When I caught a cold, I couldn't "○○" the classroom at the kindergarten

Hello.
I am Izumi, a teacher at a Steiner kindergarten in New Zealand.

This is sudden, but I caught a cold this week. I went to the kindergarten at the beginning of the week while thinking I wasn't feeling quite right, but I couldn't do my usual routine in the nap room at all. I thought, "This is no good," so I left early, went to bed, and haven't been able to get up for three days and nights since...

So, what was it that I could no longer do in the nap room?

It is "holding the space."

The term "holding the space," when translated literally, means to "maintain a place," but it implies more than just a physical space; it refers to a safe space, a space that allows the people in it to be themselves.

For example, sitting quietly beside a friend whose heart is in turmoil because a family member has been hospitalized in an emergency, simply "holding the space" for them.

Or, in a business setting, a leader "holding the space" to enable people with different opinions to engage in discussions with peace of mind.

In schools, teachers "hold the space" to watch over children so they can play safely.

It is a very wonderful term like that.

However, at my kindergarten, an even different nuance is added.

When teachers are at the kindergarten, they always have an image of expanding their astral body to the entire space they are in or are conscious of, so as to envelop the children within it.

Simply put, the astral body is an energy body that, while being part of oneself, extends larger than one's physical body and serves as the stage for consciousness and emotions.

Teachers stabilize their emotions and consciousness, fill the room with a warm energy body, and are always conscious of allowing the children to spend their time freely within it.

However!

Having caught a cold, I couldn't direct my consciousness to every corner of the nap room, and it felt like there were holes everywhere; the children wouldn't sleep, they were kicking off their blankets... I wasn't "holding the space" at all. That's why I thought, "This is no good."

And it made me realize once again, "I really do put out my energy body quite intensely on a daily basis."

Regarding this "energy body," there is a unique way of thinking in Steiner education, so I will explain it a bit more next time.

Well then, I'm going to go to bed early again today...!