the book - HAPPINESS and MINDFULNESS This is a practical book to reduce stress, build resilience and increase happiness. Includes masses of great quotations mounted on copyright-free photos. - 300 + pages - full of excellent strategies to stay on top of stress. **Part One **is about Happiness. Every chapter has an exercise, mostly taken from the three-day ‘Seven Steps to Happiness’ retreat that I was giving before Covid19 came along. Part Two is about Mindfulness. I’m an accredited Mindfulness Coach and run a great monthly workshop in London - Mindfulness-Joy Silk-Painting look for it on Eventbrite - last Sunday of the month. Every chapter is followed either by a Mindfulness Exercise or a Story, or Both. It’s available on Kindle where I want to tighten it up before I publish it as a physical book. I’d love your feedback and comments. The video is not linked to the book but shares an introductory breath-work exercise. I also give monthly workshops - see https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mindfulness-joy-silk-painting-joyful-and-empowering-tickets-463561283277

The Easter Story - from The Last Supper to The Ascension The accounts from the Four Gospels are Aligned to highlight key events. I use this with KS3 or KS4. Dividing the class into groups, each group has one key event or episode from the story to turn into a short Drama. Each group performs their episode in sequence. I need to check this resource is complete and accurate but with Easter around the corner, I will share it now. years 4 to 6 in Primary school can use a similar approach but in their case, the teacher will need to create a simple outline from the Gospels which the children can then enact or read in sequence.

DurgaMata is a specialist Religious Education Teacher and a serious Spiritual Aspirant. She began practising meditation and mindfulness more than ten years before she qualified as a teacher, and she viewed teaching as part of her Spiritual Sadhana or Spiritual Journey. In this book she shares her strongly spiritual philosophy which informs everything she does. Her approach to life is heart-centred, an opportunity to grow in love and oneness. For her, teaching is an opportunity to see, love and serve what she calls God in the hearts of everyone. The God Question is one of the most challenging topics which we cover in Religious Education and DurgaMata shares some of her struggles and triumphs in the stories she shares here. There are some profound and moving poems and stories written by her pupils and a host of practical mindfulness strategies which you can enjoy. in addition to the stories, each page features an inspiring quotation, mounted on a colourful photograph from the world of nature. You are welcome to print these out and use for displays in your classroom and around the school.

New Year Resolutions? Meditation, Conscious Breathing, Mindfulness and A Gratitude-Attitude. Part of an article I wrote for an online magazine about turning failure into success. The full article is shared as a paid resource for £5.00. There is a lot of material here to help in reducing stress, building resilience and increasing happiness - tried and tested, practical strategies which you can fit into your day. Since I retired I switched from teaching RE to working in Health and Wellbeing. I am keen to serve my wonderful colleagues. - so here is the first part free… A New Year has begun. Lots of people are talking about New Year’s Resolutions. The opportunity to make a fresh start is important – but it is not just restricted to New Year’s Day. Each day offers us the opportunity for a new beginning. Stress My work is all about reducing stress, building resilience and increasing happiness. I have developed a unique programme I call ‘The Seven Steps to Happiness’ which was in face to face workshops before 2020 but is now online. Most people know that a lot of stress is related to the thoughts we hold in our mind. Conscious Breathing is a strategy which gives our mind something positive and powerful to focus on. It is with us all the time. The outside situation may still be stressful. We may not be able to reduce the causes of our stress, but with this simple exercise, our mind can become our friend and ally instead of our chief tormentor. It’s like having an umbrella on a rainy day. The rain is still falling but we are not getting wet. In this case it is the mental exercise of consciously taking our mind away from our fears or negative mental chatter and directing it instead to our breath, then choosing to make our breath gentle, slow and deep. When we do that, our brain does not perceive the situation we are in as so alarming or dangerous anymore so stress is reduced and happiness increases. When we are in danger, our brain releases cortisol and adrenaline to prepare us for fight and flight. This is called the Stress response. If we are in physical danger, it prepares us for immediate action. But if the source of stress is not physical – and keeps recurring, these hormones build up and can cause both physical and mental illness. That is called Chronic Stress and is one of the biggest causes of ill-health in the world today. But by using conscious breathing, because we have calmed our mind, our brain stays quiet. No stress response. Risk of Chronic Stress - eliminated. Feelings come and go Like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor. Thich Nhat Hanh

How to use Failure as a Springboard to Success What are your New Year Resolutions? Meditation, Conscious Breathing, Mindfulness and A Gratitude-Attitude. Powerful Strategies to Reduce Stress, Build Resilience and Increase Happiness. An experience on New Year’s Day inspired me to write an article for the online Magazine Elephant Journal. It is quite a comprehensive reflection on New Year Resolutions and what life is all about. One of the nicest responses I have had so far is an email from an American Coach and Educationalist. She writes - Your article is wonderful and so inspiring! I am working on a talk right now, and many of the ideas, quotes, and stories helped me think more clearly about what I’d like to say. It’s so easy to get caught in the net of horridness - due to the goings-on in the US right now… Part of my long response was this - My friend - thank you for the lovely response. I can hear your voice when I read your writings. It warms my heart each and every time. Thank you for the shared love and concern for our country. I pray that all will be well, that justice will survive, and that those responsible will pay for their wrong-doings. You may use my words for a testimonial - happy to help in any way. Thank you for the suggestion of James Corden - I love him and I will watch. Be well, get back to your news only in small doses, and keep doing the great work! Our world needs YOU! Big hugs, Regina Regina Carey, M.Ed. Empowerment Coach & Passion Instigator

This is the full version of my book The Seven Steps to Happiness. I will add more info later but have to leave London within the next hour or can’t spend Christmas with my family (we are all strictly self-isolating - so no risks there. But I don’t want to get trapped by the lockdown so I have to move fast. I spent today just polishing this up and it is as good as I can make it but I would love some feedback. It is powerful. It contains a lot of value. Do share the link with anyone who you know who is finding life really tough and stressful as it works. My Programme - The Seven Steps to Happiness has evolved in face to face workshops over the past 5 or so years, since I retired from teaching. Now I am moving it online and my entire focus is to be of service to my beloved colleagues. Stress is massive - but I have been exploring ways in which we can better handle it. The aim is to learn to surf the stress, rather than be overwhelmed by it. Try it and see for yourself. LOVE AND ALL BEST WISHES DurgaMata

Looking into the content of the Creation-Story, how it is found in both the Jewish Hebrew Bible and The Christian Bible. Where does the story originate - what is its Genre and what is the nature of the truths it offers? How do different people approach the Bible and the Story of Creation - and how does this lead to different interpretations? In what ways may the Creation-Story conflict or support the discoveries of science - which point to evolution over millions of years rather than an event spanning seven days? What truths or insights does the Creation-Story offer which complement scientific disovery? What might Einstein have meant when he said that without religion, science is blind and without science, religion is lame?

The Bible is a complex document. The very word means a library of books. What is it’s origin, how were the books chosen and when, Where does the Story of Creation appear and what genre of writing does it belong to? How do different Christians choose to interpret the Bible and why? Before we can even start to ask The Great God-Question, we need to ask all these questions and more. What is the relationship between Science and Religion. Exploring the God Question will help us understand. This is just the first slide in a series - exploring the God Question from different angles and religious perspectives. Who knows, it could even become another book!

From HOD in Religious Education to giving my own Mindfulness-Meditation and Empowerment Workshops for resilience, improved mental health and happiness, in this little book, I am sharing something of the journey which has taken me from teaching RE in schools to offering an On line Seven Steps to Happiness Programme. My approach to Health and Wellbeing is holistic, with special insight into balancing the mind, body and spirit - which comes from an awareness that we humans are spiritual beings. My workshops are tried and tested - this programme works - and The spiritual side of life has always been important to me and I have been practising meditation for over 40 years. In this account I look back at how circumstances moved me from joyful and devoted Head of Religious Education in a large Secondary School, through a challenging time of unemployment as the Ebacc changed the educational landscape, through depression when during a period of deep questioning I received unexpected answers to my prayers - to becoming a Silk-Paint Artist, Pipe and Tabor Player - sharing the positive energy I receive in meditation, to developing increasing expertise in Health and Wellbeing - especially mental health, Resilience and Empowerment. After retiring from teaching, I have developed a unique and comprehensive program ‘The Seven Steps to Happiness.’ My approach to bringing about transformation, focuses on Raising Consciousness. Low consciousness is when we are feeling f Here I am sharing free the first three chapters of a book I am just releasing. The full book is also available from my shop. Before 2020 my Wellbeing and Empowerment Workshops were all face to face. I was about to expand into offering retreats abroad. Corona-virus has turned that on its head, forcing me to take my signature Program ‘The Seven Steps to Happiness’ on-line. Everyone is suffering from stress - but my particular concern is to support and empower teachers in every way I can, so I dedicate this little book to you. By offering the first three chapters here free you will find some practical strategies and exercises for reducing stress as well as an introduction to my full On-line Seven Steps to Happiness Program - which as an 8-week course. I am sharing the entire book as a paid resource and in it you will find my own philosophy and approach to dealing with stress. I worked on Supply for many years and saw more of the crazy side of classrooms than most, so I had to develop a strategy which worked. Brene Brown taught me a good lesson when she shared her research which showed that the most compassionate people have Boundaries of Steel! Watch her You Tube interview with Russel Brand. That’s where she shares this insight. When do you find the time for yourself that you need? What are your own strategies for reducing stress and increasing happiness? How can I best support you through my resources here? When we all share our experience everyone wins. Love and Peace DurgaMata

This is a Facebook Live I recorded relating to my thoughts around a quote from the Sermon on the Mount which I felt was out of context. In Religious Education the one thing we all focus on is the quest for Truth. Truth is elusive - a bit like Life or Reality - impossible to define - but we do have the capacity to aim for it. As a Religious Education Specialist, when anyone uses a quote from any scripture to reinforce their argument, it rings alarm bells because it is possible to justify almost anything with the judicious use of quotations. In this video I refer to the US elections and Mr Trump as an example of some of the things we value and need to protect.

The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew - Luke’s version is on a Plain - contains a distilation of Jesus’ teaching. It is focussed on Love. I am a Religious Education Specialist teacher - so when anyone reinforces their words with a quote from any scriptural source - from any of the religions - alarm bells sound for me. I have a very dear friend - Sri Akarshana - who gives daily Youtube videos to inspire and educate. I love the way he brings together the inner and the outer world, spirituality and materialism. But this morning he used a reference to The Sermon on the Mount - and I was inspired to investigate…

From HOD in Religious Education to giving Mindfulness-Meditation and Empowerment Workshops for resilience, improved mental health and happiness. In this Ebook, DurgaMata shares some practical strategies for reducing stress and increasing happiness - both in your own life and when dealing with challenges in the classroom. DurgaMata gives a fascinating overview of her own ‘spiritual sadhana’ which has taken her from teaching in the classroom to offering an Online Programme to reduce stress, build resilience and increase happiness - which can span the world. DurgaMata writes - The spiritual side of life has always been important to me. In this account I look back at how circumstances moved me from joyful and devoted Head of Religious Education in a large Secondary School, through a challenging time of unemployment as the Ebacc changed the educational landscape - to developing increasing expertise in Health and Wellbeing - especially mental health. After retiring from teaching, I developed a unique and comprehensive program for Raising Consciousness - which I translate as Reducing Stress, Building Resilience and Increasing Happiness. In my small book The Seven Steps to Happiness, I share some of the experiences which have been significant and a mini-seven-step strategy to use in the classroom when a challenging situation occurs. Before 2020, my workshops were all face to face but corona-virus has turned that - on its head, forcing me to take my signature Program ‘The Seven Steps to Happiness’ online. Everyone is suffering from stress - but my particular concern is to support and empower teachers in every way I can, so I dedicate this little book to you. I hope my book will encourage you to see beyond the surface of events to the great, underlying inner principles of love, compassion and oneness which we can all engage with, whatever crazy things may be happening in the world outside - and remind you that if we are to achieve that ideal, we need to begin by taking care of our own physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs and ring-fencing the time we need to look after ourselves. If we want to serve others - if we want to care for the children, pupils and students we teach - and if we want to have positive and happy relationships in the staffroom - then we have to ensure we are taking care of ourselves and we have an effective way of replenishing our own reservoir of inner peace and happiness. I hope this little book will give you some leads and encourage you to follow them. Love and Peace DurgaMata ps, hold fire on buying this. I have to edit all the quotes slides to ensure I’m not breaking copyright rules. I’ll let you know when it’s done.

In process - so far just the first crossword. Supporting files will be added soon.

Crossword using the Key Words and more from the old Unit 8: Religion and Society Based on a Study of Christianity and at Least One Other Religion Section 8.1: Religion: rights and responsibilities. While the spec has changed, the words found here are important to understand. My crosswords aid learning and revision of important concepts and words found at GCSE Level in RE. This one is also relevant for Citizenship and PSHE.

This 13-word Community Cohesion crossword, with Teacher's Notes and Helpful Hints, is designed to reinforce or revise the main Key-Words for the GCSE Religious Studies topic 1.4 Community Cohesion. This resource includes * 2 versions of the crossword, * Teacher's Notes which include answers and hints - and a * Helpful Hints sheet which you may use to aid differentiation or as the alotted time is nearly up - to speed up completion. Ideal for use as a Starter Activity, part of a lesson introducing the topic, extension activity, homework or revision. In addition to the required Key-Words, a small number of additional words relating to this topic have been included.

This crossword-puzzle with Teacher's Notes and Helpful Hints is designed to reinforce or revise the main Key-Words for the GCSE Religious Studies - unit 1.3 Marriage and family life. This resource includes: two versions of the crossword puzzle, Teacher's Notes which give all the answers plus hints and Helpful Hints which you can use to aid differentiation or share with the whole class when the time provided for this activity is nearly up. Ideal for use as a Starter Activity, part of a lesson introducing the topic, extension activity, homework or revision. In addition to the required Key-Words, a small number of additional words relating to this topic have been included.

This twelve-word crossword-puzzle, with Teacher's Notes and Helpful Hints, is designed to reinforce or revise the main Key-Words for the GCSE Religious Studies topic Matters of Life and Death. This resource includes * 2 versions of the crossword, * Teacher's Notes which include answers and hints - and a * Helpful Hints sheet which you may use to aid differentiation or as the alotted time is nearly up - to speed up completion. Ideal for use as a Starter Activity, part of a lesson introducing the Key Words, extension activity on this topic, homework or revision.

This eleven-word crossword-puzzle with Teacher's Notes and Helpful Hints is designed to reinforce or revise the main Key-Words for the GCSE Religious Studies topic 1.1 Believing in God. This resource contains * two versions of the crossword * teacher's notes - including the answers and hints * helpful hints for students. This can be used to aid differentiation or shared with the whole class towards the end of the exercise, to help everyone finish - or as you go through the activity, together Ideal for use as a Starter Activity, part of a lesson about the topic, extension activity, homework or revision, this is the second of two crosswords for Believing in God. In addition to the required Key Words, a small number of additional words relating to this topic have been included.

This ten-word crossword-puzzle with Teacher's Notes and Helpful Hints is designed to reinforce or revise the main Key-Words for the GCSE Religious Studies topic 1.1 Believing in God. This resource includes 3 crosswords, Teacher's Notes which include answers and hints - and a Helpful Hints sheet to aid differentiation. Ideal for use as a Starter Activity, part of a lesson about the topic, extension activity, homework or revision, there is a second crossword to cover all the Key Words in this topic. In addition to the required Key-Words, a small number of additional words relating to this topic have been included. note - here you have an extra version of the crossword, as I was experimenting with different systems. I preferred the one which I then felt required enlarging, but have kept all the versions for you convenience.