Classroom Mindfulness

Hi, everyone. So this is a mindfulness exercise to help you feel calm, focused, and centered in the middle of your busy day. If you're new to meditation, please note that you can practice this exercise with your eyes open or closed. And at any time, if what I'm saying is not working for you, feel free to just rest in whatever way feels comfortable. Closing your eyes and being still and quiet as a group may feel strange at first. I encourage you to be curious about the feelings that come up as you practice and to share what you noticed after the meditation. Mindfulness is about being open, curious, and nonjudgmental toward ourselves and others. So if you notice your mind teasing you during the meditation with thoughts like, "This is really weird," just note it and come back to your anchor. An anchor is something that you'll focus your attention on. It could be sounds, your breath, or my guidance during the meditation. When you find your mind getting distracted, acknowledge the thought or experience, and then gently find your way back to the anchor. Okay, are you ready to get started? Let's start by getting comfortable and in a position that helps your mind to feel alert and calm. You might wanna scoot forward in your chair a little bit and feel your back long and tall, resting your feet flat on the floor, and just letting your hands rest on top of your legs. And to help our bodies ease into stillness, we're gonna take a few moments to just rock side to side. So just feel your body weight shifting from one side to the other. And now slowly make the movement smaller, still rocking, but just not so big. And now even smaller, so you barely feel yourself moving. And finally, let's find stillness, feeling like your body is a mountain, with your head like the peak of the mountain, your shoulders, the slopes, and your lower body, the strong base of this mountain. And just notice what it's like to sit still for maybe the first time today. See if you can notice any urges as you sit in this mountain posture. Maybe you notice an urge to open your eyes or move your legs. See if you can urge surf by watching the urges with curiosity, get big like a wave and then pass on as you just watch them. And now we'll take a moment to scan through your body, starting at the top of your head. As I name parts of the body, see what you can notice in each part. You may notice that some areas feel tight, and others loose and comfortable. So see if you can allow your body to be just as it is as you're checking it out. So let's start with the face, just noticing what you feel around your eyes and your cheeks, your forehead, and your chin. And now scanning down...