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A Meaningful Mother’s Day Gift

A Meaningful Mother’s Day Gift

May 11, 2023 Ivy Child
A Meaningful Mother's Day Gift

As Mother’s Day approaches, we are reminded of the unconditional love and support that mothers provide to their children and communities. At Ivy Child International, we are dedicated to empowering communities around the world through mindfulness education. This Mother’s Day, we invite you to honor the mothers in your life by supporting our mission.

Mothers are the foundation of families and communities. They work tirelessly to provide for their families, nurture their children, and create a safe and loving environment for their loved ones. By supporting Ivy Child International, you are not only honoring your mother, but you are also supporting mothers and communities from around the world through mindfulness education.

Mindfulness education has been shown to have a significant positive impact on children’s social, emotional, and academic well-being. At Ivy Child International, we believe that every child, parent, and community deserves access to mindfulness education. That’s why we have developed programs that aim to bring mindfulness education to communities in need.

Our Mindful Communities program helps to create a world where all communities have access to the benefits of mindfulness. By supporting this initiative, you are helping mothers in underserved communities and creating a more mindful world. This is a gift that not only honors maternal warriors but also makes a positive impact on the lives of mothers and families around the world.

This Mother’s Day, we invite you to give a meaningful gift that celebrates your mother and supports a great cause. By donating to Ivy Child International, you are making a positive impact on the lives of mothers and children around the world. Together, we can empower communities through mindfulness education and create a more compassionate and mindful world.

Thank you for your support and for helping us to make a difference in the lives of mothers and families around the world.

We hope this has inspired you to give a meaningful gift that honors your mom and supports a great cause. To donate or learn more about Ivy Child International’s initiatives, please visit our website.

Remember, our moms are our superheroes, and this Mother’s Day, let’s show our appreciation by supporting a cause that empowers mothers and communities around the world.

Donate Now
Ivy ChildA Meaningful Mother’s Day Gift
Top 10 Guided Meditations of 2022 – Healing Through Hope

Top 10 Guided Meditations of 2022 – Healing Through Hope

December 27, 2022 Ivy Child

 

Our Founder and CEO, Rose’s 12-Minute Meditation on Healing Through Hope, is featured as one of the Top 10 Guided Meditations of 2022 by Mindful.org.

Embrace change and hope with this guided mindfulness practice from Rose Felix Cratsley. Felix Cratsley offers affirmations for cultivating self-compassion, embracing growth, and healing through hope. She says, “I think mindfulness is an essential and fundamental human right. We come into the world open and curious, but oftentimes self-judgment, criticism, fear, and anxiety come about.” 

Ivy ChildTop 10 Guided Meditations of 2022 – Healing Through Hope
Ivy Child International Recognized Among Top Mindful Nonprofits To Support in 2022

Ivy Child International Recognized Among Top Mindful Nonprofits To Support in 2022

December 27, 2022 Ivy Child

 

 

Ivy Child International is honored to be featured among 13 Nonprofits to support this holiday season by Mindful.org.

We are a multicultural, multilingual and international nonprofit devoted to cultivating resilience and leadership in children, youth, families and communities through universal mindfulness education, prioritizing often overlooked populations.

Ivy ChildIvy Child International Recognized Among Top Mindful Nonprofits To Support in 2022
Rose Felix Cratsley – 10 Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement: 2022

Rose Felix Cratsley – 10 Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement: 2022

August 11, 2022 Ivy Child

 

Rose Felix Cratsley

Teacher, Leader, Change-Agent

Rose Felix Cratsley considers her first mindfulness teachers to be her parents. Growing up in a family that had practiced mindfulness for generations, Cratsley feels extremely fortunate to have been given what she calls “the gift of mindfulness” early in life.

“My lens into mindfulness is firstly through my parents, who are my teachers, and also learning the value of both informal and formal practice. Learning the importance of creating spaces for contemplation throughout our lives, not just seated formally, doing a guided practice or a shared practice, but one that also focuses on the value of the collective and the value of shared intergenerational practice.”

So in her graduate class at Harvard University when given the prompt, “If we wanted to bring positive psychology practices and mindfulness into the world in some way, in what way would that be?” it felt natural to her that her reply would be creating Ivy Child International.

Ivy ChildRose Felix Cratsley – 10 Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement: 2022
Equity Breath

Equity Breath

August 11, 2022 Ivy Child

Enjoy this meditation practice by our CEO, Rose Felix Cratsley. This mediation focuses on Equity Breath.

In this practice framework, each letter of the word “breath” serves to remind us of our responsibility to honor and promote equity.

To begin this practice, let’s ground ourselves in deep gratitude. Gratitude for all those who have come before us and those who have paved the way for us to sit in this moment with a sense of relative safety. Whose tireless efforts allow us to be and move within the spaces we navigate each day. Acknowledging the responsibility we also share in making the world a better place than we found it. In this way, we can recognize our own sense of belonging as we take time now at the start of our practice to breathe for belonging.

In this mindfulness framework, each letter of the word “breath” serves to remind us of our responsibility to ourselves and to others to honor and promote equity. “B” invites us to breathe for belonging. “R” for restoration and renewal. “E” to exercise equity. “A” to activate and advocate. “T” asks us to trust the power. “H” is for healing.

  1. Let’s pause for a few breaths to allow us to focus on our breathing for belonging. As we focus on the positive elements of belonging and our gratitude for all that has made this possible, begin to feel a sense of restoration and renewal.
  2. Belonging. Restoration and renewal. The first two letters of our equity breath will prepare us to receive the world with as much positivity and energy as we can. With this in mind, take some time to breathe for belonging as well as our collective restoration and renewal.
  3. Allow a welcome pause. For several breaths focus on restoration and renewal. Take some time to turn inward and focus on a sense of belonging, restoration, and renewal.
  4. Let’s turn our attention outward to the rich diversity of people in our lives and everyday interactions. With that, we will begin to reflect on how we exercise equity as well as activate and advocate for that equity—the “E” and “A” in our equity breath.
  5. Now we can turn our attention to opening our hearts and minds to the vast intersectionality of our world in ways that cause us to examine things like: Who holds power across our communities and across facets of our society? What is grounded in the ways that we live, work, and play? 
  6. In our collective efforts to advance intersectional equity, may we take the necessary steps to recognize and value each of our many identities. May we exercise equity through our genuine care and concern for one another. Through sharing, openness, and curiosity. Through open invitations to participate, broadening access and opportunity, and through collaboration and co-creation with those impacted by institutions, systems, and communities. Holding those most affected in our hearts and directing this practice toward justice. May we breathe for safety for ourselves and one another. May we breathe together for justice, for the positive change we see each day in the march toward social justice. May we honor and nourish the relationships so necessary in advancing equity in our world as this cannot be done alone.
  7. Let’s pause again and enjoy a few deep breaths to focus on our vast potential to exercise equity. To activate and advocate. Anchoring ourselves in our equity breath as we now turn ourselves to the end of our practice. We use the breath as a tool to focus on breathing for belonging, restoration, and renewal, exercising equity, activating and advocating, trusting the power, and healing through hope.
  8. Holding ourselves with the utmost compassion, we move into the last two elements of our equity breath, allowing ourselves to trust the past and heal through hope. Anchoring our awareness on the breath; focusing on simply breathing in and breathing out. Aware of our body, let us release all of the tension and pain.
  9. Now, let’s bring our awareness to our hearts. Welcome tenderness to our hearts, bringing our awareness to our emotions. Holding in compassion. Smiling. Easing and releasing with the breath. As we notice our own suffering, notice how it manifests in the body, in our emotions, in our tone, and in our words and actions. Try to hold the suffering with deep compassion. Easing suffering with the beautiful power of our breath. Being aware of suffering as a pattern in the world. Visualizing how it affects so many. As we take in this pattern of suffering, hold it in compassion, and send ease with each out-breath.
  10. As we notice the suffering of others, what are you aware of? What do you feel in your body? What emotions? Hold it all with compassion, sending ease and relief to your mind.
  11. Now slowly return awareness to the breath. Welcome ease and with each out-breath, release any tension. Notice the suffering of those that hold privilege. Recognize guilt and disconnection. Feel this energy and hold it with deep passion as we release it with ease and send relief.
  12. Return awareness to the entire body. Our heads, our hearts, our hands, and our feet. From this awareness, honor your deepest intentions to address suffering and what we need to do in order to create conditions to thrive. Strengthening and bringing into awareness the steps we take next. How does this feel in your body, in your head, in your heart? Hands and feet? What are you? What are we? Carrying forth from today may we keep the flames of determination, courage, and conviction burning no matter what difficulty or odds arise.
Ivy ChildEquity Breath
INSTITUTE FOR NONPROFIT PRACTICE

INSTITUTE FOR NONPROFIT PRACTICE

December 27, 2021 Ivy Child

Ivy Child International is honored to build on our growing partnership with The Institute for Nonprofit Practice by welcoming another group of inspiring Community Fellows in 2022.

The Institute for Nonprofit Practice was founded in Boston in 2007 by Barry Dym, Ph.D. During his career as a nonprofit founder, consultant, and coach, he observed and sought to address several critical issues threatening the effectiveness of the nonprofit sector:

  • Under-investment in leadership development.
  • A succession crisis triggered by the retirement of the baby boomers.
  • The need for more diverse leadership that reflects communities served.

Ivy Child International’s Founder & CEO, Rose Felix Cratsley, will be leading ‘Best Practices in Self & Community Care‘. This training will provide students with the opportunity to learn and inform practice of self and community care, including:

  • Cultivating personal well-being, using practices for developing presence, resilience, equanimity and joy.
  • Learning trauma-informed, evidence-based tools.
  • Understanding and more skillfully working with stress and trauma in ourselves and our communities.
  • Opening and holding an equity and inclusion lens by integrating culturally responsive practices.
  • Developing a customized personal contemplative practice action plan.

January 2022

3:00-5:00 pm ET

Ivy ChildINSTITUTE FOR NONPROFIT PRACTICE

IVY CHILD RECOGNIZED AS #1 MINDFUL NONPROFIT

December 27, 2021 Ivy Child

The Ivy Child International Family is honored to be recognized as one of the “10 Mindful Nonprofits to Support This Holiday” by the amazing team at Mindful.org. What a joy to be featured among soul family, dear partners and some of our favorite organizations.

Congratulations to Holistic Life Foundation, Urban Yoga Foundation, Inward Bound Mindfulness Education, Mindful Life Project, Calmer Choice, Inner Explorer, Foundation for a Mindful Society, The Mindful Birthing and Parent Foundation, and Metta Institute.

Please consider donating today to support any of these organizations or another one close to your heart!

https://www.mindful.org/10-mindful-nonprofits-to-donate-to-this-holiday/

Ivy ChildIVY CHILD RECOGNIZED AS #1 MINDFUL NONPROFIT
Ivy Child International Board Co-Chair Lisa Wong Discussing The Corrosive Health Effects of Anti-Asian Violence

Ivy Child International Board Co-Chair Lisa Wong Discussing The Corrosive Health Effects of Anti-Asian Violence

May 18, 2021 Ivy Child

“It’s deeply disturbing. We tend to be more invisible, more marginalized in [race] conversations. … There’s so much we don’t know about the lived experiences of Asian-Americans and the factors that predict health and well-being for this group.”

– Doris Chang, Psychologist

Here is Lisa Wong in conversation with Angus Chen from WBUR talking about her experience:

[su_audio url=”https://dcs.megaphone.fm/BUR5746235245.mp3?key=8cec65a3832ea8e9e0ead33be8e19033″]

Read our Founder & CEO’s Stop Asian Hate response here.

In our efforts towards building a voice and multi-racial solidarity, we share the following:

You can read and listen to the interview from WBUR here.

Ivy ChildIvy Child International Board Co-Chair Lisa Wong Discussing The Corrosive Health Effects of Anti-Asian Violence
Help India Breathe

Help India Breathe

May 7, 2021 Ivy Child

 

Our Beloved Community,

I am heartbroken over the global trauma and tragedies impacting communities of culture in our nation and across the globe, most recently impacting my home country of India. 

Our families, team and loved ones have all been impacted by the high surge and circumstances of India’s second COVID 19 wave.  My dear mother, my Amma, after my father’s passing has been stuck in isolation there over the last 18 months while we work to safely bring her back to us. 

My parents taught me the transformative power of meditation and mindfulness practice and the responsibility we share in leaving the world a better place than how we found it. This is a deep seeded cultural commitment, grounded in thousands of years of traditions, spiritual and religious beliefs.

The life giving source of our Breath is sacred and a human right.  Yet, we have heard the cry and plea of, “I can’t breathe,” by our communities.

We now have a nation, seeking permission to breathe. With India’s growing movement of #LetUsBreathe.

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Breath is the foundation of human existence;  breathe is life giving. It is what we struggle for at the moment of birth and enjoy till we draw or last breathe. Yet our breath is being stolen from us due to systems of oppression that perpetuate barriers to access, equity and inclusion. The gasping nation belies the honor of all beings and denies the dignity the people of India deserve. 

The reality is that distancing is a privilege that many, especially in India, do not have the privilege of space. Instead, we have the blessing of living among multigenerational family members close to neighbors and friends. The reality is that many do not have the luxury of hand washing when there is no  consistent access to running water.. The fact is that India’s population of over 1 billion people do not have access to the much needed hygiene kits and masks to combat this pandemic and keep families, elders, loved ones, and community members safe. 

Together, we must do everything we can to take action to alleviate suffering and help. 

The reality is if we cannot help India manage and overcome COVID-19, we as a global community will not overcome COVID-19. 

We must combine #mindfulness with #mindfulaction.  Contemplation must be combined with constructive action, so here’s what you can do NOW: 

We at Ivy Child understand that these are incredibly challenging and stressful times. 

Tragically, we can expect the number of infections to rise—possibly along with our concern about what the future holds, and the stress related to uncertainty, anticipation, and fear is traumatic and can cause an adverse impact on our health. 

While the world is uniting in efforts to battle the problem we’re facing, we feel it is crucial to find ways to serve our community in the best possible manner through mindfulness practice. How individuals respond to an outbreak  depends on many external factors but maintaining our wellbeing through practicing mindfulness is a powerful and universal coping tool for all. We encourage you to use and share some of the resources we have made available online for free.  

In honoring and prioritizing the health and well‐being of our community, we at Ivy Child have shifted all of our programs and activities to virtual platforms. For our partners and affiliates that serve as emergency sites, with limited access, we are working to find solutions together as this situation evolves. We recognize our program sites serve as safe havens to our community and may access food, love, healthcare and enriching learning opportunities. We are working hard with our partners to collaborate to best meet the needs of our community honoring the state and federal guidelines. If you’d like to join forces with us to help our community during the COVID-19 crisis, please donate now to our Emergency Fund today. 

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YOUR support through a one-time or sustainable recurring donation will help make it happen. Within the next 3-6 months Ivy Child commits to the following, with the resources we have on hand in the short term. 

  1. Execute $100,000 to teachers and youth ambassadors in Ivy Child International’s network and mobilize them to share practice, prevention management and wellness strategies to stop the spread of COVID-19 in India (‪July 1)
  2. Distribute the 10000 masks and hygiene kits to our healthcare partners and families (July 1‬)
  3. Provide 1000, $50 micro recovery grants to vulnerable families (‪June 1)

We invite YOU to be a part of our long-term strategy:

  1. Work with our global network of teachers and partners to develop wellbeing toolkits and digital learning tools to build a culturally and linguistically responsive digital library of resources.
  2. Provide $1 million in direct funds, training and development resources to our community.

 

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Ivy Child International has always worked to find ways to benefit the community through enhancing our wellbeing through mindfulness. We want you to know that we are here and will continue to support you through these trying times.  Ivy Child devotes all of its efforts to building equity for all and honoring the inherent dignity of all people. We must rise up and take a stand to hold systems that perpetuate barriers and structural oppression accountable. Please feel free to connect with us as a partner and support us in this journey. 

We at Ivy Child stand in our truth reinforcing and leaning into our lineage, heritage and faith traditions at this moment, where COVID 19 has taken the breath away of an entire nation.  

As an Indian woman leader, my commitment is personal. We stand in solidarity with our community and ask our community partners to do the same.

Abundant thanks for your unwavering support to our organization. Please be assured that despite these very challenging times, our mission, core values, and vision for global wellbeing will stay the same, and we will never give up on our fundamental belief in the power of peace. We look forward to working with you now and in the future to build a healthier world. 

May we all be safe and well as we take action encouraging our loved ones to do the same, as an act of generosity and compassion towards all. 

Abundant thanks.

Warmly,

Rose and the Ivy Child Family

 

Ivy ChildHelp India Breathe
World Health Day

World Health Day

April 7, 2021 Ivy Child

Happy World Health Day! We join our friends at the World Health Organization (WHO) and worldwide celebrating global health awareness day. This year as a global community we focus on building a fairer, healthier world for all. Enhancing our wellbeing is anchored in the art of balancing our mental, emotional and physical health. Through COVID-19, we collectively must commit and recommit to building a more just, equitable and healthy world for all.

We at Ivy Child devote all of our efforts to building equity for all and honoring the inherent dignity of all people. We believe mindfulness and wellbeing is a human right. Building a peaceful and healthy world begins at home, with each of us and recognizing the responsibility we each carry in making our world a healthier place than how we found it.

 

Ivy ChildWorld Health Day