Poems Addressing Emotional Pain

“Wait” by Galway Kinnell and “After Great Pain, a Formal Feeling Comes” by Emily Dickinson are two poems that address the experience of great emotional pain.

In both, the person in pain is numb to the point of death. Both poems paint the external signs of that internal pain, that emotional crisis– the numbness, listlessness, inertness, and lack of interest in the world. The physical body shuts down to protect the aching heart and the chaotic mind.

In Kinnell’s poem, he encourages the person in pain to “wait,” to believe in the healing power of time itself. Be patient and life’s vitality will re-emerge, the narrator seems to say.

Dickinson’s poem seems less hopeful: the images of death and formality persist to the end, raising the question of whether we can ever outlive the pain of great emotional shock.

Poems by Mary Oliver and Naomi Nye

“Little Dog’s Rhapsody in the Night" by Mary Oliver 

I am lucky enough to have a dog and also lucky enough to know Mary Oliver’s collection Dog Songs. Those poems remind us that our dogs teach us philosophical lessons about how to live a good and full life and about what matters most in our lives. What matters most, they tell us continually, is love. They love us unconditionally and in so doing teach us the purity of loving. What could be a sweeter arrangement, indeed, than giving and receiving love? To do so enriches our lives and the lives of those we love. Oliver’s poem, “Little Dog’s Rhapsody in the Night,” ends with a reminder of the magic of that reciprocal giving and receiving. “… He puts his cheek against mine/and makes small, expressive sounds./…/“Tell me you love me,” he says./“Tell me again.”/Could there be a sweeter arrangement? Over and over/he gets to ask./I get to tell.”

"Kindness" by Naomi Nye

In Naomi Nye’s poem “Kindness,” sorrow and kindness figure as two sides of one coin – or perhaps more accurately, as a cause and effect relationship: “Before you know kindness as the deepest thing/you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.” Your own sorrow connects you to the pains and griefs of others and bulks up your empathic muscle. You come to know sorrow, the poem says, by losing the things you once counted on, by “feeling the future dissolve in your hand.” Once you know that desolation, you are in a better position to understand the “tender gravity of kindness” and how much it matters. Henry James, when asked about the important things in life, responded, “Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; the third is to be kind.” We would be wise to follow his counsel.

Manuoso Manos to Instruct Three-Day Iyengar Yoga Session in L.A.

As an award-winning educator, Cissy Lewis received the Distinguished Teacher award twice during her tenure at The Castilleja School, California. She most recently served as interim head of school at the Palo Alto, California, school. Among her outside-the-classroom interests, Cissy Lewis enjoys practicing yoga, particularly Iyengar yoga led by instructors Manuoso Manos and Osha Hanfling.

Iyengar yoga was named after B.K.S. Iyengar, who began doing yoga as a teenager in an effort to improve his health after suffering from tuberculosis. He began teaching yoga in 1936, with his method rising to prominence in the 1960s. As a result, he became one of the first teachers to instruct yoga to westerners until his death in 2014. His method, which is a form of hatha yoga, primarily focuses on the body’s physical alignment. He believed there is a correct way to do each pose, and each student can achieve that through practice. In addition, he used props, such as pillows, chairs, straps, and blocks during his sessions.

Manuoso Manos, who is a senior Iyengar yoga teacher and studied with B.K.S. for many years, teaches Iyengar yoga at numerous locations throughout the year. His primary location is his studio in San Francisco, the Abode of Iyengar Yoga.

San Quentin Prison Helps Inmates Earn AA Degrees

Lifelong educator Cissy Lewis served most recently at the Castilleja School in Palo Alto, California. Cissy Lewis is now teaching an introduction to literature course at San Quentin Prison through an accredited program from Patten University.

Patten University offers special extension classes at nearby San Quentin Prison, where inmates can earn an associate of arts degree. To complete the degree, students must earn a minimum 61 credits and pass core classes.

Classes at San Quentin are introductory-level, making them accessible even to inmates who are behind in their academic training. These courses include introduction to reading and composition, introduction to literature, U.S. history, and art or music appreciation.

Elective course options are available as well. Students who would like to transfer to University of California or Cal State in the future can use elective credits to fill transfer requirements. Meanwhile, courses such as introductory Spanish and pre-calculus can help inmates prepare to earn their BA when they leave prison.

Prison University Project at San Quentin State Prison in California

An award-winning teacher with more than 4 decades of experience in education, Cissy Lewis is the former academic dean, Head of Upper School, Assistant Head of School, and interim Head of School at Castilleja School in Palo Alto, California. Cissy Lewis has also supported such educational initiatives as the Prison University Project at San Quentin State Prison in California.

Following the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, incarcerated individuals could no longer receive Pell Grants and were therefore unable to attend college. Founded in 2003 and incorporated as a non-profit organization in 2006, the Prison University Project (PUP) strives to provide higher learning opportunities for persons incarcerated in San Quentin State Prison, as well as increase public awareness and promote dialogue about criminal justice and education. Currently, PUP operates a college preparatory program and an associate of arts degree program for approximately 330 students. Education within prison has proven to be a sound way to reduce recidivism and in the ten years of the program’s inception, not a single PUP graduate has returned to prison for committing a violent crime.

Teacher Training Programs from Little Sisters Fund

A longtime educator and graduate of Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, Cissy Lewis most recently served as assistant head of school and academic dean at Castilleja School in Palo Alto, California. Apart from her professional commitment to education, Cissy Lewis supports charitable organizations such as the Little Sisters Fund, which provides scholarship opportunities for disadvantaged girls in South Asia.

Among numerous initiatives to make education more accessible to girls in Nepal, the Little Sisters Fund operates a primary education training program for teachers at the organization’s partner schools. By training Nepalese teachers to combine multi-sensory and child-based techniques with more traditional methods, Little Sisters Fund aims to cultivate an educational environment of collaboration and group learning. A cost-effective way to encourage curiosity and love of learning in the classroom, teacher training programs emphasize critical thinking skills and give teachers the tools to more effectively reach between 50 and 100 students daily.

How the Little Sisters Fund Improves the Lives of Nepalese Girls

Cissy Lewis is a distinguished educator who previously held the role of interim head of school at Castilleja School in Palo Alto, California. In addition to her current work as an independent educational consultant, Cissy Lewis supports the Little Sisters Fund.

Founded in 1998, the Little Sisters Fund aims to help economically disadvantaged girls in Nepal rise above their conditions of poverty and oppression to make better lives for themselves. To avoid the all-too-common traps of child marriage, trafficking, and labor, the fund offers girls several different programs, such as long-term scholarships to pay for school uniforms, books, supplies, and their full tuition at private schools. Other initiatives include awareness-raising campaigns and instruction in proper hygiene to maintain health.

The Little Sisters Fund also partners with 70 government-operated and semi-private schools throughout 18 districts of Nepal, enabling them to cover school costs for underserved girls. Currently, over 1,500 girls are enrolled in this program.

The Amazing Splendor of Machu Picchu

Respected educator Cissy Lewis has taught in a variety of settings. Outside of her work, Cissy Lewis has traveled to many different continents, including South America.

One of the most popular destinations within South America is Machu Picchu. This historical landmark is located in Cuzco, in Peru. Tourists from all over the world flood this area during the summer months. There are more than 5,000 steps leading up to the peak of Machu Picchu, which hundreds of thousands of individuals climb every year to view the region and the impressive stone monuments. The entire site spans a 5-mile distance. Regardless of its popularity, though, little is known about this lost Incan city.

The American historian Hiram Bingham discovered this lost city in 1911. Then, he found more ruins on the Inca Trail when he went back a few years later. Scientists have since identified more than 100 skeletal remains and 50 burial sites. Machu Picchu is considered to have been a sacred religious site for the leaders of the Incas.

Several theories exist to explain the creation of this city. One of the more prominent theories is that the city was founded to preserve Incan culture during the last years of the civilization.