Teaching Meditation - Restoring Calm

Last night I woke up in the middle of night anxious from a rambling dream about economic woes.  My dream was a tangled mess of reruns from the news that kept repeating over and over like a broken record. I’m certain in bedrooms across the county other people were struggling with the same dream.

Despite feeling dread in the middle of the night I found a renewed optimism in my morning yoga class.  In yoga I was reminded to seek my equanimous mind, the mind that reacts the same to praise or criticism.   It’s the quality of same mind that restores peace and calm to the body and spirit.

I am grateful to have a practice that guides me through troubled waters but I have to wonder how our children are coping with all this uncertainty.  How can they be hopeful and calm?

Children take their cues from the adults that lead them, if their homes are turbulent and troubled they will carry that vibe and energy into their school day.  As teachers you could be faced with leading a classroom filled with anxiety and worry.   So how can you provide a nurturing environment for your students?

First you must take your own emotional temperature.  Access your state of mind every morning. Take ten minutes every day to find some balance.  Open the shades, turn off the noise and sit alone in your classroom.  Close your eyes and begin to breathe in and out through your nose.  As you do this notice the quality of your breath.  Focus on the narrow space between your nose and mouth.   In and out, as thoughts arise let them drift by like clouds in the sky.  Just observe them and let go.  Think of your breath as a bridge that connects your body to your thoughts.  When your thoughts become too scattered use your breath as the means to take hold of your mind again.

A short meditation helps you face life’s curve balls and also prepares you to guide your students.  You can use this same practice with your students.  Beginning each class with a short meditation is one simple way to help restore calm to your classroom.  Even though the earth is shifting beneath their feet your students can stay centered.

The practice of yoga is simply observing the breath.   Becoming connected to the breath connects us to the present moment instead of living in the never arriving future. 

None of us can predict the future but given the right tools we can find a path to a more peaceful existence.  And we can teach this to our children helping them pass through negative moods feeling more resilient and positive.

Recite this Metta Meditation with your class every day

May I be Happy and Joyful

May I be Peaceful and At Ease

May I be Free from Harm and Injury

May I be Free from Anger and Worry

May I be Well