diversity of perspectives. Students will learn to differentiate their perspective from other people’s perspective. They will learn how to stand their ground, in a respectful way, and how to experience an opposing response without taking it personally. In this exercise students will get into pairs and face each other. They will describe what they actually see over one another’s shoulders and insist what they see is the right view. Then they are invited to take turns stepping behind their partner and facing in the same direction. The students are asked to describe what they see and to recognize the other person’s viewpoint. Next we will create a simplified conflict and have they pick sides and go through the exercise to see both viewpoints of the discussion. About the Our Bodies' Leading Edge Project Partners: Amiko Mayeno and Anjali Sawhney
Amiko has been working in and with the Berkeley and Oakland public schools for over 20 years. She has taught in traditional and non traditional settings. She has a Master’s in education and has worked as a coach and trainer to develop systems of family engagement in elementary and middle schools. She has practiced mindfulness for 15 years, and has practiced somatics for four years. She received her somatic teacher training from Wendy Palmer’s leadership embodiment program. Amiko has led trainings and provided coaching in somatics, mindfulness meditation for families, Non-Violent Communication and cultural humility and responsiveness. Her work has been shaped directly by her teachers Michele Benzamin-Miki, Akiba Timoya and Wendy Palmer; and by her Buddhist practices in the traditions of insight meditation, Thich Nhat Hanh, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and Jodo-Shinshu Buddhism. Her practices have also been influenced by her training in Landmark Education. She is a parent of two teenagers, one of them attends Berkeley High School, and the other attends Oakland School for the Arts. Anjali is a Certified Integral Life Coach from New Ventures West in San Francisco and a trained Conscious-Leadership Embodiment (based on Aikido and Mindfulness) Teacher. Leadership Embodiment is the the somatic foundation for her work. Anjali has trained with founder Wendy Palmer for almost a decade. Anjali has led groups and workshops for women, young adults, recovering addicts, those unhoused, and other underserved populations. She is a somatic teacher with the East Bay Meditation Center and is also facilitated leadership training with the California Endowment in Oakland. More recetly Anjali worked with Van Jones & the Dream Corps for various social justice initiatives. She has also worked with youth for over two decades including opening a pre-school when she was 18 with her mother. In 1991 she received her Bachelor's of Science degree in Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles and in 1996 a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of San Francisco. Anjali is a parent of two teenagers who sometimes let her groove with them to her favorite funk music.
