By Kimine Mayuzumi There is nothing passive about stopping, and when you decide to go, it’s a different kind of going because you stopped. — Jon Kabat-Zinn A few weeks ago, I led a session called Exhale – Reset through Reflection and Practice for a group of academics transitioning out of their academic year. I was reminded again how exhausting this season can be for many academics — trying to wrap things up while…
By Kimine Mayuzumi Life transitions are inevitable in human life. They may include career shifts, relocation for work and/or living, major changes of physical/mental status, loss of income, and loss of a relationship or a family member. Because of the pandemic and what it brought, it may be accurate to say that everyone experienced some level of transition recently. We were forced to adapt to the situation and learn a completely new way of living…
By Kimine Mayuzumi In Part I, I discussed why it is (even more) important to be mindful, trust the process and let go of outcomes in this unique context, especially in the neoliberal culture with the pandemics (i.e., virus and social unrest) added. Then, a question I ask here is “what are the conditions and the mindset to create (or at least try to create) within ourselves so that we could more effortlessly be mindful,…
By Kimine Mayuzumi Is slowing down a privilege and therefore unworthy of attention for many (e.g., working-class, racially minoritized, etc.)? Or is it one’s choice? Would I have said that slowing down was a privilege six years ago when my family lost any source of income? In 2010, we returned to Toronto, Canada, after my partner’s visiting-scholar contract ended in the US. I worked on my Ph.D. dissertation and my partner seeked a job. Our…
By Riyad A. Shahjahan “Pain can be a path to body knowing and self-centering like no other” (Donna King) I naively thought I was in control of life until a few weeks ago. My semester was going well. I already had a well-developed semester plan. I planned weekly on Sundays, and wrote every work day. Everything collapsed once I became sick a few weeks ago. Our four-year-old daughter got Bronchitis. While she was getting better…
