Next MMA belt test is Thursday, June 6 during regularly scheduled class times. MMA belt promotion ceremonies will take place Saturday, June 8.

There is no charge for class belt tests. If your child cannot attend the class belt test on June 6, please schedule a private pre-test for TODAY Saturday, June 1. Please note there is a $40 fee for private tests.

The theme for the month of June is Awareness, one of the foundational morals for all of our character development lessons.

How can we be kind if we are not aware that someone is in need of kindness?
How can we be grateful if we don’t bring awareness to the things that deserve our gratitude?
How can we be courageous if we don’t first confront the fact that we feel fear and bring our awareness to the sensations of fear in our bodies?

Our mindfulness practice is our greatest tool for boosting our present moment awareness. In the domain of personal safety, where things unfold quickly and seconds are often the difference between life and death, how we direct our attention is paramount. By being aware, we can detect potentially dangerous situations and avoid them before they are a threat to our safety. Mindfulness can also put us more in touch with our thoughts and feelings so that we are better able to deal with stressful situations.

There are many ways we can work our awareness muscle. The first is simply to notice… sounds, smells, sights… when you step outside notice and point out bird song, the direction from which the wind is blowing or anything happening in your environment.

Play is the best way to get your child’s attention and help them work on their observational/awareness skills. To play, when you go into a business, make note of a few things about your environment: the number of workers behind the counter, the clothing and age of the person sitting next to you, how many entry/exits there are, etc. When you leave and get into the car to head home, ask your kids questions like “How many workers were behind the counter?” “Was the person sitting next to us a teenager or a grown up?” “What color was his/her shirt?” “How many exits were there?”

Besides keeping us safe, mindfulness/awareness has been proven to boost creativity and empathy and reduce stress.