‘This is an applied book concerned with promoting mental wellbeing and emotional health

in the classroom, for teachers as well as for students. This is an applied book rooted in
ancient and timeless wisdom, refined in the caves and on the mountains of antiquity, and
honed in busy and noisy urban environments and in the real life of contemporary class-
rooms. This is a book about mindfulness that could make a real difference to the way in
which teachers and students experience life in the classroom.’
- Leslie J Francis, Professor of Religions and Education, University of Warwick

‘I totally endorse and support inspiration for children about which Billie writes, which is so
needed in this world with so many machines that children are attracted to. We need to help
to balance through being in nature, meditations, simple conversations around the dining
room table with family, and everything that removes us from the electronic age for a time
so that we can be. We need to balance with simple living and simple learning. Billie’s book
will help many parents and teachers, and is an important read.’
- Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, teacher of Kundalini Yoga and a pioneer in the field
of pre-natal yoga

‘A passionate call to remember what education should be: a journey where each child as a
unique person is valued and allowed to find their path of development: where they can flour-
ish and find joy. A reminder of educators’ responsibility to see education as more than facts
and exam preparation – to see education as beauty, as the tools each child needs to guide
their own learning. This book is a treasure box of ideas about the person, about education,
and it generously shares with us dozens of meditation exercises that can help us and our
children learn about ourselves and develop the empathy our world so desperately needs.’
- Karem Roitman, lecturer, international development consultant and Director of
Thinkers Meet Up

‘This magnificent teacher’s handbook that instructs young people how to “BE” rather than
how to “DO” is revolutionary to the educational system. The importance of this book can-
not be overemphasized. With just enough personal story to make it relatable and easy to
understand, one finds here the exact key to unlock the skills required of the next generation,
as it is only in the stillness of meditation that one finds one’s muse. Creativity will be the
principal power needed by our descendants to solve the problems of the future. This book
by Billie Krstovic is an indispensable teaching tool.’
- Elizabeth B. Jenkins, writer, spiritual teacher and author of  The Return of the Inka
Using Mindfulness to Improve
Learning: 40 Meditation
Exercises for School and Home

Written by an experienced school and meditation teacher, this book is packed with tried
and tested mindfulness exercises and relevant follow-up wellbeing, pastoral and academic
activities for anyone working with young people. It includes discussions about educa-
tion and wellbeing, anecdotes from real life experience and numerous testimonies from
students and teachers, as well as easy to follow instructions and plenty of useful in-depth
explanations. All activities in this book link to a variety of school subjects, including science,
maths, philosophy, music, art and sport.
Divided into two parts, the book explores:

• What mindfulness and grounding are

• How mindfulness and grounding work at home, in daily life and in education
• How teachers can use mindfulness and grounding in the classroom and how parents
can support mindfulness and grounding at home
• What effects can be expected from mindfulness meditation

This book is an invaluable resource for secondary teachers, youth workers, therapists and
parents and can be used in classrooms, pastoral offices, youth clubs or at home.

Billie Krstovic is a qualified teacher with decades of teaching experience and works as the
Head of Social Sciences in a secondary school in Britain, where she teaches Psychology and
mindfulness. She has 40 years of experience in the fields of meditation, yoga, martial arts
and healing.
Using Mindfulness
to Improve Learning:
40 Meditation Exercises
for School and Home

BILLIE KRSTOVIC
First published 2020
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2020 Billie Krstovic
The right of Billie Krstovic to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in
accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form
or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are
used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record has been requested for this book
ISBN: 978-1-138-36053-2 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-36055-6 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-0-429-43307-8 (ebk)
Typeset in Dante and Avenir
by Cenveo® Publishier Services
Tara ♥, remember the beauty. Always. xx
Contents

Part one 1

Introductory word for teachers 3

How to use this book and what is inside 4

What happened first? 5

How I got to do this 7

Why I wrote this book 9

Young people and their self- and spiritual development 12

Happiness in schools 15

Why should they do ‘nothing’? 17

Who is responsible? The role of beauty and positive

narrative in young people’s development 20

A short word about emotions 23

Why is calling it emotional health better than mental health? 25

What do students want in the 21st century? 27

Behaviour in the classroom and wellbeing of students 29

‘Good girl,’ ‘bad boy’ myths and other traps in education 31

What about teachers? 35

Can a stressed-out teacher spread happiness? 39

About mindfulness 43

What mindfulness is and what it isn’t – demystifying

modern misconceptions  43
x Contents

About grounding – the magic ingredient for mindful life

and experience of reality 45

What is grounding?  45

Why teachers need to have those tools 49

A few words for parents 50

Gratitude exercise  50
Mindfulness, meditation and grounding at home and school  51

What do students say? 52

Why should we teach mindfulness meditation

and grounding in school? 53

How can teachers use this book for any subject and any occasion? 54

Learning and mindfulness meditation and grounding 55

Wellbeing pastoral care and grounding meditation 56

Community, team building and grounding meditation 57

Self-development and grounding meditation 58

Reflection time and grounding meditation 59

Academic content and grounding meditation 60

Art and grounding meditation 61

Music and grounding meditation 62

Drama and grounding for mindfulness

technique – the perfect match 63

Spiritual and moral education and grounding meditation

for reflection, empathy and deep understanding 64

Relevance of Religious and Moral (Spiritual) Education lessons

in pupils’ minds and grounding meditation 65

Philosophy and ethics and grounding meditation 66

Sport and grounding meditation technique 67

Personal, social, health education and grounding meditation 68

Science and grounding meditation 69

Maths and grounding meditation 70

Design and technology, fashion, robotics and engineering (STEM)

and grounding meditation 71

Computing (STEM) and grounding meditation 72

 Contents  xi

Ecology, climate change, environmental issues and grounding meditation 73

Behaviour management and useful grounding meditation tools 74

Special education needs and mindfulness meditation

and grounding – does it help? 75

Part two 77

Mindfulness meditation in the classroom and logistics

of implementation: group sizes, space, times to use it,
length of exercises, space, environmental sounds, background
music, safety and age of students 79
Instructions for teachers  79
When do I do this?  80
Age groups  80
How long does it take?  80
How slow or fast do I read this?  80
Group sizes and space choice  81
Space quality  81
Environmental sounds  82
Background music  82
Safety 82
Does this always work?  83
What is the ‘Grounding Check Exercise’?  84
Big questions  84
Spiritual development or self-development?  84
Thinking outside of the box  85
What does ** in the title mean?  85
Instructions and meditations 86
What is in the practical part and how to use it  86
Practical exercises 89
Grounding for a classroom 90
Main meditation chapter  90
Basic Grounding for Mindfulness Technique (GfMT)  90
Setting 91

Grounding for Mindfulness Technique (GfMT) 92

Meditations for positive self-programming** 94

‘Myself and my inner space – what is in my head?’ grounding meditation  94

Links 95
‘Where is my power? Make my power tool’ grounding meditation**  95
Links 97
‘What am I grateful for?’ grounding meditation  97
xii Contents

Links 98
‘What do I look forward to?’ reflective grounding meditation
**mindfulness exercise – my reflections **  99
‘I am creative’ grounding meditation  100
‘I am organised’ grounding meditation  102
Links 103
‘I am good at leading – leader within’ grounding meditation  104
Links 105
‘I correct myself’ grounding meditation**  105
‘I help others and accept help from others’ grounding meditation,
cooperation exercise  107
Links 108
‘My tree’ grounding meditation  109
Links 110
‘My power symbol’ grounding meditation  111
Links 112
‘I swallow my free, true self’ grounding meditation  114
Links 116
‘Arty’ grounding meditation  117
Links 118
‘I can achieve’ motivation and strength grounding meditation  119
‘I am strong’ sporty grounding exercise  121
Links 122
‘I work well with others,’ team building grounding exercise  122
Links 123
‘We are champions’ grounding meditation  124
Links 125
‘I cooperate, I teach and learn from others’ grounding meditation  125
Links 127
‘I can chose the right response and have the power to affect
my life’ grounding meditation  127
Links 129
‘I expand the circle of people I talk to’ grounding meditation  129
‘Gratitude and my life’ grounding meditation**  131
Links 132
‘All the amazing opportunities in my life’ grounding meditation**  132
Links 133
‘Body, mind and environment, I am part of Nature’ grounding
meditation 134
Links 135
‘Love’ grounding meditation** for enrichment of inner beauty
in education**  136
‘I calm myself’ grounding meditation**  138
Links 139
‘I accept help’ grounding meditation  139
‘I accept change’ fluidity grounding meditation  141
 Contents  xiii

‘I am a miracle, therefore I can create anything and achieve

anything’ grounding meditation  143
Links 145
‘Many sides of me’ grounding meditation  147
Links 148
‘Body, mind and environment, I am part of my universe’
grounding meditation  149
Links 150
‘Many ways of giving’ grounding meditation  151
Links 153
‘Animal world and I’ grounding meditation  154
Links 155
‘How do I feel about the creative universe I am part of?’
grounding meditation  157
Links 158
‘I am strong, I develop new strengths from my limitations’
grounding meditation  160
Links 161
‘My personal power – what decisions do I make which
influence others?’ grounding meditation  162
Links 163
‘I only ever compete with my best self’ grounding meditation  163
Links 165
‘I have a great support structure’ grounding meditation  166
Links 167
‘Clear my thoughts’ grounding meditation**  168
Links 169
The ‘Grounding Check Exercise’ 5-minute exercise for school and home  169

Literature and training contact 171

Three electronic meditations for teachers (only) 171

Teacher feedback 172

CPD training, research and invitation for collaboration 173

CPD Training in Grounding for Mindfulness Technique (GfMT)  173

CPD for others working with young people  173
Research in schools - Bring it to your school  173
Get involved – Wellbeing in Schools Project  174

In their own words 175

Quotes form young people after doing Grounding

for Mindfulness Technique (GfMT)  175

Music 178

Bibliography 178
Part one
Introductory word for teachers

This book was written by an experienced school teacher and meditation teacher based on
real life experience in education. It was not written in a cave in the mountains or in a retreat
in the woods. It was written in a busy town in England. It aims to link everyday teaching
with ancient mind technologies to promote wellbeing. This is primarily written for educa-
tion but is also suitable for any other area in which young people are positively influenced
and encouraged by others to achieve their full potential and develop expansive views of
themselves, their futures their relationship with their communities and the environment at
large. Mindfulness is about being present in the moment as life unfolds; life as it is, with all
its ups and downs. More precisely, it is about being present despite the ups and downs of life.
The knowledge about how to achieve this is not new. Anyone can learn how to achieve this
state of being with life even in modern times, despite the fact that the original knowledge
came from the people of antiquity. The fact that our (global) ancestors might have with-
drawn originally into solitude, to gain and develop the knowledge, does not imply we have
to do the same. The worth of this knowledge is only in the application of it to actual living.
Therefore, everything in here has been tested in real life. The author of these lines has
students just like any other teacher. And these students are often stressed, self-absorbed at
times and worried about their exams, their future, their image, social life, social media and
mostly their parents’ or everyone else’s expectations, their own the least. The author herself
has deadlines, data analysis, lesson observations, appraisals, lessons to prepare and reports
to write. In her career she has had students with all sorts of problems, from emotional and
behavioural to social and cultural, just like anyone else.
It is important to point out that this book was written from two perspectives: one, from
the point of view of the meditation teacher, with 40 years of experience of meditation and
many other arts in that field, and the other, from the point of view of a school teacher with
30 years of on-and-off experience in education. It was written by applying the knowledge
from the caves in the mountains (ahem, there weren’t any caves actually, but there were huge
mountains at some point and loads of meditation) to the real situation in hand.
Both views have taken into consideration that teachers out there have other things in
their lives than teaching and that teaching, at times, might take over their lives. This can be
quite difficult to manage and even harder to get out of. Despite that, teachers wish to have
calm and happy students whenever possible, so everyone can get on and do what is best for
their future. This book is here to help them achieve exactly that.
How to use this book
and what is inside

This book has two parts: Part one is a discussion about education and wellbeing, Part two is
a bank of exercises with suggested activities ready to use off the page.
The aim of the overall text is to be holistic and easy to read before all else. It considers
the fact that education is a complex process with many important factors. It considers that
students and teachers are integral parts of a much more complex educational landscape,
which cannot be simplified to teachers and students alone. It is written from the point of
view that education is a process that operates within society and, as such, is dictated by soci-
etal regulations, expectations and often unwritten rules, all of which need to be taken into
consideration. The first half of the book has been written with this in mind, and many issues
are touched upon without actually trying to provide all the answers, even if this were pos-
sible. Instead, it is aiming to start a discussion about issues, which are often left neglected,
or are simply ignored within the global educational debate.
Part one also concerns the origin of the meditations in this book; the background to how
this technique was, and still is, tested in education and explores reasons why we need to
teach young people how to relax, ground themselves and look after their emotional health.
It is mostly a discussion aiming to bring up emerging, contemporary questions relevant in
the 21st century relating to students’ wellbeing, education and the pressures young people
have to face. It is opening a discussion about entirely new challenges within education and
the everyday life of a young person.
The author has purposefully included a short snippet of a personal background at the
beginning relating to origins of her knowledge, to make sure it contributes to the ideas in
this book which, among other things, strives to demystify and include the personal within
the knowledge of emotions. More about this is discussed later
Part two is a ready-made set of exercises with activities teachers can read straight out of the
book. It has its ‘menu of topics’ for ease of use as it links to different topics within different sub-
jects taught at school. It links them to academic, artistic, self-development and other content.
Part two can be used without using the Part one, however teachers should familiarize
themselves with everything in Part two before they use any of the exercises. This is essential.
Some of the instructions contain the word you while speaking directly to the reader. This
is because it is much easier to explain to the teacher/facilitator what they need to do when
they are engaging with it, not just on a professional but also on a personal level. This entire
text aims to speak to the person within the professional.
What happened first?

Since the age of 11, I have studied numerous different arts. By the time I was 14, I practised
3 hours of Yoga per day and loved every minute of it. I also loved learning and believed that
teachers in my school and everywhere knew secrets about everything; that if I just stuck
around for long enough and followed their instructions, they would tell me all there was. I
wanted to learn everything. I didn’t know what that was, I just knew I wanted it. It has been
over 40 years since my first Yoga session in my childhood bedroom, but I am still search-
ing for it. The only difference is that now I know it is the search that is the fun part and that
everything might never be found.
It turns out, I have been extremely fortunate to have been guided through my life to the
very best teachers in their own field, who were willing to put their trust, time and years of
effort into teaching me what they were exceptionally good at. I am grateful for that, and
this book, in a way, is partly honoring that knowledge, effort and precious time that was
invested in me.
I grew up in a country where spirituality and religion weren’t commonplace. Knowledge
was. Education, especially Science, Mathematics, Philosophy, Literature and Art were the
main outlets for self-expression. While the society was very Bohemian and arty, and even
though I was an artist, my thirst for something more was still not provided for. I went to a
regular school like all the other children, and in addition I went to an Art school after my
normal school day, once or twice per week for several years. I read every book that came my
way and, to my mother’s horror, continued this strange gymnastic in my room, on my own.
For all that time, I had very few opportunities to get any instruction about different worlds
I was experiencing at the quiet times in my own mind in my own being. I didn’t know anyone
else who did it. I didn’t know where to look. I didn’t know what it was called. Nevertheless,
I searched and this somehow eventually worked. Once the gates of opportunities to learn
about this inner world were open for me, they never closed again.
I Iearned almost every Art that was made available to me, from Hatha Yoga, Raja Yoga,
Kundalini Yoga, Transcendental Meditation (TM and full TM-Siddhi programme) to Chi
Kung and Ki Aikido, to mention the most prominent Arts in my life. This is without men-
tioning different philosophies, spiritual and healing systems and religions I’ve studied to
fulfil my personal, academic and professional interests. I have a Degree in Education and a
Master’s Degree in Religious Education, and I have taught about all major religions and spir-
ituality to children and young adults within an educational setting. I am also a Psychology
6  Part one

and Philosophy and Ethics teacher. I used to be Head of the Psychology Department and
currently am Head of Social Sciences in a girls’ school in the United Kingdom, where I am
also teaching Psychology. I am responsible for the provision of wellbeing and meditation
sessions for students and staff, which I do every week as part of a regular set provision.
Meditation is part of my daily life. I teach many versions of it to anyone who wishes to learn.
How I got to do this

In 1990, after returning from a five-month trip to a residential meditation retreat in

Switzerland, I started teaching small snippets of meditation and mindfulness to 7- to 11-year-olds
as part of my first job, as a primary school teacher. I’d noticed children changing their pos-
ture and body language once in meditation. I also noticed their artwork and some commu-
nication improved when I’ve tried meditation before starting the lessons. Encouraged by
this I continued to do it in different forms. I spoke to children about their safe place in their
mind, and to my astonishment children responded very quickly with colourful drawings
full of incredible details. One detail that surprised me then was that even the children who
were not very communicative became more animated and articulate. When they spoke
(with considerable pride) about their pictures of their safe place after their meditation, they
used expressions I hardly ever heard them use in our regular language classes. This was
most noticeable with children who usually did not have much confidence to express them-
selves verbally in front of other people. However, the thing that struck me the most was the
sense of happiness and relaxation children radiated around them while talking about their
pictures, their safe space and its content.
Encouraged by these events, I decided I would continue to develop this practice and
take notes as to how it impacted children and their emotional and academic performance.
Little did I know this was not to be until much later and with much older children. Due to
unexpected circumstances, I had to take a few years out of teaching until I came back to it,
full time, in 2004. Meanwhile, I continued to develop my own knowledge, which eventually
culminated in 1st Dan Black Belt in Ki Aikido shortly after I returned to teaching.
In 2004, once I found myself back in the classroom I decided I would take the meditation
and mindfulness much further in my lessons, especially because this time my students were
considerably older than my original 7- to 11-year-olds, and my own practice was now much
stronger. I decided I would employ everything I knew and had been taught from different
Arts within one single technique; something anyone could just walk straight into and walk
straight out of, no strings attached. No path to follow. No change of lifestyle. Something ‘now’
and ready to use. This was when I designed the simple Grounding for Mindfulness Technique
(GfMT) that is included in this book in its most basic and shortest form. I have taught it and
still do so, in longer versions and varieties, which are not in the handbook purely because it
would take some training of teachers and parents before it could be used in the classrooms
or at home. To make things clear, I wish to point out here that the grounding meditation I
8  Part one

use in this book is designed from the principles of the grounding in the Arts I was trained
in. It therefore has similarities with variations used for thousands of years all over the world.
In that lies its effectiveness. I only adapted it for quick use by anyone and further especially
for education. The version included here is a very simple, ready to go variation and needs no
prior knowledge other than reading this book, preferably in full. It also does not ask for any
prior knowledge by students. Nevertheless, it is just as effective and it should produce effects
worth having as long as it is implemented as it is in the book. I hope it benefits you and your
students as much as it has mine. I wish you great success with it.
Why I wrote this book

‘If you fall over, you fall over. If you have to stop, you stop. But you start again. Just like life
itself, you start again.’
Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, The Eight Human Talents: Restore the Balance and Serenity
within You with Kundalini Yoga

Education has come a long way from the days when I worried what people thought of me
teaching meditation in my classroom to my students. It has been nearly two decades since I
started doing it consistently as part of Psychology, Religious Education and Philosophy and
Ethics lessons. I had to start small, with my door wide open so everyone who worried ‘what
a strange thing it was with all those children sitting with their eyes closed’ in my classroom, but
ultimately I was invited by other teachers to teach it across classes in schools where I taught.
Attitude has changed rapidly in a short window of a few years. Now, I have taught thousands
of adolescents to meditate in educational settings. I also taught as part of school clubs and
outside of school settings. I taught young people who came by themselves to my classroom in
small groups at times of need, people I thought as one-off just to give them a moment to put
themselves together, teachers in floods of tears, school chefs on the brink of being signed off
work with stress, a group of mothers with their babies in a prominent Sikh temple in London,
tea ladies who couldn’t cope with being over-worked, Heads of school departments hiding
their worries from their staff and ready to walk out of their jobs, mothers having anxiety
attacks – the list goes on. I made myself available, and people just turned up.
However, it has been an uphill struggle to have this kind of activity widely accepted until
recently with the popularity of the word mindfulness within the general public and even
more so in education. This, in a way, has normalised it for people, helping things on their
way to a greater acceptance, with more curiosity as to how this can be used in education
and what benefits might bring.
Since I’ve designed and taught the GfMT (which from now on I will just simply call
grounding meditation) in daily life and in schools to students, educational staff and other
adults, I was eventually inundated with invitations to teach other people’s classes because
they wanted their pupils to learn the technique. I was told it was impacting their concentra-
tion and focus during lessons, their state of happiness, their confidence and their creativity.
I also taught in the special education section of a mainstream school, where both the stu-
dents and the staff enjoyed it. I taught it in environments where students were both strong
10  Part one

and vulnerable. Often, these most vulnerable students, whether they were anxious, stressed
or known to be aggressive with poor social skills, ‘craved’ it later and kept coming to my
meditation club as it was ‘Sooo calm Miss.’
My classroom was full just before the exams, and students knocked on my door at random
times in search of calm, as did the staff. I was also invited to teach it to students with behav-
iour issues, students with special education needs (including children with Autism spectrum
disorder) and other children suffering with high levels of anxiety. I taught it in the worst and
the best schools; in the most underprivileged and most privileged of environments. Once
I taught in this strange, unsettling ‘under lock-and-key’ facility within a failing school. I’d had
to press for days just to be allowed in for one session with these ‘dangerous kids.’ Eventually,
they got fed up with me and let me do it, but I was never let in again, as they were uncomfort-
able with the prospect of this weird thing working; that potentially children could greatly
benefit from it, just like that. Quietly; no shouting; no trouble – low key.
It worked but it was just too early – as if people were not ready to take this on. I had to be
as patient with the adults who rejected it as I was with young people while teaching it.
All along I knew it was working, as I asked students to write their experiences in their
school books afterwards. Also I asked them to discuss and share their experiences with
the class. The words they used to describe it were very similar, even though they went
to very different schools and came from very different backgrounds. Most of their experi-
ences seemed quite deep. I knew I was on the right track – I just needed to gather evidence.
Eventually, it seemed, I didn’t need evidence after all. Students and teachers were asking for
it. It was all happening of its own accord. I just had to be available. The situation unfolded
on its own. I was invited to teach in so many different situations.
Then it all moved one level further. I kept being asked by both teachers in schools and
the parents of children I taught outside school to explain how they could use what I taught
them, at home and in their lessons. I have also been asked to recommend books so other
teachers could use them in the classroom. Considering I did not learn meditation, ground-
ing and mindfulness from books, I was just as much in the dark as the very people who
wanted my advice. I embarked on research and have read books about mindfulness quite
early on, which appear to be linked to education. However, at the time they were rather
vague and mainly wished to educate teachers about what it might do if they practiced it
themselves. Parents seemed to be left out completely. I found expensive scholarly books
written by psychologists and based on research, but they were not easy to use and obviously
were not written by an experienced school teacher or a meditation teacher.
I was looking for something from the source – meaning the source of my knowledge, but
more suitable for education. I found some resources, but they were not suitable for older
children. I was hoping to find a book that could be picked off a shelf and used in the class-
room or at home straight away. While I was doing all that, one day a teacher in a local school
asked me: ‘Well, can’t you write something yourself? It would really be most helpful. Just
this stuff you do. I just want to be able to do something like this, what you just did.’
So, little by little, I wrote exercises and their different variations, but eventually I realised
I was running well into 50 exercises. Also, I had to explain so much about how this works,
or could work, in different situations and in different academic areas. Before I knew it I had
written so much it turned into a draft for this very book.
While I have been doing all this, a lot of research, money (1.5 billion to be invested by
2021 according to gov.org.uk at time of writing) and effort have been invested of late into the
 Introductory word for teachers  11

wellbeing of young people by the UK government alone. Only 10 years ago in Britain most
people in education had no idea what meditation entailed and why anyone would teach it in
school; now everyone is talking about it, but not many people know exactly what it means
in practice. That is exactly the problem. It is not an exact science. Neither is it regulated.
Teachers come to my classroom time and again to meditate, and they are still none the
wiser about teaching it to their students at school, or to their children at home. This is why I
wrote this book. I have included tried and tested, ‘ready-made’ mindfulness and grounding
meditations, which my students and I found exceptionally useful.
This book is for anyone who wishes to take their teaching to the next level where stu-
dents will be engaging with their personal development and their academic development
to a much greater extent. It is also for anyone in education who wishes to help children and
young people develop empathy, resilience, gratitude for life, love of self and others and faith
in their ability to create the life – the reality – they wish to live, in a gentle but powerful way.
The exercises in this book are ready to use and can be used in any order.
Young people and their self-
and spiritual development

You might wonder why would a healthy, well-balanced person, especially a young one, need
to engage in any activity of this kind. The answer is very simple, especially for young people
and children. They like it and it works. And then, there is the question of happiness…
For decades, there has been a lot of discussion about spiritual and self-development of
students in education. Considering nobody has a secure authority on another person’s hap-
piness, this issue was always a bit of a grey area. Surely, everyone is different and can only
develop their own happiness on their own terms. Still today, we have scientists and psychol-
ogists of a more biological and, especially, behaviourist inclination, who believe they can
measure and classify happiness precisely, fitting for a large group of people. There seems
to be a presumption that someone, somewhere will be able to do this and give precise,
scientific prescriptions and then permission for them to be scientifically implemented in
education. This of course is not only an arrogant, but also a naïve, line of enquiry. This
is because no practices of this kind can have a valid and overall objective approval of an
empirical research as they are just too diverse, subjective and too personal to count and
unify. Spiritual and self-development tools worth learning induce deeply personal experi-
ences. Subjective, self-evaluating, personal experiences, which put an individual in the driving
seat of their own development, are their very aims which, by their nature, exclude any strict
empirical objectivity. Of course, practices of self-development and spiritual development,
from meditation to martial Arts, predate both academia and research, in its present form, by
many thousands of years.
The survival of ancient mind technologies over such a long period of time, with their
lasting effects, is what makes them authority itself. Huge body of experience (and evidence!)
from thousands upon thousands of trained people, who devoted their entire lifetimes to
this matter throughout millennia, are completely ignored by self-proclaimed authorities
of modern science and research, which have neither the experience nor understanding to
call on this invaluable and vast source of information. What I can only describe as the left
brain parameters cannot be used to evaluate the right brain experience, without the right brain
insight first. It is simply impossible to do well. Even with a huge spike in very interesting
and widespread research suggesting spirituality is hard-wired into our genetics, we are still
nowhere near defining this scientifically. Even with work by the likes of biologist Bruce
Lypton, for example (to mention just one of the vast number of interested researchers), talk
of the ‘God gene’ and the even more important and revolutionary ideas of The Biology of God
 Introductory word for teachers  13

of spirituality’s giant, Sir Alister Hardy, it is still exceptionally difficult to actually measure,
explain or sum up such experiences and their long-lasting effects scientifically.
Even with the considerable increase in scientific research in this area, many researchers
seem unaware of the limitations of such reductionist undertakings. The lab environment
setup is not suitable for this kind of activity, and any findings while possible, are only short
sighted.
Here we could use an example of a cricket coach trying to engage with ballet and evalu-
ate the movements and performance of a ballerina. A cricket coach is perfectly equipped
to evaluate movement, but it will be hard for them to evaluate the whole artistic value of
the performance, purely because it is not their area of expertise and they are unable to look
for important values in what they see. They will have to ask a ballet teacher what to look for
before they can draw any conclusions. Ideally, the cricket coach would have to become a
ballet dancer, then a ballet teacher themselves before setting up any parameters for evalu-
ation of what has been observed. This, of course, is even more important, as mastering the
technique and physical movements are only the pre-requisite for the full artistic perfor-
mance, without which all are meaningless movements, void of stand-alone value or beauty.
Only the ballet teacher can really spot the difference.
Of late, the spiritual ‘world’ is finding itself increasingly hemmed into this process
of, at times, completely meaningless scientific scrutiny while its knowledge is hijacked,
re-branded into scientifically proven packages, renamed as something scientifically effective and
taken ownership of. Many in academia with a background in the realm of the right brain are
finding this situation difficult and are unsure how to tackle it for fear of not being taken seri-
ously, while forgetting they are the true experts in the field of the refined human experience.
Apart from that, spiritual development versus self-development is a very outdated con-
cept in the present stage of a technologically advanced society, where religion, spirituality,
fitness and furthering of self have merged into an inseparable soup of self-help culture of
the 21st century, in which individuals make use of whatever they feel is helping them at a
particular moment. Each individual makes this decision for themselves, as the internet has
become a powerful source of self-help resources. Increasing numbers of people no longer
differentiate between sources of useful information according to their cultural, social, reli-
gious or spiritual origins; neither do they feel any of it has to be kept separate. Explosions
of emerging forms of fitness and spirituality cocktails (under the umbrella of wellness) are
replacing organised, prescribed dogmas of anything, including religion and science as much
as self- and spiritual development. People are moving away from the prescribed, organised or
permanent where their personal choices and personal growth are concerned.
With increasing frequency, individuals feel just as close to their immediate geographi-
cal culture as to the native peoples of the planet. The globalisation of human knowledge
relating to the self- and spiritual development is an increasingly common phenomenon and
offers huge benefits to millions of people around the globe. Spiritual and self-development
is now entwined in more ways than we have ever seen in our recorded history.
In reality, there should be no difference in the terms, as long as understanding of what we
are actually trying to achieve here is clear. Dr. David Hay has done a considerable amount
of research into spirituality of children, trying to find out what it might be. A mountain
of evidence he produced with Dr. Rebecca Nye suggests that even children as young as
6 years of age have spiritual ideas and can express them very clearly. In my view, spiritually
balanced children are the ones with empathy for others; they are able to perceive beauty in
14  Part one

themselves, in everything around them and are able to reflect on their own perception of reality.
This really is what most people would want for their children, no matter what we call it.
Psychologist Abraham Maslow has combined both spirituality and psychology and
has come up with a very practical, useful hierarchy of needs, where the aim is just that
– personal development aiming to fulfil a person’s full potential in their own way towards
their own self-actualisation. This is exactly what is lacking in our mental health world at this
very moment in time.
If Psychology is to get involved here, it can only do it ‘objectively’ within Humanistic
approach methods because no other form of research is suitable. Famously, Humanist
researchers don’t accept group research as valid. They are interested in individuals holisti-
cally. Any attempt to lump individual responses into statistics is a naïve attempt to squeeze
everyone into a single bag. Here, I don’t mean Human bag as we normally represent it.
Human, as I find on a daily basis among my students, means a unique, expansive individual
who needs freedom to become his or her best self. No statistics can evaluate that. Humanity
can only be represented as a sum of differences, ones we need to respect, cherish and stop
treading on, especially in education.
What spirituality has done in the past, and is still doing today, is hardly different from
what self-development is aiming for. The difference is only in the eye of beholder. Sadly, at
times, the beholder is far more interested in having the conversation than in actually put-
ting this technology to a good use for benefits of others – and while grown-ups are busy
arguing about their own language hang-ups, young people need something to help them
be happy now. They need someone to teach them what happiness is in real life terms, to give
some pointers as to how to attempt to get there and recognise it when it comes. They need
to be told that happiness is possible now and not when they have pleased everyone else. They
also need to be told that happiness is to be found in a joy of their life journey and not in their
test results or their bank account balance. This might be seen a simple solution, but the job
in hand is far harder than it looks on paper and needs more people to join in. If it wasn’t, we
would not be having this conversation in the first place.
Happiness in schools

‘The wound is the place where the Light enters you.’

Rumi

In all the years of teaching and spending time with young people, I have never heard a stu-
dent ever answer directly the question I often ask: Who teaches you how to be happy? In fact,
when I ask this question, my older students first look at me in disbelief and in silence. Then
they laugh, looking at each other. When I ask what is so funny (and these days I know the
answer already), they say, ‘Well Miss, nobody! What a crazy question! Teachers just want us
to work hard and pass our exams. No one cares whether we are happy or not.’ Then, they
laugh even more and look at me as if I am some strange, naïve person who urgently needs
to wake up and get a grip on reality. Their reality!
But I know they want to know more. They want to explore this idea of happy self. Often,
this is the very moment when all the things that make them unhappy come out. The thoughts
about pressure they feel at school, about demands for their academic performance by their
parents and their teachers alike, about deadlines and exams. They talk about scary news,
the unsettled world and pressure from social media. They talk about how they feel the com-
petition out there is huge; that it is no longer enough to have ‘grade this piano, grade that
ballet’ and all the top marks at their exams. They simply feel they are supposed to be super-
human to succeed and that nobody else sees this as too much to cope with.
You might have noticed that I have not yet mentioned students who might have emo-
tional problems arising from their family situation or their economic, social, religious or
ethnic and cultural demands. Demands are demands, whatever their nature. Young people
of all backgrounds are feeling the pressure.
In Britain of late, it seems enormous academic pressure is put on children from the
wealthier end of the social spectrum. Macro-managed, constantly under the microscopic
scrutiny of their parents, they live under unthinkable expectations compared to their own
parents when they were growing up. This is because, even though their parents grew up
in the not-so-distant past, day to day living was very different compared to the time their
children live in now. They grew up when technology was not driving the speed of living
to the point where we are teaching the skill of acquiring information almost to the same
extent as we are imparting the information itself. The figures show a 200% increase in
reported exam stress and a variety of disorders rapidly developing within private education,
16  Part one

including unprecedented levels of depression, eating disorders and self-harm. According to head-
teachers, this is directly related to the ‘persistent and prolonged exam stress and social
media pressures.’
Children in the 21st century have a very different issues compared to what their parents
experienced. For the first time, this gap is so wide that the two childhoods bear almost no
resemblance to each other. The wealthier parents spend vast sums of money on additional
activities for their children to engage in after school. This, I repeat, is after school. Including
the price of the school, these activities are what most parents hope will set their children’s
achievements well apart from others in the future. This is seen as developing a whole person.
Sadly, that often means quite the opposite. Some children are put under so much pressure
to achieve in so many different areas they no longer have time to be children. So the child part
is left out of the whole, the very bit which is most difficult to put back in.
On the other end of the spectrum, children from less fortunate backgrounds have to
compete on an entirely different level. Often, existential problems are far more on chil-
dren’s minds then we suspect. Dysfunctional families, lack of funds and the lack of overall
support for education at home are things we don’t always consider because they are not
always obvious. In March 2019, UK figures showed that nearly three million children live in
poverty despite their parents being in work. Meanwhile, The New York Times has reported
that according to Professor Philip Alston, United Nations Special Rapporteur about Human
Rights, nearly one-fifth of American children live in poverty. Lately, there are news reports
of children going severely hungry during school holidays in the United Kingdom. Local
councils are discussing whether food provision during school holidays is possible to achieve.
Lately, there has been news about a school in Britain which is paying for pupils’ home elec-
tricity and dispensing food to their families, to the detriment of their own resources. All this
in a most developed, wealthy and powerful Western country.
Meanwhile, pressure from social media to live ‘perfect lives’ and present it ‘on a plate,’(for
some literally!), for everyone to see, is the impossible task facing children of most back-
grounds, especially the porer ones. This all has an impact on young people’s wellbeing.
The latest report published on the BBC website in August 2018 stated that, out of 11.000
interviewed children, one fifth of girls harm themselves, In some places 46% of all children
reported self-harm.
The constant fear of being ridiculed and exposed publically is an everyday danger in
young people’s lives today. This is something that grown-ups who brought them into this
world did not have to live with at any age or perhaps ever.
This is what they say (17- and 18-year-olds):

• ‘I get anxious, and become stressed, when I feel that other people’s expectations of what grades I
can achieve exceed my own perceptions of what I am capable of achieving.’
• ‘When teachers keep reminding us how many lessons, days, hours are left (to the exams) it just
makes me feel worse, some even have a countdown on the board.’
• ‘I didn’t work as hard as I could in year 12. I wish I could change it but I can’t; I know I am going
to do worse on these topics.’
• ‘Sometimes I just sit staring at the book, my notes or a blank page. A little voice is telling me I am
going to mess up and not be able to get in to my chosen university.’
Why should they do ‘nothing’?

‘In meditation we think about yourself and nothing else around you. We sat there for about ten
minutes. It actually was nice, calming. You forget about all bad stuff and just think about the good.’
Zoe, age 15

21st Century children need time to just be more than ever. Ironically, new generations are
the first children in the civilised world who seem to be short of exactly that – simply time to
do nothing much. Meanwhile, time is exactly what is needed for development of awareness
of self and to self-develop. Only a self-developed person truly knows what they need to be
happy. And happiness, whatever it might be, is what the outcome of every life should be.
This is not a message we are sending out to our children. Demands are the only message
they hear.
Meditation, in fact, is not doing nothing. It is doing something, just not something useful to
anyone else, except the person who is doing it. Not everything we do is seen from outside.
In fact it is very likely that every meditation will impact the life from within in a visible way
later. These connections are not always seen or noticed immediately.
Even the most balanced child will simply enjoy a bit of meditation in a day’s work. The
reason for this is that the very Nature of the mind is to be happy. Mind strives for and is
attracted to happiness. No one enjoys being unhappy. This is a simple but essential truth.
The question here is why don’t we have a regular subject in our school curriculum dealing
with people’s happiness? Isn’t it the purpose of our entire lives? To simply be happy.
Young people spend a huge proportion of their lives in education which is supposed to
prepare them for a successful life. It is presumed that this success will include some imaginary
exceptionally well-paid job, a house, a car, savings, possibly family and eventually happiness,
whatever this might mean. Is there any reason why we would not teach them to be happy
now so they can enjoy the ride instead of waiting for the ride to be over, when, it seems, we
imply they will finally begin to properly live, happily.
The trouble is, we don’t really know what happiness is or might be for any given person.
We don’t tell them what happy means. However, we constantly tell them what it doesn’t.
Young people are inundated with grown-ups telling them what they are meant not to do
to achieve success. When instructions are given about what to do, they are about how to
achieve in getting into an important university, or getting a job or passing an exam, none of
which might be the key to happiness for any of the students in question.
18  Part one

Modern, extremely materialistic society also primes them not to trust their instincts,
teaches them to ignore their feelings, to distrust others, not to hang out with people they
like (if we don’t like them) and so on. In the same time we tell them they have to be honest,
not lie, work hard, be polite, pass exams, secure good jobs and list goes on and on. In other
words, we tell them that to be happy, they need to please us. Making themselves happy can
wait for some other time in the future when they are ready and well prepared to be happy.
We don’t tell them when this might be, how will they recognise when that time has come,
neither we explain how will they know what that is!

‘When I experienced meditation it made my whole body relax. It made me feel calm and peace-
ful. Meditation makes you feel like something is going on either inside you or around you. I
think meditation might be considered as spiritual because you can feel things inside you and
overcome things that you couldn’t do before.’
J. W., age 16

Young people are simply confused. They trust adults to tell them what is good for them and
are so brainwashed by the same adults into believing adults have all the answers that they
lose ability to trust themselves. In all this mess of information they have no time to reflect on
their own thoughts or get to know themselves.
It is likely this is because many adults don’t really ever stop to think what makes them
happy. The vast majority of people plod along in their lives no matter what. No matter
whether they love or hate their jobs, their homes, people they are surrounded with, the
car they are driving, neighbours they have or towns they live in. And this is because they
themselves have not been taught how and why to do it. They never have stopped to think
about any of that. They see no value in trying to develop it in their children either. So the
circle continues.
In the past, in the Western world, religion has taken care of this problem. Members of the
community reflected inwardly in situations supplied by organised religion. For some this
meant they took time to reassess their lives and perhaps rethink their choices, all this while
being guided by something higher than themselves. Moral guidance relating to honesty,
integrity and most importantly gratitude for good things in life was provided by the com-
munity in which majority values were shared and accepted. There was little confusion as to
what was ‘good’ or ‘bad’ and what was meant to happen. Young people helped around the
house or worked on land with their families. This made them feel equally valued members
of the community from an early age. Choices were few, and most settled within them. Time
went on for generations following well-trodden paths set by elders. Security lay in numbers
and in a sense of belonging.
Hardly any of that has survived in its entirety. The modern world brought death to the
collectivism of the Western world and, with that, death to the value of individual as a part
of the whole. The modern Western society is focused on success, competition, achievement,
profit and endless accumulation of expendable goods. Young people are on their own on their
path. Their value is seen in how far they can run in the race for material goods. All this as
individuals alone, out for themselves, unrelated to the success of their family or the community
they came from as a whole.
Their wellbeing is measured by their potential to compete. Huge differences between
material conditions among people on the planet are accepted as a norm. The resources and
 Introductory word for teachers  19

ever-increasing choices are what is driving progress – not people, emotions or gratitude, but
desire to have more and more. Desire for material, for things outside of ourselves. This alone is
meant to fulfil self. We tell children it does. Sadly, we can clearly see, from the huge increase
in emotional issues and the fast-galloping mental illness epidemic, -it doesn’t. Self has differ-
ent needs, and no amount of money, power, cars, winning, fame, houses or clothes can fill
this need. This is where self-development, meditation, grounding and mindfulness come in.
Who is responsible? The role
of beauty and positive narrative
in young people’s development

‘You will learn by reading, but you will understand with love.’
Rumi

Very little attention, or more likely no attention, is paid to the role of beauty and positive
messages in young people’s lives. A lot of non-conclusive research has been done on the pos-
sible influence of violence in media on young people’s development, their worldviews and
their general experience of reality.
While I could endlessly quote research findings which contradict each other when it
comes to the influence of violence in media on the behaviour of young people, and perhaps
discuss the shaky validity of such conclusions, it really is not necessary. It does not take too
much common sense to think this one through – and media are not even the biggest issue.
The overall representation of reality and narrative we pass on to the future generations is.
Young people believe what we grown-up people tell them. What they believe becomes part
of them, their world and their overall reality. The fact that we need to instruct young people
is an unavoidable part of being an adult, parent or educator. While as educators we need to
share information with young people, passing on what we know, what we have recorded
and found useful, we need to be very careful not to tip the balance of the Nature of things
we normalise in their life and their reality.
Passing on information just because it is a fact does not excuse the act of doing it. We need
to take responsibility for the overall picture we are building in our young people’s minds as to
what is normal and what isn’t in the world they are joining. Also, we need to consider very
carefully how to achieve the balance between negative and positive information we feed into
their reality. They are very anxious about their world and where it is heading. Just because
grown-up people born in the 1960s and 1970s might have been ‘asleep’ regarding this issue
does not mean generations of today are not awake. We have built a world which is not as
friendly as we might believe. In fact beauty in the world is seen as matter of Art and the privilege
of people who can afford it. There is absolutely no conversation to be held about this in educa-
tion circles or daily life. Thinking here needs to change radically. Just as we don’t want to feed
them mostly sugar in their food simply because we always have done so, we certainly don’t
want to feed them mostly horrors just because these are the facts we are used to.
The narrative we are passing on is keeping the status quo. We inherited wars, geno-
cide, greed, inequality, poor social mobility and unprecedented differences in quality of life
 Introductory word for teachers  21

among humans on the planet. People have created this narrative over the past generations
in the Western world. Our recent elders took no responsibility for this narrative, as this is
what had been passed on to them, and the ancestral chain goes on into our distant past. The
only difference is that now we are looking at the serious prospect of extinction and deci-
mation of the environment that we need to survive as a species. Someone has to break the
chain of this toxic narrative. It might as well be us, now!
Education, being one of the two largest influences in young people’s lives, being second
only to the home and family, has to consider this issue seriously. Education plays essentially
an important, disproportionately large role in building perception of reality and life’s expec-
tations in the minds of future generations. There is nothing more damaging in education
than doing something just because that is the way it has always been done, and this goes
especially for the stories we tell our children as part of our curriculum.
There are several areas that need serious consideration. I am particularly interested in
four questions here:

1. Why are we not paying specific attention to materials that normalise violence and nega-
tive messages within the school materials used to educate young people, including an
academic content of which huge chunks normalise violence?
2. Why are we not paying specific attention to the role of beauty and positivity in young
people’s lives, consciously working towards enriching the educational content with a
specific dose of those themes in the curriculum, as we do with numeracy and literacy,
which we aim to include in almost everything in education?
3. Why is no one investigating the possible roles of beauty and positivity in young people’s
development and their potential role in changing the long-lasting negative narrative in
the overall educational content?
4. What would the definition of beauty in education be and how we could measure it?

You might judge this as being too idealistic or even decide it is not focusing on what really
matters most in education. However, I beg to differ. While the academic content is a con-
siderable source of intellectual stimulation, positive messages and focus on what one might
find pleasing and beautiful can impact lifelong perceptions of how life should feel to live,
what kind of reality humans should expect and, therefore, what is normal and what is not.
Students should learn that being unhappy to a very high degree is not a normal state of
being, through being able to compare it and contrast it to the sense of beauty already built
in themselves. We should build them up happy and strong so that when they come across
something that is making them miserable, they will spot it straight away and reject it with-
out having to even think about it. They will know it is not normal to feel like that, therefore
they will reject the source of their unhappiness before it takes hold. This is before teaching
them how to cope when things have gone bad, which society as whole is struggling with at
present.
The process of beautifying within can also impact human ability to do anything, including
learning. Academic content, beauty and wellbeing should be equally considered, planned
and provided for in our schools’ curriculum.
Sport alone, with all the endorphins it induces, is not enough to keep ‘a healthy mind in a
healthy body.’ Millions of people go to music concerts, art exhibitions, poetry evenings and
theatre plays and engage in art of any kind to vent their tension, to manage stress and (most
22  Part one

important) to lift their mood. While we have Arts as part of our curriculum, the importance
of academic success far outweighs the artistic role in education.
Over the past decade, especially in Britain, English, Maths and Science have taken over
most of the curriculum. Arts are side-lined, and facts and information are treated as more
important even in the early years of school. The facts are facts, and whether they are ugly or
not is not taken into consideration. We don’t have planned, calculated and measured concepts
of beauty and happiness in our educational system. People might laugh, or at least politely dis-
miss it as unimportant or just plain nonsense, when in reality it is none of the above. This is
an issue which needs serious consideration. The generations to come will thank us for think-
ing about this and changing the negative narrative we so readily ‘serve’ them.
We don’t really have to go far into history to see this kind of effect. While it is essentially
important to teach history and what we did in the past, we need to be very careful about
putting an entirely different message out there from the one we intended. While we want to
say to our future generations that war is bad, for example, we don’t want to normalise it for
them. This is our history, but it will also become our future if we don’t take responsibility for
how we put it across and how much of it. I remember strongly opposing showing the film
Hotel Rwanda, which included graphic violence and was described as ‘Excellent but disturb-
ing [and] too intense for kids’ by one of the most respected online parent media reviews.
It was part of the curriculum, which was to cover remorse and the nature of suffering. I
was very uncomfortable about this, while children laughed at my sensitivity (‘We’ve seen
worse!’) and tried their hardest to reassure me that they would be just fine. I was horrified
that their young minds were desensitised to violence so intense, that it actually nauseated me.
Psychologists talk about psychopathy, with its lack of conscience and care for human
suffering, its lack of emotions and empathy for fellow humans. I felt that I was telling stu-
dents it is ok to watch other people suffer and not worry about it. The war, well, it just is;
just something that takes place. It’s just life. I worried also about what beauty they would be
shown and how to combat the terrible images I was exposing them to. I had nothing to go
by and no one to ask. There just isn’t a beauty police in any school on duty. It is a job perhaps
to be invented as yet. I was also wondering, would their parents approve or would they be
horrified if they knew what they have sent their children to school for?
The Balkan war in the 1990s is a striking example of this kind of effect. The communist
pioneers were brought up on war films, long graphic stories of ‘what they did to us’ and
‘what we did to them.’ This resulted in incredibly vicious and violent years of civil war
within what was, prior to that war, a very peaceful and civilised nation in love with chess,
poetry and Art. Here it is very clear that the balance was disturbed somewhere. Researchers
would argue, perhaps, that there is no cause-and-effect relationship there, at least not one
measured as yet. But it does not take an academic to realise something quickly normalises
violence in the war. We humans do.
A short word about emotions

‘Compassion is the radicalism of our time.’

His Holiness The Dalai Lama

If we are talking about mindfulness, learning and the mental health of young people, it is
important to bring in the issue of emotions. We talk about mental health, but really what
we mean is Emotional Health. ‘Emotions’ in the modern competitive society have become
taboo. We talk about them behind closed doors, in private, hiding from others that we have
them. Even having positive emotions can be troublesome in some situations where grown-
ups want to be taken seriously.
In schools, emotions are whispered about and spoken among teachers in strict confi-
dence. Emotions are the stuff of confidential information about students. It is a serious pas-
toral issue. We see this as something we can no longer talk about as people.
If emotions are undesirable, this is a further taboo and is associated with shame. Publicly
expressing emotions of sadness, melancholy, worry or anger is seen as shameful behaviour
and a sign of personal weakness.
The truth is all humans have emotions. If they don’t, society classifies them as psycho-
paths. And, as we all know, a psychopath is not someone anyone aspires to be. So where do
we stand with emotions? If we have them this is not acceptable, if we don’t this is disorder.
If society is to take seriously tackling the epidemic of mental health issues and the soar-
ing anxieties among young people, the first thing it needs to do is to destigmatise emotions.
Society at large has to start sending signals that emotions are normal and desirable. Young
people need to be told that emotions are nothing to be ashamed of and nothing to hide from
others for fear of rejection and ridicule.
Communities cannot handle emotions as something which should be kept secret and
expect young people to come forward when they cannot handle them. This is when young
people turn to drugs, violence or self-harm. They need to know emotions are acceptable
whatever they are; emotions are not shameful, and nobody will reject them if they confess
to having them. They need to know they are acceptable with their emotions.
Here must be mentioned, however briefly, the huge issue of bringing up boys to be
ashamed of having any emotions. Being masculine is equated with being emotionally
untouchable. This is not just unnatural but is probably the root of a huge number of issues
our society has to deal with, from aggression to violence against women and antisocial
24  Part one

behaviour in young males. This alone is a serious problem needing completely separate
consideration and cannot be discussed here in the depth it actually deserves. However, it has
to be mentioned, and conversation about it must be open to all.
We also need to stop presenting emotion as something which is written in stone and
something which forever brands a person. The nature of emotion is fluidity. Emotions are
impacted by the environment, and while that impact can be negative, surely it can also go
the other way and be positive. Our students need to know that whatever they are feeling
today can be changed tomorrow. They need to know they can be helped and things can
improve. They need to be taught that emotional health is like any other; that there is no
difference between visiting a dentist to fix a tooth and visiting a counsellor, a psychologist,
a meditation teacher or a doctor to help them fix their thoughts. They need to know that
having negative emotions is not the end of the world. They need to know that they can be
put back in control of themselves and their feelings through the assistance of others and
through good self-care.
Society needs to send out a strong message that emotions are transient, fixable and normal.
Only then can our young people start really expressing to us how they feel and what they
need. From then on, we just need to be able to stop, listen and act accordingly.
Why is calling it emotional health
better than mental health?

‘The very center of your heart is where life begins – the most beautiful place on Earth.’
Rumi

In October 2018, the United Kingdom appointed its first ever Minister for prevention of sui-
cides. This really illustrates very well how far this situation has deteriorated. The majority
of these are adult suicides. This is significant. It may suggest that, if at a younger age people
are not equipped with coping strategies, or with the attitude of self-help and self-care, they
might eventually resort to harming themselves later. The most important point here is that
within the average human being (though not for all), before anything becomes mental health
it starts as emotional health. Only if emotions are ignored, suppressed or misinterpreted do
they influence our mental health.
There is a stigma associated with mental health. A lot of it is to do with the language.
It seems, the ‘mental health’ even slightly associated with a mental state of a young person
implies that something has gone wrong with a person’s cognitive function and that some-
thing is wrong with them; with their thinking and with their perception of the world. It
suggests that they have deviated mentally in some way.
This is untrue of many things we now represent as mental health to young people. We
put their natural, normal and expected emotions into the same bucket. We throw their nor-
mal response to their tests, to the abnormal levels of competition and the enormous and
completely unreasonable pressure from social media into this mental health issue box. No
wonder they are not responding.
We are telling them, if they declare any emotions that might be troubling them, they
are declaring their mental functioning is faulty – inadequate; different from others – from
their peers who are coping just fine. We are indeed lying to them. There is absolutely nothing
wrong with their response to the situations they are in. If the exam anxiety is constantly on
their mind this is as normal as it gets.
We need to explain to them that emotional health is not necessarily the same as mental
health.
I hear often how young people don’t always listen to what they are told, but we have to
consider that the information we share with them might make them feel uncomfortable.
The language we speak to them is not always correct or adequate. If we ever talk about emo-
tions, we call it emotional intelligence. This also is implying that if they don’t have it, they are
26  Part one

less intelligent. This is what they hear. This might not be what we mean, but that is what we
say. This needs revisiting.
Separate from the language is the state of the society that is teaching them how they
should handle their lives. Young people learn best when something is modelled to them.
We cannot expect them to follow our advice when grown-ups are not talking about their
emotions either. They have nothing to follow, nothing to copy and are less likely to develop
healthy attitudes towards their own emotional states for lack of role models. To prevent
issues with mental and emotional health in schools, teachers and parents have to change
their attitude to their feelings and emotions first. This does not mean that teachers should be
talking to their students about problems they are facing in their private lives, it just means
that if a grown-up is uncomfortable within their own emotional life, they are not likely to
make a young person comfortable in talking about theirs. Something like that cannot be
faked under some professional umbrella.
The problem of prevention is very deep and has to be a whole community effort. The
whole of society needs to look into this situation and reflect on how they handle their own
emotional lives and on what wrong messages they might have picked up or accepted as true.
Focus on competition and material success should shift to qualities which relate to our
humanity instead. Only then the healing can begin.
What do students want
in the 21st century?

‘When we meditated it was quite relaxing because your worries go away and you don’t need to
think about anything. I would like to do that more often, like once every week because it is very
relaxing. Afterwards I felt almost sleepy and not stressed, instead I was calm. … Because you
relax and you leave the world behind and you just care about yourself.’
S. K., age 17

During a very fast-paced session I asked my students to write a short paragraph about what
they would like to happen in their lives in the future, accenting the lifestyle rather than the
particular events. This was an extension to some work we did detailing lives of teenagers
around the world. Once the answers were ready, I was in for a surprise. I thought the major-
ity of my students were dreaming about becoming the next YouTube billionaires, and to my
surprise, I was very wrong.
The majority of students wrote about the calm and serene life they would like for their
futures, which I must say was unexpected. Even more surprising were descriptions of things
they would rather not have.
One of the girls wrote about the fact she resents her parents having to work so hard
and for such long hours. She wished for less work, a smaller house and more family time.
Another student wrote about hoping for less technology influence in their life in the future,
hoping for what she referred to as a ‘more simple life like in the olden days in the 80’s!’ There
was a general thread of wishing to have more time and to do less. They also wished the world
would be a safe place for them with fewer wars and more certainty.
During the following lesson, unrelated to their previous task, they were asked to fill in
a table and rate variables about the society they live in and their community. The table
had 10 statements, and they had to tick ones they agreed with. To my astonishment, 98%
of girls felt the world was an unsafe place and 92% felt their community was made up
of untrustworthy, unpleasant people. Hardly anyone felt safe. I was not expecting these
results, especially as the school was in a small, safe and family-oriented, middle-class
British town. Obviously, I had to speak to them about this. It turns out they were not sur-
prised by the results.
After a short conversation it became apparent that they felt uneasy about the news
on the TV, the global warming prospect, change of climate and terrorism. This was an
all-girls school and gender issues came up very quickly, with discussions about women’s
28  Part one

equality and lack of safety for women in the world. Their concerns were very mature for
their age especially as all the girls were in Year 9 ( 8th Grade in the US) making them only
13 to 14 year old.
It seems current teenage generations really feel the threat of the possible disastrous
ecological consequences for their futures. These seemed non-hypothetical worries in their
minds and something they declared they thought about at least once per week.
They also reported lack of belonging to their community. Once we moved away from
talking about their school environment, they were unable to decipher what their actual
community comprised. They seemed unsure of community boundaries and were also una-
ble to decide whom to include. In addition, they expressed worry about general unfriendli-
ness and alienation in their environment; they felt they could not trust other people.
I was left with the realisation that these girls were confused, worried and unsure of their
futures. They felt they had no control over what happens in the world close to home, or in
general. Their world didn’t come across as a nice place to be in.
While it is not possible to generalise to all teenagers, the issues brought up by young
people in this chapter are important and worth taking note of. It is also important to plan
strategies to tackle this ‘on the ground.’ Some of the exercises in this book are attempting to
do that. However, I urge you to speak to your students and find out what their worries are
all about. There is a good chance you will find a suitable exercise to incorporate for many
different issues and link them to your content. If you do this only once, while you will not
change the world, you might change their perception of their world. This has got to be worth
trying.
Behaviour in the classroom
and wellbeing of students

‘I was very relaxed and calm and ready to start the lesson. I was concentrating more and more
focused on my work because it washed out all the bad things and worry.
The feeling [in meditation] was weird [and] I could hear and see things that Miss said, it
was like I was floating in the space. I felt like a new person all relaxed, calm and cool.’
Student G. G.

I am often told by exasperated teachers how nobody can teach mindfulness to their classes.
Some teachers have to deal with considerable behaviour issues, and they cannot imagine
row upon row of students sitting still with their eyes closed doing nothing. I know this all too
well. There are indeed schools and students who are exceptionally disruptive and in some
places even dangerous. This might surprise few people, but these kinds of students are the
ones who, as a rule (of course there are always exceptions!) need, want and seek this kind of
‘school activity’ the most. Once they have experienced it, they most likely will want it again.
Whether they say this publicly in front of their peers or not is another question all together.
I, among thousands of other teachers all over the world, had my fair share of disruptive
students. I was always interested in this demographic, the more so because some of my old,
quiet and polite childhood friends turned out to be every teacher’s nightmare teenager – a
transformation I was fascinated with then, as much as I am now.
Some years ago I found myself temporarily teaching in a school that, on its site, apart
from the wing for the students in wheelchairs, had this strange facility where students were
locked indoors and not allowed to mix with the rest of the school. I was told it was an all-
inclusive school with extra funding, which enabled them to take in students who were
expelled elsewhere, some of whom were too dangerous to let out with other students. As
I never came across a school which came close to this description, I was very interested to
go ‘into’ that part of the school at some point and teach meditation, which I suggested to
the head of the school. To cut a long story short, they were not interested because they had
their systems in place and working well, but I begged nevertheless, finding more and more
reasons why they should let me do it. After a while they gave in and let me in for one hour,
a one-off session.
It’s an understatement to say I had some expectations when I finally arrived in front of
that locked door! I was told the students often needed to be physically restrained and could
be dangerous. There was a lot of bad language, and one of the teachers would be present in
30  Part one

the room at all times for my safety. When I walked in, I was wondering why was I letting
myself into this situation, but by this point it was too late. Well, I am so glad I did.
What greeted me as I was escorted inside was a picture of utterly bored students of vari-
ous ages and cultural backgrounds, no more than six or seven of them in the room. They
were in different corners of the room, which seemed littered with numerous worksheets on
and off the floor. They were not actually doing any work. They seemed to be just talking or
doing nothing at all. Some of the worksheets were screwed up and used as projectiles, which
some found funny. I was under the impression they were not allowed to stand up. A stern
‘teacher’ told me he would sit in a corner ‘if anything happens’ and I had ‘forty-five minutes
to lunch, prompt’ when I would have to depart.
It didn’t take me long to realise that these students (even if they were as dangerous as I
was told, something I was very much starting to doubt at that point) were very much under-
stimulated, bored and fed up. I presumed they would be looking to cause trouble just for a
bit of entertainment, and I was determined not to give in to it. To my relief, they were so
bored that just the sight of a new person in the room seemed to be enough for them to take
an interest. To my amazement and surprise, once I mentioned the magic words martial arts,
they became very compliant and interested. After the initial fidgeting, nervous laughter and
a few elbow pokes, within 10 minutes they were sitting still with their eyes closed, getting
deeper and deeper into their meditation, with jaws and shoulders dropping considerably
and eyelids drooping in relaxation. There was the familiar feeling of relief I sense so often
when students meditate for the first time – a strong feeling of a new-found freedom brought
by the new experience of themselves they never had a chance to catch before. This is exactly
what these boys were doing, instead of having to numb themselves and fight the reality they
did not like. There was no need to maintain the image of a macho hard man; once the eyes
were closed, no one was watching. Nobody was keeping scores.
Half an hour into this session they were drawing and writing about things they learned
about their personal place – their cave in their minds. If I hadn’t known who they were and what
this place was, I would have not known any difference between the picture in front of my
eyes and any other I had seen in the past. It was just as calm, quietly chatty, but engaged and
‘buzzy’ post-meditation atmosphere that could have been in any other classroom I have seen.
The interesting thing was that I invited their teacher to participate and offered to supply
a sheet to read aloud to enable him to do this with them without me, but he refused point
blank, and, judging by the look he gave me, he considered it complete nonsense.
I was never allowed into the building again, and as this was my temporary post, I departed
a few weeks later to my new permanent job. I never found out what happened to those stu-
dents and whether any continued to use the technique at home ever again. However, I took
two things with me from this: the understanding that even violent students can be taught
to relax to a certain degree, and that it is not possible to decide up front whether someone
will respond less or more to the meditation just from their previous behaviour. The second
thing I understood was that students must be engaged by something to comply with the
behaviour expectations and that this must be different in different behavioural situations.
Nevertheless one thing was for sure, the meditation worked. However, as with everything
it has its shades.
‘Good girl,’ ‘bad boy’ myths
and other traps in education

‘If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.’
His Holiness The Dalai Lama

The following quotations are from two male students from a different school who fre-
quently had issues staying focused during lessons and were known to cause disruption regu-
larly. The second student was also asked to describe what meditation meant for him. This
is what they wrote:

‘The conclusion is that we loved it and if I could I would do it all the time but I thought it was
a waste of time and a joke for few minutes then it was quite relaxing and spiritual.’
S. B., age 13

‘Meditation means to me a way of getting all thoughts out of your mind thinking only about
one thing which makes all stress leave you and you stay focused on your work. It also helps you
think with a cold head, you can produce much better piece of work.
Meditation also means to calm you down, say you came from games lesson and you played
football. You are really tired and you do meditation and make you concentrate and that [is] how
you provide a good piece of work.’
S. A., age 14

We need to consider here first why students are disruptive. A student who is disruptive in
the room is probably not seeing any point in being there. This kind of attitude can be for
a number of reasons, whether the student has special needs and is unable to engage in the
lesson, or whether the lesson is just not engaging for some other reason – for example, a bad
situation at home, a history of detentions and bad behaviour which was not handled well at
early stages of education, keeping up with an ‘image’ of a tough character in front of their
peers and so on. There is absolutely no way of listing all the reasons why someone might be
or become disruptive in the classroom. However, they all lead to the same concept. They
have all bought into the well-known good girl versus bad girl, bad boy versus good boy concept
fed by our society. In our society, where we focus on rules and regulations instead of agree-
ments and responsibilities, where students have a sense of entitlement and not of what they actually
have earned, the educational system is mostly concerned with control rather than making
students more self-corrective and in control of their part in their education.
32  Part one

Students are lost as to how to fulfil the expectations. They have all been trained to either
please others and be good or to please ‘self’ and be bad, especially if the two are in conflict. We
all know that these are often in conflict and for some this conflict is beyond their ability to cope
with, or resolve by themselves. Trade-off is common and normalised in the educational
system – ‘if you do this we will do that’ is a norm and comes well described in any school’s rules
all over the world. Schools are reinforcing it with concepts of detentions or bad marks if aca-
demic progress is unsatisfactory, while parents are reinforcing it by high expectations, whether
they are academic or otherwise. Nobody is telling students why and how to do anything.
We are all in the business of this or else, including grown-ups. We just pass this on to our
children as parents, as educators and in society as a whole. We are all too quick to label and
punish our young people, but we are not doing anything to help them balance their desire to
nourish themselves, nourish their lives as well as doing well in their education and whatever
else makes their life fulfilling. We demand, but we do not educate them how to meet those
demands and stay intact and happy. This is because, as a society the Western world has been
too busy classifying everything from madness to happiness to actually pay enough atten-
tion and engage with the actual situation on the ground. Human behaviour has become
an object of investigation and theorising to the point where it is no longer enough to feel
something; something has to be proven to exist and has to be given a name and classification.
It is perhaps not a well-known fact (which illustrates our society’s obsession with clas-
sification to the detriment of prevention) that attempts were made in 1992 to classify
happiness as a psychiatric disorder, since literature suggests it is abnormal, given its sta-
tistical infrequency. It is also suggested that, because happy people ‘seem’ to be exhibiting
symptoms associated with a range of various (but happy) cognitive abnormalities, they
probably reflect the abnormal functioning of the central nervous system. British psychia-
trist Richard P. Bentall specifically objected to happy people’s inability to see things ‘realisti-
cally’ as they overestimated their control over their environment, as if this were something
bad. Some people had enough sense to object to this and came up with scientifically ‘valid’
reasons for happiness actually being a desirable condition of the mind. It’s a fascinating read
even if you are not into reading that kind of stuff!
While one can argue all of this might be beneficial for research (as with classification, one
can perhaps hope for more funding), it does nothing for our mind, health and the preven-
tion of other less desirable conditions, especially ones which make people feel they abso-
lutely have no control over their environment.
So how does all this relate to our behaviour in the classroom? In fact, it is all to do with
the fact that young people have no sense of personal power and control. The ones who lose
control in the classroom are commonly the ones who feel the least in control of their lives
and themselves in general. This stems from their lack of ability to form powerful, positive
perceptions of themselves. We can do this in the classroom by teaching them how to get
in contact with positive qualities within themselves and, by doing this, to build a positive,
acceptable self-image they can draw on daily.
In contrast in reality, their inner selves are ignored, blackmailed, threatened, demanded
upon, punished, hemmed in. They are never taught how to get in touch with their inner
life, how to nourish it and how to work with it. Instead their inner selves are raging, scream-
ing and perhaps in this instance going mad, not as quietly compared with the rest of well-
behaved students in their class who appear to be ‘good’ but if you scratch beyond the surface
they will tell you the real story of stress, pressure and fear of failure.
 Introductory word for teachers  33

Misbehaved, disruptive students are probably most in need of learning to relax and take
a moment to ‘find’ themselves. To find ‘self’ they have been ignoring for so long and doing
this in a ‘neutral’ environment where there are no classifications for ‘good’ and ‘bad,’ where
nothing they do will be judged and there is no need to actually do anything that can be
evaluated. The aim is just to be their natural selves, not behaving but being. This is the very
place where they could put things into perspective, make right choices for themselves and
start to build on this. The place where they are not aiming to please anyone else, or where
they have to weigh whether something they are about to do is worth the ‘good’ label and
whether the rewards for ‘good’ are worth the effort; whether the threat of consequence for
‘bad’ is something they still fear, or something which they have grown to see as a normal
part of their everyday life (and the school life is often the one they are thinking about).
My point here is that if we spend just a fraction of the time we use on punishments
and detentions teaching disruptive and troublesome students how to relax, reflect and
re-evaluate, we might find out that they might eventually self-regulate much faster and
in their own way. This, of course, is likely to occur to different degrees for different indi-
viduals, but if we don’t start somewhere, these students will end up nowhere and so will
their teachers who are trying to teach them. Meditation can, over time, and I emphasise
this, if performed regularly, show considerable positive results in students’ behaviour. This
is a process that takes time and effort on behalf of students and is not a magic pill but an
effective technology which puts the student in control of their behaviour, giving them a
chance to appreciate the results of their commitments to their personal development and
their education. They have no choice but to take ownership of their actions after that. It
makes them feel good.
If the behaviour approach in education in general has the answer, we should not be hav-
ing generations upon generations of students put in detentions, year after year. If the pun-
ishment and reward system in education is effective, the punishment part at least should
have been eradicated by now, as with any other preventable disease, but it hasn’t. We keep
having the same problems since we are using the same old ineffective methods which are
producing the same old troublesome results. As they say, if you are always doing the same
thing, then you will always have the same results.
If schools can offer a practical, useful toolkit for self-regulation to each student, includ-
ing the disruptive ones, it is very likely that, in time, generations will come who will cause
increasingly less disruption. Meanwhile, there will be more and more students who will
come to school to relax, reflect and learn instead of what we have increasingly right now – to
stress and try to learn despite that.
We can realise that behavioural problems are not just home-induced and that school has
the power to affect them, presuming our entire educational system is designed to consider
a different approach. Once students are on ‘our territory’ we should take the responsibil-
ity away from one single teacher and one single lesson in which behaviour is to be dealt
with. Instead, we could systematically deal with it in regular sessions where all students can
actively learn to relax, reflect and examine their behaviour, feelings and attitudes as a whole
package. This is not just learning to behave in school, but also how to carry themselves in
life in general, school life included. This is likely to produce not just better but very different
results.
Then, and only then, we will root out this culture of forcing students to behave in a cer-
tain way while not actually showing them how. The self-correction is not a magic pill that
34  Part one

can be popped for a quick fix. It is a long but effective process that sees disruptive behavior,
better prevented than dealt with once it is out of control, which is indeed the state of affairs
at present. This idea would very likely be most supported by the huge numbers of long-
suffering teachers, who feel completely unsupported in a culture of over-accountability,
where they are left alone, often having to deal with the harsh realities of a student complain-
ing culture and a complete lack of effective support. Here, I mean teachers needing to deal
with not only disruptive students but also with complaining students, where often neither
are dealt with in a correct way by the school. This leaves the teacher in a situation in which
they are not getting the correct help to gain the correct balance and the right kind of power
within the classroom. The teacher should be respected and trusted in the same way stu-
dents should be valued and guided. Neither is true for some school environments, especially
disruptive ones where students need the most help.
But to do this, we also need to help teachers as only teachers who have experience of a
calm self can help calm others. There is no difference here to anything else that goes on in
schools. Only the teacher who knows the academic content can successfully teach it. With
stress management it is just the same. Stressed-out teachers are just as important as the
stressed student. Considering that a busy and, most of the time, overworked teacher has to
guide many students, the issue of the teacher’s mind and wellbeing is even more important,
yet currently, it is almost completely overlooked and neglected.
What about teachers?

‘So off went the Emperor in procession under his splendid canopy. Everyone in the streets and
the windows said, “Oh, how fine are the Emperor’s new clothes! Don’t they fit him to perfec-
tion? And see his long train!” Nobody would confess that he couldn’t see anything, for that
would prove him either unfit for his position, or a fool. No costume the Emperor had worn
before was ever such a complete success.
“But he hasn’t got anything on,” a little child said.
“Did you ever hear such innocent prattle?” said its father. And one person whispered to
another what the child had said, “He hasn’t anything on. A child says he hasn’t anything on.”
“But he hasn’t got anything on!” the whole town cried out at last.’
Translation of Hans Christian Andersen’s ‘Keiserens nye klæder’ by Jean Hersholt.

With rapid technological development, the world of teaching has become a landscape
beyond recognition to most people who are more than 30 years old. This is an unprec-
edented situation in which one generation literally has no idea how the next one is educated.
Parents think they know what happens to their children’s education and their grades once
they are at school, but often this is just an illusion, and a complete lack of information exists.
However, this part is not about parents, but about teachers, and it is far more helpful for
both parties to have a peek into an insider’s world, even for a brief moment.
Let me show you what the world looks like from the desk of the 21st-century teacher. To
do that, I need to revisit the not-so-distant past first.
Only 25 years ago we were still writing on boards in computerless classrooms; we had
paper registers, paper planners and no internet access in the majority of our classrooms.
Only 15 years ago students had no idea how to use computers for their homework, which
was recorded in their paper diaries. This sounds strange? Yes, we were writing our lessons
on white boards in wipe-dry pens, which then were the cutting-edge tools of a modern edu-
cation. We had to memorise our lessons and write out notes. The boards kept our dates, our
learning objectives and our content. Then they became obsolete. Interactive whiteboards
came in with their scary multi-coloured pens that wrote on the invisible screens. Then
those became obsolete too. Now we have Powerpoints and hand-held devices for every-
thing. School lessons, assemblies, trip memories, lunch menus, parent evenings, homework
and just about anything is done electronically, in one way or another. Only the other day
students got very annoyed with me for asking them to write their homework in their paper
36  Part one

diary. When I pointed out it was actually a quick task requiring only a couple of minutes,
it took them a while to realise that my request was not unreasonable and that they could
indeed take note of that themselves, not expect to find it set somewhere in cyber space.
In education, it seems everything comes packaged on memory sticks ready to be shared
around. So far, so good, progress all around.
Well, it all depends how you look at it, and from whose point of view. Good old teachers
a few decades ago used to teach their students, set their exams on paper, take it home and
write it neatly in their mark books for their records. These would then be presented at the
parents evening and discussed. Teachers would give advice about what students needed to
do to improve their marks and would go home at the end of the evening hoping the advice
would be taken. Even the best teachers did not have the certain answer to one particular
question: Will the student do what has been advised and will they do better at their next exam? To
be precise, no teacher knows this today either. However, teachers need to know.
With the (for the old teacher) unthinkable rise of data usage in education came the
dreaded data prediction and the education data software. In plain English, that would be
a software that predicts what students should be achieving at any stage of their education,
calculated from their performance in a single day of their lives. In Britain, at the age of just
over 11, in addition to English, Maths and Science students are tested for their verbal and
non-verbal skill, and from that their fate is sealed until their exams at age 16. Then all is
re-calculated from their exam results, and their next exam performances at age 18 are pre-
dicted. Yes, predicted. And those predictions are expected to come to fruition.
Now you might be thinking, how can we do that? Well, me too. While I feel there is a
place for data and graphs in education to a certain extent, these are humans we are talking
about. They are not bound to linear behaviours, nor to linear emotional nor intellectual
development. They are, after all, people, just like us grown-ups, made of flesh and blood and …
emotions. While your old-fashioned teacher would take this into consideration and perhaps
sympathise with the student, the 21st-century teacher has no access to such luxury. No
more mere humanity for us, thank you very much. We are 21st-century data-driven educa-
tors and we only take notice of our data being correct, and our data being correct, and our
data being correct …. You get the message.
Twenty-first-century education is ridden with data demands, not human demands. There
are people who have built their entire careers around analysing the data of students. This
is the very stuff of management jobs in schools in the 21st century. Prediction data have
become the God of Education and have taken education by the horns. While the science-
fiction writers are running out of ideas for even stranger visions of the future, we now have,
right in front of our noses, Mr. Data weirdness of a kind predicted by writers decades ago,
but no one notices. Or dares to?
Well, I dare to say it. Our human children are now slaving in schools to please the never-
quite-sated data hunger of school management and league tables. Prestigious groups of uni-
versities, competitive parents and stressed out teachers are all slaving to machine-generated
predictions of their and their children’s future selves. And if their future selves don’t deliver,
they feel like failures and so do their teachers, schools and parents. Teachers feel like failures.
Schools feel like failures. Parents feel like failures. Students feel like failures. And what did
they fail at exactly? Data pleasing. No wonder we have a mental health crisis spiralling out
of control in our schools among young people. There is nothing human about it; it’s just
numbers generated from predictive tests mostly on verbal and non-verbal reasoning. No
 Introductory word for teachers  37

room for error. No room for emotions, bad days, teenage hormones, peer pressure, friend-
ship issues, parents’ divorces, new siblings, bad health or anything else teenagers might be
affected by. None of that is included in the data.
Many schools pride themselves on the whole person education they are promoting to
their prospective parents. There is nothing holistic about data, and they are all measuring
their children by it. Even the schools outside mainstream education (of the Montessori and
Waldorf Steiner flavours, for example) still have to measure their data. This, of course, makes
outcomes for children in their care even worse, as they are educated as a whole but tested
as a number. This creates a poor, but unjustified, and most of the time completely untrue,
picture of many children’s performances. One cannot educate the whole child in a truly
child-centered environment and test them by the rigid statistical standards without mak-
ing them look unable and under-performing. However, let’s not forget our modern teacher.
Now these modern teachers have no idea how lovely it was to have the old-fashioned
boards, or to memorise all your lessons and write out your content. No, they don’t know
how lovely it was to take your papers home, make yourself a cup of coffee and, in peace,
mark your students’ work. They don’t know how lovely it was to have faith in your students
and believe that they would take your advice and do the best they could for themselves.
They don’t know what it was like to be an old-fashioned ‘backward’ teacher and be a human.
They have no idea.
They are too busy being the best forward-thinking ‘modern’ teacher, answering never-
ending emails from their students, making Powerpoints, creating yet another amazing
resource that can be sent to their students; Tweeting yet another news item for or about
them, inventing yet another stunning audio-visual game that can be engaging for them …
and looking, checking, sieving, fretting at their data! The dreaded, cold, all-knowing, omni-
present, unforgiving, silent master of our modern education. The student predictions. Data
collection one, data collection two, data collection three … here goes the school year.
To make things worse, some schools fiddle with their student intake to please their data
monster. Only the other day it was all over the papers how some headmaster of a non-­
selective school had resigned when it was publicly revealed that he indeed was selecting
only students who did well (read were predicted to do well … by their data) at the exams so he
could get fabulous results and a fabulous reputation, and well-balanced data. As if this were
some kind of news!
It is this kind of worship of predictions that causes suffering and untold damage to our
young people. In early 2019, BBC wrote about a possible link between increasing knife crime
among teenagers in the United Kingdom and being expelled from school. The reports state
they are ‘being sucked into the world of criminality,’ which seems very plausible. Nobody
really knows what happens to pupils whose mental and emotional development cannot be
predicted, well, if anyone’s can. Or to the ones who just simply decide not to fit into this
machine-generated idea of themselves. They are dropped in one way or another. Nobody
wants those pesky kids who mess up other people’s data. No, no, no. They no longer belong
to our education system. They are an anomaly, a fault, a dreaded drop in numbers, a bleep
in our graphs. This is perhaps your child we are talking about.
Teachers on the other hand must obey all this or else. They must be superhuman. They
must make sure they do everything to grow those students into their ‘data self.’ Otherwise,
it is the teacher’s fault. Kids must learn – and learn as predicted. They no longer have environ-
ments they grow up in. Parents’ divorces no longer matter in children’s education. Children
38  Part one

are no longer reactive. They are no longer naughty, artistic, creative, emotional, sensitive
or whatever non-data-useful self they used to be. Instead, their intelligence must be devel-
oped by their superhuman teachers (despite the paradoxical, fixed result from age 11 used to
predict the outcome for years to come) by using intelligence-growing methods, developing
resilience, leadership, risk-taking, communication or some other buzz thing students must
be doing to themselves to become their super data-generated self. This all works! It does.
Really. Honestly. Totally. Absolutely. Utterly. Not fooled? Me neither. Let’s hope the poor
21st-century teacher isn’t either and that at some point in the future this chapter will be
out-of-date while we come to our senses and take the data monster out of our education,
focusing on human education instead of the data-fiddling, statistics-pleasing, money-orientated
business that is now called education.
Can a stressed-out teacher
spread happiness?

‘I’m late! I’m late! For a very important date. No time to say “Hello, Goodbye.” I’m late, I’m
late, I’m late.’
The White Rabbit
Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll

At the time of updating this chapter (October 2018), the government in the United Kingdom
seems to suggest that OFSTED (educational inspectors in the United Kingdom) are think-
ing about moving away from the obsession with the exam results and instead will focus on
the actual quality of education. This will be welcomed by everyone, but most of all by teach-
ers. When I looked, they seemed to be proposing personal development, behaviour and welfare.
I hope I am right to translate this as finally some focus on wellbeing.
As per the norm, educational reform always includes teachers’ aims but never teachers
themselves. Education is based upon humans interacting with other humans for the large
part, even in the 21st century; therefore this aspect is an essential part of educational pro-
cess. However, the role of the teacher’s mental health is never mentioned, unless of course
in the Union speeches or as a part of a staffroom joke.
In the 21st century we have only just started to pay attention to and regulate provision
for students’ mental health as a part of our safeguarding in schools. Ideally, the next step
would be to ensure the wellbeing and mental health of teachers, and to take into considera-
tion regular, compulsory provisions for students’ and teachers’ wellbeing in schools.
Teaching is a two-way process and both parts in the chain have to be healthy and able.
More often than not, teachers are stretched beyond their ability to cope emotionally, men-
tally and also physically. I will not engage in conversations about teachers’ holidays and
time to repair. There are very few professions which are as involved as teaching and it can
be very hard to switch off. The figure of 50% of teachers leaving the profession within the
first five years speaks louder than words here. Teaching is a hard job, and whether someone
loves it or not, it does take a toll on teachers and other members of educational staff involved
in the process. Here I also mean SEN staff, inclusion staff, classroom assistants and others.
If you look at the table to follow, which is an exceptionally small glimpse of a real picture,
you will notice that most answers have one thing in common – teachers are emotionally
worn out. Words like drained, challenged, overwhelmed, lethargic, fed up and angry are used to
describe the end of their teaching day. However, the end of the actual working day might
40  Part one

be nowhere in sight as yet, with piles of marking, setting work, loading homework online,
doing unnecessary paperwork and so on.
The question here is, can we have drained and exhausted teachers delivering excellent
education? Perhaps only in a world where teachers are dispensable, used until they drop
and, once burned out, replaced by someone fresh who will end up also leaving used up
and very likely contemplating leaving the profession. This is what has been done in Britain
so far, especially since the ‘rise’ of Academies, and I have seen schools building excellent
reputations for outstanding education on this practice. Until the word got out, that is. It
seems we have run out of a fresh supply of ‘ready to go’ teachers. Now governments are
struggling to fill in teaching jobs. A report from the House of Commons (United Kingdom)
entitled ‘Retaining and developing the teaching workforce’ is trying very hard to convince
the reader this is all due to the workload. It is far more than that. Underpaid, overworked,
forced to get results and fulfil expectations, teachers are leaving the profession more than
ever. In the United Kingdom, teacher recruitment targets have failed for 5 years in a row.
This really is not doing anything for the ones who are still standing. The teacher’s workload
is getting heavier and heavier. We need to do something to make sure they can carry on
doing their job while feeling good. As I don’t want to take too much space with numbers,
here is just a snippet of the situation (collected January 2019).
These are some written statements from teachers before and after the grounding
meditation:

Before the session After the session

End of a busy day and feeling tired and lethargic. Feeling more rejuvenated with energy – not so tired.
I feel in control but challenged by work and stressed. Completely chilled, relaxed and peaceful. Thank you!
I feel tired, drained and aching. I feel more relaxed, calm and not so tired, like having a
good sleep.
I feel emotionally very tired – work related. Very hot physically, much less emotionally but still
physically tired.
Stressed, in pain, overwhelmed, drained. I have less pain, I feel more relaxed, slowed down.
I am tired, fed up and angry. I feel calm now, not angry any more, feel much better.

When asked about their reasons for attending meditation sessions, teachers and SEN
staff mentioned:

• ‘To learn to relax and worry less about trivial stuff’

• ‘To help me to de-stress after a busy day (at work)’
• ‘Relax and focus on things other than work’
• ‘To stop worrying about my work and how will I manage’
• ‘To learn to stop’

Here again we have a theme which clearly shows educational staff finding it hard to ‘switch
off’ at the end of a day.
I have been teaching staff to meditate for well over a decade now and currently am teach-
ing it regularly in my school. Each week I see just what it means for staff to be able to relax
and what a difference this half an hour makes. What is important here is that this is not hap-
pening everywhere. I am highly aware that this is not a common practice at present and that
 Introductory word for teachers  41

many who read these lines will not ever see this at work. This is exactly what I am talking
about here. We need to change that.
These are some common answers I collected recently after a staff grounding mindful-
ness session during INSET (in school teacher training day):
Do you think members of staff should be offered this kind of session regularly?

• Yes, it helps to stop worrying or thinking about work for the moment
• Very calming, allows you to re-center yourself
• Yes it allows us to stop the business that we don’t leave. Also allows me to have thoughts about
some things I need to do for two of my tutees
• Yes, if they want to
• Yes, (because) forces you to take time for yourself which otherwise would be occupied by stuff and
something else
• Yes, a great antidote to the hurly-burly of the working day
• Yes!
• Yes. I didn’t expect being able to switch my mind off, but it did happen – I am very pleased

When asked whether they think these kinds of sessions would improve their wellbeing
at work and their professional performance, staff came up with some very interesting
comments.
While the majority of teachers felt their wellbeing would improve and strongly sug-
gested this would impact their professional performance, one other issue came up. It was
the fact that most professions dealing with personal issues of others (such as nurses, police,
therapists and so on) have opportunities to see a counsellor and talk things through if
they need it, nothing like this is provided for teachers. Issues relating to students con-
fiding in teachers about problems they have to deal with, and the impact this has on
teachers’ wellbeing, were mentioned. Teachers are often the first point of call for many
students reporting anything from abuse to forced marriages and drug abuse. Often this
is very difficult for teachers, and they have no one to talk to regarding coming to terms
with what they heard themselves. They are expected to just deal with it and brush it off
as if it never happened, which of course can be very difficult, even for a seasoned teacher,
not to mention a trainee.
Another group of teachers in a different setting brought up the issue of helping teachers to
help their students to calm down. One of the male teachers, when asked whether the practice
of grounding meditation might improve their wellbeing and performance at work, wrote:

• ‘Yes, very much so and not just by helping me but by calming those around me.’

This has brought up an important question of managing not only student learning but also
their behaviour and, most important, their stress, which again lies on the shoulders of their
teachers.
I very much doubt that the stress levels and workload that teachers are exposed to are
sustainable for anyone on the long run. In Britain, teachers are at the breaking point and
have perhaps passed the point where small changes can bring reasonable improvement.
It is apparent that the wellbeing of teachers should be provided for in a regular, consistent
and flexible manner in all educational establishments, from schools to colleges and nurseries.
42  Part one

This is something that, in my view and from years of experience working with teachers and
support staff, should be at the top of policy makers’ agenda. This will benefit not just teach-
ers but also students and education as a whole, having the potential to improve retention of
teaching staff, which at present in the United Kingdom is at an all-time low.
Due to the restraints of space in this small book, I cannot go on analysing this further;
it will really need a book on its own because there are so many issues to consider. I have,
however, included a special chapter at the end with a few audio exercises for teachers. These
are very effective, but they have to be used with caution (all explained). Therefore these are
best done by adults who wish to help themselves.
About mindfulness

What mindfulness is and what it isn’t – demystifying

modern misconceptions

While talking about mindfulness in modern words, it seems that only three things are cer-
tain: it is trendy, everyone wants it, but very few people know what it actually is. There are
people all over the world looking for it, asking about it, talking about it, agreeing it is a great
thing and planning to ‘implement’ it, but if you ask them what it is they look puzzled and
come up with all sorts of interesting explanations from ‘cutting-edge psychology’ to ‘relaxa-
tion’ and ‘happiness.’ Someone even said once, ‘I love mindfulness,’ which of course in reality
was a strange thing to say. So when I asked what he meant, he had great difficulty in explain-
ing. Eventually he settled for saying that he ‘liked the idea of it but had no idea what it was!’
Lately also, mindfulness seems to be turned into therapy. There is nothing wrong with ther-
apy, but if it is actual mindfulness in real terms that someone is searching for, then they are look-
ing in the wrong place. The truth is that the only expert in anyone’s life in their own mindfulness
is the person themselves. And if they are not that expert, they need to become one; otherwise,
there will be no mindfulness for them, or should I say in them. So what on Earth is mindfulness?
Well, an explanation is far simpler than it looks. Let’s have a look first at what mindfulness
is not. Mindfulness is not a technique, a therapy or even a discipline but is a possible product of
any of the above, as long as the activity can actually induce it. Mindfulness is not something
that comes upon us from solving a particular problem, speaking in a certain way or behaving
in a particular way towards others or ourselves, but the presence of mindfulness in ourselves
impacts how we behave, think and react towards ourselves and our environment at all times.
Mindfulness is not something anyone can be talked into, but it is what makes talking right.
Mindfulness is not the right way of doing things, but the infusion of it is the ingredient in our
awareness that spontaneously makes all doing right. Mindfulness is not ‘not judging others or
self,’ but its presence in us is what makes us not judge. Mindfulness is not a way of behaving, but
it’s the very thing that can influence our behaviour and change it dramatically. Mindfulness is
not something you implement in yourself, your company, your school or others. Instead it is
something you can work towards and help other people achieve in themselves. Mindfulness
is not a thing or a strategy someone uses, but it is a quality present in them. Mindfulness is not
kindness, but it induces it. Mindfulness is not paying attention to how, what and why you are
doing something, it is a quality within your awareness that gives you the right attention and total
44  Part one

awareness while doing it. Mindfulness is not a tool, but a result. Mindfulness isn’t a psychologi-
cal strategy, a psychological process or indeed a way of life. Mindfulness is a state of being. Once
achieved, mindfulness makes everything else look and feel different.
To make it simple, mindfulness really is just being able to experience your reality in the
moment as it happens, at all times. Right now you are reading this book because you want to
find out what mindfulness is. At this moment you are reading and taking this information in.
You are not thinking about what happened yesterday, what you need to do tomorrow, bills
you need to pay, chores you need to do, people you need to talk to, exams you need to pass or
indeed exams your children or your students need to pass or any other problem you might
need to overcome. You are reading. You are fully present in this one single activity. Mindfulness
really is the ability to do one thing at the time just in your mind – not just ticking off your list
of tasks on your fridge door or in your phone. We are talking about your mind and your aware-
ness. This might seem too simplified an answer – in reality that is what mindfulness is!
Although it seems to be quite easy to achieve while reading right now (or have you
stopped now to think about it?) not every aspect of your life will be as easy to experience in
a mindful way. There is a catch. Mindfulness is ability, something you can do and can spontane-
ously keep doing as you go on living your life. It is the ability to do one thing at the time in your
mind, even when you multitask in your life. Equally, at lazy, uneventful times in your day and
in fast-paced full-on activity. All the time.
There is a big difference between having a quiet time reading and public speaking,
between eating your breakfast at your kitchen table on a lazy Sunday morning and running
a meeting while having to overcome a difficult personal problem. Things tend to play on our
minds. People tend to go on living large parts of their lives on automatic pilot. They go on
with their lives, but notice little about things they are experiencing because often they are
too preoccupied with things which either are not happening but should, or things which are hap-
pening but shouldn’t, to experience what is actually going on. This breeds unhappiness, worry
and a state of agitation and often causes further problems. At times, reality could seem to be
happening at a pace which is too fast to catch up, especially for someone who is too busy not
taking part in it. The mind, often compared to a monkey, indeed behaves just like a monkey.
It jumps from one thought to another just as a monkey jumps from one branch of a tree to
another. The trick is how to give a monkey his banana and have him stop and enjoy it.
This trick isn’t something anyone learns in a day or even in a month or a year. This isn’t
how this works. Mindfulness develops over time. If the right tools are implemented, mind-
fulness creeps up into our state of being without our noticing it at first. As we go along, life
becomes better and better, eventually becoming us. Life grows fuller and more enjoyable as
mindful living becomes part of us, so we become more and more immersed in experiencing our
life. Life becomes full only if we fully participate in living it. What really is important to notice
here is that we have to work on our experience of life to gain mindfulness.
Mindfulness is not a permanent state of being either. Sometimes a person is more mind-
ful of a mouthful of food if it is particularly strange or delicious than at times when the
mind is presented with something mundane and common. There is no way of always and
forever being fully mindful of one’s actions, momentarily experiencing. It ‘goes’ up and
down. Mindful awareness is a spontaneous state of being, but it has to be worked on, as we
would on a car or a machine for maintenance, to keep it as consistent as possible. To work on
it we need the right actions and the right tools which will produce a self-aware life, or more
precisely a life-aware life. For this we need the magic ingredient called grounding.
About grounding – the magic
ingredient for mindful life
and experience of reality

‘[I felt] focused, mind wasn’t wondering as much so I was able to revise better.’
M. A., age 17

What is grounding?

Every teacher wants their students to focus and learn. This, however, can be more easily
said than done. Every student is different, they learn in different ways and most importantly
they are in a different state of mind when they turn up for the lesson. Here, I especially
mean state of focus and their concentration span. No teacher, no matter how good, fun or
engaging, can guarantee every student will respond to every lesson equally. Sometimes,
this is just a matter of grounding the students into the experience.

‘In class when we did the meditation it was really cool, because what teacher was saying really
made me feel like I had roots growing out of my feet, and it was really weird. I think it might be
quite spiritual because it seems to be quite like I was spirit because I felt like I had roots grow-
ing out of my feet.’
D. McLean, age 13

Having wandering thoughts, daydreaming, being on mental overload and not concen-
trating on the task are not just young people’s behaviours. They are human behaviours.
However, we only penalise the young for it. When students ‘wander off’ in their minds,
when they cannot repeat what we just said and when they cannot concentrate, we brand
them as somehow faulty, inept or disruptive. This is because we don’t really understand the
considerable influence of lack of grounding on attention.
Grounding in its most basic sense literally means being linked to the ground, the Earth we
are standing on. This isn’t something we think about often or perhaps ever. This is exactly
where the problem lies.
As humans we are born naked, without shoes and able to walk on the Earth as we are.
Shoes don’t pop out as the part of our necessary survival kit once we are out in this world.
Mother Nature has prepared us to be here safely with our bare feet close to the ground, close to
the Earth. This has its purpose and it is not accidental.
46  Part one

Western parents are amazed at how their children’s feet change once they move to more
remote areas of the world where wearing shoes is neither the social norm, compulsory nor
necessarily common. They watch as their children join offspring of locals, barefooted and
free. They report a change of skin texture, sensitivity and their children’s reaction to the
roughness of the ground. They become able to do it. Chances are, if asked to take their shoes
off and go anywhere, any urban child will think the idea is utterly ridiculous and will be
very unlikely to give it a go. This has its side-effects.
Many disciplines, from Yoga to martial arts, rely heavily on grounding as the source of
strength, not just physically but also mentally. Commonly, in martial arts the size of the
‘opponent’ is not really important, only the speed, the force and the skill they come with.
This is a direct result of the opponent’s own stability – physical but most importantly mental.
The main characteristic of a grounded mind is that it is indeed stable, loss of which is often
referred to as ‘mind being moved’ ( from a place of stability), which in itself implies that the
stable grounded mind is also unmovable in action. This is ultimately what we are after. An
unmoved mind is a mind rooted in the present moment, unmovable from the experience in
hand, not worrying about tomorrow or re-living yesterday. It is experiencing and taking part
fully in the present moment as it happens. This in turn makes it calm, happy and more stable.
Therefore, if anyone mentally attacks it with considerable speed, force and skill, it will with-
stand the mental attack, to put it simply.
How does this relate to anything? And how does this relate to mental health and learn-
ing? Well, this in fact is at the very heart of everything we consciously experience, and espe-
cially at the heart of mindful awareness and relaxation.
In the modern world, confined indoors, fundamental requirements of the daily life of an
average person work strongly against the source of this stability. Our ancestors had far more
actual physical contact with the ground and outdoors. They interacted with plants, winds,
water and especially the Earth daily, even if just accidentally. For some people today, this is
an alien world they never even think about. Outdoors is what happens between the events
indoors and is often kept to a minimum. We wear our shoes most of the day and some peo-
ple wear them at home. In the Northern Hemisphere we hardly ever consciously engage
with outside unless it is perhaps sunbathing on the beach or swimming in a sea perhaps once
per year. Most of modern living happens far away from the actual dirt, the grass and the
Earth. No feet are involved in conscious living. That is exactly where it all falls apart.

‘Meditation felt relaxing and as if all my stress slowly walked away from my mind. I felt like a
tree in a garden with nothing in my mind. I was feeling refreshed too.’
M. D., age 15

In the 21st century an alarming number of people spend their working (and increasingly
their private) lives at computers, sitting down, while function by just using their minds and
their fingers with no breaks or interaction with other humans. The times of frequent meet-
ups, phone call breaks and vocal interactions seem to be in rapid decline. People’s work-
ing and social lives, of whatever quality, are increasingly maintained via machines, social
media and sitting down, silently interacting with phones, computers, tablets or other devices.
Humans are mentally together and mentally active, but physically alone and inactive.
Our lower body is becoming more and more redundant. We are sitting while driving, we
are sitting while socialising, we are sitting while working and we are sitting while learning.
 Introductory word for teachers  47

Our upper body is the main centre of our daily activity. Many people are unaware of their
physical imbalance while their daily life no longer supports moving or walking any dis-
tance of any value to their health and their awareness. Time we spend on our feet is rapidly
decreasing. Time we spend with other people while physically present in a same place is also
decreasing because technology has made it unnecessary for productive interaction.
Our students, under forever increasing pressure, are spending more and more time
studying or socialising in a way that resembles studying. An increase in reading, typing and
information processing is currently as important for learning as is for socialising. Young peo-
ple have joined the ranks of adults in their loss of control over machine use, information
seeking and processing and general upper-body-heavy life. This is the major threat to mindful
living. Humans are increasingly prone to light-headedness, overload of information and
feeling physically and mentally drained by all the mental overstimulation. Some level of
mental discomfort or disease from the onslaught of incoming information has become, for
most of us, a common, persistent daily occurrence. This is now the new ‘normal.’ Tennis
elbow has been replaced by mouse elbow, a repetitive-strain injury affecting millions across
the globe. Eye problems, ‘screen glasses’ and bloodshot eyes are all desperate calls from our
body to stop the onslaught it cannot cope with. It is overloaded, obviously causing disease
in the attempt to get a break and heal itself.
Meanwhile, young people have no prior experience of anything different because they
have no life experiences without technology. They cannot see or understand the differ-
ence it makes in their daily living when this lifestyle is normalised and even encouraged,
especially in education and their social interactions. As a result, the spaced-out feeling, the
migraines, the lethargy, the low mood, the inability to learn further and general lack of
cheerfulness and joy in the moment is becoming all too common. Not infrequently, it all
tends to turn into anxiety, panic and dwelling on insignificant details. All are very common
symptoms of the upper-body-heavy, ungrounded existence.
Grounding, on the other hand, relies upon lower-body awareness, a ‘feet firmly on the
ground’ style, as it clearly states in that old-fashioned expression. It functions by lower-
body activity and mental connection between the head and the feet, literally! This means
that to be calm and grounded and to be present in the moment, one has to be firmly grounded in
their body fully, especially in and with their feet. This in turn (and this will be a surprise to
many) brings a sense of calmness and awareness of the physical environment; the individual
achieves full awareness of the physical experience of the very moment. This commonly
brings a sense of not just fully experiencing something, but also enjoying it – a sense often
described as ‘just enjoying a moment of simply being alive.’
All humans are equipped to experience this kind of awareness just by virtue of the fact
almost everyone has feet and can stand up on the ground. Admittedly, wearing shoes does
not help, but this does not make it impossible to ground. The problem is the lack of aware-
ness of how this simple action can change our mental state. Even less helpful is our complete
lack of understanding of this as an obvious fact of life. Every part of our body is important,
but not just in the physical sense of doing some vitally important physical job in keeping us
alive. Our feet are our connection to the Earth and they are our mental health lifeline. Martial
artists all over the world capitalise on this in their sport. Generally, and not accidentally,
sporty people are often mentally very healthy and strong. This is because they spend a lot
of time being consciously aware of, and using, their whole bodies and more so because they
are standing on and actively using their feet!
48  Part one

Our material, scientific mentality always looks for some complicated, amazing, unknown,
new discovery and therefore makes us expect that we need to ‘discover’ and explain eve-
rything first. In reality everything has been already invented and perfectly engineered – by
Nature! Everything within the human body is designed to make us successful physically and
mentally. It makes no difference whether this makes sense to us humans, it’s beyond this.
We need to just simply use what we have as it is. When our mother cooks for us and feeds us
when we are little, we love, enjoy and use the food to grow bigger, healthy bodies, despite
the fact that we have no idea how she made it. We certainly don’t stop eating and wait until
we find out. We know better than that. The same applies here. Nature has designed us for
happiness and health; we just have to stop getting in the way.
To fully explain the usage and the mechanics of this would demand another book. For
the purpose of providing grounding exercises in Part two, we have enough to ‘give this a go’
and feel and experience the difference. That is the purpose of the exercises.
All the exercises in the Part two start with the basic grounding exercise, which brings atten-
tion and awareness to the lower half of the body. The grounding meditation in this book
is designed to do just that and to help students to maintain this state of being and aware-
ness through prolonged visualisation. The meditation is long enough to induce the sense
of grounded calm, deep self-awareness and mindfulness of the moment in which it is
experienced.
Why teachers need
to have those tools

‘I used to think it was really silly but it is so peaceful and relaxing. Like having a head massage.
The music that was playing was so soothing. I sort of felt like there was no-one else there but me
and the sounds that were being played ….’
Student, age 14

Once teachers have the basic understating and experience of how grounding influences
focus and concentration, they will be able to use the effects of the exercises for the purpose
of increasing productive learning within the classroom. Grounded students are present stu-
dents. Present students are engaged students; the rest is down to the teacher.
A lot is said about a teacher’s impact on students’ motivation and engagement, but lit-
tle has been done to actually give teachers universal tools to help students focus in the
classroom. Instead, greater stimulus-inducing resources are often shared as part of the good
practice. Grounding does exactly the opposite. It clears the mind of unnecessary stimuli to help
students make space for and perceive the presented knowledge with less of the load. Grounding
literally makes empty space for future learning.
Apart from applying the meditations to the particular academic (or arty or sporty) theme
or exercise, these are also very useful to a teacher from the wellbeing point of view. The
more they are used, the greater and more stable the effect they produce. Obviously students
might opt to do a short version at home, which is perfectly safe and will increase effective-
ness and stability of their sense of being grounded.
It is really easy after a while to recognise ungrounded students. They are staring into
space daydreaming, are easily startled and have difficulty following instructions; their con-
centration is short-lived and they are often easily distracted.
On the contrary and as a rule, grounded students tend to have more control of their reac-
tion to the environment and are less likely to lose control of their behaviour and responses
because they are generally experiencing reality as being less frantic. They often feel the
‘sense of urgency’ has departed after the grounding session. This makes them more patient,
ready to learn and more resilient to difficulties they might encounter while doing so. Apart
from that, grounded students will keep you on your toes, as they ask direct questions and
are present in a moment. This can be very beneficial to teachers, to their state of mind and to
their teaching, but to explain this process I would need a much longer book and some actual
real-life training for teachers, neither which is possible to include here.
A few words for parents

Every exercise in this book can be applied at home. If you wish to help your child develop
a healthier attitude towards day-to-day life, you can always incorporate wellbeing exercises
in your weekly routine. There is no better place to learn good emotional health strategies
than at home. Parents can help their children develop a wide range of life-skills to help them
relax, ground, focus, achieve their goals, feel gratitude in their life, define their dreams
and aspirations, develop themselves in the direction they choose, overcome their fears and
develop strong minds. The list is endless, especially because parents know their children
better than anyone, and they can help them even without the children realising.
I strongly suggest parents familiarise themselves with each exercise and make their own
notes regarding suitability for their family and their children. What works for one child might
not be necessary for another.
Parents could also opt for using the following short gratitude practice, which really helps
with positivity and general life satisfaction. Perhaps this is something parents can do with
their children and also take part in themselves. It is a simple but very effective exercise.
Children can also use the Grounding Check every morning or every evening before they
go to bed. It is included in Part two of this book.

Gratitude exercise

The following exercise is very effective for children before bed. Every night before the lights
go out, you should ask your child to find at least one thing they are grateful for that day. Even
if it is something as simple as having an ice cream or whatever else made them feel good.
However small it turns out to be, they should find it, name it and recall it in their memory.
Then they should find one thing they are looking forward to tomorrow, no matter how
small. Then one thing they are looking forward to within a week and one within a month
or couple of months, or if it is a very big thing, in a few months’ time, as long as they can
name it, imagine it happening and feel the gratitude.
Most young people like this exercise, even small children. The smaller the child, the
easier they find what they liked about their day. The older the children, the harder it is for
them to find things worth being grateful for. This is exactly why they need to do this to help
them keep on a positive track.
 Introductory word for teachers  51

This exercise is further developed in Part two in the grounding meditation titled
‘Gratitude and my life.’

Mindfulness, meditation and grounding at home and school

If you find your child has difficulty concentrating on homework or following tasks at home,
regular grounding practice is likely to be very beneficial. This, of course, is presuming all
other things are well, including plenty of sleep, which I have found is essential for a good
sense of grounding. Ungrounded children often have hyperactivity problems, are sensitive
to chemicals and colourings and can have interrupted sleep.

Sensitive child
If you have a child who is sensitive and is easily disturbed emotionally, the best solution is
to use the pure grounding meditation for a little while. They need to learn to ground and reap
the benefits from this first. It might take a few weeks before any results are noted because a
sensitive child often has weak ‘roots.’ This also goes for a child who is a daydreamer or who
is hyperactive. They might all display different behaviour, but from the grounding point of
view they all need the same starter remedy – to have their feet firmly on the ground and to
have that consistent over a period of time. As a rule, a child who is regularly grounding for
three weeks should start to feel different and behave differently. The best practice would
be to do one long meditation per week with the 5-minute Grounding Check each morning,
perhaps best before school, for the first three weeks. After that, parents should choose the
next step they think their child is ready for from Part two.
The most important thing to remember is that this is not a competition, there are no
scores and children absolutely need to go ahead in their own time and at their own pace.
Anything else will be counter-productive.
Some parents worry their children are behind, and others worry they are not far enough
ahead of everyone else. Neither is helpful. Self-development is exactly that – development
of self – and as such it is not possible for anyone to be behind or ahead of anyone else. It is a
very personal journey and everyone is going in their different direction, despite the fact that
they might be using the same meditations.
The only evaluation can come from young people themselves. Meditation’s only value is
in how helpful they find it and how useful it is for their daily life. Nobody else can make this
judgement at any stage of the journey.
So if parents want to know what they have achieved, they need to ask the young people
who are doing the exercises. From my experience, they are very good at evaluating their
progress. Obviously they are the only ones who know where they started and how far have
they moved, and as a rule, they are happy to tell you.
PLEASE NOTE: No exercise here is aiming to fix young people: The purpose of medi-
tations is to help them develop in any direction they wish to proceed. Please don’t make
them think the attempt is being made to fix something that is wrong with them. This
will not help the effectiveness of these exercises. Instead, they should have a sense of wonder
about self and about how it can be developed and shaped up – by them alone.
What do students say?

When asked questions before and after meditation, students are very clear about how they
are feeling. They notice and report if something has changed and whether that change is
useful to them in any way. Age plays some part in this, but not always.
Here is a short table of responses from a few of my 17- and 18-year-old students in their
final year of study before the University. This was a quick session after school.

Why are you attending the Please describe your current state of Please describe your current state of
session today? mind (before the session). mind (after the session) and any changes.

Stressed about an Stressed about all the work I have
upcoming exam to do. Very tense and unable
to focus fully on my work.
Anxious. Wasn’t concentrating
very well on tasks or people.
Too stressed about school Stressed, alert, tense, tired.
To relax Stressed, tense, agitated, fidgety,
tired.
No answer Stressed and not completely
focused.
Calm and less overwhelmed. Felt
as if I have let go of a lot of my
tension. Relaxed, not so anxious.
Feel balanced.
Relaxed, at peace, calm, in control,
slow, floaty.
Relaxed, calm, de-stressed, focused,
floaty.
I feel calm and well-grounded again. I
am no longer stressed and feel still.

Here are a few statements from a different session, with a mixed group of 13- to 18-year-old
young performers (halfway through rigorous performing art training):

Before the session After the session

Emotional, unsure of myself. I feel more relaxed and more grounded in myself.
Tired I feel a lot more relaxed after the session.
Excited about what’s going to happen next in the It helped me to relax more and really feel in the
workshop! moment. I would want to do it before an exam to
let me focus and not stress.
This morning I was feeling tired but as the day has Before the session I was quite energetic and now
gone on I’m feeling more energetic and happy to I feel extremely centred and have focused that
be surrounded by my friends! energy in a beneficial way. I also feel more in
touch with my lower body.
Why should we teach mindfulness
meditation and grounding
in school?

‘I managed to relax and think about my problems etc. for a while. This was a huge benefit and
I will use it in the future.’
Young female performer, age 14

Young people in education are tense and need relaxation on a regular basis. They respond
very well to grounding exercises. In short, they like it once they try it. All the work I have
done so far is on a completely voluntary basis. Students did not have to take part in the
sessions during lessons, and when they turned up outside of lessons it was because they
wanted to do it there and then. They were seeking solutions to their anxieties and stress.
When they meditate they like the way it makes them feel. This is especially true if ground-
ing sessions are incorporated into working on breaking barriers which negatively impact
their self-confidence. They like these sessions and the sense of personal power they get out
of them. They appreciate the sense of freedom within and the sense of being in control of
their own life, choices and behaviour. This of course is the ultimate goal of all the exercises
in this book – to help participants to free themselves from any ideas which don’t reinforce
their positive self-image and to let go of anything that does not serve their self-confidence.
The other goal is to help them process the content more deeply and relate it to their
own life experiences. Grounding meditation and visualization helps students find relevance
and the link between what they are learning in school and real life. Students are more open
to learning knowledge which they perceive as relevant and useful to their lives, regardless
of what adults suggest as being important to know. Students often make these decisions
unconsciously and grade subjects in their minds on the scale of relevance to what they perceive as
their current or future realities.
How can teachers use this book
for any subject and any occasion?

‘… because at home I am very stressed but now I can be calm.’

Young male performer, age 12

Teachers need to familiarise themselves with all the exercises in this book to understand
how they can be used in different situations and applied to many different subjects, themes
and occasions. It may be helpful to make notes before using exercises for the first time, to
decide and record how the exercises relate to what the teacher is planning to teach.
Sometimes a sports exercise can be a team building exercise, or an art exercise can be a
science exercise and so on. It is all really up to the teacher. I have made suggestions regard-
ing what could be useful and in which situation, but ultimately teachers should make their
own decisions prior to use. Links below exercises are very useful to gain a feeling and direc-
tion for follow-up activities, but they are not the only options, and teachers should aim to
develop their own activities, drawing on their own areas of expertise.
Learning and mindfulness
meditation and grounding

In my experience, grounded students spend less time getting ready for a task, waste less
time chatting and are less likely to feel they are about to run out of time. However, more
actual observation and study are needed to better understand the role of grounding in stu-
dents’ learning. I have been collecting student responses for over 15 years now, and some
are quoted in this manual. What is really needed is consistency and long-term provision so
that effects can be recorded over a long time. This is because mindfulness is a gained state
of consciousness over time and not the instant, permanent, long-lasting result of a magic pill.
Also, when students have only just emerged from the grounding exercise, they often do not
want to do anything rigorous for the first 5 minutes or so. This is why it is always good to
plan a quiet activity for the first few minutes back in classwork. I have supplied at least one
for each of the exercises. After this short phase has passed, students may seem quieter than
usual but engaged and productive. Learning appears more controlled and what I can most
accurately describe as ‘down to Earth.’
Wellbeing pastoral care
and grounding meditation

Being primarily wellbeing tools, all the exercises in this book can be used for the develop-
ment of wellbeing of students. Each meditation has a theme which will enable teachers to
choose the most suitable exercises for the specific situation at hand. Anything in Part two
can be used for wellbeing/pastoral purposes; related key words are supplied at the top of
the page to save time, but these are not exhaustive ideas. It’s best to read the exercise in full.
Meditations can be used with individual students or with groups. Each exercise has addi-
tional suggested activities in Links (as a guide only) at the bottom of the page, but teachers
can also design their own.
Community, team building
and grounding meditation

Whenever possible, meditations in this book include the whole community. Working
together, exchanging skills, sharing opinions and cooperating are at the heart of every exer-
cise. Team building exercises are designed not only to be used with sports teams but also
across school curriculum. They are just as suitable for pastoral care and extra-curricular
activities.
Students often report issues relating to isolation, loneliness and friendship difficulties
which are often due to a lack of community within the school or at home. Teachers should
read the suggested activities/key words included before and after each grounding medita-
tion to help them address specific situations. Subject-specific suggestions are especially pro-
vided in the Links section. They are guides and can either be used straight from the page or
incorporated into teachers’ own adapted activities, depending on what the teacher wishes
to achieve.
Self-development and
grounding meditation

Teachers should look at the Contents page and find the most suitable exercises for the kinds
of self-development they are aiming to introduce. Grounding for Mindfulness Technique
on its own is used for development of focus and calmness in students and can be used at
any time. There are many other options, to develop traits from leadership to willingness to
accept help. All are easily recognisable by name in the Contents page, and all are designed
with self-development in mind. Some exercises have ** next to them. These exercises are
primarily designed to be used for wellbeing and self-development.
Reflection time and
grounding meditation

Reflection can be part of any activity. When it comes to personal development and work-
ing towards improving oneself, self-reflection becomes even more important. There are
very few actual subjects in the schools’ time tables dealing with personal issues, and even
fewer which link to such issues academically. Students spend most of their day talking about
things that don’t relate to them personally in any way. The knowledge in schools is presented
and perceived as something unrelated to students, something that does not relate to them as
humans and as people. Every now and then, in Psychology lessons, a topic comes up which
students love engaging with because it is somehow personal and prompts conversation
which involves students’ opinions or reflections on feelings or emotions. These topics are
usually very short, however, and are presented in the form of cold, materialistic knowledge
transmission, often featuring doubts about anything that is not ‘scientifically proven’ – and
therefore dismissing the very (personal/emotional) phenomena that students are reflecting on.
Personal, Social and Health Education lessons and Religious Education lessons supply
most of the opportunities for this kind of quiet self-reflection. However, even those sessions
are part of subjects that deal with other things, not the students alone. By this, I mean that
the students are not the central focus of the sessions; other things are. Students want to
study themselves in great depth and are very curious about who they are. In my experience,
students are interested in their thinking processes and even more in their emotional ones.
They like reflecting on their own worldview, their thoughts, feelings and emotions. If given
a chance, they become really engaged in self-reflection but also in discussing their insights
with others. While teaching Philosophy and Ethics and Psychology, I see over and over
again just how much students enjoy this kind of self-investigation. They like to analyse their
behaviour and try to work out its origins.
The exercises in this book are all suitable to be used on their own if useful. They were
designed to induce reflection either on their own or paired up with other activities. If you
wish to use them just as reflection exercises, they will be equally effective. If you wish to
change follow-up activities and link other content to the reflection, that will work too. The
more you use them, the easier it becomes to link them to your own content afterwards.
Academic content and
grounding meditation

One of the main reasons why I wrote this book is that teachers find it difficult to incorporate
meditations into their content. Any mindfulness meditation can be linked to a variety of
content. The most important thing is to decide what will deepen students’ understanding
in the best way, while in the same time deepening their personal engagement with the topic.
This really works well, and as a rule, students remember what has been taught better, they
remember it longer and their recall of the event is better. To some extent they feel the learn-
ing was easier. This is precisely because they engage deeply with the content and they feel
they have somehow experienced it more in real life.
In Part two there are detailed suggestions for what to consider before you pair up the
exercise with the topic. After a while you will be able to combine these yourself.
Art and grounding meditation

I have used these exercises as part of lesson starters in Art. It works well especially if stu-
dents need to imagine scenery, recollect how something looks or construct imaginary
worlds. In this manual I have designed a generic exercise which can be tweaked to suit a
specific theme. The exercise is called the Arty grounding meditation. Once you decide what
the theme is, you can replace or add it to the second part of the exercise. Sometimes, this can
be used to envision anything from the inside of a human being to recalling something they
have already looked at. Because Art often relies upon detail which has been observed, medi-
tation can be used to recollect how something looks and what the relationship is between
objects, shapes, colours and so on. Several art skills are represented in different activities
suggested in Links.
Music and grounding meditation

Grounding meditation is an excellent tool for students to get into ‘the zone’ for music. In
fact, it is very effective to pick a piece of music and ‘talk’ students through it. I have tested
this often, using Vaughan Williams’s ‘Lark Ascending.’ After the basic part of the ground-
ing, instead of using anything else as a focus, I used music itself. Students were asked to
imagine what they heard. The prompts were given during changes in the music, and stu-
dents developed their own mental landscapes. I have given an example in Part two as one
of the tasks in Links. Many music suggestions are offered throughout with specific pieces
and composers suitable for specific meditations, but teachers can use whatever they wish.
Drama and grounding
for mindfulness technique –
the perfect match

When it comes to Drama, grounding, follow-up meditation and activities can be linked to
getting into the character, the environment and the universe in which characters operate.
I suggest this as a starter to a lesson or just after the first reading of the script. It is also very
good to pick a team building exercise and run it on the same day as the performance. This
is likely to help develop strong bonds within the cast. It can also help with awareness of the
importance of every actor’s part in the play. You can change the environment and roles as
you see fit. I suggest you read the option supplied first and decide how it can be adjusted
to your individual situation. Whenever possible, Links contain useful drama skills in given
activities. Apart from that, basic grounding meditation in full can be used to calm, ground
and focus the cast before the performance.
Spiritual and moral education
and grounding meditation
for reflection, empathy
and deep understanding

Apart from being one of the most desirable human behaviours, empathy is one of the
important and often measured personal characteristics in Psychology. From Criminal
Psychology to Eysenck’s Theory of Personality, empathy scores high on the mental and emo-
tional health rating of an individual.
Empathy is something we can indeed nourish and develop further in our students. The
grounding meditation aims to do that in every possible situation it’s applied to. Deep reflec-
tion, deep connection with the self and others and with the environment, deep connection
with and consideration of topics’ academic issues – all are major parts of what meditations
are aiming to induce within a young person’s mind and spirit.
Mindfulness meditation approaches spiritual education as non-denominational, non-
religious and very much in aid of self-development. It is also aiming to introduce a sense of
beauty, a sense of wonder and a sense of belonging whenever possible. I strongly suggest
that teachers use any positive message they wish to convey and include it as part of the
meditation. Abstract concepts regarding one’s place in the universe and the beauty of life are
covered in several meditations; ‘I am creative’ is perhaps the most suitable. However, it is up
to the teacher to choose the most suitable exercise within a particular theme.
Relevance of Religious and
Moral (Spiritual) Education
lessons in pupils’ minds and
grounding meditation

Students are spending a great deal of time considering the value of knowledge they are
taught at school. They have very strong opinions about what is useful and what is not and
often discuss this openly. In our materialistic Western society, they are encouraged to gather
and use information only for their own benefit and in a concrete way. They are primed to
value and use only what is ‘proven’ to exist. We are likely to run into all sorts of issues if
we are to teach them anything to do with the spirit or invisible worlds they cannot touch,
smell, taste, hear or see with their physical eyes.
Students, mistakenly believing that science has firm answers to all things they are taught,
often wonder about the purpose of any school subject which discusses or talks about scien-
tifically unproven issues or themes. They ask what is the purpose of it in real life. Grounding
meditation can help to answer this question.
Apart from deepening their understanding of the taught knowledge and bringing it
closer to the realm of ‘real life,’ grounding meditation can greatly help with deepening the
relevance of any chosen theme because it can show students different ways of applying the
particular academic content to their day-to-day living.
Primarily, meditations are practical tools they can learn and ‘take home’ to use outside
of school to calm themselves, as well as to focus and perform better in sport or music or
whatever they do in the evening, relating the ‘spiritual’ to practical things relevant to them
personally.
Unless they are actively involved in improving their wellbeing, the chances are they
otherwise have no training related to anything like this outside of school. Learning to relax
and reflect as part of lessons in Philosophy and Ethics and in Religious, Spiritual and Moral
education, makes the whole subject matter relevant to students’ lives in a really practical
way, even without linking it to religious content.
There is absolutely no reason why this exercise could not be linked to any academic
content, as long as teachers don’t promote any beliefs to students as part of it. Obviously, if
religious education is part of a faith school’s curriculum, where religious worship is part of
school life, the rules might be different.
Philosophy and ethics and
grounding meditation

Considering the nature of meditation experience in general and the visualisations supplied
in this book, Philosophy and Ethics, and especially Philosophy of Religion, are represented
in a large number of activities which can be found below the grounding meditations text.
Please familiarise yourself with the activities; the choice is very rich.
Sport and grounding
meditation technique

‘Mens sana in corpore sano.’

A healthy mind is often presumed to dwell in a healthy body. While there is a lot of truth in
this and grounding meditation works on the mind-body link, just being ‘sporty’ and physi-
cally fit does not guarantee that someone’s mind is in equally good shape.
Young sportspeople strive to perform at the top of their abilities and to keep their com-
petitive edge. Sport is very important in their lives and is frequently the source of a great
deal of self-esteem. For some, it can mean hours upon hours of practice aiming for perfec-
tion. The outcome of a sporting event can have a significant impact on how a young person
feels about themselves, their place in their team and their status among their peers. All of
this can be a considerable influence on their day-to-day behaviour. It is a good idea to try and
actively address this either as a small group or the whole team.
Physical education teachers and sports coaches can greatly help here if they can use
grounding meditation to build their team spirit, strengthen the minds of individuals and
focus the ‘game’ in a desirable direction.
There are three reasons why grounding meditation is great for sports:

1. It takes away the pressure of a very physical environment where often the mind is pre-
sumed to be in excellent shape.
2. It helps with coping with the competitiveness of such an environment.
3. It can actually aid with positive self-programming, team building and common goal
focusing.

Any of the exercises can be used in a sport setting. However, some are more suitable than
others, especially any team building exercise and any exercise which builds good coopera-
tion and understanding of the role of an individual within the team. There are also exercises
which build mindsets for specific ‘desired outcomes’ (e.g., winning a match). Please refer to
the list of exercises and find those which suit your team and your competition best. Many
activities that build skills relevant to a specific sport are provided in Links.
Personal, social, health education
and grounding meditation

The possibilities for using grounding meditation in Personal, Social and Health Education
are endless. Exercises given in this book lend themselves very well to numerous themes,
including self-esteem, peer pressure, exam pressure, relationships with self and others, self-
image, self-evaluation and decision-making, to mention just a few. Every meditation is fol-
lowed by self-development activities, most of which are directly suitable for Personal, Social
and Health Education (known as PSHE in the United Kingdom educational system).
Students love engaging in any meditation that is putting them in touch with who they
are and what they want. They are starved of this kind of activity and love to engage deeply
before discussion or self-analysis. It is up to a teacher whether this will be before or after
the discussion takes place. From my experience, anything that was ‘imagined’ first is better
‘absorbed’ later.
Teachers should familiarise themselves with all themes and exercises in this book and
will no doubt soon be designing their own versions and using them to finish the basic
meditation.
Science and grounding meditation

Even though the link between Science and grounding meditation might not be obvious
straight away, the two are very much compatible. Science, especially Physics, teaches many
abstract concepts. While some young people love Science and find it easy to engage with,
others find it difficult. Concepts beyond Earth can be especially hard to imagine or relate to.
Both groups can benefit from meditating on this. Although some concepts, such as the Big
Bang or a black hole, for example, seem easy to imagine, they are even better understood
when students take time to engage with the idea itself. There are creativity exercises which
will be very useful here and can be readjusted for this specific purpose. The relationship
between energy and matter is another example which can be used quite successfully. Please
refer to the list of meditations and supplied activities below the meditation text and in the Links.
Maths and grounding meditation

Solving mathematical problems can be quite challenging, even for children who are good
at the subject. Large numbers of students find Maths challenging. Maths teachers can ben-
efit from using this technique to help student imagine problems they are solving from dif-
ferent angles. There are several Maths-specific exercises/activities provided in this book.
However, the list is not exhaustive, and teachers can design their own and apply them to
other topics in Maths. Also, if a teacher has a group who find the subject challenging, just
grounding prior to learning will be a very good start to the lesson and will help students
deal with complex problems with a more focused state of mind.
As for problem solving, Geometry is an especially good example because it is very visual
and easy to imagine. However, any exercise that includes thinking ‘out of the box’ while
using grounding meditation will benefit problem solving.
Design and technology, fashion,
robotics and engineering (STEM)
and grounding meditation

There are several meditations that are very useful for design and engineering, for students
working either alone or as a team. Many subject-specific activities are supplied in the Links.
Considering that both subjects heavily rely upon students’ imaginations, the whole design/
engineering process can hugely benefit from using meditation to mentally ‘visit’ the fin-
ished creation as a method of kick-starting the creative process. Meditating in this way helps
students ‘see’ the parts and how they could work together before designing them. Apart
from that, team building meditations (of which there are several in Part two) and the Arty
grounding meditation are especially useful. Team building meditation can be very effective
for teams building objects or machines in preparation for a competition in any of the STEM
areas.
Fashion is covered in a couple of exercises, but any Arty exercise will be suitable. However,
some fashion shows have a specific theme; therefore, suitability can be checked against the
list of meditations in the Contents.
Computing (STEM) and
grounding meditation

As in other STEM subjects, imagination plays a large part in computing. There are medita-
tions in Part two which include mentally ‘going in’ to an environment. This is particularly
useful for students who need to design a ‘new universe’ for their games or programmes.
The above-mentioned Arty grounding meditation can be used for imagining a game, a pro-
gramme or a piece of software and for considering what it will look like and what it will ‘do’
(its function) when it is completed and ready to use. Teachers can use any exercise they per-
ceive as helpful, but those that can help students imagine what they are about to create might
be the most suitable. Many subject-specific STEM and computing activities are in Links.
Ecology, climate change,
environmental issues and
grounding meditation

The knowledge in this book is based on the experience of Nature and our immediate envi-
ronment. The entire technology is based on humans’ most basic link with the Earth. This
is even more important in the world today, where school children are walking out of their
lessons to stop the Earth’s destruction and where students walk out en masse with banners
demanding solutions to our environmental problems.
The meditations aim to literally ‘ground’ students to the Earth, to make them feel ‘down
to Earth,’ sober, focused, very much in a moment. Any grounding meditation is suitable
for this. However, if teachers wish to focus purely on the relationship with and the impact of
‘interacting’ with the Earth and on the Earth as our ultimate home in the environmental
sense, the Basic grounding for mindfulness Technique in full, from the Main Meditation chapter,
is the best choice for this. That is because it focuses purely on the personal relationship
between humans and the Earth and the effects of this relationship on our direct experience
of life. This is very valuable for developing a sense of kinship with the Earth because stu-
dents will feel an immediate change in how they feel as the result of this process of ‘exchange.’
Behaviour management and useful
grounding meditation tools

Any of the grounding meditations in this book can be used for behaviour management.
Different versions of this method will be suitable for different students and different situ-
ations. As a rule, I always suggest using meditations that are healing and grounding first
and those that are reflective second. For particularly unsettled students, it’s best to start
just with grounding meditation. Nothing else, just grounding at least once first. Unsettled
students are likely to be the prime ungrounded candidates. You will find it in Part two in the
Main Meditation chapter; it is called Basic grounding for mindfulness Technique. Read the full
version. After they have one experience of grounding in session one, then session two can
take place on another day or week, or whatever timeframe is suitable. The meditation called
I correct myself in Part two is best for the second session. Please familiarise yourself with ways
of reading the meditations and their versions first.
Special education needs
and mindfulness meditation
and grounding – does it help?

The answer is yes, especially with anxiety. I have taught grounding meditation (different
versions and levels of it) in special SEN units and in a mainstream classes that included
children with autism. The results were pretty much the same as anywhere else, with one
distinction. Some children with autism were quite anxious about trying it. These were chil-
dren who had exceptionally high levels of anxiety as part of their condition. I would advise
to always give an option for students to first observe and not take part if they feel uncom-
fortable about the idea. This is for all the students, not just SEN students, but for them
especially. However, from my experience, once they have given it a go, they get into it quite
quickly, and results are better than expected. During sessions I have done in the past, the
anxiety levels were considerably lowered during and after the grounding meditation. This
exercise is safe and suitable for SEN students, and most of them are very likely to enjoy it
and seek more meditations.
 Part two

‘From the moment I fell down that rabbit hole I’ve been told where I must go and who I must be.
I’ve been shrunk, stretched, scratched, and stuffed into a teapot. I’ve been accused of being Alice
and of not being Alice but this is “my” dream. “I’ll” decide where it goes from here.’
From Alice in Wonderland

PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE CHAPTER BEFORE USING THE EXERCISES.

Mindfulness meditation in
the classroom and logistics of
implementation: group sizes,
space, times to use it, length of
exercises, space, environmental
sounds, background music,
safety and age of students

Instructions for teachers

The mindfulness meditation can be used literally any time, with any group of students and
in any academic setting. The trick is to be clear about the outcome and the purpose of the
exercise. I suggest that teachers ask themselves some or all of the following questions prior
to choosing a particular meditation from the list.

1. Is this exercise part of my students’ wellbeing time or academic time, or both?

2. What do I want to achieve with this exercise?
3. How does this link to my objective in this lesson/session?
4. Do I want to develop students and their wellbeing alone or do I want to do that and link
it to my academic content?
5. How does this process link to my overall subject and the skills I am trying to develop in
my students?
6. How does this link to the chunk of the topic I am covering today?
7. How will this exercise improve and deepen my students’ understanding of this topic?
8. Can I make my academic content more relevant to my students’ daily lives by doing this
exercise?
9. Which exercise is most suitable for my topic on the long run?
10. Which exercises might link further to the one I need today?

Having followed this process a few times, a teacher should get a feel for what can be used
for which topic and which group of students. At times, I use the exercises ad hoc when I feel
students are just too tired to learn, usually in the late afternoon. Sometimes, students ask
for them. With experience, a teacher will get to know what, where, when and which group
will benefit the most.
80  Part two

When do I do this?

When the grounding meditation is going to be used as a part of a teaching session depends
on many factors. The big ones are the lesson/session plan, the learning process, any con-
tent scaffolding and the purpose of the exercise. I have taught them as starters and as end-
of-lessons, but also as mid-points of lessons to break from logic and intellectual learning.
The exercise has to have the intended effect on what is to be understood, experienced and
reflected upon. This can happen any time during the lesson, and it is something each facili-
tator has to decide for themselves. The book is set in such a way that each meditation has
follow-up activities, but how many of those are used and when the activity is introduced
within the lesson are not specifically prescribed.

Age groups

People often ask about the age group. Majority of exercises in this book are suitable for stu-
dents from about 9 years of age but are best suited for students from approximately 11 years old.
I have done many sessions with younger children, some as young as 4, with success. However,
the expectations, duration and depth of exercises have to be adjusted for younger children. Overall,
this book is most suitable for students 11 years old and up.

How long does it take?

Questions regarding length of meditation sessions often come up. Ideally, it should take
approximately 25 minutes to go in and out of this process for optimal results, especially
with young people. Anything longer than 25 minutes will either make them fall asleep or
lose necessary concentration. Meanwhile a much shorter version will not give them the
necessary depth of the experience. However, it is possible to do shorter versions with a
particular purpose or aim, when only a few reflective minutes here and there can help with
understanding something very complex or very abstract. I have not included any short ver-
sions in this book, apart from the grounding check at the end. This can be used if nothing
else is available, but only with students who have previous experience of the grounding
meditation.

How slow or fast do I read this?

Please take time to familiarise yourself with each exercise before reading it to the students.
See this as part of your lesson preparation and planning. Very quickly you will learn to read
each exercise at a pace appropriate for you and your students. Facilitating this is a ‘feeling’
rather than precise prescribed science and everyone reads differently. Any necessary pauses
are included in each exercise. They are also timed in seconds and marked in brackets within
the text. Make sure you note where they are, before starting. Use your loveliest and softest
voice. Students will respond well to that. Practice using your soft voice with quiet back-
ground music to get a sense of what choice of music best suits your voice. Your students need
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  81

to be able to hear you without straining, in order to follow instructions. But if you overpower
them with your voice, it will stop them from drifting into their visions. Balance is the key.

Group sizes and space choice

There is only one rule here: ‘The more the merrier’ – well, up to a point. Most people gener-
ally find that meditation is more settled, deep and ‘better’ all around with others. Large
groups ‘melt’ with each other, and members often report ‘deeper meditation than on my
own.’ There are, however, optimal groups for the classroom. I have taught this meditation
to up to 32 students in the same room several times, but I would say 25 might be the top
number. However, any number greater than 3 and smaller than 25 is excellent. I have also
taught very compact groups of 12 which felt very grounded and friendly. This is not to say
you cannot instruct one person at the time, which I have done, or a large group in a school
assembly. The size of the group relative to the size of the room is far more important. Best
not to cram 30 people into a small room or to teach 2 people in a large school hall; neither
will work best.
Also, it is important to be aware of overhead windows, draught, exceptionally bright
lights or anything that will take meditators’ attention upwards instead of downwards.
They need to have their feet firmly on the ground and their attention there too. Blasting
cold air conditioning right above their heads will be very distracting and will make stu-
dents spaced out rather than calm, focused and grounded. Further instructions appear in
Space quality.

Space quality

Grounding meditation from this book can be taught anywhere where students can sit down.
However, there are some details which should definitely be taken into consideration.
Considering that students will be heavily concentrating on the lower parts of their body,
there should be nothing distracting them from this focus. The teacher needs to make sure
no heaters or air conditioners are blowing at the tops of their heads. Also, if there are sky-
lights it is best if participants don’t sit directly underneath them. If the room has a very high
ceiling, it is best to make sure chairs are in a tighter group. Participants must not be in a way
of draughts or any heavy movement of air. This will distract them, and they will not ground
properly. It is best to proportion the space to the group. For example, if the group is large, it
has to be taught in a bigger room, but if there are only five people,it is best not to teach them
in a large dance studio. This will scatter their energies and they will find it hard to ground.
Remembering that this session is all about balance, teachers must make sure the space and
size of the group are effectively balanced.
Teachers also must consider the number of people and ventilation. If only a smallish
room is available for 30 people, it is best to air it out before and to have a door or a window
open if possible for a free flow (but away from participants’ heads). In the same time it is
essential to make sure that participants are not cold. Temperature change during medita-
tion can be considerable. Some people report being very hot, some cold. It is important that
the temperature of the room be moderate, neither too hot nor too cold.
82  Part two

I strongly discourage teaching in a sports gym. Even if it is your school’s sports team
that is meditating, they also must do it somewhere other than the sports hall. Anywhere else.
Energies of sports halls are quite strong and scattered all over the available space and as
such will stop your students from experiencing deep meditation. Any classroom, library or
meeting room will be much better.
This is especially important if young students are meditating for the first time The
teacher must make sure they are in a suitable environment because if their first meditation
is not very good they are unlikely to ever do it again. The last thing anyone wants to do is
to learn meditation in an environment where they will not be able to focus their thoughts.
This will give them the impression that it will never work for them. It is better to do it
another time than to do it in a wrong place.

Environmental sounds

Prepare space in such a way that you are able to speak softly. If your environment is loud
with howling heaters and humming air conditioning, you will not be able to fine-tune your
voice for maximum impact. This is a meditation session and should be treated as such.
Make sure that the room is as quiet as possible and that participants can hear you over the
background music.

Background music

The background music should be soft and instrumental, something ambient and perhaps
something you would expect to hear at a retreat. Please refer to some music suggestions at
the end of this book, but this should really be your choice. The music will dictate the mood
for you and will also impact the students’ experience.

Safety

There is absolutely nothing unsafe about teaching grounding meditation to a typical class
of teenage students. This process is natural and has no unwanted side effects. It really is
just thinking and relaxing. As with any relaxation, the process is best taken slowly. If you
are suddenly woken up from a deep sleep, you might find yourself a bit disorientated for a
few moments. Some people might even experience headache when woken in this manner,
especially by a loud alarm clock. I am sure you would rather you woke up naturally and in
your own time. Well, it’s the same with meditation; it should be exited slowly and in the
person’s own time. This is why each meditation ends with an instruction to open the eyes
‘in your own time.’
Please give your students time to come out of their relaxing state at the speed suited to
each one of them. It is really a good idea to give them 5 minutes to catch up with each other
or, as I often suggest, do a quiet activity on their own. For these few minutes some people
will still have their eyes open while others will be stretching, looking around, checking
what is happening with other people and in the room. At this stage participants will be get-
ting used to time again. They will be wondering just how much time has passed. Some will
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  83

be wondering whether the meditation took very long, and some may think it passed in the
blink of an eye. Unless told otherwise, they will start talking to each other after they have
meditated and discuss what they have experienced with each other. Often they will ask, ‘Did
you feel that?’ or ‘I am so relaxed, are you?’ Let them do it if your follow-up activity allows for it
(this is not a case when this time is used productively for self-reflection). This is a spontane-
ous process, and at those moments they don’t want you to interrupt. In fact, over the years
I have come to understand this is actually as important a part of the process as meditation
itself, especially if only Basic grounding for mindfulness Technique is used on its own. They are
processing what they have experienced. They are learning something about themselves and
what they are able to do and experience, and they want either to reflect on it in private or to
share and compare it to experiences of others. They need this confirmation that they have
not all just imagined it, that it really did just happen. Many students have never experienced
a real relaxed state; to them this is news! Let them have that moment. Let it sink in and
become more ‘normal.’ This is very much needed. You might find that at this stage they
have forgotten you are in the room at all!

PLEASE NOTE: This book is written for a school environment and is not intended to be
therapy for students with emotional or mental health issues. If there are such students in
the class teacher should liaise with the parents and therapist responsible for these students
prior to meditation.

Does this always work?

Nothing always works straight away for everyone when we are dealing with humans.
Grounding meditation works via grounding of the individual who is doing it. This will be
different for different people. Some people are more grounded in their bodies than others.
There is a huge difference between a person who is spending 15 hours in front of a screen
and a person who is spending an hour exercising each day. Their grounding needs will be
considerably different. I have come across people (young or otherwise) who could not do
this exercise at all the first time they tried. This is rare, but it does happen. They needed
more time to be able to ‘see’ anything at all. This is because they were very ungrounded
and very ‘top heavy.’ Here, I mean their energies and their focus were very much in their
intellectual sphere of life, so they lived mostly ‘in their heads.’ To a large extent this is why
this exercise is becoming more and more relevant for daily life. With development of tech-
nology, people are more and more ‘in their heads’ in front of screens, rather than doing
anything with their bodies; therefore, they are not in their bodies. The task is to bring them
back into ‘body aware’ state of mind. It might take few goes. There are no golden rules. It
is important to always say at the beginning that this is an exercise, and that if anyone finds
their mind wondering off during the meditation, that is fine and normal. They should be
told that when they notice this (and they will), they should just bring their attention back to
the voice again, no matter how often this happens. They should also be told that thoughts
are part of meditation and they are completely expected. We don’t want to alienate any-
one who find it difficult to ground and make them think they have failed in some way.
Participants should be reassured, before starting the exercise, that whatever happens is fine.
This is essential.
84  Part two

What is the ‘Grounding Check Exercise’?

A Grounding Check is provided as the last exercise in Part two. It is important because you
might wish to use it at times when you only have 5 minutes to help your students ground in
your lesson. It only takes few minutes but is very effective. It can be used only with students
who have experience of the Basic grounding for mindfulness Technique (GfMT) already, in the
form of any grounding meditation in this book. It is not going to work with individuals who
have never attempted to ground before because they will have no idea what they have been
asked to do.

Big questions

You might notice that meditations cover many ‘big questions.’ This is not the aim in itself
but is, rather, a coincidence due to the fact that these very questions, if addressed, carry lots
of potential for personal growth.
A lot of young people don’t get many chances to reflect on these types of questions in
their daily life, unless this is in some way triggered by their school, often as part of religious
education, or perhaps by their parents. Commonly, these very themes are what young peo-
ple find very interesting and engaging. Deep existential questions can often be something
they are discussing during their breaks or after school with their peers, but rarely with
their teacher during ‘school time.’ Apart from that, they like to talk about what they feel is
their truth and enjoy exchanging their views with others. I often find they have very strong
opinions but are also willing to consider other people’s views. This in itself is very valuable
exercise. This process accidentally tends to take rebellion out of rebelling, so to speak, as
it allows them not only to freely express themselves but also to talk about something that
on the surface is not immediately related to their school curriculum. As a result they are
not worried about being judged for getting it ‘right’ or ‘wrong.’ They, in fact, don’t have to
agree with anyone, not even with their teacher. Noting is evaluated or judged, and everything
is explored. The fact that their opinions are sought and valued without being judged can be
liberating and can have considerable impact on some students.

Spiritual development or self-development?

I am often asked whether this meditation is religious? The simple answer is no. The medita-
tion in this book has been adapted from various disciplines, from martial arts to spiritual
arts, but it is not religious in any way. You don’t have to be religious to do it; it does not
preach any religion, philosophy or spiritual path. It really is all about the human mind and
body and their relationship with themselves and their environment, primarily the Earth
and the natural world. It is really about putting us back on the map of Nature within our
own perception of ourselves. Being divorced from Nature is the very reason why we have
mental and emotional health issues in the modern world.
However, if school is of a religious type, and teachers wish to help students meditate on
God or whatever divine force they wish to relate to or contemplate on, teachers can add
that at the end of the meditation, just as they would add anything they want their students
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  85

to process deeply. There are some meditations here contemplating creative forces of the
universe, which might be suitable for linking to this kind of meditation.

Thinking outside of the box

The important thing about this book is that it is actually aiming to help students think
outside of the box whenever possible. Learners often find it difficult to really relate to the
content they are studying. The more they perceive the studied subject as irrelevant to their
lives, the less they are likely to be motivated to learn it. The exercises here are designed to
engage students more deeply with studied topics, while looking at them from a different
angle. For example, at times we will call the universe ‘creative,’ which is intended and aims to
engage students of Science more personally with their studied topic. It temporarily changes
their ‘perception’ of the universe for the purpose of ‘relating ‘ to the universe in a different
way. Once they have this kind of ‘personal relationship,’ so to speak, with the academic
theme, they are as a rule more willing to engage with it academically.
This is very important for their motivation and perception of their ability to grasp dif-
ficult, and at times highly abstract, concepts that will surely follow this ‘interaction.’
Most important. it shows them they can think about familiar subjects, topics and themes
in a very different way and it breaks the patterns of thinking they are used to which might
be preventing them from relating to the subject and doing well.

What does ** in the title mean?

Exercises marked ** are suitable only for self-development of students and are not designed
for linking with academic or any other content. They stand alone and should be used just as
provided, with follow-up exercises if any appear.
Instructions and meditations

‘I found meditation easy because it was relaxing and you didn’t have to do any work. It was
quiet, you could also feel yourself inside. I enjoyed it because it calmed me down from lunch.
Meditation gave me a chance to get over the excitement and ready for working.’
Beth, age 13

Please read this entire chapter before using the exercises.

What is in the practical part and how to use it

This is the practical part of the book, and it includes two types of exercises: exercises for
positive self-programming and exercises for linking to the curriculum/academic content.
There is however, nothing to stop teachers from linking any of the exercises in the book to
any academic content if they can find links to their particular lesson. In fact I highly advise
it, because teachers know best what they wish to achieve by using the exercise.
Under each exercise title there are key words which establish links to the outcome of the
exercise, to its theme or to the skills it aims to develop.
At the bottom of the each exercise there are follow-up activities, suitable discussions
for the group work and possible further follow-up activities which can be used during
the lesson or as homework. I strongly suggest that you read the whole set of exercises in
Part two to familiarise yourself with the content. You might be able to find links with
your subject that I have not listed here, purely because of the limitation, imposed by the
size of this book.
Links to specific subject areas are provided after each grounding meditation. All links
are subject-specific, and they are designed to help with either content or skills for the particu-
lar area of study, or both. Some of the activities, especially ones dealing with skills, can be
used for different subject areas.
For ease of use you will find one single page with the Basic Grounding for Mindfulness
Technique (GfMT) on page 92. You should start each exercise by reading this page and fin-
ish each exercise by reading the page of the exercise you have actually chosen to do.
It is a good idea to have the page with Basic Main Grounding for Mindfulness Meditation
Technique (GfMMT) marked in some way, because this is the one page you will need every
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  87

time you use this book. In most places in the book the GfMT will be simply called ‘grounding
meditation’.
For example, if you wish to do the work on Power mask making on Wednesday, you will
first read to your students the grounding meditation titled Basic Grounding for Mindfulness
Technique (GfMT), Universal start for each exercise from page 92, called Grounding for a class-
room, Main Meditation Chapter. Then read the ‘Where is my power? Make my power tool’
grounding meditation to finish the exercise.
So this is what it is supposed to look like:

Read in order:

Basic Grounding for Mindfulness Technique (GfMT), Universal start for each exercise

from the PAGE 92 called

‘Grounding for a classroom’ main meditation chapter

Then read straight away without a break

‘Where is my power? Make my power tool’ grounding meditation

Then do:

‘Power Mask’ activity afterwards

However, if you want to do a different exercise on Friday, perhaps ‘I work well with
others team mindfulness exercise,’ you will do the following:

Read in order:

Basic Grounding for Mindfulness Technique (GfMT), Universal start for each exercise

from the PAGE 92 called

‘Grounding for a classroom’, Main meditation chapter

Finish the meditation by reading this straight away:

‘I work well with others’ meditation variation

Then do:

‘Team building exercise’ from the team building page(PAGE 122)

I would advise anyone using this book to familiarise themselves with the basic (GfMT) exercise
first and perhaps to practice reading it aloud few times before they use it with their students.
88  Part two

This is because the speed, the tone of voice and pauses while reading will dictate how the stu-
dents experience it. It is best to find an individual tempo and style of reading. The best way is to
read each exercise aloud and fine-tune its atmosphere and ‘feeling’ for the desired effect. I have
repeated this instructions in the actual chapter and within the meditation page to insure they
are followed correctly in an ad hock situation when there is not much time to prepare.
Practical exercises

‘I think it was nice and calming, calmed nerves in my body. I saw myself turning into gold and
everything was calm and colourful. … I will keep it in my head so when I am stressed in the
future I will use it then.’
Summer, age 14
Grounding for a classroom

Main meditation chapter

All exercises in this book are adapted for use in educational settings, and especially in class-
rooms, from this Basic grounding for mindfulness Technique (GfMT) on this page. Feel free to
read straight out of the book.
I suggest you mark the page with the compulsory meditation with a bookmark so you
can easily find it when you need it, because you will read this exercise as the universal
start for every meditation you use from this book. This is the basic grounding medita-
tion, and it is exactly the same each time you start any meditation; the only difference
is the second part that you will add to finish the session. Your chosen variations for the
end will come from any meditation variation you chose from the rest of Part two. They
will be read straight after the basic grounding has been performed. The reason why
the second part is read straight away is so that participants feel the ending is a natural
extension of the basic grounding and will not know that these portions come from two
different pages. Please refer to the list of variations in the Contents for an overview of
the available options.

Basic Grounding for Mindfulness Technique (GfMT)

Universal start for each exercise

‘After 10 minutes of meditation we opened our eyes and everything was calm, as well as relax-
ing. It also helped me with the lesson because I understood everything that Miss said, and I
answered all the questions.’
Theodora, age 14

PLEASE NOTE: Please familiarise yourself with this exercise, and use it as a base and as the
start for each meditation. Use specially designed endings from other pages to add to this part
in accordance with your choice of exercise for each occasion.
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  91

Here is the full version of the exercise. If you wish to do the grounding meditation on its
own, then read this entire meditation without adding anything to it. Do this ONLY if you
are doing GfTM Technique alone. All other versions have their own endings.

Setting

All participants should have a nice sturdy chair to sit on, with their feet firmly on the ground.
The height of the chair should be right for a person to put the full soles of their feet on the
floor. There should be a sturdy back to the chair so the person does not have to strain to sit
up and does not slouch. Their back should be fully supported by the chair, but the head and
neck should be above it, upright but not strained. The instruction below can be read straight
from the book in a gentle and soft voice with medium pace. Teachers should take great care
to feel the mood in the room and adjust accordingly. Participants will take a few minutes
to readjust to this ‘new’ state of relaxation and might giggle or fidget. This is completely
normal and will pass as soon as they start relaxing. While reading, teachers should take
time and read slowly and softly. There are notes where pauses should be. All pauses are in
seconds. If there is no clock in the room, it is just fine to just count seconds in your mind.
While most pauses are between 2 and 5 seconds, some are slightly longer. Teachers must
make sure they reserve time to read the meditation without hurry. Students will need time
to process everything they are hearing. It is most important that they be given that time to
visualise everything the teacher is saying. It is perhaps best if teachers read the meditation
aloud to themselves first and time themselves, before they read it to their students. After
they have done it a few times, this will most likely become second nature.
Grounding for Mindfulness
Technique (GfMT)

Please read straight from the book:

‘Sit with your back straight and your feet firmly on the ground. Uncross legs and arms. Palms
of your hands should be relaxed and resting on your thighs. Head should be facing straight
ahead. Imagine that you are a puppet and have a string through your spine, neck and head.
Feel it gently pull up and relax without slouching. In your mind, focus on your face and gently
smile. This will relax the muscles between your eyebrows. Now focus on your shoulders. Gently
readjust them to the most comfortable position. Pull them slightly down if they are too close to
your head. Take a deep breath through your nose all the way to your lower stomach.
Bring your attention to your breath. Take three breaths now and follow them with your
thoughts. Breath one, through your nose, deep, straight into your belly button, then gently
breathe out through your nose. Breath two, again in through your nose, breathe deeply straight
into your belly button, then gently breathe out through your nose. Breath three, gently in and
out through your nose.
Now imagine you are in a deep forest. All around you there are tall trees. You are not wear-
ing any shoes. Focus on the feel of the ground under your feet. Feel the damp leaves, cool earth,
solid feeling of the ground underneath your feet. (pause 3 sec) Walk through the forest. Touch
the trees as you walk. Smell the air full of greenery. As you walk to the very edge of the forest
you find a log. Big sturdy log. Sit on it. (pause 3 sec)
As you sitting on the log mentally send your focus to your feet. Feel the soft grass touching
the soles of your feet. Focus just between your big toe and the one next to it. Now imagine roots
starting to grow into the ground. The roots are small and gentle to start with, then as they go
into the ground they are becoming stronger and bigger. (pause 4 sec) Imagine the roots growing
now on the surface of the ground. They are growing everywhere around your feet, surrounding
you like a net. Focus on seeing this in your mind. (pause 3 sec)
Imagine your roots growing even deeper into the Earth. See them passing through the dark
Earth first. Grow them deeper down. Deeper. (pause 3 sec) Now, see your roots passing through
the sandy part of the Earth. Grow them even deeper. (pause 3 sec) Now you are so deep you see
the hearth of the planet. Imagine a huge iron ball right in the centre. Solid, metal ball. Wrap
your roots around that. (pause 4 sec)
At this moment you are just a dot on the surface of the planet. A very small dot firmly
attached to the vast network of your strong roots, wrapped to the centre of the Earth. Hold this
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  93

picture in your mind. (pause 6 sec) Focus on your “grounded” feet. Focus on the place where the
soles of your feet are “growing your roots.” Stay with that feeling for a moment. Feel the calm.
(pause 4 sec)

• (Here you will add whatever exercises you have chosen from Part two.)

Read the rest only if you are doing the grounding exercise on its own. This is the
rest of the full version.
Gently, gently focus on your feet again. (pause 3 sec) Remember you are sitting on the log. In
your mind stand up and walk back to the forest. Focus on your bare feet on the forest floor, feel
the cool bed of leaves touching your toes and your heels. (pause 3 sec) Now slowly bring your
awareness to this room. Feel your feet on the ground. Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you
keep focus on your feet, bring your awareness to this room now fully. Become aware of the chair
under your body. Listen for the sounds around you. (pause 3 sec) Bring your mind back to your
feet. Where are they? Can you feel them? Gently wiggle your toes. Feel the full sensation of the
floor beneath your feet. Slightly press them on the floor. (pause 3 sec) Wiggle your fingers and
rub your palms. Move your shoulders. Take a deep breath. When you are ready slowly open
your eyes, first looking down then up and up until you are looking straight ahead. Do this in
your own time. When your eyes are open give yourself a good stretch if at all possible in silence
to give others space to do the same in their own time.’

Activity for grounding meditation only: Students should relax for a few minutes and have a
chat amongst themselves about their experiences and ask any questions they might have.
After that they can engage in any activity, not necessarily related to what they have just
experienced.
Meditations for positive
self-programming**

Here you will find grounding meditations especially designed to help students with positive
self-programming. These meditations aim to help with reflection, release and re-modelling
of behaviours or ways of thinking that might not be very helpful in daily life. This is done
via links to the content, as and when needed. Exercises marked with ** might be especially
useful to teachers who are responsible for the wellbeing of their students, inclusion staff,
members of staff dealing with disruptive or special needs students or just simply to a busy
form tutor, teacher of Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE), teacher of Religious
Education (RE) or to any staff member or parent wishing to help students develop more
positivity, gratitude and self-correcting awareness.

‘Myself and my inner space – what is in my head?’

grounding meditation

Mindfulness exercise to induce self-awareness

Key words:  Self-observation, self-awareness, calmness
Self-development: Being able to observe one’s thoughts and calm the mind
Pastoral care: Calming exercise which focuses on a person, scattered attention will
focus within
Possible academic links: Omnipresence of God, being present in a moment, calm,
introspection
This meditation is very useful for people who never meditated before. Students who have
high levels of restlessness respond well to this one. At first they might be very fidgety, and
they might laugh. Let them do that. Eventually they will become calm.
Start by reading the grounding meditation from page 92 followed by:

While still keeping your feet deeply grounded for a moment say inside of your mind: I am.
(pause 2 sec) I am. (pause 2 sec) For a moment think about what is happening inside your
mind. (pause 2 sec) Then say to yourself: I am here. Right now. (pause 2 sec) Take a deep
breath. Feel this breath as it goes in and as it comes out. Then take another one. Pay attention
to your body for the moment. Are you muscles relaxed? Relax your stomach. Relax your jaw.
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  95

Take another breath. Follow the breath in and out. Do this gently. Slowly. Take your time.
(pause 2 sec) Observe your breath. Observe the thoughts that pop into your mind as you do.
They are wondering thoughts. They are part of this relaxation. Let them come and let them
go. (pause 4 sec) Bring your attention back to your breathing. This is your natural you, calm
and serene. Observe what is popping into your mind. (pause 3 sec) Are these thoughts empow-
ering you? Focus on your feet again. Stay there, focusing on your feet. Observe your thoughts.
Observe your breath. (pause 3 sec)
Remember you are sitting on the log. In your mind stand up and walk back to the forest.
Focus on your bare feet on the forest floor, feel the cool bed of leaves touching your toes and your
heels. (pause 3 sec) Now gently and slowly bring your awareness to this room. Feel your feet
on the ground. Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you keep focus on your feet, bring your
awareness to this room now fully. Become aware of the chair under your body. Listen for the
sounds around you. Bring your mind back to your feet. Where are they? Can you feel them?
Gently wiggle your toes. Feel the full sensation of the floor beneath your feet. Slightly press them
on the floor. Wiggle your fingers and rub your palms. Move your shoulders. Take a deep breath.
When you are ready slowly open your eyes, first looking down then up and up until you are
looking straight ahead. Do this in your own time. When your eyes are open give yourself a good
stretch if at all possible in silence to give others space to do the same in their own time.

Activity one: Have a conversation with each other about what you have just experienced.
Share as little or as much as you like.
Activity two: What have you learned today about your thoughts? What happens when
you stop and pay attention to your inner world? Have you learned anything about yourself?

Links

Psychology: Wundt, origins of Psychology, introspection

Philosophy: Omnipresence of God, God’s essence
Religious Education: Reflection session which can be linked to many different themes
from presence of God to spirit and inner peace
Questions: Omnipresence of God
• Who knows my thoughts?
• Where is my consciousness?
• Who is inside of my mind?
• Who is ‘I’?

‘Where is my power? Make my power tool’

grounding meditation**

Key words:  Self-empowerment, inner strength, focus, reinforcement of inner beauty

Possible academic/pastoral links: This exercise can be used for strengthening a focus
for any activity or any performance enhancement; it is designed to help students find and
focus on their source of inner strength.
96  Part two

‘Make my power tool’ is a mindfulness meditation especially modified as a follow-up to the

grounding exercise. Its purpose is to deepen the individual experience of the inner world
and self and to put that experience into practical use. By the end of the lesson, participants
should produce a piece of art personally designed by them for their personal use, based on
their inner journey, exploration and their personal lives.
PLEASE NOTE: This meditation is very effective and will have an impact on how stu-
dents feel about themselves. It aims to help students see their strengths.
Start by reading the grounding meditation from page 92 followed by:

Take another breath. Imagine now there is a bubble around you. A huge clear bubble, making
the space a few feet around you reserved exclusively for you. This is your private space. Your
bubble is very large. If you open your arms out, you will still have plenty of space inside. As you
stand in your bubble, look up. The top of your bubble is quite high; you cannot touch it with
your fingertips. Now have a good look inside of your bubble. There should be plenty of space to
put a few things in. Think about things and people in your life that make you feel good. Think
of all the things in your life that make you feel powerful. (pause 3 sec) Now choose one object
that makes you feel good. It can be anything that reminds you of how good you are at something.
Really try to feel this. Remember how good this makes you feel. Then choose one object that
might remind you and symbolise that feeling. (pause 2 sec) Now put that object and that feel-
ing into your bubble. Now think of another empowering situation, activity or a thing if there
is one. Think of what object or feeling might symbolise that and put that amazing symbol in
your bubble as well. Think about a place or places which make you feel good. Imagine yourself
there. Now imagine you can see that place any time you want from your bubble. Think about
a specific activity you enjoy doing. Something that makes time fly by, something you wish you
could do as often as possible. Recall the feeling of it when you are doing this. Record and leave
all of it in your lovely, vibrant bubble. (pause 3 sec)
Gently, gently focus on your feet again. Remember you are sitting on the log. In your mind,
stand up and walk back to the forest. Focus on your bare feet on the forest floor, feel the cool
bed of leaves touching your toes and your heels. (pause 3 sec) Now gently and slowly bring your
awareness to this room. Feel your feet on the ground. Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you
keep focus on your feet, bring your awareness to this room now fully. Become aware of the chair
under your body. Listen for the sounds around you. Bring your mind back to your feet. Where
are they? Can you feel them? Gently wiggle your toes. Feel the full sensation of the floor beneath
your feet. Slightly press them on the floor. Wiggle your fingers and rub your palms. Move your
shoulders. Take a deep breath. When you are ready slowly open your eyes, first looking down
then up and up until you are looking straight ahead. Do this in your own time. When your eyes
are open, give yourself a good stretch if at all possible in silence to give others space to do the
same in their own time.

Follow-up activity:
Design a power tool. This can be a poster, a picture, a piece of writing, a message, a mask or a
statue decorated and ready to be put on the wall. To design your power tool you will need to
include as many symbols as you can remember from your journey. Anything that makes you
feel good and powerful. This tool will have to be put somewhere where you can see it often, so
it will remind you of the inner strength you just observed. Make sure you take great care to
make it as good and as beautiful as you can and as much you as possible.
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  97

Links

PLEASE NOTE: This exercise is designed specifically for students’ self-development (**).
There is another variation of this exercise in Part two called ‘My power symbol’ ground-
ing meditation. That variation has numerous examples of links to the content. It can be
found in the Contents page.
Activities:
Art: This can be an art exercise and can be done over a few sessions using different
media.
Language: A piece of writing produced for this occasion will always have to go home and
should not be marked. The exercise, however, can be linked to another piece of writing
from poetry to autobiography.
Music: Classical music can be played while students are working with their power
objects. The students can choose which piece of music they find inspiring or
empowering.

‘What am I grateful for?’ grounding meditation

Key words:  Gratitude, happiness, appreciation, contentment, beauty, abundance

Possible pastoral links: Motivation, positive thinking, appreciation of self and life,
sharing
Possible academic links: Psychology, Philosophy and Ethics, History, Religious
Education, Drama, Sociology, Sport, STEM
Start by reading the grounding meditation from page 92 followed by:

Now, think about your life for a moment. Consider all the good things in it. Try to focus on a
single thing you are grateful for that happened either today or yesterday. This does not have to
be a big thing, or a significant one, or anything out of the ordinary. It can be anything, includ-
ing a simple smile or a kind word from someone. Your task is to find one thing that was good
and worth your gratitude. (pause 3 sec) Now you’ve remembered it, try to recollect the feeling
of gratitude. This is the important part. Feel it. Be that feeling. Hold on to that feeling for a
moment. (pause 4 sec) Now, consider why are you grateful for this? Did it make you feel good,
loved, special or simply just happy and content? (pause 2 sec) This is good. Take a deep breath
and relax.
Gently, gently focus on your feet again. Remember you are sitting on the log. In your mind,
stand up and walk back to the forest. Focus on your bare feet on the forest floor, feel the cool bed
of leaves touching your toes and your heels. (pause 3 sec) Now gently bring your awareness to
this room. Feel your feet on the ground. Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you keep focus
on your feet, bring your awareness to this room now fully. Become aware of the chair under
your body. Listen for the sounds around you. Bring your mind back to your feet. Where are
they? Can you feel them? Gently wiggle your toes. Feel the full sensation of the floor beneath
your feet. Slightly press them on the floor. Wiggle your fingers and rub your palms. Move your
shoulders. Take a deep breath. Gently, very gently breathe in and out. Focus on your feet on
the floor again. Gently, gently and in your own time, without any hurry, open your eyes and
look around.
98  Part two

Activity one (5 minutes): Have a little discussion with people around you about your experience.
You don’t have to share any details, just talk about the experience of meditation and relaxation.
Activity two: Have a class discussion using the following questions:

• Why is it important to always have something to be grateful for?

• Do we always remember to appreciate things in life?
• Do we see our daily life as ‘special’ or do we just live it without considering the possible
beauty of it?
• How do we become more aware of good things we are experiencing?
• If we become aware of all the good things as they happen, will this affect our mood and
our motivation? Why?

Writing task: Students should write three reasons why gratitude might contribute to a feel-
good state of being. They can do this in groups or in pairs.
Activity three:

‘Seeing many small things in life as special and something we should be grateful for is
better than waiting for big special things to take place.’

• Discuss in groups. Do you agree or disagree? Is this always the case?

This exercise can be linked to wellbeing.

PLEASE NOTE: If teachers decide to link this exercise to a theme considering other, less
fortunate humans around the planet (e.g., the theme of ‘suffering’ in Philosophy and Ethics
or Religious Education), caution must be exercised not to make students feel guilty about
good things in their lives. We are after the sense of gratitude here, and we have to make sure
this is the primary message they ‘take home’ after this session.

Links

Psychology: Abraham Maslow, Humanist Psychology, self-actualisation, depression, psy-

chopathology, stress, self-determinism
Religious Education, Philosophy and Ethics: Suffering, charity, prayer
Class debate:

• Why are some people who have very little very happy, while some people who are very rich are
unhappy?
• What does this tell us about happiness?

Drama: This meditation can be useful for tuning in to a particular character’s perception
of their circumstances. It could also be used to tune in to and compare different characters’
perceptions of events in the same scene.
Competitive events: This meditation can be used to focus specifically on the progress in
a tournament/competition, where participants can be reminded to, for example, be grateful
for getting so far, before continuing and competing further.
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  99

History: Past unfortunate events and circumstances in history could be linked to this
meditation. Students can analyse how sacrifices made by others in the past have had a
positive impact on their lives today. They should discuss what sacrifices might have been
made. What are the examples? They should reflect on how sacrifices affected these people’s
lives. They could find reasons to be grateful to people of antiquity for their current circum-
stances. For example, WWII veterans sacrificed their lives to defend the world from Nazism
and invasion. Or they could choose other themes, such as the Suffragette movement or
liberation from slavery. For a different topic, students could try to find links between their
present comforts and historical events, analysing what brought progress and innovation,
especially in STEM.
Sociology: determinism, social mobility, socio-economic class divisions, Marx, poverty
and deprivation, to mention just a few.

‘What do I look forward to?’ reflective grounding meditation

**mindfulness exercise – my reflections **

Key words:  Positive future, good feeling, positive outcomes, optimism

Possible pastoral links: Positive thinking, planning ahead, goal setting, dreams and
aspirations, confidence
Possible academic links: Forthcoming performance, competition, training, school trip,
exhibition, concert
Start by reading the grounding meditation from page 92 followed by:

For a moment, think about the forthcoming days. Try to think about things you might be look-
ing forward to. These might be things you wish to do, people you are going to see or something
you are going to experience. This does not have to be today, this week or even this year. It just
has to be something you are looking forward to happening in your future. Try to find three of
these. (pause 4 sec) Now, try and focus on one of the things you have found. Perhaps think of
something that is going to take place sooner than the others, perhaps this evening or this week.
Imagine how this might feel when it happens. Fake it. Imagine how it feels to be the person
experiencing this already. (pause 3 sec) Really feel it. Be it. (pause 4 sec)
Now think about the second thing you are looking forward to. This one might not be coming
so soon. Still imagine what it feels like to do it, or to be it. Hold on to that feeling for a moment.
(pause 2 sec) Now imagine the third thing you are looking forward to, if you have found one.
This one is perhaps very distant in the future. Perhaps it is not formulated fully in your mind,
or is not ready yet, or maybe you are not even sure how will it come about. This is not impor-
tant. Just imagine yourself doing it. Feel it. Be it. (pause 4 sec) See it done in your mind’s eye
and take a deep breath.
Gently, gently focus on your feet again. Remember you are sitting on the log. In your mind
stand up and walk back to the forest. Focus on your bare feet on the forest floor, feel the cool bed
of leaves touching your toes and your heels. (pause 3 sec) Now slowly bring your awareness to
this room. Feel your feet on the ground. Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you keep focus on
your feet, bring your awareness to this room now fully. Become aware of the chair under your
body. Listen for the sounds around you. Bring your mind back to your feet. Where are they?
Can you feel them? Gently wiggle your toes. Feel the full sensation of the floor beneath your feet.
100  Part two

Slightly press them on the floor. Wiggle your fingers and rub your palms. Move your shoulders.
Take a deep breath. When you are ready slowly open your eyes, first looking down then up and
up until you are looking straight ahead. Do this in your own time. When your eyes are open
give yourself a good stretch if at all possible in silence to give others space to do the same in their
own time.

Activity one: Write a list of all the things in your life you could be looking forward to.
Activity two: Have a class discussion about why is it important to always have something
to look forward to. How does this affect our mood and our motivation?
Activity three: Ask students to write three reasons why things that we look forward to
might make us feel good. They can do this in groups or in pairs.
Activity four:
Debate in groups:

• ‘Does looking forward to things we like make everything we need to do now less difficult?’

Questions to ask during the debate: Does it? Why? How? Do you agree or disagree?
PLEASE NOTE: Teachers can link this to anything that is forthcoming (from Sports Day
events to school plays) or they can simply do this meditation when they wish to lift their
students’ moods.

‘I am creative’ grounding meditation

Key words:  Creativity, ability, personal challenge, problem solving

Possible pastoral links: Risk taking, initiative, creative thinking, breaking barriers
Possible academic links: Maths problems – solving one problem in different ways,
Science – working out how something works, Design and Technology – improving func-
tionality, Art, ethical dilemmas, any problem-solving situation, personal issues – how to
work around them, getting in touch with personal creativity, Language, poem writing,
planning for creative writing and more in Links.
Start by reading the grounding meditation from page 92 followed by:

Now, while keeping your feet firmly on the ground, focus on all the things you might have
created this week. Perhaps it was a piece of writing or a piece of art, or perhaps you cooked a
lovely meal. Try to remember as many things you have created this week as possible. (pause
3 sec) Now in your mind, ‘go’ a bit further back into the past. Think back to a couple of weeks
ago, a few months ago or perhaps even a few years ago. Try to remember all the wonderful
things you’ve created or perhaps you helped to create. (pause 3 sec) Recollect this creative
process. What did you enjoy the most? Which part of the creative process made you particu-
larly happy or excited? Think about a part that might have made time pass very quickly.
Did that happen? Think of one thing you love doing so much that you would be surprised if
it actually became your job. Is there such an activity? (pause 2 sec) For a moment, recollect
the feeling of doing this exciting thing you just thought about. (pause 4 sec) This feeling is
transferable anywhere. You can use this to supercharge any activity in your life. All you have
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  101

to do is to remember how it feels. Record this creative force in your being and take it with
you. (pause 3 sec)
Gently, gently focus on your feet again. Remember you are sitting on the log. In your mind
stand up and walk back to the forest. Focus on your bare feet on the forest floor, feel the cool bed
of leaves touching your toes and your heels. (pause 3 sec) Now slowly bring your awareness to
this room. Feel your feet on the ground. Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you keep focus on
your feet, bring your awareness to this room now fully. Become aware of the chair under your
body. Listen for the sounds around you. Bring your mind back to your feet. Where are they?
Can you feel them? Gently wiggle your toes. Feel the full sensation of the floor beneath your feet.
Slightly press them on the floor. Wiggle your fingers and rub your palms. Move your shoulders.
Take a deep breath. When you are ready slowly open your eyes, first looking down then up and
up until you are looking straight ahead. Do this in your own time. When your eyes are open
give yourself a good stretch if at all possible in silence to give others space to do the same in their
own time.

Activity one (5 minutes): Write a list of various activities which can benefit from creativity
in your life.
Activity two: Chose one thing on your list and develop this idea. What could you do using
your most creative self to develop this?
Activity three: Here the list is endless. Below are some suggestions for very effective and
engaging group or pair work:

• Maths problems: Using creativity for solving the same problem in different ways,
working out as many possible ways to the correct answer. Students should compare
each other’s solutions.
• Science: Working out how something works or has worked, from imagining and draw-
ing the Big Bang to performing chemistry experiments.
• Design and Technology: Improving the functionality of a product. Discuss possi-
bilities for different uses, brainstorm these possibilities and write a list. Discuss how
you could make it. What functionality would you change/improve? Remember, you
are using your most creative possibilities, so try to do something no one has done
before.
• Art: Working out perspectives, mixing shades, changing relationships between objects,
solving problems. Illustrating works of literature.
• Religious/Spiritual/Moral Education, Philosophy and Ethics: Working out possi-
ble solutions to ethical dilemmas, the meaning of religious or spiritual texts, scripture
descriptions, the meaning of different creation stories.
• Personal development: Applicable to any problem-solving situation, relating to stu-
dents’ personal issues or their group dynamics. For example, how to work around
friendship issues, conflicts, community problems and how to solve them for everyone’s
benefit. Using creativity to decide how to share within a community in new ways.
• Drama: Using creativity to design scenes and stage props, for writing scripts or
directing plays. Also, using group creativity to make lovely costumes with specific
requirements (for example, low budget, quick change, boy/girl suitable, adjustable
size, usable for different characters/different plays, easily dismantled or easily stored
or recycled).
102  Part two

• Language: Poem writing, matching rhymes, decoding how to present lyrical pictures
in verse, planning for creative writing, discussing different endings to the same story
or different versions on the same theme. For example, write a poem or a story or a story
board on the same theme.
• Homework/extension: Try creating something outside of your comfort zone, prefer-
ably something you feel you are not very good at. Report to others on whether you
managed to complete your task and engage with it creatively. There are no right or
wrong answers here. The most important task is to give it a go. Consider whether
creativity helped or whether you had to keep to what has already been done before by
others. For example, have you ever taken an object already made by someone else and
improved it by using your own creative powers? Have you improved how it looks or
what it does?

PLEASE NOTE: Everyone has something they feel they are not particularly good at.
This could be a very good opportunity to give it a go without fear of failure, because
the whole point of the exercise is to see if it can be done, not to judge the success of the
outcome.

‘I am organised’ grounding meditation

Key words:  Organisation, revision, independent learning, order

Possible pastoral links: Independence, organisation, initiative, self-reliance
Possible academic links: Organisational skills, order in the universe, creation stories,
Big Bang, order in Mathematics, number lines, timelines, order in writing, order in litera-
ture, social organisation, class systems, ordering objects in space - composition or installa-
tion (drawing them on a paper, exhibiting sculptures, etc.), patterns
Start by reading the grounding meditation from page 92 followed by:

As you take a deep, calm breath think about your life in general. Which areas of your life do you
feel are most orderly? Is it your bedroom? Or perhaps your wardrobe? Your locker? Your bag?
Your school notes? Have a little think. (pause 3 sec) Think for a moment about your school envi-
ronment. Is there any order there? Consider people and their relationships. Is there some kind
of order or a pattern in relationships between humans? (pause 3 sec) Consider order in Nature.
Think of all the plants, trees, animals and humans. What is the order there? Is there one?
(pause 4 sec) Consider the order in Nature further. Think about the Earth, the sky, the water,
rain, wind, fire. Are there relationships and order in everything? (pause 3 sec) You perhaps not
consider yourself particularly organised, but surely you are good at organising something.
Think what this might be. (pause 3 sec) This could be a real environment, or it could be an
imaginary one. Consider how you behave and how you feel in that environment. Perhaps you
are very good at putting things in order in your mind. Perhaps you are very good at finding links
and order in things where others do not notice any. Whatever this might be, consider it for a
moment and remember it for later. (pause 2 sec)
Gently, gently focus on your feet again. Remember you are sitting on the log. In your mind
stand up and walk back to the forest. Focus on your bare feet on the forest floor, feel the cool bed
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  103

of leaves touching your toes and your heels. (pause 3 sec) Now slowly bring your awareness to
this room. Feel your feet on the ground. Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you keep focus on
your feet, bring your awareness to this room now fully. Become aware of the chair under your
body. Listen for the sounds around you. Bring your mind back to your feet. Where are they?
Can you feel them? Gently wiggle your toes. Feel the full sensation of the floor beneath your feet.
Slightly press them on the floor. Wiggle your fingers and rub your palms. Move your shoulders.
Take a deep breath. When you are ready slowly open your eyes, first looking down then up and
up until you are looking straight ahead. Do this in your own time. When your eyes are open
give yourself a good stretch if at all possible in silence to give others space to do the same in their
own time.

Activity one (5–10 minutes): Record a list of areas, or perhaps describe a single area, in
which you are good at ordering and organising things. Note what is it that you do to make
things organised.
Activity two: Talk to a person next to you and compare your lists. Are they similar or
very different? Discuss what each one of you might have as your organisational strength.
Analyse how you feel about each other’s strengths. What are their organisational strengths?
How comfortable or uncomfortable do they feel ‘in’ your area? How do you feel about the
area in which they are organised? Do you find each other’s areas of organisation difficult?
Why? Talk to each other about what is it that you actually do to organise things well in your
life. Compare notes.

Links

Follow-up activity: This exercise can be related to many different subjects. Here are some
suggestions:

• Self-development: Analyse areas where you think you need to improve. Choose the
area in your life which you feel is a bit out of control and where you need to get organ-
ised. Perhaps you wish to organise your revision? Your notes? Your training schedule?
Consider how you can transfer behavioural patterns from areas of your life where you
are more organised to areas which need improvement?
• Science: This can relate to the order in the universe, evolution, genetics, DNA, cycle of
water, cells, food chains
• Maths: The order of numbers, general order in Mathematics, patterns
• Philosophy and Ethics/Religious Education: Teleological argument (design argu-
ment), watchmaker analogy, creation stories, Big Bang, order in Nature as evidence of
a creator
• Sociology: Organisation and order in society, class systems
• History: Feudal order, class, timelines, order of events, cause and effect
• Language: Order in essay writing, order in literature, order in a poem, haiku poetry
• Art: Ordering objects in space, relationship and order in proportions of human body,
facial proportions, the order of colours in a rainbow, colour palettes, ordering tones
• Drama: Order in Shakespearean writing, order in a play
• Geography: The order of the Earth’s layers, geology
104  Part two

‘I am good at leading – leader within’ grounding meditation

Key words:  Risk taking, resilience, leadership, cooperation, leading a team, taking charge
Possible pastoral links: Team leaders, prefects or (in the UK single-sex schools) the
Head Girl or the Head Boy, Head Student, class president (in the US), Student Coucil
Representative, developing the courage to lead, team captains, sports captains
Possible academic links: Reporting on behalf of a group, leading a group’s academic
task, speaking on behalf of a group in a competition/quiz, leading a project involving
others
Start by reading the grounding meditation from page 92 followed by:

Take another deep breath. This time follow it with your mind as it makes its way past your
ribs. As you breathe out, relax your entire stomach,your ribs and slowly ‘drop’ your shoul-
ders. Then relax all over. (pause 2 sec) Try to remember a situation in which you were in
charge of an activity or a game or an event. Can you remember any? (pause 3 sec) Now try
to remember a situation where you considered taking charge but for some reason you didn’t
do it. Perhaps you felt others were better qualified than you. Or perhaps you just did not put
yourself forward fast enough, or you were not sure you really wanted to. Try to remember
what happened and what you were thinking at the time. (pause 3 sec) Or did you just simply
need more time to think about it? Think about this. (pause 3 sec)
Now consider why you wanted to take charge in the first place? Were you feeling passionate
about it? Was this something you always dreamed of doing? Was this something others always
trusted you with? Focus on this thought process. (pause 2 sec) Perhaps you wanted to do it, it
was perhaps very exciting but you stopped yourself, or the situation wasn’t right. Others might
have loved you to come forward and help. Take a moment and consider this. (pause 3 sec) In
reality, it was your decision not to do it. You can change this. You can decide now, or tomorrow
or next week or whenever, to let yourself go and take charge. (pause 2 sec) Imagine yourself now
actually doing it. (pause 2 sec) What does it feel like? Feel this deeply. Embed this feeling into
your mind and into your body. (pause 3 sec)
Gently, gently focus on your feet again. Remember you are sitting on the log. In your mind
stand up and walk back to the forest. Focus on your bare feet on the forest floor, feel the cool bed
of leaves touching your toes and your heels. (pause 3 sec) Now slowly bring your awareness to
this room. Feel your feet on the ground. Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you keep focus on
your feet, bring your awareness to this room now fully. Become aware of the chair under your
body. Listen for the sounds around you. Bring your mind back to your feet. Where are they?
Can you feel them? Gently wiggle your toes. Feel the full sensation of the floor beneath your feet.
Slightly press them on the floor. Wiggle your fingers and rub your palms. Move your shoulders.
Take a deep breath. When you are ready slowly open your eyes, first looking down then up and
up until you are looking straight ahead. Do this in your own time. When your eyes are open
give yourself a good stretch if at all possible in silence to give others space to do the same in their
own time.

Activity one: Write a list or a simple note of all situations you can remember in which you
wanted to take charge of a situation.
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  105

Activity two:
Group debate: ‘Very few people always do exactly what they want. Very few actually volunteer
themselves for things they are good at. A lot of the time the only reason for this is their self-doubt and
not the environment.’ Do you agree or disagree?
Activity three: Look at your list and choose activities in which you could lead others.
Decide to give at least one of them a go, and give yourself a time frame with a firm date as
a deadline.

Links

This meditation can be linked to any activity demanding leadership. Sometimes this is being
spokesperson for a group task or being the person who is presenting the work done by the
group in a practical way such as having a solo in a music group. It can also be leading a long-
term academic project/research and coordinating the work of the group members. This
meditation is also suitable for leading roles in Drama or for being captain of a sports team.
Sport: Leadership in sport
History: Leaders in history, kings and queens of England, presidents, leaders of revolu-
tions, WWII, dictators, Gandhi, Napoleon
Religious and Spiritual Education: Religious and spiritual leaders, Gandhi and ahimsa,
sikh Gurus, Jesus, origins of religions, religious experience
Sociology: Leaders in society
Science: Great scientists and their discoveries
Drama: Leading roles, directing, great directors in film and drama
Music: Great composers
Art: Impressionists and leading a new direction in art, great artists
Fashion: Leaders in fashion, great designers, leading new trends in fashion
Design and Technology: Important people in the history of technological innovation

‘I correct myself’ grounding meditation**

‘I thought that meditating was good because it felt like I was looking inside me to see what I am
like as a person and how I could be better person to the people around me. I also like meditat-
ing because it is very spiritual and it’s like you are in a different world or a place and you are
wondering what it is that is around you.’
Hannah, age 16

Key words:  Self-correction, positive re-programming, forgiveness, self-regulation

Possible academic/pastoral links: Behaviour, independence, self-reliance, self-evalua-
tion, self-respect, self-development, maturity, mutual trust, self-forgiveness
PLEASE NOTE: This is a very effective exercise which, if done as set out in the book,
will make students challenge their ideas about self-correction and can also help them see
value in others’ advice. Make sure students feel positive about themselves at all times.
106  Part two

Start by reading the grounding meditation from page 92 followed by:

Now focus on your breath. Pay attention to the air coming through your nose and into your
lungs, then gently leaving your lungs again. Relax. Take another gentle but deep breath, and
let it leave your body through your nose. Listen for the sound of your breath now. Listen to the
sound as you breathe in, and listen for the gentle sound the air makes on its way out. Now keep
breathing normally while bringing your full attention to your feet.
For a moment try to remember something you have done but you don’t feel you handled
it all too well. We all do this sometimes. This is normal and common. It is nothing to worry
about. Perhaps it’s best to pick something reasonably light. You can choose anything. It could be
something involving other people or something concerning only you. Maybe it is something you
did not bother doing when you should have. Or could this be something you did when you were
a bit angry? This happens to everyone. Whatever it is, make it light, and remember, we said
don’t worry about it. (pause 4 sec) Now, consider the fact that this is in the past and it is gone.
Try and think about what would have been a better way of handling that particular situation.
If you had a chance to re-play the whole situation, what would you do differently? Focus on
that for a moment. (pause 4 sec) Now focus on your feelings about this situation. It’s time to let
go of any discomfort or perhaps even guilt. If another person is involved, simply say ‘Sorry’ to
them in your mind and mean it. (pause 3 sec) Let that go now too. (pause 2 sec) Pay attention to
whether there is any more discomfort left in your body right now. Imagine your uncomfortable
feelings as a ball of smoke in your body. Where is the ball? Find it. (pause 2 sec) Now take a
deep breath and as you breathe out, breathe straight into the ball, let the smoke loosen up and
leave your body. Let it evaporate and dissolve in the air around you. See a little wind blow it
away, up, up and into the universe. (pause 4 sec) Take another breath and clear any remaining
residue of smoke. Let the wind blow that out as well. Repeat again if you need to, until you are
smoke-free and you no longer feel it in your body. (pause 4 sec) Now focus on the lightness in
the area that you have cleared. Imagine a ray of beautiful golden light coming from the sky and
filling this in. (pause 4 sec) Remind yourself about the solution to the situation in case you need
to encounter it again. See yourself behaving in this new way. See the positive outcome of your
new way of handling the situation. Feel confident. It works. (pause 2 sec) This is good.
Gently, gently focus on your feet again. Remember you are sitting on the log. In your mind
stand up and walk back to the forest. Focus on your bare feet on the forest floor, feel the cool bed
of leaves touching your toes and your heels. (pause 3 sec) Now slowly bring your awareness to
this room. Feel your feet on the ground. Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you keep focus on
your feet, bring your awareness to this room now fully. Become aware of the chair under your
body. Listen for the sounds around you. Bring your mind back to your feet. Where are they?
Can you feel them? Gently wiggle your toes. Feel the full sensation of the floor beneath your feet.
Slightly press them on the floor. Wiggle your fingers and rub your palms. Move your shoulders.
Take a deep breath. When you are ready slowly open your eyes, first looking down then up and
up until you are looking straight ahead. Do this in your own time. When your eyes are open
give yourself a good stretch if at all possible in silence to give others space to do the same in their
own time.

Discussion: Why is it important to reflect on things we do? Why is it important to self-

regulate our behaviour? Does this give us more or less power as people? Discuss.
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  107

Follow-up activity: Make a list of the top ten (or up to ten) tips you will give yourself
for handling tricky situations in the future. Keep the list somewhere useful, where it can be
easily accessed, and perhaps even update it if you get better ideas as you go along.
Homework: Very few people have only ever done single thing they are not so proud of.
It is very common to remember more than one. If there is anything else you wish to ‘clear
up’ from your mind, do a short version of this exercise again. Simply take a moment, think
about the event, apologise to anyone in question (or to yourself) and ‘evaporate’ the remaining
‘smoke.’ ‘Fill the gaps’ with some beautiful light then let go and don’t think about it any longer.

‘I help others and accept help from others’ grounding

meditation, cooperation exercise

Key words:  Accepting help, cooperation, team work, asking for help, being helpful,
Possible pastoral links: De-stigmatising asking for and accepting help, cooperation,
community
Possible academic links: Group work and peer-to-peer teaching, paired learning, inde-
pendent learning, community
Start by reading the grounding meditation from page 92 followed by:

Bring your attention back to your feet again. See them in your mind now deeply rooted into
the ground. See the roots very thick on each side and from each foot. For a moment think about
things you might need help with sometime. Everyone needs some help every now and then; this
is completely normal. Think about up to three things in your life you could ask others to help
you with. (pause 4 sec) Now think about people who might be able to help you. Who are these
people? (pause 2 sec) Have you asked them for help before? If not, why not? Try and find the
thought or thoughts which have been stopping you from doing it. (pause 4 sec) Do you think
asking for help is not a good idea? Most people seek help every now and then. There is abso-
lutely no harm in doing this. (pause 2 sec) Imagine you have already asked for help and you
have been gladly offered it. Consider for a moment whether you actually welcome this help.
Pay attention if you feel any tension or discomfort about accepting help. Say to yourself inside
of your mind: I am happy to accept help. I receive with gratitude. (pause 4 sec) Accepting help
is good and natural. It is what people do all the time. There is no reason why you shouldn’t do
the same. Think about all the times you helped others. (pause 4 sec) It does not matter if these
were only small things. A small thing to one person can be huge to another. Either way you have
made a difference. Try to remember how good it felt when your help was accepted. (pause 2 sec)
Remember this. Take a deep breath. Relax.
Gently, gently focus on your feet again. Remember you are sitting on the log. In your mind
stand up and walk back to the forest. Focus on your bare feet on the forest floor, feel the cool bed
of leaves touching your toes and your heels. (pause 3 sec) Now slowly bring your awareness to
this room. Feel your feet on the ground. Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you keep focus
on your feet, bring your awareness to this room now fully. Become aware of the chair under
your body. Listen for the sounds around you. Bring your mind back to your feet. Where are
they? Can you feel them? Gently wiggle your toes. Feel the full sensation of the floor beneath
108  Part two

your feet. Slightly press them on the floor. Wiggle your fingers and rub your palms. Move your
shoulders. Take a deep breath. When you are ready slowly open your eyes, first looking down
then up and up until you are looking straight ahead. Do this in your own time. When your
eyes are open give yourself a good stretch if at all possible in silence to give others space to do
the same in their own time.

Activity one (5 minutes): Write a list of all the things you could ask for help with others and
a list of people who could help you.
Debate (10 minutes): Offering and accepting help make for a healthy and happy community.
Asking for help is easy.

• Debate whether you agree or disagree with the second sentence.

Teachers should now set any task they see fit, relating to their academic content. Students
should be split into groups and given some space to first discuss how they will tackle the
workload, by using the activities below.
Academic link: In groups, discuss what each group member finds difficult, and decide
who will help in the room with which different skills. For example, numeracy-oriented stu-
dents could help with calculations and statistics, while students who are better at literacy
can offer their help with writing. Meanwhile, science-minded students can offer to help
with any examples and application or knowledge. Arty students can help with presentation
and illustration.
Activity three: Academic task employing cooperation, help giving and help receiving.
Activity four: After working together, students can find their ‘work buddy’ for future
work – someone with whom they can pair up to complement each other’s skills and work
together in the next lesson or do some revision after school.
Group homework/extension: Contact at least one person and ask them for help with
something on your list.

Links

This exercise is useful for team-building work and is useful for any subject relying upon
group work and cooperation. It also develops the right attitude in students’ minds towards
helping others, working as a team and can help with understanding the importance of ask-
ing for and accepting help. It also builds a leadership attitude.
Apart from leadership and team building this meditation can be successfully applied in sports,
drama and music. It can be incorporated in rehearsals to slowly build strong connections between
actors before plays or during preparations for a competition, a concert or a sports match.
Sports: Buddy scheme – helping with skills, coaching each other
Drama: Work in pairs on your drama roles, giving each other honest, constructive
critiques.
Music: Practice together, form a band and compose a piece of music in pairs.
Design and Technology: Design an object/long-term project whilst working with some-
one who is better at a skill you lack, and offer your help to someone who needs something
you are good at. Cooperate, collaborate and create a joint piece of work/object.
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  109

‘My tree’ grounding meditation

Key words:  Ecology, Nature, links to the outside, forest, planet, climate, oxygen, stew-
ardship, Biology, biodiversity, ecosystems, plants

Possible pastoral links: Emotional health, wonder and awe of Nature, beauty within,
healing, calmness
Possible academic/pastoral links: Ecology, Earth sciences, Geography, Biology, climate
change, stewardship of all life on the planet, forests, Nature, the place of humans in Nature,
mental health, natural beauty and surroundings
This is a particularly beautiful meditation. Once, a teacher felt so strongly about this
meditation that she wanted to go and plant a tree as soon as she left the school that after-
noon. There is something so impactful about our relationship with Mother Nature. This
meditation is slightly longer than others, and it should take around 25 minutes.
Start by reading grounding meditation from page 92 followed by:

Take a deep breath in and ‘follow’ it out with your mind. Then feel your strong roots again.
Bring your mind back to a picture of yourself in a forest. In your mind get up of the log and walk
further into the forest and see yourself standing right in the middle of an ancient, thick forest.
For a moment pay attention to what is on the ground. Your feet are bare and you can feel the
Earth underneath them. You can feel leaves and branches on the forest floor. You are the very
first human who ever walked into this forest, the first human who disturbs its natural order.
You suddenly realise you are the part of this order too. Consider this for a moment. (pause 3 sec)
Look around yourself. Look up, there are tree tops everywhere. The sky is barely visible through
all the greenery. The forest is thick and lush. As you breathe in, take a breath of the forest air.
It is fresh, it is ‘green’ and full of life. This is life the forest is willing to share with you. (pause
2 sec ) As you look around, you should notice a single tree glowing. Look for this tree. (pause 4 sec)
Have you found it? The glowing tree. Have a good look at it. How tall is this tree? Do you know
what kind of tree this is? Look at its leaves. Look at its deep roots. In your mind, walk to it.
(pause 2 sec) As you approach the tree, be aware that this tree is ‘your tree.’ It does not belong to
you, but it is a tree that has chosen to assist you with your life. This is a very special relation-
ship to which each side contributes. Sit on the ground with your back leaning on the trunk. Sit
right there within the glowing green aura of the tree. (pause 3 sec) As you sit, sense your body,
let it fill with the green light emanating from the tree. Make sure you keep yourself grounded.
(pause 6 sec) Suddenly, you feel thin, green plants growing out of the forest floor and wrapping
themselves around your legs, all the way to your knees. (pause 4 sec) This is a very important
moment. You can now ask the tree for any messages, advice or whatever else the tree wishes to
show you. Ask for it now. (pause 4 sec) Pay attention to your thoughts. What are you thinking?
Are there any messages from your tree? Listen for it for a moment. (pause 4 sec) Now it is time
to go. Stand up and walk out of the forest. As you leave, say thank you to ‘your tree.’ Say thank
you for the thoughts, for the sharing of its light and for the protective green plants around your
legs. Really feel this gratitude. (pause 5 sec)
Look at the sky. It’s a lovely day. It is also time to come back where you started. (pause 3 sec)
Now slowly bring your awareness to this room. (pause 3 sec) Feel your feet on the ground.
Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you keep focus on your feet, bring your awareness to this
room now fully. Become aware of the chair under your body. Listen for the sounds around you.
110  Part two

Bring your mind back to your feet. Where are they? Can you feel them? Gently wiggle your toes.
Feel the full sensation of the floor beneath your feet. Slightly press them on the floor. Wiggle
your fingers and rub your palms. Move your shoulders. Take a deep breath. When you are ready
slowly open your eyes, first looking down then up and up until you are looking straight ahead.
Do this in your own time. When your eyes are open give yourself a good stretch if at all possible
in silence to give others space to do the same in their own time.

Activity one (5 minutes): Take a moment and write any important messages or thoughts
you have ‘received’ while sitting with your tree. Make sure your note links to your life.
Please don’t share this with others. This is for you only.
Activity two: In groups discuss these questions: ‘What is our place in Nature?’ By scientific
definition, we humans are not in Nature. Do you agree? Are we part of Nature? Do you like the idea
of being able to communicate with Nature, with trees? Do you think this would be beneficial to us
humans?
Write your thoughts or conclusions on a piece of paper to share with other groups.
Activity three: Class discussion about possible consequences of life ‘outside of Nature.’
What are the good and what are the bad things about this separation?
Group homework/extension: Collect valuable resources relating to this theme to share
with others at the next lesson. You should consider the following: indigenous peoples’
view on Nature and the planet, Dr. James Lovelock’s Gaia Hypothesis, various resources
relating to the idea that everything is alive (including our planet), animist beliefs, mental
health and ‘ forest therapy.’ Share your findings with others during the next lesson.

Links

Ecology: In pairs, consider what might be the effect of humans living indoors instead of in
Nature, as we used to. Consider how this affects our attitude on the exploitation of Nature
for our own needs. Write a list of possible consequences of our nearly complete removal
from the natural world, and make sure your list is ready for sharing with the class.
Geography/Anthropology: Native peoples’ relationships with the Earth, Human
Geography
Science: Gaia Hypothesis, James Lovelock
Biology: Ecosystems, biodiversity, intelligence in Nature, flora, rainforests, evolution
Language: Read chapters in The Lord of The Rings where live trees appear and discuss
their role in the story
Sociology: The nature and social distribution of mental illness – Urban Mental Health
Philosophy and Ethics: Natural evil, the Design argument and purpose of Nature,
reductionism, Richard Dawkins and Selfish Gene, Amazon Watch, burning forests, vegan-
ism and ahimsa
Debate: Human Nature, discuss the meaning of the quotation:

‘Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains. Many of man believes himself to be the mas-
ter of others who is no less then they.’
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: The Social Contract, Book 1:1
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  111

Religious Education: Stewardship of the Earth. Debate: ‘Are we just stewards of the Earth or
should our relationship with our planet be more personal?’
Music: Listen to and decode Nature in the following pieces inspired by natural beauty:

• Delibes, “Flower Duet” from Lakmé

• Vivaldi, Four Seasons
• Delius, “The Walk to the Paradise Garden” from A Village Romeo and Juliet
• Tchaikovsky, “Waltz of the Flowers” from The Nutcracker
• Puccini, Crisantemi
• Fauré, “Les Roses d’Ispahan” from Quatre mélodies
• Howells, A Spotless Rose
• Debussy, “Bruyères” from Préludes

Computing: Analyse environmental design (especially grass, trees and other natural items)
in Minecraft
Design and Technology: Make a model of your tree.

‘My power symbol’ grounding meditation

Key words:  Resilience, symbol and power of the symbol, religious practices, the power of
belief, team spirit and the power of a team symbol
Possible pastoral links: Personal power, good things in my life, positive focus, my
strengths, overcoming limitations
Possible academic links: This exercise can be related to several different topics: symbol-
ism in everyday life, the development and role of religion in people’s lives, the role of reli-
gious symbols, the power of self-discipline in sport, self-image and the power of evaluating
success, resilience and sources of personal power and strength.
PLEASE NOTE: This meditation is beautiful and will have an impact on how students
feel about themselves. Its aim is to help students realise what drives them from within.
Start by reading the grounding meditation from page 92 followed by:

As you sit on the log you hear the sound of water. In your mind’s eye you see the shimmer
of sunshine on a still pool of water at the edge of the woods in front of you. ‘Stand up’ and
walk towards the water. Make sure you keep your roots firmly connected to the Earth. Feel
just how heavy they are. Walk to the pool. As you approach the water you realise there is a
secluded beach you are stepping onto. There is a huge rock on each end protecting the beach.
You feel safe and relaxed here. The water is waiting for you to step in. Walk into the water.
Straight in, to your knees. (pause 2 sec) To your hips. (pause 2 sec) To your chest. (pause
2 sec) Stay there for a moment immersed in the crystal clear, warm water. Feel the sun on top of
your head. As you stand in the water you see a gold light in the water approaching you very
fast. You can see a bright object, the water is pushing it towards you. You know this object
is going to give you a lot of inner power. As it approaches, you must be ready to receive it.
Prepare yourself. It is coming, nearly here. (pause 2 sec) Now it is right in front of you. You
are starting to recognise its shape. Have a good look,what is it? (pause 2 sec) Reach out and
take it. It is for you and you alone. (pause 4 sec) Hold your power symbol for a moment and
112  Part two

focus on how it feels. Does it give you energy? Does it give you warmth? How does it make
you feel? (pause 4 sec) Take it out of the water now. Walk back to the beach. (pause 3 sec)
Walk back to the forest. Carry this symbol with you. Walk back to the log. Sit on the log.
Keep your power symbol close. (pause 3 sec)
Gently focus on your feet again. Remember you are sitting on the log. In your mind stand up
and walk back to the forest. Focus on your bare feet on the forest floor, feel the cool bed of leaves
touching your toes and your heels. (pause 3 sec) Now slowly bring your awareness to this room.
Feel your feet on the ground. Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you keep focus on your feet,
bring your awareness to this room now fully. Become aware of the chair under your body. Listen
for the sounds around you. Bring your mind back to your feet. Where are they? Can you feel
them? Gently wiggle your toes. Feel the full sensation of the floor beneath your feet. Slightly press
them on the floor. Wiggle your fingers and rub your palms. Move your shoulders. Take a deep
breath. When you are ready slowly open your eyes, first looking down then up and up until you
are looking straight ahead. Do this in your own time. When your eyes are open give yourself
a good stretch if at all possible in silence to give others space to do the same in their own time.

Activity: Write out what your symbol represents. Draw its picture and plan to make it
out of any material you wish. Draw a sketch. Plan what else will be included and plan the
materials you are going to use. Also consider where you going to keep it or how you are
going to use it.
Discuss the following questions in small groups/pairs:

• Where can I use personal power? Is it useful at school or in my personal life, or both?
• Can it be used for reaching my dreams? How?
• Can my symbol improve my resilience? How?

Homework: Once you have made your power symbol out of your preferred material, place
the symbol somewhere you will frequently see it. This way you can be reminded of your
personal power daily.

Links

Art: This item can be made out of any material and using any technique. Art teachers might repeat
different lessons relating to this single exercise. For example, you can do this exercise followed by:

• Lesson 1: Plan and sketch your power symbol, and colour in or paint it.
• Lesson 2: Make your power symbol into a sculpture.
• Lesson 3: Make your power symbol into jewellery, or print it, carve it, weave it or use
a different medium or technique.

Science: This exercise can be linked to the Periodic Table of Elements. Students can be
encouraged to look into the characteristics of each element and consider how the table is
ordered and what symbol was used to represent the qualities of each element. They should
do this in groups or in pairs.
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  113

Follow-up activity: Students can make revision cards by inventing their own revision
symbols for each element relating to the function or quality of the element, in addition
to the existing numbers and letters. Students can later use them to discuss (in pairs) each
other’s cards and the symbolism they have found/invented/created.
Language: Pieces of writing produced for this occasion will always have to go home
and should not be marked. The exercise, however, can be linked to another piece of writing
from poetry to autobiography.
Religious Education: Religious symbols, symbolic rituals, symbolism in religious dress,
food, prayer or customs
Activity one: Students can investigate what symbolism they use in their own clothes,
jewellery, school uniform or anything else they like as long as it relates to them person-
ally. They can discuss this further by considering how sports teams and sport supporters
(football teams, basketball teams, gymnastic teams) use symbols to communicate sup-
port for each other. Consider the colours of their local football team or their local rugby/
cricket team.
Activity two:
Debate: Is the power of the symbol present everywhere in the human world?
Homework: Investigate the role of the symbol in everyday life. Investigate TV adverts,
companies’ logos, packaging in supermarkets and branding on shoes, bags and clothes.
Bring a list of interesting facts relating to this to discuss with your class.
Ethics and Philosophy: Symbol and myth, Paul Tilich, William James, religious
experience
Debate: What can we say about this meditation? Was this an a priori or an a posteriori
experience?
Media: Signs and symbols in media
Sport teams: This exercise can be used to design a power item for an entire team. Team
members can include all their power symbols in one item and hang it in the sports hall or
somewhere where they frequently practice their sport.
PLEASE NOTE: When making a group power symbol, it is exceptionally important
that each member of the group make their own symbol before all are incorporated into a
single item.
Music teams: Music teams can design the group symbol item with addition of sound.
Each member should decide what their sound symbol is to be added to their object or image.
Perhaps a piece of music can be composed for this purpose, with each choir member or
orchestra member adding their own musical ‘line’ to the joint melody.
PLEASE NOTE: Sound files might be available for this exercise. Please refer to the
Resources at the end of the book.
Competitive events: This is suitable for any team, from chess teams to choirs.
Drama: This exercise can be used to design a power item for the entire cast during prepa-
rations for a play, during rehearsals. The cast members can include all their power symbols
in one item and hang it somewhere close to the stage or in the rehearsal rooms. This can be
quite a powerful aid for any members who suffer from stage fright.
Design and Technology:
Activity one: Make your own symbol out of dough, chocolate and icing (frosting). Eat it
as a symbol of consumption of your power.
114  Part two

Activity two: Make your power symbol out of beautiful material. While making the
object, keep the intent to make it into a long-term power symbol. Make it as beautiful as
possible and display it in your bedroom.
Computing: Design an electronic version of your power object. Download it to your dif-
ferent devices so you can always use it if needed.

‘I swallow my free, true self’ grounding meditation

Key words:  Peer pressure, freedom from expectations, understanding my true self, social
constructs, super ego, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Self-actualisation, Humanist approach
in Psychology, Humanist Psychology, identity, careers, dogma, my personal strength
Possible pastoral links: Peer pressure, social media, friendship issues, unconditional
self-acceptance, positive self-image, personal and self-development
Possible academic links: Psychology, Sociology, Religious/Moral/Spiritual Education,
Philosophy and Ethics, Hinduism, concept of Maya in Hinduism.
Teenagers often feel oppressed by the many demands they are exposed to daily. Here we
are talking about demands from pretty much everyone – from parents and schools, from
peers and social media, from television and fashion, to mention just few. Teenagers are
exposed to so many expectations that they often complain they are losing or have already
(at this young age!) lost their sense of self and what it really means to them.
One of my students (M. A., age 17) wrote that before this meditation she felt

‘… stressed, tense, agitated, fidgety, tired.’

When asked to comment on any change in her ability to learn (if she noted any) after she
meditated, M. A. wrote the following:

‘I feel a lot more relaxed after the meditation session. I did not feel at all overwhelmed
as I normally do when starting my (school) work. I would like to definitely do the session
again please.’

This exercise is often very welcomed by my students and it gives them (even if only tempo-
rarily) a sense of self with freedom and appreciation of who they are. It also helps them to
temporarily remove any sense of obligation towards others.

Start by reading the grounding meditation from page 92 followed by:

As you sit on the log you hear rustling in the forest. You look behind you and see the trees
moving, but you cannot see anything else. You look ahead again, only to notice footsteps in
the grass, as if someone invisible is standing on it, right in front of you. In your mind you ask:
Who is there? Show yourself. (pause for 3 sec). As you look very carefully you notice three peo-
ple starting to appear in front of you as if out of thin air. First, it seems they are made of light
and fog, then they turn into solid flesh, right there in front of your very eyes. (pause 2sec) As
you are watching this, you realise the people who are appearing are three versions of your own
self. Your task is to have a good look at each one of them. The one on your left is the version of
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  115

you who is always concerned with other people’s expectations. Perhaps those of your parents,
your teachers or someone else. Look at this version of yourself. (pause 2sec) Feel how this one
feels inside. Look at the eyes. Do you feel guilt in this version of yourself? Disappointment?
Where is the sensation in your body? Find it. (pause 4 sec) Let go of that. Take a deep breath,
and as you breathe out, let this feeling leave your body. Just let it go. (pause 3 sec) Now, turn
your attention to the version of yourself on the right. This one contains all your dreams,
aspirations, your hopes and your wishes. Feel this one too. Feel all the dreams, all the aspira-
tions and all the desires bubbling like bubbles on water …. (pause 3 sec) Imagine how would
it feel to have them all come true? Imagine that one by one, each dream is fulfilled. How does
it feel to be the dream? (pause 5 sec) Now look straight ahead of you. Right in front of you is
your true self. Your real self. Look at your true eyes. They are pure. They are calm; they are
looking right inside of you. Smile at your true self. (pause 3 sec) This version of you is always
in the right place and in the right time; this one is always present in the now. Look at your
true eyes. Ask yourself these questions: What is it that you really want? What is is that really
makes you happy? (pause 3 sec) self. Do you have a message for me at this time? (pause 5 sec).
See your true self glow with a very bright light, and see your ‘self’ on the left be pulled to this
light and merge with it. (pause 3 sec) Now see your ‘dreams and aspirations self’ also pulled
to your glowing, beautiful self and merge into it. (pause 3 sec) Now in your mind’s eye, open
your mouth, take a deep breath and, as you breathe in, inhale your true self into your heart.
(pause 4 sec) Take another breath. This time, as you exhale, breathe out any residue of any-
thing heavy, anything not true to you, let it leave your being. As you breathe in again, feel the
light from your true self expand and sink through your chest to the rest of your body, all the
way to your feet. It fits perfectly. (pause 4 sec)
Gently focus on your feet again. Remember you are sitting on the log. In your mind stand
up and walk back to the forest. Focus on your bare feet on the forest floor, feel the cool bed of
leaves touching your toes and your heels. (pause 3 sec) Now slowly bring your awareness to this
room. Feel your feet on the ground. Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you keep focus on
your feet, bring your awareness to this room now fully. Become aware of the chair under your
body. Listen for the sounds around you. Bring your mind back to your feet. Where are they?
Can you feel them? Gently wiggle your toes. Feel the full sensation of the floor beneath your feet.
Slightly press them on the floor. Wiggle your fingers and rub your palms. Move your shoulders.
Take a deep breath. When you are ready slowly open your eyes, first looking down then up and
up until you are looking straight ahead. Do this in your own time. When your eyes are open
give yourself a good stretch if at all possible in silence to give others space to do the same in their
own time.

Activity one (up to 15 minutes): Write down any messages or advice you might have
‘received’ from your true self. Take time to do this, and write out a list of things you could
actually do in your life to support your true self’s requirements and advice.
Debate the following as a group: Why is it important to stop every now and then and think
what it is your true self feels and wants? How does this relate to people’s lives? Can it improve how
someone feels about their life? If yes, how?
Follow-up activity: Write a detailed plan, including as many options as you can think
of, to incorporate your true self into your daily life. Also include any people who can help
you here or any resources you will need. Make sure you plan strategies to help you obtain
the necessary resources.
116  Part two

Links

Academic links: There are many academic links to this exercise. I will mention some:
Psychology/Sociology: This meditation is very easily linked to the following concepts
in Psychology:

• Super ego (how others influence what we think we should or should not be doing),
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs – find out who you ultimately wish to become during the
meditation
• Self-actualisation – What do you need to be supported in to achieve your highest
dreams and aspirations? What are your true aspirations?
• Humanist approach in Psychology – How do Humanist psychologists view individu-
als and their needs?
• Humanist Psychology – How do the Humanist approach and self-actualisation apply
to real life? This is an example of an attempt to explore the version of true self through
meditating on it.
• Social constructs – How might these be imposed on us by society? Debate: Socially
constructed beliefs about the behaviour of teenagers are not the same everywhere in the world.
Each culture has its own. Does this mean there is no right and no wrong?

Personal and self-development: This exercise can be used to help students break the mental
moulds they might have found themselves in. Others might have influenced their choices.
Please apply to a suitable situation for your group/age group relating to their specific issues.
Personal development, Moral/Spiritual Education, Philosophy and Ethics: This exer-
cise is designed to help students identify any dogma they might feel oppressed by, to become
aware of any beliefs that might burden them or simply to open their minds to the idea that
they can develop themselves in any direction they wish. This can be a difficult process for
some students and should be presented in a light-hearted way.
Religious Education: This meditation can be used to illustrate the concept of Maya in
Hinduism. Linking this meditation with the power of false beliefs about the self, where the
person is unaware of their innermost beliefs, will illustrate Maya in a real-life example.

• Debate: Is the true self our soul?

STEM (Computing): Design an avatar of your true self. Make sure that everything about
the avatar is linked to your true dreams, aspirations and feelings.
Science: What defines the true self? Genes? Brain? Chemicals? Biological determinism?
Design and Technology: Design and make a model of your true self from material you
really like. Keep this model in your bedroom to remind you daily of who you truly are.
Drama: Tune in to your true self. Write and perform a monologue in which your true
self has a name and is talking about personal dreams, aspirations and worldview. Keep this
monologue somewhere safe, and check every now and then whether you have forgotten
this version of yourself.
Music: Compose a piece of music that illustrates you as a person.
Debate: Why do we say that music is food for the soul?
Physical Education: Choreograph a dance inspired by your true self.
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  117

‘Arty’ grounding meditation

Key words:  Creative process, illustration, imagination, draw, sculpt, create, paint, meas-
ure, investigate, look from that perspective, design, compare

Possible pastoral links: Focus, imagination

Possible content links: Shape and form, shades, perspective, drawing, painting, obser-
vation, geometry, computer games, design, engineering
Start by reading the grounding meditation from page 92 followed by:

‘Now focus on one more gentle breath. Feel it go in, then out. Now imagine the theme you
are about to ___________ (draw, sculpt, create, paint, measure, investigate, look from that
perspective, design, compare …). Take your time to imagine the shape of this new creation.
(pause 3 sec) Make sure you see every detail in it. The colour, shades, lines and most impor-
tant, look at the light. Where is it coming from? Which way is it casting a shadow? (pause
2 sec) Now imagine that, by some magic, you can go into this picture (sculpture, creation,
etc.). Slowly go ‘in.’ (pause 4 sec) Now you are in, take a moment to have a good look at what
surrounds you. How does the world look from inside here? Look out. What’s there? In your
mind, turn around and look behind you, above your head, below your feet, to your left then
to your right. What is there? Notice important details. (pause 3 sec) If there are any solid
structures, put your hand on them and feel them. What does this feel like? Is it soft, smooth?
Or rough? Warm or cold? (pause 3 sec) Take a moment and explore the perspective in here.
What is the relationship between the environment you are in and the rest of the world? What
is the relationship between its parts? (pause 4 sec) Now take all the important information
you have gathered and prepare to leave the scene. Walk out. Straight out. Now, armed with
your information, get ready to exit this meditation with all the valuable information you have
collected. (pause 2 sec)
Gently focus on your feet again. Remember you are sitting on the log. In your mind stand
up and walk back to the forest. Focus on your bare feet on the forest floor, feel the cool bed of
leaves touching your toes and your heels. (pause 3 sec) Now slowly bring your awareness to this
room. Feel your feet on the ground. Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you keep focus on
your feet, bring your awareness to this room now fully. Become aware of the chair under your
body. Listen for the sounds around you. Bring your mind back to your feet. Where are they?
Can you feel them? Gently wiggle your toes. Feel the full sensation of the floor beneath your feet.
Slightly press them on the floor. Wiggle your fingers and rub your palms. Move your shoulders.
Take a deep breath. When you are ready slowly open your eyes, first looking down then up and
up until you are looking straight ahead. Do this in your own time. When your eyes are open
give yourself a good stretch if at all possible in silence to give others space to do the same in their
own time.

Activity one (10 minutes): Write a list of all the important pieces of information you have
gathered. You can do this in words, small sketches or symbols. The notes should be recorded
in whichever form you prefer. Make sure they are understandable to you and that you will
be able to understand and use them later.
Activity two: PLEASE NOTE: The information should be put to good use now. At this
stage, it is best that students don’t engage in discussion about their personal experiences.
118  Part two

It is best to keep their current frame of mind to themselves. Using their own ‘vision’
should be the most productive part of the lesson. They can discuss what they ‘saw’ in the
next activity.
Activity three: Pair up with another person and discuss the work you have created. You
should exchange your versions of what has been imagined. Show each other the work you
have created, along with what each person ‘saw’ before creating it.
Group work/extension: The whole group should walk around and have a look at other
people’s work. Each person should choose one piece which they find the most interesting or
like best. Everyone should prepare a single question to ask the creator of the piece they were
intrigued by or liked the most. Everyone should walk around and ask/answer questions and
discuss opinions.
Homework: Find different versions of the same object, similar scenery or similar tech-
nique in Art History. Bring samples to share with others during the very next lesson.
Note to the teacher: You could have a different version of this exercise if you wish stu-
dents to investigate a particular piece of art or a particular artist. They can be exposed to
images/sculptures/videos or any 3D art before this meditation. Then you can ‘take’ them
into the piece of art, guiding them to note specific things you wish them to ‘observe’ and
perhaps memorise. Students might still come out of the meditation with very different
notes.

Links

Design and Technology: This exercise is useful for students engaging in designing a
product or an object in technology. This meditation can be the beginning of a creative
process where ideas are explored and functionality is imagined and planned prior to start-
ing work on it.
Engineering: This meditation can be used for exploring solutions to engineering pro-
jects. Students can use the final version of the object as a starting point and ‘visit’ inside to
see how it works and can be constructed.
Computing: Students can use this exercise to imagine a game, a programme or a uni-
verse in which a computer game could be set.
Sport: Imagine a game which is about to take place. Each player can imagine the space
they are going to play in, especially if this is a new sports hall or a football pitch in a different
town or a different school. They should imagine how they feel in that new space, what it feel
like to move around and what is the ‘mood’ of the space they are about to play, perform or
compete in. Is it cold, spacious, friendly or uneasy? They need to talk to each other if they
are worried about any aspect of the space they have just ‘visited’ especially if they felt nerv-
ous or intimidated.
Religious Education: Imagine how the world looks from this worldview. Students can
imagine they are walking into a particular religious worldview (the Christian or Buddhist
model of the world, for example) and looking around and out of this perspective. They can
be walking in one worldview and then walk out and walk into a different one. Religions can
be imagined as different houses with different décor. Students can compare and contrast the
content and the view from each one. The ‘light’ in the meditation can be the presence of
God and its origin, influence and description in different religions.
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  119

Places of worship can be ‘visited’ in this way. Students can imagine they are inside
of the building and explore what they can remember was meant to be inside. This can
be done after the teacher has introduced the building and students have some idea
what it looks like. This meditation will then be a detail recollection exercise, to rein-
force memory of important parts of the building, its purpose/function and related key
words.
Philosophy and Ethics: The Allegory of the Cave (or Plato’s Cave) can be explored in this
way. Teacher should use the word cave in the gap. Students can look at the ‘light’ and the
shadows in the cave. They can imagine the cave after the story of Plato’s Cave is told to them
by the teacher.
Maths(Geometry)Teachers should use the names of different shapes or a single geomet-
ric shape to explore relationships between its parts, such as angles, parallel lines, number of
points, smoothness, sharpness and so on.
History: Students can imagine and ‘go’ into places in different times in history. They can
look into the houses of different cultures in history. For example, the inside of a pyramid,
ancient Greek and Roman households or places of importance (the Colosseum in Rome),
Salem town (Salem witch trials), William the Conqueror’s castles (e.g.Windsor Castle,
Alnwick Castle, Warwick Castle), the settlements of the Puritans and the first settlers in
America.
Geography: ‘Go inside’ of a volcano or between tectonic plates. Discuss what you’ve
‘seen’ with another person.
Language: Before this exercise, teachers can read a story about a specific landscape or an
environment. They can ‘take’ their students to ‘revisit’ and imagine the place so they can
describe it in a piece of writing later.

‘I can achieve’ motivation and strength grounding meditation

Key words:  Learning, problem solving, motivation, challenge, planning, sharing, cooperation
Possible pastoral links: Motivating students who underperform in any area, teach-
ing students to cooperate and draw on each other’s strengths, finding strengths to combat
weaknesses
Possible academic links: Planning a difficult task in any subject, motivating students to
plan their revision, planning projects, solving problems
Start by reading the grounding meditation from page 92 followed by:

Focus for the moment on your feet again. Think about yourself for the moment. Think about
something you found very hard in the past but still managed to do. This should be something
you really struggled with at first. Something you really didn’t like doing, perhaps because you
didn’t feel you were very good at it. Or perhaps the challenge was too great and you were nerv-
ous about it. (pause 3 sec) There can be many different reasons why someone struggles with
something. This is normal and very common. (pause 2 sec) Think of this situation you man-
aged despite the struggle. This situation does not have to be a big deal, it just needs to seem
like a big deal to you. (pause 2 sec) Perhaps you have managed to achieve or learn something
in sport, or art, or perhaps you performed in public despite your nerves. Or simply managed to
120  Part two

complete a chore at home which you kept forgetting to do or just did not like doing. (pause 2 sec)
How did it feel to actually do it despite everything? How did you feel when you completed it?
(pause 4 sec) Consider the importance of this achievement. If you can do this in one situation,
can you do it with anything? Consider this. (pause 2 sec) Have a little think about whether
there is something else you are putting off but would like to be able to do, complete or learn? (pause
3 sec) Now imagine that you have already done this task. Really believe this. (pause 4 sec) How
does that feel? What are you thinking? (pause 4 sec) Just stay with the feeling for a moment.
Remember it. You will need to take this feeling with you out of this meditation.
Gently focus on your feet again. Remember you are sitting on the log. In your mind stand
up and walk back to the forest. Focus on your bare feet on the forest floor, feel the cool bed of
leaves touching your toes and your heels. (pause 3 sec) Now slowly bring your awareness to this
room. Feel your feet on the ground. Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you keep focus on
your feet, bring your awareness to this room now fully. Become aware of the chair under your
body. Listen for the sounds around you. Bring your mind back to your feet. Where are they?
Can you feel them? Gently wiggle your toes. Feel the full sensation of the floor beneath your feet.
Slightly press them on the floor. Wiggle your fingers and rub your palms. Move your shoulders.
Take a deep breath. When you are ready slowly open your eyes, first looking down then up and
up until you are looking straight ahead. Do this in your own time. When your eyes are open
give yourself a good stretch if at all possible in silence to give others space to do the same in their
own time.

Activity one (10 minutes): Remember the new, unfinished task from your meditation.
Write down what you might need to do to complete it. To help you plan this, ask yourself
the following questions:

• Are there any people who can help you?

• Is there anything you can learn before doing it?
• Do you actually have a strength that can relate to this task?
• Is there some resource you already have with which you can start?
• Is there anything you can use to prepare yourself for it?

Write the entire strategy from the beginning to the end. Make sure you describe in detail
what the outcome should look like. Also write how long do you think it is going to take you
to complete this task and stick to it.
Activity two: In groups, discuss why people often don’t try things they think are going
to be hard. Discuss the strategies which can be employed to motivate people to get on with
their goals.
Activity three: As a class, share ideas for solving difficult tasks. Make a class list of
problems and problem-solving ideas, and display these in your classroom for everyone
to use. Add items as you go along. Meet up once every two weeks and discuss what
works well.
Group homework/extension: Try to take a first step towards completing your difficult
task. Start with what you have to do, or what you have already done, and proceed to the
new area. By now it should not feel so difficult, because you have already started tackling it.
You are on your way.
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  121

Templates examples:
TASK: Finish My Science Project

What do I need to do? What do I need? When will I complete this?

Find all the examples Internet Monday 6 May
Finish revision cards in folder Colouring pencils, glue, pictures Friday 24 May

Problem-solution class list (Problem-solving ideas)

Person who might explain more
Problem Solution (with example)

Overload with revision Make a detailed plan and stick to it Daniel

Making silly mistakes in Maths Take time to read the questions Sky
properly, use underlining technique
Don’t like reading Find the right book for you Eisa

‘I am strong’ sporty grounding exercise

Key words:  Competitive spirit, sport motivation, achievement, strength, mental/emotional

health, talents, unique ability, focus, cooperation
Possible content/pastoral links: This meditation is for high achievers and for any stu-
dents preparing for a competition, mainly including sporting competitions. It is designed to
instill a positive frame of mind and a strong focus before the actual event. It is best done once
per week from the very beginning of training/preparation for the competition. However,
it can also be done on the same day of the event, preferably a few hours prior to start. This
is suitable for preparing each individual in a team or just one individual competing on their
own. It does not focus on team work (please see other exercises suitable for this) but on
individual strength and focus.
Start by reading the grounding meditation from page 92 followed by:

Now focus on the sport you love. Focus on the image of yourself as a sportsperson. As you take
a deep breath, ‘breathe in’ this image of your sporty self. For a moment think about all the good
things about the sport. Think about every little thing you love about it. Focus on the way it
makes you feel. Focus on the excitement and life in it. (pause 3 sec) Consider what you wish
to achieve. Think about every detail of the event. (pause 2 sec) Think about the movements
involved. Imagine your body doing exactly that and doing it perfectly. Play the movements in
your mind. Take time to imagine this. (pause 6 sec) Now imagine how this will feel, how your
body will feel, how your mind will feel. (pause 3 sec) Imagine the sense of achievement. Feel
that for a moment. This is what you need to take with you from this meditation. This very feel-
ing. Capture it. (pause 4 sec) Now store it everywhere, in your mind and in your body. As you
prepare to exit this meditation, take this feeling with you. (pause 3 sec)
Gently focus on your feet again. Remember you are sitting on the log. In your mind stand
up and walk back to the forest. Focus on your bare feet on the forest floor, feel the cool bed of
122  Part two

leaves touching your toes and your heels. (pause 3 sec) Now slowly bring your awareness to this
room. Feel your feet on the ground. Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you keep focus on
your feet, bring your awareness to this room now fully. Become aware of the chair under your
body. Listen for the sounds around you. Bring your mind back to your feet. Where are they?
Can you feel them? Gently wiggle your toes. Feel the full sensation of the floor beneath your feet.
Slightly press them on the floor. Wiggle your fingers and rub your palms. Move your shoulders.
Take a deep breath. When you are ready slowly open your eyes, first looking down then up and
up until you are looking straight ahead. Do this in your own time. When your eyes are open
give yourself a good stretch if at all possible in silence to give others space to do the same in their
own time.

Activity one (5 minutes): Write a list of all the activities you need to do to achieve this.
Make a note of the time you will need to do it. How many times per week do you need to
practice? For how long? Is there anyone else who will also need to be included to help you,
perhaps your teacher/coach/peers? Write all this down.
Homework/extension: Watch other successful sportspeople doing the same activities,
and pay attention to how they train and how they perform in your chosen sport. Try to
learn something from this and apply it to your own performance.

Links

This meditation can be used by any sports team. It can be adapted further for a specific
event/competition by asking students to focus and visualise the particular situation, the
skills they will need to utilise (and do that exceptionally well) and the positive, desired out-
come that team members are striving to achieve.

‘I work well with others,’ team building grounding exercise

Key words:  Team building, cooperation, evaluation, team work, success, community,
value of an individual within a team
Possible pastoral links: Value of an individual effort, self-confidence, motivation
Possible content links: Sports, drama, competitive sports, competitive events. This
exercise is specifically designed to be used with active teams, sports teams, competition
teams, choirs, drama casts, cricket teams, rugby teams, Science/Maths/spelling teams or
any other group that is about to compete with others.
Start by reading the grounding meditation from page 92 followed by:

Take another deep breath and focus on your feet. Now take another gentle breath and send it
straight into your belly. With your mind, follow it in, then out. Now think of your place in your
team. What is your role? What are you meant to do? What is the ‘place’ of your part in the
grand picture? Think of this for a moment. (pause 2 sec) Everyone in the team works as a part of
a whole. Is there anyone in particular you are meant to be working with? Consider each person
affected by what you need to do. (pause 4 sec) How are you affected by others? Reflect on this
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  123

for a moment. (pause 3 sec) Think about each member of your team. What are their strengths?
What are you expecting them to do? Is there someone in your team who is very helpful to you?
Take a moment and thank them in your mind for doing that. (pause 3 sec) Now consider your
main strengths. List them slowly in your mind. Be honest. (pause 4 sec) Consider what it is that
your team is relying on you to do. See yourself doing this. (pause 3 sec) Is there someone who
is relying on you more than the others? Someone whose actions will specifically be affected by
what you do? See yourself doing your best to work together. (pause 3 sec) Now see yourself and
the whole team working really well with each other. See yourself doing this very well, down to
the smallest detail. In your mind go through all the things you can do to master this coopera-
tion and team work. (pause 5 sec) Imagine yourself doing this consistently well to the end of
the task (or the event/game/play/concert). (pause 4 sec) Imagine how it feels to complete the
task with your team and be successful. Feel the success, see yourself smiling, keep this smile
inside. (pause 5 sec)
Gently focus on your feet again. Remember you are sitting on the log. In your mind stand
up and walk back to the forest. Focus on your bare feet on the forest floor, feel the cool bed of
leaves touching your toes and your heels. (pause 3 sec) Now slowly bring your awareness to this
room. Feel your feet on the ground. Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you keep focus on
your feet, bring your awareness to this room now fully. Become aware of the chair under your
body. Listen for the sounds around you. Bring your mind back to your feet. Where are they?
Can you feel them? Gently wiggle your toes. Feel the full sensation of the floor beneath your feet.
Slightly press them on the floor. Wiggle your fingers and rub your palms. Move your shoulders.
Take a deep breath. When you are ready slowly open your eyes, first looking down then up and
up until you are looking straight ahead. Do this in your own time. When your eyes are open
give yourself a good stretch if at all possible in silence to give others space to do the same in their
own time.

Activity one (5 minutes): Write a list of all the skills you use to work with others in your
team.
Activity two: As a team, discuss which skills everyone has and why they are valuable for
the team. Each member of the team must be told what is the best, most useful element of
what they do within the team and who appreciates it and benefits the most from it.
Activity three: Pair up with another person who usually ‘works’ with you in a team.
Spend 10 minutes discussing ways in which you can help each other and the team most
constructively. Discuss what works well and what does not. Accept constructive criticism,
and try to take on board requests and suggestions. Share your views.
Group homework/extension: Research on the internet or on television, and watch
other successful teams doing the same activities. Pay attention to how they work with each
other. Try to learn something from this and share it with others at the next opportunity.

Links

This meditation can be linked to any team working together towards a common goal.
Sport: This is ideal for sports teams training and preparing for a tournament or a
competition. It can be used once per week during training or few hours before the event,
or both.
124  Part two

Drama: Designed for drama companies/performance groups while rehearsing for a play.
Activity two and activity three can be used for cast members to communicate and work
through rehearsals.
Music: This meditation is applicable to music groups, choirs and orchestras.
Science/Maths: Can be applied to Science or Maths teams competing with a group task.
Language: For teams competing in linguistics tasks and quizzes (spelling competitions).
Design and Technology: I used this with members of a team designing and building a
mini car to compete in a Design and Technology competition. It worked just as well.

‘We are champions’ grounding meditation

Key words:  Performance, competition, winning, match, tournament, positive program-

ming, play, concert
Possible academic/pastoral links: Competitions, tournaments, sports matches, drama
performances, musical performances, Maths competitions, Science competitions, competi-
tive sports, chess tournaments, competitive events, fashion shows, exhibitions
This exercise is specifically designed to be used with individuals who are to perform
to the highest standards, for active teams, sports teams, competition teams, drama casts,
choirs, orchestras, cricket teams, rugby teams or any other groups who need strong focus
to perform.
This is a high-impact mental exercise best performed during the run-up to a match, per-
formance or competition. Preferably the whole team should take part in it together. Please
note that there are gaps in the text below. You will need to fill in the gaps.
****Suggested words might include match, performance, play, competition, recital, concert,
chess game, fashion show, exhibition, etc.
Start by reading the grounding meditation from page 92 followed by:

Take a deep breath, and as you do, focus on the forthcoming _______****. For the moment do
not worry about what will happen during the _______. Right now you want to focus on the
end of the event. Take another deep breath and gently breathe out of your nose. Now imagine
the moments at the very end of the _______. It has been so successful you cannot quite believe
it. Take a moment and imagine what this means. Imagine the most desirable and amazing
outcome. (pause 6 sec) Now pay attention to your body. Is there any tension anywhere in your
body as you are trying to imagine this? Make a note in your mind of where it is. (Pause 3 sec)
Now take another deep breath all the way to your stomach, past your belly button, and as you
breathe out, imagine this tension shattering as if made out of a thin glass. In your mind see it
shatter into thousands of pieces. (pause 5 sec). Well done.
Bring your attention back to your brilliant outcome. Imagine everything. Note where you
are and what you are doing in this picture. See it. (pause 6 sec) Most important, now try to feel
this. Really feel it as if it has already taken place. (pause 4 sec) Remember this feeling. You will
take it with you out of this meditation. Breathe this feeling in. (pause 3 sec) Now note what
everyone else is doing in this picture. Who is there? Where are they? How are they feeling? Are
they smiling? Chatting? Singing? Dancing? Imagine this. (pause 4 sec). Feel the overall good
mood in the room. Remember this intense good mood. (pause 3 sec)
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  125

Take a deep breath. Gently focus on your feet again. Remember you are sitting on the log. In
your mind stand up and walk back to the forest. Focus on your bare feet on the forest floor, feel
the cool bed of leaves touching your toes and your heels. (pause 3 sec) Now slowly bring your
awareness to this room. Feel your feet on the ground. Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you
keep focus on your feet, bring your awareness to this room now fully. Become aware of the chair
under your body. Listen for the sounds around you. Bring your mind back to your feet. Where
are they? Can you feel them? Gently wiggle your toes. Feel the full sensation of the floor beneath
your feet. Slightly press them on the floor. Wiggle your fingers and rub your palms. Move your
shoulders. Take a deep breath. When you are ready slowly open your eyes, first looking down
then up and up until you are looking straight ahead. Do this in your own time. When your eyes
are open give yourself a good stretch if at all possible in silence to give others space to do the
same in their own time.

PLEASE NOTE: There will be no sharing of experiences or visualisations and feelings

between participants. This is a hugely individual experience, and discussing it will take
away value from it. This is the only activity which asks for no sharing in any case.
Activity one (5 minutes): On your own describe in detail everything that has happened in
this picture of success. List everything you think is important.
Activity two: Draw a symbol or a picture of images symbolising this moment.
Homework: Take two minutes and recollect the feeling from this exercise just before the
performance. Try to keep this feeling going for as long as possible. Ten just seconds before
you start let go of it and perform.

Links

This meditation can be performed by members of any team from Drama, Music and Sports
to spelling teams and members of Science/Maths competition teams.
Sport: For preparing sports teams for a successful competition.
Drama: For preparing drama casts before performances.
Music: For the preparation of choirs, soloists, an orchestra or a band for performance/
competition.
Language: For preparing teams of linguists for a spelling or other competition.
STEM/Computing/Robotics: For preparing competitors at a STEM event.
Design and Technology: For preparing a team/individual for engineering competitions
where they have to design a working item (such as a small electric car).
Fashion: It can be used for preparation of a fashion show to make sure models are calm
and working together.

‘I cooperate, I teach and learn from others’

grounding meditation

Key words:  Active learning, cooperation, community, team work, project work
Possible pastoral links: Appreciation of self and of one’s efforts
126  Part two

Possible academic links: Sociology, Psychology, History, Personal Social Health Education,
Religious and Spiritual Education, class time, developing positive group dynamics
Start by reading the grounding meditation from page 92 followed by:

While focusing on your feet take one more deep breath. Consider for a moment what it is that
you contribute to your group. Think of skills you had to use to work with others in the past.
Think about the contribution you invested. (pause 3 sec) Reflect on your day so far, did you
have a chance to contribute? Did you get involved? Or were you just present but not getting
involved? Either way, think about your overall contribution. (pause 3 sec) Analyse whether you
share fully or whether youstop yourself. Is it perhaps your confidence stopping you from par-
ticipating? Or are you always deeply involved? Are you perhaps contributing the most? Reflect
on this for a moment. (pause 4 sec) Everyone has a value in a group setting. Think about yours.
What is the special thing you can offer? (pause 4 sec) Just as everyone has something valuable
to offer, everyone can develop themselves further. What is your area of development? What
could you be better at? Reflect on this now. (pause 4 sec) Is there anyone you can ask for help
with something they are very good at and you would like to improve on? Think about this for
a moment. (pause 3 sec) Is there anyone in your group who can learn from you? Someone who
would benefit from your help? (pause 3 sec) Now reflect on the value of human cooperation.
Think of all the things humans have achieved from cooperating with each other. At times, we
compete so much that we forget just how good it is to work together. Think of all the benefits
humans could have from working together as a species. (pause 4 sec) Who would benefit from
cooperating with whom in the world? (pause 2 sec) Why would this be good? What would
be better with the world if this took place? Have a moment to think about this. (pause 4 sec)
Imagine how different the world might be if people decided to cooperated instead of compete.
How would it feel to live in a world where all humans were a cooperative community? Imagine
the world is already like this. Try to believe it and feel your place in this wonderful new world.
(pause 6 sec) Keep that feeling for a few moments and ‘take it with you.’
Gently focus on your feet again. Remember you are sitting on the log. In your mind stand
up and walk back to the forest. Focus on your bare feet on the forest floor, feel the cool bed of
leaves touching your toes and your heels. (pause 3 sec) Now slowly bring your awareness to this
room. Feel your feet on the ground. Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you keep focus on
your feet, bring your awareness to this room now fully. Become aware of the chair under your
body. Listen for the sounds around you. Bring your mind back to your feet. Where are they?
Can you feel them? Gently wiggle your toes. Feel the full sensation of the floor beneath your feet.
Slightly press them on the floor. Wiggle your fingers and rub your palms. Move your shoulders.
Take a deep breath. When you are ready slowly open your eyes, first looking down then up and
up until you are looking straight ahead. Do this in your own time. When your eyes are open
give yourself a good stretch if at all possible in silence to give others space to do the same in their
own time.

Activity one (5 minutes): Write a list of all the skills you could share with others and a list
of skills you need to develop.
Activity two: In groups, discuss which skills everyone has for sharing. Discuss
what skills are available in your class (on offer from members) and take notes of the
skills needs of the members of your community. Discuss how you could cooperate to
help each other.
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  127

Links

The following activity is based on the whole-group project, and its aim is to incorporate
different strengths in the class, all needed to perform the task. It relies on different skills and
links to different subjects. Relevant words are in bold.
Activity three: In groups plan an online school Skill Sharing Hub for your year or for the
entire school. Take the following steps:
• Brainstorm online sharing and consider the best ways of doing it.
• Decide who are the most confident software developers and web designers among
you, and put them in charge of planning the online Hub.
• Decide who are the most artistic members to help developers make the whole Hub
aesthetically pleasing and sketch the initial ideas.
• Decide who are the best organisers and information gatherers. Put them in charge of
making lists of skills needed and skills offered within the group.
• Ask for volunteers to gather relevant images to illustrate skills.
• Decide which members are most socially comfortable talking to others, and put them
in charge of talking to people in other classes to find out which skills they can offer and
which skills they would like help with.
• Decide who are the best leaders, and put them in charge of coordinating everyone’s
efforts, as well as keeping track of who is doing what, how long it is taking and whose
work depends on completion of the work of others (e.g., artists sketching the ideas will
affect when developers are going to start actually developing, etc.)
• Decide who are the best problem solvers, and put them in charge of solving any
unforeseen problems with this project, from any disagreements to lack of available
resources.
Group homework:

• Choose good linguists and good planners, and put them in charge of using the brain-
stormed ideas to write a proposal for your school about the school Skill Sharing Hub.
Hand it in to the relevant person.
• Decide who are the most confident speakers, and put them in charge of preparing
a verbal presentation of your proposal. Offer the presentation to the school’s deci-
sion makers by finding out who makes this decision and then setting the date and
making an appointment for the verbal pitch to them and anyone who is working
with them.
• Decide who has the most original and interesting advertising ideas, and put them in
charge of gathering support and marketing the online Hub to other students in your school.

‘I can chose the right response and have the power to affect
my life’ grounding meditation

Key words:  Independence, self-empowering, right response, control, choice, positivity

Possible pastoral links: Right choices, self-regulating, anger issues and solutions, calm-
ness, conflict management
128  Part two

Possible academic links: PSHE (right choices), Psychology (cognitive processes, behav-
iourist approach), Forensic Psychology (explanation to criminal behaviour, social learning),
Sociology (crime), Media (crime), right response to a situation, learning
Start by reading the grounding meditation from page 92 followed by:

Focus on your feet again. Gently take another deep breath. Follow the breath straight to
your belly button. Bring your attention back to the feet. For a moment think about all
the things you do in your life. Think of all the decisions you need to make every day from
the moment you wake up. There are so many, from when you need to get up to how much
homework you are going to do, what you are going to eat and what you are going to wear.
(pause 2 sec) You might not notice, but you make judgements all the time. Everything you
do includes your decision making. Consider the importance of this. (pause 5 sec) Think
about a situation in your life in the past which seemed out of control but worked out, purely
because you made the right choices. Or perhaps think of a situation when it seemed you
made the right decision but then needed to change it because it turned out to be the wrong
decision after all. All of this is normal. It happens to everyone. (pause 4 sec) Now try to
remember a different situation, one in which you felt very much in control and knew you
did the right thing straight away. Try to recollect the feeling of confidence this might have
brought. (pause 3 sec) Even if you might not think this right now, you are always in control
of your life. Even if things are not so great at times and it seems you have no say in what
happens, you still have one power – the power of choice. You have a power to decide how
you are going to respond and think about any situation. You are always in control of that.
Take a moment to think about this. (pause 5 sec) Consider whether there is anything in
your life at the moment that you could be thinking more positively about. It does not have
to be a big thing. (pause 2 sec) Think about what is good and positive about the situation,
or perhaps what is salvageable. (pause 4 sec) Reflect on the situation further and consider
whether there is anything you can be grateful for. This is important. (pause 3 sec) Consider
whether you can work around the circumstances and bring good things into the situation.
Focus on that for a moment. (pause 4 sec)
Gently focus on your feet again. Remember you are sitting on the log. In your mind stand
up and walk back to the forest. Focus on your bare feet on the forest floor, feel the cool bed of
leaves touching your toes and your heels. (pause 3 sec) Now slowly bring your awareness to
this room. Feel your feet on the ground. Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you keep focus
on your feet, bring your awareness to this room now fully. Become aware of the chair under
your body. Listen for the sounds around you. Bring your mind back to your feet. Where are
they? Can you feel them? Gently wiggle your toes. Feel the full sensation of the floor beneath
your feet. Slightly press them on the floor. Wiggle your fingers and rub your palms. Move your
shoulders. Take a deep breath. When you are ready slowly open your eyes, first looking down
then up and up until you are looking straight ahead. Do this in your own time. When your
eyes are open give yourself a good stretch if at all possible in silence to give others space to do
the same in their own time.

Activity one (5 minutes): Write five ways in which you can respond to a particular situa-
tion. This can be anything from your life. Try to choose as many positive responses to the
situation as possible.
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  129

Activity two: Discuss in groups/pairs the difference between reacting to a situation and
responding to a situation. What is the difference? Is there a difference? Give examples and
justify your answer.
Activity three: Write a list of at least two situations you would like to be able to respond
to more positively and calmly.
Debate: In every situation, you have a choice in how to respond. Is this true? Explain why you
agree or /disagree.
Group homework/extension: Try to observe yourself for an entire week, especially in
the two situations you have chosen. This is not an easy task. Try to observe your responses
and your reactions to your environment. Try to remember to make notes which you can
analyse a week later. Try to spot any change in your behaviour.

Links

This exercise is very good for team management, especially if there is a conflict between
team members.
Personal Social Health Education: Discussions about right choices, peer pressure, parental
expectations, thinking positively, negotiating with others
Psychology: This exercise can be linked to cognitive processes, attention, perception,
learning, reasoning, attention bias, cognitive approach, behaviourist approach and operant
conditioning.
Forensic Psychology: This meditation is easily linked to explanations of criminal behav-
iour, cognitive distortions (hostile attribution bias and minimalisation), cognitive biases,
Social Learning Theory, ASPT and psychopathy in Eysenck’s Personality Theory
Sociology: Crime
Media: Crime
Religious Education: There are strong links to religious believers’ perceptions of the
world, also religious rules and differences in responding ‘religiously’ (following religious
laws and deciding to do the right thing), following religious rules in daily life, prayer
times. This exercise also links well to omnipotence of God and concept of free will.
Philosophy and Ethics: Totalitarian ethics, moral dilemmas, making decisions about
how to respond to different moral situations, the question of God, good and evil, the ques-
tion of suffering, free will and determinism.

‘I expand the circle of people I talk to’ grounding meditation

Key words:  Positive self-programming, friendships, community, expansion

Possible pastoral links: Making friends, inclusion, quiet students
Possible academic/content links: This is mainly a self-development exercise but it can
be adopted to any subject/situation where teacher wishes to encourage students to work
with different people
PLEASE NOTE: Ideally students should be sitting in a semi-circle for this meditation if
the space allows.
130  Part two

Start by reading the grounding meditation from page 92 followed by:

Take another deep breath, and as you do, think about the last time you had to be really flexible.
(pause 2 sec) Flexibility can mean anything and can be exercised anywhere. Today consider
this simple question: When did you last talk to someone new in the school? (pause 3 sec) Who
was that? Why did you talk to them? (pause 2 sec) For a moment, think about people in your
class. Try to recollect every person in the class. Start by thinking how many people you are
actually mixing with on a daily basis. Take a moment to do that. (pause 4 sec) Now try to
rememeber everyone in your class. I will give you a bit of time to do this. (pause 5 sec) Consider
how many people in this room you have not spoken to in the last six months. (pause 4 sec) Now
think whether there are people in this room you have never spent any time with. (pause 4 sec)
Consider how many people you have spent lot of time with, but have never spoken to, over the
years. (pause 4 sec) What do you think you might have missed by doing that? (pause 3 sec) Keep
that thought.
Gently focus on your feet again. Remember you are sitting on the log. In your mind stand
up and walk back to the forest. Focus on your bare feet on the forest floor, feel the cool bed of
leaves touching your toes and your heels. (pause 3 sec) Now slowly bring your awareness to this
room. Feel your feet on the ground. Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you keep focus on
your feet, bring your awareness to this room now fully. Become aware of the chair under your
body. Listen for the sounds around you. Bring your mind back to your feet. Where are they?
Can you feel them? Gently wiggle your toes. Feel the full sensation of the floor beneath your feet.
Slightly press them on the floor. Wiggle your fingers and rub your palms. Move your shoulders.
Take a deep breath. When you are ready slowly open your eyes, first looking down then up and
up until you are looking straight ahead. Do this in your own time. When your eyes are open
give yourself a good stretch if at all possible in silence to give others space to do the same in their
own time.

Activity one: Have a quick conversation with a person next to you about your experience
of meditation. Exchange opinions.
5-Minute conversation task: Have a 5-minute conversation with a person sitting on
your other side. Each one of you should talk for 2 minutes about the following themes:

• What I like the most

• What I dislike the most
• What people should know about me straight away
• How I sum myself up in two sentences.

When 5 minutes are up, move on to the next person. Repeat until you have spoken to eve-
ryone in the room at least once.
Activity three: Reflect on what you have learned about people today, especially about
people you hardly spoke to before today. Write a short paragraph about what you might
have learned about mixing with people in general.
Class discussion (put the guidelines on the board to help them get started):

• What was the outcome of this exercise?

• Anything interesting to report?
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  131

• Anyone want to share anything that has happened today?

• What could be the value in exercise we did today? Write anonymously on a Post It note,
and give to your teacher to display on the wall. Everyone should go and read what is on
the wall and chat.

Group homework/extension: Research information about behaviour of people living in

collectivist communities. Some good examples of collectivist societies are native peoples of
the world. Bring anything interesting you have found out to the next lesson to share with
others.

‘Gratitude and my life’ grounding meditation**

Key words:  Gratitude, value, optimism, good things in life, positive focus
Possible pastoral links: Gratitude, finding contentment, appreciation, motivation, emo-
tional health
Possible academic links: This is primarily a self-development exercise.
Start by reading the grounding meditation from page 92 followed by:

Take a deep breath, and as you breathe out, think about all the good things in your life.
Think about what really makes you feel good. (pause 3 sec) As you take another breath,
consider and ask yourself what you are actually grateful for in your life. Consider every-
thing worth gratitude that you can think of at this moment. Slowly, list these things in your
mind. (pause 6 sec) Now, of all the things you’ve remembered, chose at least one and at the
most three things to focus your thoughts on. What are these things you are most grateful
for? They don’t have to be big, they just need to mean something to you. (pause 2 sec) Try to
remember how the good things make you feel. Focus on that feeling now. (pause 3 sec) As you
take another breath, feel the gratitude and imagine you are breathing it into your body; then
gently breathe out.
Now look forward into the future. Think of the forthcoming days. Are there things or events
you are looking forward to? It does not matter how big or how small. It could be anything, from
looking forward to a nice meal or meeting a friend to going somewhere nice or taking part in
an event. Your task is to find ideally three things you are looking forward to that matter to you.
The first one should be tomorrow, the second should be this week and the third can be any time
in the future. Start with the first two. Have a little think about what they might be. (pause 6 sec)
Now think about the third special thing you are looking forward to. This one is perhaps very
distant in the future. Perhaps it is not formulated fully in your mind, or perhaps you are not
sure how will it come about at all. This is not important. Just imagine yourself doing it. Feel it.
Be it. See it done in your mind’s eye. (pause 5 sec)
Gently focus on your feet again. Remember you are sitting on the log. In your mind stand
up and walk back to the forest. Focus on your bare feet on the forest floor, feel the cool bed of
leaves touching your toes and your heels. (pause 3 sec) Now slowly bring your awareness to this
room. Feel your feet on the ground. Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you keep focus on
your feet, bring your awareness to this room now fully. Become aware of the chair under your
body. Listen for the sounds around you. Bring your mind back to your feet. Where are they?
Can you feel them? Gently wiggle your toes. Feel the full sensation of the floor beneath your feet.
132  Part two

Slightly press them on the floor. Wiggle your fingers and rub your palms. Move your shoulders.
Take a deep breath. When you are ready slowly open your eyes, first looking down then up and
up until you are looking straight ahead. Do this in your own time. When your eyes are open
give yourself a good stretch if at all possible in silence to give others space to do the same in their
own time.

Activity one (5 minutes): Reflect, on your own, on the things you have thought about dur-
ing your meditation. Write a list. Title it The good things in my life. This list is not to be shared
with others.
Activity two: In groups, discuss the following questions: Why is it important to be grateful
for good things in our lives? How does gratitude make us feel and what might its purpose be for our
mental and emotional health?
Group homework/extension: Every evening just as you turn the lights out, for
seven consecutive days, make a mental list of three things you are grateful for that took
place that day. These three things can be very small or very big; this is not important.
The task is to find something to be grateful for each passing day. Then find one thing you
are looking forward to, whatever that might be. Do this for seven nights. If you feel it
is making you happier and more content with your life, continue doing it for as long as
you wish.
PLEASE NOTE: There is a similar exercise provided in the Mindfulness for home chapter,
more suitable for doing independently.

Links

Psychology: This exercise can be linked to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, the Humanist
approach and the concepts of self-actualisation and self-determinism.

‘All the amazing opportunities in my life’ grounding meditation**

Key words:  Action, self-initiative

Possible pastoral links: Initiative, organisation, risk taking, overcoming limitations
Possible academic links: Exams, revision, problem solving, brainstorming, critical
thinking, lateral thinking, independent work
This is a very uplifting meditation. It is designed to help students think of challenges as
opportunities and to see their strengths where they might see weaknesses.
Start by reading the grounding meditation from page 92 followed by:

Take a deep breath through your nose, than gently exhale. Try to remember something you have
done very well. This might have been recently or it might have been some time in the past. This
is not important. You need to recollect the feeling of excitement and, most important, the feel-
ing of success. (pause 3 sec) Now think of something you would love to do but is so exciting and
so important, it scares you. Think what this might be. It should be something which gives you
butterflies in your stomach and excites you at the same time. Something which makes you feel
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  133

so much more alive. Think of it. (pause 6 sec) Now imagine that everyone else also wants you
to do this amazing, exciting thing. Imagine your teachers want you to do it, your parents sup-
port you in your wish to do it. Your peers love you for wanting to do it. The entire universe is
conspiring to help you with it. Imagine that. (pause 6 sec) Now imagine you are actually doing
it. See yourself doing it. Most important, feel yourself doing it. How does it feel? (pause 3 sec)
Remember this and take it with you in your whole being.
Gently focus on your feet again. Remember you are sitting on the log. In your mind stand up
and walk back to the forest. Focus on your bare feet on the forest floor, feel the cool bed of leaves
touching your toes and your heels. (pause 3 sec) Now slowly bring your awareness to this room.
Feel your feet on the ground. Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you keep focus on your feet,
bring your awareness to this room now fully. Become aware of the chair under your body. Listen
for the sounds around you. Bring your mind back to your feet. Where are they? Can you feel
them? Gently wiggle your toes. Feel the full sensation of the floor beneath your feet. Slightly press
them on the floor. Wiggle your fingers and rub your palms. Move your shoulders. Take a deep
breath. When you are ready slowly open your eyes, first looking down then up and up until you
are looking straight ahead. Do this in your own time. When your eyes are open give yourself
a good stretch if at all possible in silence to give others space to do the same in their own time.

Activity one (5 minutes): Write down what you were doing in your imagination. Write what
you really would like to do with it in the future. Write a list of reasons why you have not done
this so far. Call it ‘My reasons list.’ Make sure you take time to think of every reason you have.
Activity two: Now look at your ‘My reasons list.’ Cross out the list name and write: ‘My
excuses list.’ Re-write the whole list in a positive way. For example, if you wrote: ‘I just don’t
have enough money to achieve this,’ re-write: ‘I am currently finding ways to fund this’ (looking for
a student job, saving or whatever else).
Activity three: Once you have re-written your list, cross out the title ‘My excuses list’ and
write ‘My Plan’ instead.
Group work: In groups or pairs, discuss what the hardest thing was to overcome in
your mind while writing your new plan. You don’t have to share your actual plan with oth-
ers, just talk about what kinds of reasons people give to themselves to excuse themselves
from from doing something amazing. Discuss which reasons are the hardest to conquer and
change into positives.
Homework: Reflect on your new plan list. How serious are you about achieving your
goal? How realistic are your plans? Can you talk to your parents/guardians and perhaps ask
for advice or help? How long do you think it will take you to gather everything you need?
Plan this too.
PLEASE NOTE: It is essential that all three activities be completed during the same
session.

Links

Psychology: Humanist approach, Abraham Maslow, self-actualisation

This exercise can be modified to suit exams, revision, future university plans or any
other activity that students find challenging purely because they lack the confidence to
achieve it.
134  Part two

It can also be modified for any competitions, tournaments or sports matches, when stu-
dents think they cannot make themselves good enough to win.

‘Body, mind and environment, I am part of Nature’ grounding

meditation

Key words:  Nature, belonging, intelligence in Nature, humans, ecology

Possible pastoral links: Relationships with the environment, belonging
Possible academic links: Ecology, Nature as inspiration in Music and Literature, intel-
ligence in Nature, human origins, Homo sapiens, ecology, Earth sciences, Biology, evolution,
Darwin
Start by reading the grounding meditation from page 92 followed by:

Take a breath. Feel the air going into your nose, then into your lungs. Follow it out of
your body. Do this once more. Follow the journey of the air as you breathe in and out.
(pause 3 sec) Consider this. The air you breathe belongs to the Earth. Consider the sim-
ple truth of this. (pause 2 sec) Feel the ground under your feet. Focus on the f loor for the
moment. The f loor you are feeling is built on Earth. Consider this. (pause 3 sec) Remember
for a moment you are sitting on the log. Imagine yourself getting off the log and walking
back into the forest. (pause 3 sec) You are among trees again; you are walking and breath-
ing the fresh forest air. In your mind’s eye, look around for a lovely tree, a tree you can sit
under. It should be a vibrant, green tree. (pause 3 sec). Once you have found it, see yourself
sitting down. Lean on the tree trunk. (pause 3 sec) Look around. Everything here is alive.
You are alive. You are part of this living system. You are welcomed by the plants, by the
trees, the sky and the Earth. You are welcomed because this is your true home. You belong
here. You have just forgotten. Now it is time to remember where you came from. (pause
4 sec) Sit there for a moment, breathe the air and wait for any messages from the forest.
Try to listen for it in your mind. Listen especially with your heart. (pause 6 sec) Now see
yourself slowly standing up, then walking out of the forest. Take your time to do this.
(pause 5 sec) Say thank you to whatever has sent the message. Remember to bring this
message with you. (pause 4 sec)
Gently focus on your feet again. Remember you are sitting on the log. In your mind stand
up and walk back to the forest. Focus on your bare feet on the forest floor, feel the cool bed of
leaves touching your toes and your heels. (pause 3 sec) Now slowly bring your awareness to this
room. Feel your feet on the ground. Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you keep focus on
your feet, bring your awareness to this room now fully. Become aware of the chair under your
body. Listen for the sounds around you. Bring your mind back to your feet. Where are they?
Can you feel them? Gently wiggle your toes. Feel the full sensation of the floor beneath your feet.
Slightly press them on the floor. Wiggle your fingers and rub your palms. Move your shoulders.
Take a deep breath. When you are ready slowly open your eyes, first looking down then up and
up until you are looking straight ahead. Do this in your own time. When your eyes are open
give yourself a good stretch if at all possible in silence to give others space to do the same in their
own time.
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  135

Activity one (5 minutes): Write any messages you received while in meditation. This is
private and is not to be shared with others.
Activity two: Discuss in pairs: Have we forgotten where we really came from?
Activity three: Debate: Humans are part of Nature. Do you agree? Nature is intelligent. Do
you agree?

Group homework/extension: Research the following on the internet:

1. Intelligent slime mould (Physarum polycephalum) in Japan

2. How black kites hunt with fire in Australia
3. The Secret Life of Plants
4. Try to find your own examples of intelligence in the plant or animal kingdom.

Write a paragraph discussing the possibility of everything in Nature being intelligent, and
share your work with others in your class in the next lesson.

Links

Science: Ecology, human as animal, human as a species, intelligence, origins of humanity,

flora and fauna, Biology (intelligence and signalling in plants), food chains. The research
activity above with ‘intelligent’ slime mould might be useful.
Ecology: Humans’ relationship with our planet and Nature, pollution, climate change,
natural disasters, Gaia Theory, James Lovelock
Philosophy and Ethics, Religious Education: Stewardship, natural evils, attributes of
God (omniscience, senses), religious experiences (e.g., awe of Nature), the story of Adam
and Eve, the idea of Paradise, Humanism and its relationship with Nature, creation, life and
death (reincarnation and rebirth)
Music Links
Music activity 1: Students can analyse classical pieces relating to animals, plants or
Nature – The Four Seasons and ‘The Lark Ascending,’ for example.
Activity: Close your eyes again and listen to the music. Pay attention to the images that
come to your mind as you listen. Try to remember the images.
This can be done in several short slots, a few minutes long. Each time, students can pair
up and discuss what they think it meant. They can compare their imagined pictures. This
can be repeated a number of times like this:

• Listen for 2 minutes.

• Pair up and discuss what you ‘saw.’
• Listen again and discuss what you ‘saw’ again.

Music activity 2
Pair work or homework: Investigate eight pieces of music inspired by the Earth:

1. Harrison Birtwistle ‘Earth Dances’

2. Gustav Mahler ‘Song of the Earth’
136  Part two

3. George Fenton ‘Music for the Blue Planet’ (BBC)

4. Darius Milhaud ‘The Creation of the World’
5. Schonberg ‘Peace on Earth’
6. Joseph Haydn ‘The Creation’
7. Austin Fray & Andrew Christies ‘Symphony for Our World’ (for National Geographic)
8. John Luther Adams ‘Earth and The Great Weather’

Task: Students can work in pairs as part of homework, or they can do this during the lesson.
Each pair should choose to analyse one piece of music and prepare a 5-minute presentation
(with music clips) explaining to their classmates what they thought was represented at each
point in the composition.
Language: This can be a very good introduction for a piece of landscape description, or
a chapter in a book which heavily features Nature.
Drama: Getting into the primitive/natural side of a human character, cave people
Psychology: Different intelligences and environmental influence on intelligence, eth-
nocentrism and cultural relativism in Psychology, Indigenous Psychology, environmental
determinism
Art: Music inspired by the Earth can be used to do illustrations. Students can use
any of the eight music pieces provided in the Music Links. They can research the pieces
either during the first half of the lesson or prior to the lesson (as homework), decide
which one is their favourite and illustrate it in any way or in a specific technique set by
the teacher.
Sport/Dance: Music pieces from the Music Links can be used to choreograph an eco-
inspired or eco-related dance routine.
STEM: Eco-computer programmes or a video game can be designed to encourage ecol-
ogy-related causes or to teach young children about planet Earth and her beauty.
Design and Technology: Design a tool for a ‘Natural Human for the 21st Century.’ It
has to be designed and produced from a material made and sourced from a 100% renewable,
non-polluting source.
Fashion: Make clothes from recycled materials and organise a sustainable Earth Fashion
event. Make sure your designs are inspired by Nature’s role in human life.

‘Love’ grounding meditation** for enrichment of inner

beauty in education**

Key words:  Self-love, positive feelings, positive self-image, self-care

Possible pastoral links: Self-care, positive self-image, confidence, self-harming versus
self-love
Possible academic links: Wellbeing and Psychology
PLEASE NOTE: This meditation is mostly aiming to make students feel good about
themselves and is mainly a wellbeing and pastoral exercise. It is especially helpful to stu-
dents with negative self-image and students with anger issues. This is one of the most beau-
tiful exercises in this book.
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  137

Start by reading the grounding Meditation from page 92 followed by:

Take a very gentle breath through your nose and into your lungs. Gently breathe out. Stay silent
and still for a moment. Imagine a beautiful ball of pink light. (pause 3 sec) See the pink ball
hover over your body and then sink into the ground all around you. (pause 3 sec) Now you are
standing right in the middle of it. The light is pulsating and you feel as if you are in a giant,
pink egg. (pause 5 sec) The egg is everywhere, above your head, below your feet and all around
your body. If you open your arms wide you still cannot touch its edges. Stay there for a moment.
See yourself dancing in the pink egg. (pause 5 sec) Now breathe in, and as you do, inhale the
pink light into your lungs. See your entire lungs glow pink. Gently breathe out. (pause 2 sec)
Now take another breath, and as you inhale, see your whole body ‘breathing in’ the pink light
through every pore in your skin into every cell in your body. With each incoming breath see the
light filling your body up. (pause 6 sec) Breathe in, then out very gently through your nose. This,
time every time you breathe in the pink light, say to yourself: I am surrounded by love. (pause
3 sec) Now say: I accept love. (pause 3 sec) I am lovable. (pause 3 sec) I am lovely. (pause 3 sec)
I embrace love. (pause 3 sec) I am loved and peaceful. (pause 4 sec)
Gently focus on your feet again. Remember you are sitting on the log. In your mind stand
up and walk back to the forest. Focus on your bare feet on the forest floor, feel the cool bed of
leaves touching your toes and your heels. (pause 3 sec) Now slowly bring your awareness to this
room. Feel your feet on the ground. Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you keep focus on
your feet, bring your awareness to this room now fully. Become aware of the chair under your
body. Listen for the sounds around you. Bring your mind back to your feet. Where are they?
Can you feel them? Gently wiggle your toes. Feel the full sensation of the floor beneath your feet.
Slightly press them on the floor. Wiggle your fingers and rub your palms. Move your shoulders.
Take a deep breath. When you are ready slowly open your eyes, first looking down then up and
up until you are looking straight ahead. Do this in your own time. When your eyes are open
give yourself a good stretch if at all possible in silence to give others space to do the same in their
own time.

Activity one (5 minutes): Imagine that your imaginary, most amazing best friend is not
very happy. This person loves you very much and cares about you more than any other
friend in the whole world. They currently need reassurance. You wish to tell your friend just
how special they are and reassure them that everything will be ok. Write five beautiful sen-
tences to give them to read to make them feel beautiful. Don’t think of anyone in particular.
Just imagine this (imaginary) beautiful best friend.
Activity two: Look at the sentences you wrote. Who is the only person who is absolutely
always there for you? Could it be the one inside of your body who is always listening? Is
it you? Consider for a moment that you are your most amazing best friend to whom you
wrote the message. Now try to rewrite the message and change it by including your name
in it, as if you are speaking to yourself.
Activity three: In your mind, read the statements you wrote. Do it slowly, and pause after
each sentence. Really listen to the words. Pay attention to how this might make you feel.
Group homework: Challenge: At home, in front of a mirror, repeat all the lovely sen-
tences you wrote, just this time while looking yourself in a mirror. Try to treat yourself as
you would your best friend. Smile. Note how this experiment makes you feel.
138  Part two

PLEASE NOTE: Students cannot see Activity two before completing Activity one. This
is essential. All activities should be completed in a single session.

‘I calm myself’ grounding meditation**

Stress management and development of focus

Key words:  Calmness, stress relief
Possible pastoral links: Helping students calm down in distressing situations, manag-
ing change from a very stressful situation or a transition from a lively situation to a calm
working atmosphere
Possible academic links: Psychology, Science, stress, anxiety, lack of focus and atten-
tion, exams, tests, performances
PLEASE NOTE: This is an exercise for creating a calm mood and helping students to
re-focus prior to work. It can be used for behaviour management or as an aid for students
with anxiety. Most students will appreciate it before or after a stressful event or prior to
exams.
Start by reading the grounding meditation from page 92 followed by:

Take another breath in gently though your nose, then gently breathe out. Observe your body.
You will now change how you see it in your mind. Imagine it as one compact mass of differ-
ent colours. Examine the colours in various parts of your body. What are they? Where are
they? First examine your head. Which colour is ‘in’ or around your head? (pause 3 sec) If you
‘see’ any dark colours or smoke, take note of where that is. Are they in your head or on top of
your head or around your head? Note this. (pause 5 sec) Imagine there is a hatch at the top
of your head, and open it. (pause 2 sec) Now if there is any greyness or darkness and let it go
out through the open hatch. (pause 3 sec) Remember you are sitting on the log. In your mind
stand up and walk back to the forest. Focus on your bare feet on the forest floor, feel the cool
bed of leaves touching your toes and your heels. (pause 3 sec) Now imagine white light coming
from the blue sky, through the threetops and entering through the top of your head. Let it fill
the gaps left by the departing darkness. Once you have done this, close the top of your head.
(pause 4 sec) Make sure you have closed the hatch. (pause 3 sec) Focus now on your entire
body, looking for any dark colours, any grey or smoky areas. Make a mental note where they
are. (pause 5 sec) Now take another gentle but deep breath, and as you breathe out, ‘push’ the
smoke and greyness through your skin and out of your body. Do this for three gentle breaths.
(pause 4 sec) Now imagine that your whole body is surrounded by the white light. Take a
gentle breath through your nose and breathe this light in, filling any gaps left by the greyness
you expelled. Do this three times. (pause 4 sec) See your body now clean and free of any dark
colours. Feel the calmness. Make sure the hatch at the top of your head is ‘closed.’ (pause 2 sec)
Gently focus on your feet again. Now slowly bring your awareness to this room. Feel your
feet on the ground. Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you keep focus on your feet, bring
your awareness to this room now fully. Become aware of the chair underneath your body.
Listen for the sounds around you. Bring your mind back to your feet. Where are they? Can you
feel them? Gently wiggle your toes. Feel the full sensation of the floor beneath your feet. Slightly
press them on the floor. Wiggle your fingers and rub your palms. Move your shoulders. Take a
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  139

deep breath. When you are ready slowly open your eyes, first looking down then up and up until
you are looking straight ahead. Do this in your own time. When your eyes are open give yourself
a good stretch if at all possible in silence to give others space to do the same in their own time.

Activity one (5 minutes): Give students time to have a chat about what they have experi-
enced, and then they can proceed with any other activity.
Activity two (optional): Ask students to draw their Rainbow Body. They need to use all
the colours of the rainbow to draw and colour their beautiful imaginary selves.

Links

Sport: Stress management to optimise performance, stressors, stress from the environ-
ment, response to stress

‘I accept help’ grounding meditation

Key words:  Receiving, help, accepting, sharing

Possible pastoral links: Learning to accept help from others, de-stigmatising receiving
help, building cooperation within the community
Possible academic/content links: This exercise can be adopted for any subject taught in
a school or elsewhere. Please use the templates supplied below the meditation.
Start by reading the grounding meditation from page 92 followed by:

Think of a time when someone offered to help you with something you needed. (pause 2 sec) Did
you accept this help? Why? Think about your attitude towards accepting help for a moment.
Do you like it? Do you accept and say thank you? Do you find it easy? Or do you feel uncomfort-
able receiving help from others? (pause 3 sec) Take a moment and remember a time when you
were offered help and did not accept it because you did not want to inconvenience others. (pause
5 sec) Notice any tension in your body while thinking about it now. (pause 2 sec) Find where the
tension is located in your body. (pause 2 sec) Imagine the tension as a large, thin piece of glass.
Take a deep breath, and as you breathe out, shatter that tension into thousands of pieces with
your breath. Relax. (pause 4 sec) For a moment, reflect on your attitude towards receiving help,
any help. Perhaps help at school. Maybe help from your friends. Examine now whether you
actually ever ask for help when you need it. Or do you avoid it? (pause 4 sec) How does asking
for help make you feel? (pause 3 sec) Why? (pause 2 sec) Now say to yourself in your mind: ‘I
accept and appreciate help from others. I am open to receiving.’ (pause 2 sec) Say that again.
‘I accept and appreciate help from others. I am open to receiving.’ (pause 3 sec) This is good.
Gently focus on your feet again. Remember you are sitting on the log. In your mind stand up
and walk back to the forest. Focus on your bare feet on the forest floor, feel the cool bed of leaves
touching your toes and your heels. (pause 3 sec) Now slowly bring your awareness to this room.
Feel your feet on the ground. Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you keep focus on your feet,
bring your awareness to this room now fully. Become aware of the chair under your body. Listen
for the sounds around you. Bring your mind back to your feet. Where are they? Can you feel
them? Gently wiggle your toes. Feel the full sensation of the floor beneath your feet. Slightly press
140  Part two

them on the floor. Wiggle your fingers and rub your palms. Move your shoulders. Take a deep
breath. When you are ready slowly open your eyes, first looking down then up and up until you
are looking straight ahead. Do this in your own time. When your eyes are open give yourself
a good stretch if at all possible in silence to give others space to do the same in their own time.

Activity one (5 minutes): Write a short list of a few areas in your life that could benefit from
help from others. Have a think about who could offer this. Plan to ask them.
Activity two: In groups, discuss which skills each person has and whether they could
offer some of their time to help others. Also discuss what various people need help with.
Activity three: As a group, make a table on the wall where people can put their names,
what help they can offer and what they would like help with. Also have a column where
everyone can write the time of day when they are willing to meet up with others to either
help or be helped.
Group homework/extension: Prepare a list of questions/tasks you need help with, and
arrange to meet with your ‘helper’ to do this. Make sure you have some time available if
asked to help others.
PLEASE NOTE: This exercise can be class specific (Class 11B), subject specific (Maths 7H),
department specific (Sports Department) or activity specific (Revision help timetable). It can
be designed to work for a particular subject where people help each other with work (as in
Maths, for example) or particularly for revision. The following table includes examples of both.

11B CLASS LIST OF HELP REQUESTS AND OFFERS

Topic/problem/skill Topic/problem/skill Time and place I can meet up

Name I need help with I can help with for receiving/offering help

Hanna Biology Maths Lunchtime, Monday

Josh Essays/Language Physics Lab 33,1pm
Lucas Art Maths Art room, 3.15 pm
Sofia Drama Hockey Drama studio, 3.15 pm

SPORTS DEPARTMENT LIST OF HELP REQUESTS AND OFFERS

Time and place I can meet up for

Name and class Skill I need help with Skill I can help with receiving/offering help

Harry class 10F Basketball Football/scoring goals Gym, Wednesday before school
Lucy class 7A Dance Netball Gym, 4 pm, Monday
Tara class 7H Netball Dance Gym, lunchtime, Monday
Samuel class 10E Football Hockey Turf, 4 pm, Tuesdays
Note: This can be also made for each year separately for ease of finding help.

7H MATHS CLASS LIST OF HELP REQUESTS AND OFFERS

Topic/problem/skill Topic/problem/skill I Time and place I can meet up for

Name I need help with can help with receiving/offering help

Georgia Algebra Geometry R3 at 3.15 pm, Tuesday

Matthew Fractions Volume/square roots Maths room, Mondays
lunchtime
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  141

YEAR 10 GEOGRAPHY REVISION LIST OF HELP REQUESTS AND OFFERS

Topic I need help Time and place I can meet up for

Name with Topic I can help with receiving/offering help

Georgia 10E Urban issues Coastal landscapes G3 at 3.15 pm, Tuesday

Matthew 10B Rivers Urban issues and G3, Mondays lunchtime
challenges
Note: This can be made for each class separately for ease of finding help.

YEAR 9 DRAMA PARTNERS REQUESTS AND OFFERS

Time I can meet up in

Name Session I need help with Topic I can help with Drama Room

Izzy 9E Partner for practising dialogue Anything from Matilda 4 pm, Mondays
from Matilda
Joel 9B I need someone to pair up for mime Mime and musical Theatre Wednesday after school

This can be subject specific, year and subject specific or just specific to a particular class. It
all depends on how teachers prefer to do this and what will be most productive.
As a rule, students love working with other students, and revision also works well with
this arrangement. It is a two-way learning exercise; students teach others and learn from that
as much as they would from being taught. I use this frequently in my lessons in Psychology
as a frequent 60-second task, where students have to teach each other something they have
just learned about. They really enjoy doing this and feel they are learning much more in the
class during the actual lesson. Their confidence about the subject is also greatly improved
once they realise they can actually teach something they know to someone else.
The major task here is to de-stigmatise asking for help and offering help within their
community. I have devoted two exercises in this book to this issue. I feel students who
actively seek help are the ones who learn more than others. Asking for help is not always
reinforced in the classroom. Once it becomes normalised, students feel relieved to know
that they will not be judged if they ask for help. Also, this particular activity sends a very
strong message that is perfectly normal to know something well but not know all of it just as
well. Also that not being as good as others at the particular skill is not a problem. They also
learn that what they can do is valuable to someone else; therefore, the fact that they need
help with something someone else is good at is not a problem. The process builds a support-
ive community where people feel relaxed about making mistakes, admitting they need help
and seeking it from others. This alone takes a huge amount of pressure from young people
and also prevents a sense of inadequacy, which can be very troublesome for teenagers.

‘I accept change’ fluidity grounding meditation

Key words:  Change, fluidity, adaptation, managing change

Possible pastoral links: Managing change at school or at home, being able to adapt,
starting anew, moving, new school
142  Part two

Possible academic links: Adaptive behaviour (Psychology), seasons, change, evolution,

life processes, growing (Science), Music/Dance (rhythm), etc.
Start by reading the grounding meditation from page 92 followed by:

For a moment, try to remember a change that might have taken place at some point in your
life. Try to chose something reasonably light. You might have changed school, moved to a
new house, met new people, perhaps started a new sport, tried out something difficult or
taken up a new skill. (pause 4 min) Think how you might have changed since. Have you
learned new things as a result? (pause 4 sec) For a moment, consider Nature and its seasons.
Consider how each season has its changes, how at each change Nature follows and makes
the best of each different step. Think of some of these steps now. (pause 4 sec) You are part
of Nature. You also are changing all the time. Nature is changeable and so are you. This
is normal. This can also be exciting. What might be exciting about change? Think about
this. (pause 4 sec) Now think of water. Water runs through any terrain and changes shape
but does not stop flowing. You are like water too. Think of where in your life you are like
water. (pause 4 sec) Are there areas of your life where you could be more fluid? More like
water? Reflect on this. (pause 4 sec) You are always able to change. Imagine yourself move
and change and adapt but also, most important, grow all along. Don’t worry about any
resources you might need to help you change in the direction you wish to go. Just imagine
it is happening. (pause 6 sec) This is natural, this is good. Being changeable and being like
water is good. Remember this feeling of water.
Gently focus on your feet again. Remember you are sitting on the log. In your mind stand
up and walk back to the forest. Focus on your bare feet on the forest floor, feel the cool bed of
leaves touching your toes and your heels. (pause 3 sec) Now slowly bring your awareness to this
room. Feel your feet on the ground. Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you keep focus on
your feet, bring your awareness to this room now fully. Become aware of the chair under your
body. Listen for the sounds around you. Bring your mind back to your feet. Where are they?
Can you feel them? Gently wiggle your toes. Feel the full sensation of the floor beneath your feet.
Slightly press them on the floor. Wiggle your fingers and rub your palms. Move your shoulders.
Take a deep breath. When you are ready slowly open your eyes, first looking down then up and
up until you are looking straight ahead. Do this in your own time. When your eyes are open
give yourself a good stretch if at all possible in silence to give others space to do the same in their
own time.

Activity one (5 minutes): On a sheet of paper write as many sentences as you wish about
change, in your life or in general. Try to make them either neutral or positive.
Activity two: Discuss in groups: Are we humans like water or like a stone? Fluid or carved in
stone forever? Write down some ideas on sheets from a Post-It pad and stick them around the
room. Come back to this at the end of the lesson and discuss it again.
Activity three: Make a timeline of all changes that took place in your education.
Include all changes that took place and key skills gained as a result. Make sure you include
your extracurricular activities as well as the activities you might have started outside of
school.
Activity three II: Make a timeline of changes in your life so far. Try to find at least one
good thing about every change that took place. Provide a column for listing skills you might
have gained from each change.
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  143

An example of a timeline

When did this happen? What changed? What skill did I learn from it?

Age 11 Moved town and school Learned to make new friends

Joined new sport I am good at basketball
Age 12 Bought a guitar I can play music
Age 13 Joined a band I can compose with others

Things I would like to be more flexible about

I would like to be more flexible about  .

because  .
This will improve  .
I could try .
And if that does not quite work, I could 
.
If I learn __________________________________that might help me with 
 .
I could ask __________________________________ to help me with 
 .
Maybe I am worrying too much about .
I could try to think about it in a different way. Perhaps I could
__________________________________. I will try this by______________20 .

‘I am a miracle, therefore I can create anything and achieve

anything’ grounding meditation

Key words:  Creativity, creation, ideas, boundaries, the universe and I, miracles
Possible pastoral links: Self-value, the beauty of life, being alive, happiness
Possible academic links: Universe, space, Biology, genetics, natural selection, determinism
PLEASE NOTE: For this meditation students need to imagine very abstract concepts.
This meditation needs to be read rather slowly to give students time to create, in their
minds, images which they have never seen in real life.
Start by reading the grounding meditation from page 92 followed by:

Focus on yourself for a moment. You are here, sitting on this chair, within this room, within
this building, within this street. (pause 2 sec) The street is in this town, in this area, in our
country, on the continent, on this beautiful planet Earth. (pause 2 sec) The Earth herself
144  Part two

is in our galaxy, the Milky Way. The Milky Way is in the vast universe, where there are
millions of galaxies in the ever-expanding universe. (pause 2 sec) Everything expands all
the time. The universe is the most creative thing in our reality, and you are part of that uni-
verse. Creativity and expansion are the most dominant characteristics of anything in exist-
ence. … (pause 2 sec) Now consider this. Imagine just how many people had to meet for you
to be born. Huge chains of people had to be in the right place in the right time throughout
thousands of years so you could arrive into existence exactly as you are. How miraculous
is that? Think about it. Try to imagine this incredible chain of people ending with you
right now. (pause 4 sec) Consider for a moment how everyone is a miracle. Consider that
every person in existence was born out of millions of coincidences, perfectly lined up over
thousands of years for them to become, to be born. Ponder this wondrous thought. (pause
3 sec) How does this make you feel? Pay attention to that. (pause 3 sec) Hold that thought
and that feeling. (pause 2 sec) If you are here, you must be a miracle. And if the miracle of
you is possible, anything is possible. You are miraculous, therefore you can almost miracu-
lously achieve anything. Compared to what the universe needed to organise to get you here,
nothing is impossible for you. You must be able to do anything because you are a product
of that miracle. Consider this idea. (pause 4 sec) Now think of one thing you really want
to do. (pause 4 sec) Don’t worry about how you will get there, just see it in your mind’s eye
already done. (pause 5 sec) Now feel it. Really focus on how it feels to have it, or be it, or
experience it. Soak up this feeling in every cell in your body. Stay with that for the moment.
(pause 5 sec)
Gently focus on your feet again. Remember you are sitting on the log. In your mind stand
up and walk back to the forest. Focus on your bare feet on the forest floor, feel the cool bed of
leaves touching your toes and your heels. (pause 3 sec) Now slowly bring your awareness to this
room. Feel your feet on the ground. Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you keep focus on
your feet. bring your awareness to this room now fully. Become aware of the chair under your
body. Listen for the sounds around you. Bring your mind back to your feet. Where are they?
Can you feel them? Gently wiggle your toes. Feel the full sensation of the floor beneath your feet.
Slightly press them on the floor. Wiggle your fingers and rub your palms. Move your shoulders.
Take a deep breath. When you are ready slowly open your eyes. first looking down then up and
up until you are looking straight ahead. Do this in your own time. When your eyes are open
give yourself a good stretch if at all possible in silence to give others space to do the same in their
own time.

Activity one (5 minutes): On a sheet of paper, write as many sentences as you wish about you
as you see yourself now. Think about this idea of you as this miraculous being. Really engage
with this idea and believe it. Be free to write whatever comes to your mind. Remember to
enjoy it.
Activity two: In pairs, discuss how looking at yourselves as miraculous beings changes
how you see yourselves and others. What is the impact of this?
Activity three:
Debate the following:

• Have we forgotten how special life is?

• Are we all very special for just being here?
• What is the value of us to our ancestors? Are we appreciating their investments in us?
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  145

• Homework: Try to find out who your ancestors were, going back as far as possible. Use
Post-It notes, and stick the line of people you find in order. Write as much about them
on each Post-It as you can find out. Once you are happy you have found all the people
you can include, answer the following questions:
• What have you learned about your ancestral past?
• How does this impact how you see yourself?
• For the very next lesson, bring something interesting (if you find it) about your ancestors
to share with others.

Links

Science/Psychology: Universe, space, black holes, genetics, heredity, hybrids, genotype

and phenotype, biological explanations for behaviour, Biological Psychology, biological
explanations for criminal behaviour, origin of life, determinism
Psychology (including Forensic Psychology for A level)
THEME ONE: Links can be made to Eysenck’s Personality Theory.
Activity one: Find Eysenck’s Personality Test online and take the test. After reading your
results, analyse whether there are any similarities between your personality (behaviour)
and your parents’ personalities. Are there similarities? What are the differences?
Activity two: Compare results with the person next to you. Are they similar?
Debate (between two groups): Is our personality determined by our genes or by our environ-
ment? Why? Justify your views.
THEME TWO: Explanations for Criminal Behaviour, biological explanations, genetics,
crime running in families
Activity one: In pairs, research the following names:

• Cesare Lombroso
• Adrian Raine Maybe look into Italian Mafia and family links PLEASE NOTE: (beware of
images while researching criminal families as they can be violent, websites best chosen
by a teacher ahead of the lesson)

Debate (in two groups, one group should be for, and one should oppose, biological determinism):

• Is criminal behaviour determined by our ancestral genes or is it determined by environmental

influences?

*Each group needs to prepare a firm argument, with notes, before the debate.
Language: Family stories, autobiography, biography, descriptions, narration, poetry,
oral traditions, epic poems, science fiction novels
Activity one: Research family sagas in World Literature. Chose something you find
interesting, and while reading, take notes about all the ancestral and family ties which
impacted the destinies of important characters.
Philosophy and Ethics, Religious Education: Miracles, soul, origin of life, creation,
spirit, afterlife, rebirth, reincarnation, beliefs about God, the role of tradition in religion,
determinism, Buddhist and Hindu ideas of rebirth and reincarnation
146  Part two

Debate (in two groups):

• Is karma ours alone or could some of our ancestral karma also be considered influential in our
lives following reincarnation?
• Each group needs to prepare a firm argument, with notes, before the debate.

History: Ancestors, local history, heritage, WWI and WWII, local records, family his-
tory, dynasties, making of timelines
Geography/History: Human geography, local geography
Activity one: Human geography – research the earliest human settlements. Look up:

• Homo erectus, Africa and non-Arctic Eurasia

• Fossils at Jebel Irhoud, Morocco
• Neanderthals and Danisovans
• Omo Kibish Formations, Ethiopia
• Klasies River Caves, South Africa
• Singa, Africa
• Jabel Faya, United Arab Emirates

Maths: Probability (of something happening, such as our being born of our parents)
Activity one: History of numbers – What or who was Aryabhatt? Who invented ‘0’ (zero)?
Who was Pythagoras?
Activity two: Create a mathematical chronology, and place as many famous mathema-
ticians as possible in the right places on the timeline. Make sure you begin as far in the
History of Mathematics as you can , beginning with antiquity.
Activity three: Stick all timelines in the class on the walls around the classroom, and
analyse what everyone has created. Different people may have come across different math-
ematicians. Take notes of any you were previously unaware of.
Link further with Geography: Put your Mathematicians from the historical line on the
map and analyse where they have come from and how many in each area.
Drama: Getting into the characters of historic events, imagining historical places or
imagining science-fiction surroundings
Drama history task: Research the following and create a presentation for your class:

• The Theatre of Dionysus Eleuthereus, Athens (Greece)

• Teatro Olimpico, Vicenza (Italy)
• Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, London (UK)
• Bristol Old Vic, Bristol (UK)
• Walnut Street Theatre, Pennysylvania (USA)
• Beijing opera, Beijing (China)
• Sanskrit Theatre (India)
• French Baroque Theatre (France)

Music: Medieval music, Medieval Babes (female band singing in ancient languages such
as old English, Latin and Gaelic), classical music, music/instruments of antiquity, Hurrian
Hymn, history of music
Art: History of art, science fiction and fantasy art, cave paintings (earliest art)
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  147

Activity one (Art History) Look up some of the oldest paintings:

• Venus of Hohle Fels (38,000–33,000 BC)

• Lion Man of the Hohlenstein Stadel (38,000 BC)
• Sulawesi Cave Art (37,900 BC)
• El Castillo Cave Paintings (Red Disk) (39,000 BC)
• La Ferrassie Cave Petroglyphs (60,000 BC)
• Diepkloof Eggshell Engravings (60,000 BC)

‘Many sides of me’ grounding meditation

Key words:  Identity, trinity, personality, variety

Possible pastoral links: Identity, family, fullness of life, personality
Possible academic links: Personality, the Holy Trinity, Trimūrti
Start by reading the grounding meditation from page 92 followed by:

Now focus on yourself as a person. What would you say if someone asked you who are you?
(pause 3 sec) Look at yourself from different angles. You are someone’s daughter or son, also
maybe a sister or brother, a cousin. (pause 2 sec) Remember you are also a member of our com-
munity here, a student in this school, and perhaps a member of a school club. (pause 2 sec) Then
there is more: You are someone’s friend, a classmate. You might also be a ballerina, a dancer or
a singer, perhaps a brilliant football player or other athlete. (pause 3 sec) You might be an art-
ist or a scientist, perhaps a carer or a neighbour. All of these are you, and you are all of them.
Consider this for a moment. (pause 3 sec) Try to think of as many different roles you play in
your life as possible. (pause 6 sec) These are all sides of you. You cannot be defined by any of
them alone. Think about that for a moment. Can you put all these roles in order of importance?
(pause 3 sec) Try to see yourself in your mind now. What would you say if someone asked who
you are? (pause 5 sec)
Gently focus on your feet again. Remember you are sitting on the log. In your mind stand
up and walk back to the forest. Focus on your bare feet on the forest floor, feel the cool bed of
leaves touching your toes and your heels. (pause 3 sec) Now slowly bring your awareness to this
room. Feel your feet on the ground. Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you keep focus on
your feet, bring your awareness to this room now fully. Become aware of the chair under your
body. Listen for the sounds around you. Bring your mind back to your feet. Where are they?
Can you feel them? Gently wiggle your toes. Feel the full sensation of the floor beneath your feet.
Slightly press them on the floor. Wiggle your fingers and rub your palms. Move your shoulders.
Take a deep breath. When you are ready slowly open your eyes, first looking down then up and
up until you are looking straight ahead. Do this in your own time. When your eyes are open
give yourself a good stretch if at all possible in silence to give others space to do the same in their
own time.

Activity one (5 minutes): Try to formulate who you are in three sentences. Can you do it?
Activity two: In groups, discuss whether it is possible to sum up a person in a few sen-
tences. Can anyone sum up themselves and all the facets of their life in one precise whole?
Challenge: Give this a go in pairs.
148  Part two

Activity three: Write a description of yourself in the third person. Make sure you rep-
resent yourself in the best possible light. Make sure you remember and include everything
you feel good about (things you have done, created, achieved, become) and mention all your
good sides. Also make sure you include things you think need improvement.
PLEASE NOTE: For this exercise especially, write about any negatives in a positive
light. For example, if you are not very good at Maths, you might write:

• ‘(name)’s__ Maths is getting so much better lately, soon ___ will be excellent at Maths.’

Make sure you are really positive and forgiving about the person’s (yourself in third person)
actions and abilities while writing about ‘them.’ See them at their best at all times.
Group homework/PROJECT: Make a collage out of your definitions of who you are,
and hang it on the wall in your room to remind you about all the great things you are doing
in your life. Include all the improvements as if they have already happened, just like in your
piece of writing in the third person (from ‘Activity three’). Make sure you put a date at the
back of the collage. A few months later (at least three months) reflect on the things you
needed to improve, and analyse what happened. Are you better at any of them? Why? How?

Links

Language: Autobiography/biography/creative writing – Create a story about you as a char-

acter in a book or biography, or just write a detailed description of your character as a sepa-
rate piece of creative writing. If your character is in a novel, make sure you tell the story of
your character’s life in no more than 500 words. If your character is in a biography, write a
detailed description of yourself in the third person, and make sure you describe other peo-
ple involved in the development of your identity. Make sure to be very positive about this
person’s life, and don’t worry if you are making the life story better than it actually is! This
is essential for the task.
Poetry: Write a rap about different sides of yourself. Try to make it a bit funny.
Psychology: Self-image, unconditional positive regard, humanist approach, nature ver-
sus nurture, influence of environment, behaviourist approach, Beck’s Triad
Activity one (links to behaviourist approach, humanist approach, Hierarchy of Needs,
self-actualisation, Abraham Maslow):
Analyse your interests:

• Are there any areas of your life which might have been influenced by the behaviourist
approach within society? Why? Explain how you think this has happened.
• Are there any areas of yourself that you would like to develop further, as in Humanist
Approach – Hierarchy of Needs and self-actualisation. Why is this important? How will you
go ahead with this?

PSHE: Family and my place within it, identity, influence of environment, self-image
Religious Education: Christianity (Holy Trinity) Hinduism (Trimūrti) – understanding
the abstract concepts of different sides to the same God, Supreme Being, Deity, higher pow-
ers, Hinduism – different Gods and Goddesses and their ‘qualities’ and correspondences.
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  149

Activity one: Describe how Trimūrti in Hinduism works. Who is involved?

Activity two: Explain how Trimūrti maintains the world as it is. Make sure you use all
three qualities of Gods to explain the process.
Activity three: Does Trimūrti relate in any way to the concept of the Holy Trinity in
Christianity? Compare and contrast. Are there similarities? What are the main differences?
Make sure you use at least two reasons to back each of your points.
Drama: Write and perform a monologue, with each paragraph to be spoken by a ‘dif-
ferent you.’ If at all possible, make sure your monologue describes you as a person through
your life and your interactions with others.
Maths: Use the list of different roles you play in your own life, and calculate percentages
for the different roles. Draw a pie chart presenting the different sides of yourself in appropri-
ate fraction chunks.

‘Body, mind and environment, I am part of my universe’

grounding meditation

Key words:  Space, the universe, the solar system, human experience, humans’ place in
the universe
Possible academic pastoral links: Beauty of life, humans’ place in the universe
Possible academic links: Some specific links have been suggested in the Links below.
PLEASE NOTE: This exercise is a variation of ‘I am a miracle, therefore I can create any-
thing and achieve anything’ and also has to be read slowly enough so the participants have
time to imagine the abstract concept they are engaging with. Try doing this one yourself
first, to experience what your students will be doing. Please note the full stops and commas;
they should help you with the reading pace.
Start by reading the grounding meditation from page 92 followed by:

Become aware of yourself right now. You are sitting on this chair, just now. In this room. In
this building. On this patch of land. See that in your mind for a moment. (pause 2 sec) Now go
further. You are in this chair, in this room, on this patch of land, in this town. In this country.
On this continent. On this beautiful planet …. The planet is spinning on its axis. Imagine
that. There is no up or down. Our planet is in space, just floating and spinning around. (pause
3 sec) Earth is in the solar system. With you on it, Earth travels around the sun. Imagine that.
(pause 3 sec) The solar system is on the edge of our galaxy, the Milky Way. The Milky Way
is in the universe with billions of other galaxies. Imagine that. (pause 3 sec) The expanding
universe is getting bigger with every breath you take. You are part of it. Imagine this (pause
6 sec) You are a living universe within a vast universe. You are life within the universe. Imagine
this. (pause 4 sec) You are a living dot in the living universe. The life of the unimaginably vast
universe is pulsating through you. You are linked to it. How does this make you feel? (pause
6 sec) Take this feeling with you.
Gently focus on your feet again. Remember you are sitting on the log. In your mind stand up
and walk back to the forest. Focus on your bare feet on the forest floor, feel the cool bed of leaves
touching your toes and your heels. (pause 3 sec) Now slowly bring your awareness to this room.
Feel your feet on the ground. Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you keep focus on your feet,
150  Part two

bring your awareness to this room now fully. Become aware of the chair under your body. Listen
for the sounds around you. Bring your mind back to your feet. Where are they? Can you feel
them? Gently wiggle your toes. Feel the full sensation of the floor beneath your feet. Slightly press
them on the floor. Wiggle your fingers and rub your palms. Move your shoulders. Take a deep
breath. When you are ready slowly open your eyes, first looking down then up and up until you
are looking straight ahead. Do this in your own time. When your eyes are open give yourself
a good stretch if at all possible in silence to give others space to do the same in their own time.

Activity one (5 minutes): Write five words that describe your feelings from this meditation.
Activity two: In groups, discuss what you have just experienced. Talk about any insights
you might have had during meditation. Write your insights on Post-It notes and stick them
on the wall.
Activity three: Walk around the room and read what was written by your classmates
on the Post-It notes. Consider other people’s insights, and prepare one question to ask in a
group Q&A session.
Q&A session: Each person should ask the question they prepared regarding one of the
Post-It notes. The person who wrote the note should answer the question.

Reflection/discussion/debate:
• Can we really understand our life on this planet if we forget the larger picture?
• How does thinking about the ‘floating Earth’ impact our experience on living on it?
• How does this impact our experience of our universe?

Group homework/extension/project work:

• Find some beautiful images and some videos of the universe and the Earth. Watch
David Attenborough’s Our Planet.

Share your resources with others during the very next lesson.

Links

Science: Space, universe, the solar system, Terra, the Gaia Theory, the Big Bang, Physics,
Astronomy. Famous scientists: James Lovelock, Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Newton
Physics: Laws of Nature, gravity, forces, mechanics
Ecology: Our relationship with our environment, our place in the environment

Project work, research the documentaries:

• Blue Gold – World Water Wars
• March of the Penguins
• Home
• Orbit; Earth’s Extraordinary Journey
• Forces of Nature
• Chasing Ice
• Frozen Planet: On Thin Ice
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  151

• Encounters at the End of the World

• Life in the Blue
• Into the Inferno (very good for grounding)

Philosophy and Ethics, Religious Education: God, creation stories, stewardship

Activity: Split in two groups (Group 1 – Agree, and Group 2 – Disagree).
Debate: Humans have lost their ability to have personal relationships with Nature. This is the
cause of our destructive behaviour towards our environment.
Language: Space in literature, heavenly bodies in literature, descriptions of the sky in litera-
ture, symbolism of the moon and stars in poetry – “Year of Meteors (1859–60)” by Walt Whitman.
STEM: Virtual reality, space programme, NASA
Design and Technology: Design a logo for a space programme, improve the functional-
ity of an object for a space station, improve the functionality of a space suit
Media: Investigate reporting of the moon landing in 1960s media and now. Watch 2001: A
Space Odyssey and discuss how the audience would perceive it in the 21st century.
Music: Look for the following examples of music inspired by and created on the theme
of space:

• David Bowie – ‘Space Oddity’

• The Police – ‘Walking on the Moon’
• Chris De Burgh – ‘A Spaceman Came Travelling’
• Babylon Zoo – ‘Spaceman’
• Ash – ‘Girl from Mars’
• Gustav Holst – ‘The Planets’
• Pink Floyd – ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’
• The Prodigy – ‘Out of Space’
• Europe – ‘The Final Countdown’
• Public Service Broadcasting – ‘The Race for Space’

Art: Analyse the following pieces of art inspired by the sky:

• Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh, 1888

• Starry Night Over the Rhone by Vincent van Gogh, 1888
• Landscape with Clerks Studying Astronomy and Geometry, unknown artist
• The Great Comet of 1680 over Rotterdam by Lieve Verschuier, 1680
• The Meteor by Frederic Edwin Church, 1860

Art Task two: Analyse and paint/draw/carve/sculpt objects in our universe.

Drama: Write a script for a science fiction scene in a film.

‘Many ways of giving’ grounding meditation

Key words:  Giving, beauty, gifts, sharing, helping, charity, community, support,
philanthropy
Possible pastoral links: Sharing, community, support, helping, receiving help
152  Part two

Possible academic content: Poverty, sociology, religions: Golden Rule, scriptures, char-
ity work, sociology, slums, Ethics, virtue ethics
Start by reading the grounding meditation from page 92 followed by:

Take another deep breath. Take a moment to feel the calmness. Now try to remember when you
last received a gift. Try to think of any gift, no matter how small. It really could have been any-
thing, big or small. Anything from a beautiful object to a simple smile. It does not matter what
it was, as long as it made you happy. (pause 4 sec) Try to remember how you felt; recollect the
feeling. (pause 3 sec) Now try to remember the last time you gave a gift to someone else. How did
that feel? (pause 4 sec) Go further and think of a time when someone made you feel good but not
necessarily by giving you something physical. This might have been when someone gave you a
hug. Or maybe someone told you kind and beautiful words. It should be something that made
you feel happy, loved and warm inside. (pause 5 sec) How did that actually feel? Recollect that
feeling. (pause 5 sec) Now try to remember when you have comforted someone else and made
them feel better when they needed it. Perhaps you told someone their situation wasn’t so bad,
or perhaps you just spent some time with them when they did not want to be alone. (pause
3 sec) How did that feel? (pause 3 sec) Think of a time when you did something beautiful for
someone else just because you liked them. They might not have needed this. (pause 3 sec) Doing
something lovely for a person can sometimes be in your mind. Perhaps you remember when you
wished something beautiful for another person. When you sent them beautiful feelings from
within you. Or perhaps you want to do that now. (pause 5 sec) Take this feeling with you.
Saturate your whole being with that. (pause 3 sec) Take another gentle breath.
Gently focus on your feet again. Remember you are sitting on the log. In your mind stand
up and walk back to the forest. Focus on your bare feet on the forest floor, feel the cool bed of
leaves touching your toes and your heels. (pause 3 sec) Now slowly bring your awareness to this
room. Feel your feet on the ground. Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you keep focus on
your feet, bring your awareness to this room now fully. Become aware of the chair under your
body. Listen for the sounds around you. Bring your mind back to your feet. Where are they?
Can you feel them? Gently wiggle your toes. Feel the full sensation of the floor beneath your feet.
Slightly press them on the floor. Wiggle your fingers and rub your palms. Move your shoulders.
Take a deep breath. When you are ready slowly open your eyes, first looking down then up and
up until you are looking straight ahead. Do this in your own time. When your eyes are open
give yourself a good stretch if at all possible in silence to give others space to do the same in their
own time.

Activity one (5 minutes): Write a list of things that you have remembered giving, trying
to focus less on objects and more on actions. This can be anything from giving someone a
smile to helping someone with homework or including them in a group. Include anything
nice you have done for another person.
Activity two: In pairs, discuss what could be included in ‘giving.’ Compare each other’s lists.

Debate in two groups:

• Is giving just the passing of objects from one person to another?
• Is smiling at someone giving?
• Is a kind word a gift that can be given?
• Is time something that can be given as a gift?
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  153

• Is a beautiful wish something that can be a gift?

• Is giving just as good as receiving?
• Should we be able to do both equally? Why?

Task in pairs: Include all the giving ideas you discussed in Activity two in one written list,
and grade them by value. Can this be done? Consider whether different people value differ-
ent gestures in different ways. Find some examples. Justify your opinions.

Group homework/extension (options):

1. Create a Giving List for your class and put it on the wall somewhere visible and acces-
sible to everyone. Make columns for people to write what they gave each month. This
list can be anonymous or with names. Reflect on your giving as a class each month.
Talk about beautiful things you have done. They can be very little things. Don’t forget
to mention the deeds of people who wrote anonymously. Give everyone involved group
appreciation in exchange.
2. Create a pocket for each member of your class and put their name on it. Each month
everyone in the room should receive a least one lovely, anonymous message from some-
one else in the class. This could be perhaps thanking them for something or appreciat-
ing something they have done. They can be thanked for anything, or they can receive
a simple picture of a smile. The group should make sure that each member receives at
least one message each month. Do this for three months. Consider having a meeting to
discuss and reflect on how this has made people feel.

Example template for the Giving List

Giving List Name: What I gave this month

☺ Taught my little brother to ride a bike

Sasha Taught exam dance routine for a whole hour to another student
Listened to upset friend
Mark Cooked dinner last night so mum can have the night off with her cold. She loved
my awesome 5 toppings pizza!
x Shared my lunch on Tuesday with someone who forgot theirs

Option two: This can be done just as messages on Post-It notes on the wall around the
classroom.

Links

Religious Education:

• Christianity: Love thy neighbour, scripture: Jesus feeding the 5000. Bible (Matthew 14:13-21),
charity (Matthew 25: 35-4) , poverty, suffering, Golden Rule, agape
• Islam: Five Pillars – Zakat, Golden Rule
• Hinduism: Karma, Golden Rule
• Sikhism: Places of worship – Gurdwara, feeding the community – Langar, Golden Rule
154  Part two

• Jewish Philanthropy: The concept of Tzedakah

• Buddhism: Suffering, life of Buddha, ‘compassion in action,’ compassion, living right,
five precepts
• Debate: Is charity always good? Do people need charity or do they need help to create a better
world for themselves in which they will never need charity handouts again?

Philosophy and Ethics: Giving, philanthropy, beneficence, virtue ethics, goodness, virtue,
Nietzsche, Machiavelli
Geography: Population, human settlements, urban living, slums
Sociology: Social inequality, slums
Drama: Building a community and trust exercises, sharing views about performance
Psychology, science: Social psychology, serotonin, social loafing
Maths: Fractions and percentages, calculating percentages with examples of different chari-
ties and their work, calculating percentages of money collected in Britain for Comic Relief
(the Red Nose Day) for different causes.
History: WWI, WWII, giving to others, sacrifice
Language: Giving, beauty, charity and community in literature
Art: Great examples of art inspired by others, including architecture, giving in art
Sport: Giving to team members, supporting and appreciating each other
Design and Technology: Design a product suitable to be given to people as charity.
Consider disability, poverty and undeveloped countries. The product must be suitable for
anyone, including people without electricity.
STEM: Design a computer programme that would allow people to make charity
payments.
Media: Find, watch and critique a movie which deals with philanthropy.

‘Animal world and I’ grounding meditation

Key words:  Animal rights, ethical issues in research, animal research, behaviour
Possible pastoral links: Empathy, ethics, love for animals, pets, links to Nature
Possible academic content: Ethics, Biology, Science, Psychology, ethical issues, research,
Sociology, animal behaviour, animal testing, PSHE, Ecology, Religious Education,
stewardship
Start by reading the grounding meditation from page 92 followed by:

Take another deep breath. For a moment think about the animal world. Do you live with an
animal in your household? Or do you like a particular species of animal? Try to think about it
right this moment. (pause 3 sec) Now try to remember the last time you had an actual real-life
encounter with any animal. Recall this as clearly as you can. (pause 4 sec) First try to think
about this animal’s behaviour. What have you noticed about it? If you have been in its presence,
or if you have seen others with it, how did the animal respond to humans? Did it interact with
or ignore humans? (pause 3 sec) If there was an interaction, what did the animal do? Recollect
that in your mind. (pause 3 sec) Try to remember the face and especially the eyes. Did the eyes
have depth? Was there a feeling someone was looking out through the eyes at you? (pause
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  155

3 sec) Did you have a feeling there was almost a person or an intelligent being in there? Did it
feel intelligent in any way? (pause 3 sec) Did you feel any emotions while interacting with the
animal? Did the animal express some emotion in its own way? What emotion? (pause 3 sec)
Was the feeling good, lovely and warm? Try to remember any connection you might have felt at
that time. (pause 4 sec)
Gently focus on your feet again. Remember you are sitting on the log. In your mind stand
up and walk back to the forest. Focus on your bare feet on the forest floor, feel the cool bed of
leaves touching your toes and your heels. (pause 3 sec) Now slowly bring your awareness to this
room. Feel your feet on the ground. Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you keep focus on
your feet, bring your awareness to this room now fully. Become aware of the chair under your
body. Listen for the sounds around you. Bring your mind back to your feet. Where are they?
Can you feel them? Gently wiggle your toes. Feel the full sensation of the floor beneath your feet.
Slightly press them on the floor. Wiggle your fingers and rub your palms. Move your shoulders.
Take a deep breath. When you are ready slowly open your eyes, first looking down then up and
up until you are looking straight ahead. Do this in your own time. When your eyes are open
give yourself a good stretch if at all possible in silence to give others space to do the same in their
own time.

Activity one (5 minutes): Write down your impression of the animal you have just medi-
tated about. Write down anything you consider important. There is no right and wrong
because this is your personal experience.
Activity two: In groups, discuss your experiences. Talk about what you have noticed,
which animal was ‘in’ your mind and how it made you feel.

Debate the following themes in two groups:

• Should we test products on animals?
• Should we use animals for scientific purposes?
• Are animals beings with feelings and emotions, just like us humans?
• How much love can an animal give?
• Should animals have the same rights as people? Why?
• Who stands for animal rights?

Each group should report to the whole class what you have decided were the right answers.
Exchange opinions.
Homework/extension work: Research animal rights laws in your country. Investigate
what the law says about animal emotions, pain and scientific testing. Report your opinion.
Consider whether you agree with those laws. If you do not, consider designing a letter or a
campaign. Write a poem or a rap, make a piece of art or write a story to support your view.
Bring the work to your next lesson for your teacher to help you share with others, via either
a school website or a different platform.

Links

Ecology: Our relationship with animals, extinction of animals, ecosystems

Activity one: Watch March of the Penguins and discuss the importance of this movie.
156  Part two

Psychology: Attachment theory – animal research, Lorenz and Harlow research, animal
behaviour versus human behaviour, biological approach, ethical issues in research, valid-
ity, behaviourist approach – stimulus-response (SR) explanation for behaviour, classical and
operant conditioning
Science: Animal testing, ethics within research, validity, biology
Philosophy and Ethics, Religious Education, Personal, Social and Health Education:
Animal rights, animal testing, the sentient nature of animals, animals and pain, the concept
of Ahimsa in Hinduism,
Drama: Becoming an animal in a character
Activity one: Watch the following film, and analyse how the relationship between ani-
mals and humans is portrayed:

• A Dog’s Purpose

Music: Chose three pieces of music and listen to them. Describe what you heard and how it
corresponds to animals. Classical pieces inspired by animals:

• Ralph Vaughan Williams – ‘The Lark Ascending’

• Aaron Copland – ‘The Red Pony Suite’
• George Gershwin – ‘Walking the Dog’
• Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov –‘ Flight of the Bumblebee’
• Sibelius – ‘The Swan of Tuonela’
• Tchaikovsky –‘ Swan Lake’
• Mussorgsky – ‘Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks’
• Prokofiev – ‘Peter and the Wolf’
• Strauss II – ‘Nachtigall’

Language: Aesop’s fables, onomatopoeia, poem writing, description in creative writing

Activity one: Read George Orwell’s Animal Farm. Write an essay explaining how the ani-
mal characters are used to represent humanity.
Activity two: Read the famous poem by Russian poet Sergei Yesenin ‘The Bitch’ and ana-
lyse the relationship between humans and animals, as described in the poem. Discuss as a
whole class what this poem’s message is.
Art: Shapes and colours of animals, animal eyes
Art Task 1: Look up the Lascaux cave paintings.
Art Task 2: Find three paintings from the list below, and conduct research into the artist.
Design this as a double-page spread in your sketchbook.

• Lascaux cave paintings (ancient times)

• Young Hare by Albrecht Dürer (1502)
• The Goldfinch by Carel Fabritius (1654)
• Whistlejacket by George Stubbs (1762)
• The Horse Fair by Rosa Bonheur (1855)
• Surprised! by Henri Rousseau (1891)
• Blue Horses by Franz Marc (1911)
• Two Cats by Suzanne Valadon (1918)
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  157

Drama/Musical Theatre/Dance:

• Listen to the musical numbers in Cats, and learn to perform ‘Macavity.’

• Research and create a piece of writing about Andrew Lloyd Webber and his work.

Sport: Copy the movement of animals or a particular animal.

Media, Activity One: Watch any of the following and analyse the special effects:

• Babe (1995)
• Hachi: A Dog’s Tale (2009)
• Firehouse Dog (2007)
• Marmaduke (2010)
• Hotel for Dogs (2009)
• Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008)
• Charlotte’s Web (2006)

Activity Two (stretch and challenge): Watch different versions of the film Animal Farm and
discuss how humanity is represented by the animal characters.

‘How do I feel about the creative universe I am part of?’

grounding meditation

Key words:  Creativity, the Big Bang, creation stories of the world, beginning of the uni-
verse, manifestation of the material world, Sir Thomas Aquinas, William Paley, omnisci-
ence of God, essence of God, Teleological Argument, Watchmaker, Design Argument,
Genesis, origins of life, evolution, Darwin
Possible pastoral links: Who am I? Equality, what I believe about my world, my place
in my universe
Possible academic content links: Adapted for development of critical thinking and cre-
ative thinking within the classroom and at home. Can be linked to Science, Philosophy,
Religious Education, Art, Drama, PSHE, tutor time, Ethics and Critical Thinking, scripture
study (Genesis).
Start by reading the grounding meditation from page 92 followed by:

Focus for a moment on a story of _________ (creation story or Big Bang, or another story relat-
ing to the creation of anything). Use your imagination to see how the event unfolded. Imagine its
first beginnings. Imagine light solidifying and creating the very first cell of this event. (pause 3 sec)
Imagine the heat as the original energy is being manifested. Imagine different colours that might
have materialised. Imagine you are there and observing the event as it unfolds. Try to imagine as
many details as you can. (pause 6 sec) Feel the tension as the power of energy is about to explode
into a physical manifestation. How does this feel to witness? Take a moment to absorb the atmos-
phere of this event. (pause 5 sec) Now imagine the explosion of natural creativity, the movement of
energy and atoms as it grew into the perfect self. Take a moment to imagine the process. (pause 3 sec)
First it was small. Then, cell by cell, it grew bigger and bigger. It took shape and form. It began as
a flash of light, and then its form developed suddenly with life literally bursting out of it. Imagine
this. (pause 4 sec) Feel this. (pause 5 sec) Make a mental picture and take this with you. (pause 3 sec)
158  Part two

Gently focus on your feet again. Remember you are sitting on the log. In your mind stand up
and walk back to the forest. Focus on your bare feet on the forest floor, feel the cool bed of leaves
touching your toes and your heels. (pause 3 sec) Now slowly bring your awareness to this room.
Feel your feet on the ground. Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you keep focus on your feet,
bring your awareness to this room now fully. Become aware of the chair under your body. Listen
for the sounds around you. Bring your mind back to your feet. Where are they? Can you feel
them? Gently wiggle your toes. Feel the full sensation of the floor beneath your feet. Slightly press
them on the floor. Wiggle your fingers and rub your palms. Move your shoulders. Take a deep
breath. When you are ready slowly open your eyes, first looking down then up and up until you
are looking straight ahead. Do this in your own time. When your eyes are open give yourself
a good stretch if at all possible in silence to give others space to do the same in their own time.

Links

This meditation can be used for any subject exploring creativity or any topic that explores
creation, the nature of the universe or creativity. The activity is encouraging and capitalis-
ing on thinking outside of the box about the universe and its origins. It is also suitable for
any activity exploring origins of anything in the material world and can be used a starting
point for discussion or research.
Art
Art Task 1: Investigate creativity in visual arts by choosing a particular theme (portrait,
abstract, landscape) or a particular idea (war, peace, flowers, figures, skies, cloth, etc.) and
find different artists interested in the same area. Write a piece about the following:

• What visual language and formal elements have artists used to convey and illustrate their ideas?
• What are the feelings, moods and messages of each piece you have chosen to write about?

Art Task 2: Reflect on your own creativity in art. Find pictures of some of your favourite pieces
and glue them in your Art Book. Reflect on the following question and answer it in writing:

• How have other artists or designers influenced you?

Science, Philosophy and Ethics, Religious Education: Presenting the universe as ‘crea-
tive’ is another way to consider the manifestation of the material world. Students love dis-
cussing this angle.
Science
Debate: Could the universe be called creative in science and if so why? Divide in two
groups and argue opposing views on the above question. Both groups must provide evi-
dence for their view.

Philosophy and Ethics:

• Debate: Can we say the universe is creative?

This discussion should include arguments relating to the following themes: Ludwig
Wittgenstein and the Language Game, religious language – signs and symbols, Paul Tillich,
empiricism.
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  159

Biology: Darwin and evolution, the place of evolution in the process of development of
life on Earth, evolution and variety as creative Nature, all of which can be debated
Debate the following two statements (split in two groups, one group ‘for’ and one
group ‘against’):

• Nature is creative.
• Nature is ‘intelligent’.
Do you agree or disagree?

Religious education
• Debate 1 question: If the Big Bang was the start of our universe and evolution followed after
the beginning of life on Earth, does that exclude the possibility of God as a Creator/Designer?
Could evolution have started after the Creation in the same way as after the event of the Big
Bang?
• Debate 2 question: Do the Big Bang and Creation stories exclude each other, considering we
do not know where the original particles came from?

Religious Education/PSHE/Science: Equality – all beings come from the same source
and the same creative process, so they are all equal. Debate can be created around this
statement. For science, this can be linked to DNA as the originator of information for the
creative but biological process.
Religious Education: Creation stories of the world. The exercise can be adapted for any
story that is chosen for a particular lesson. Younger students can also draw and retell the
story they have imagined and share with others.
Science/Religious Education/Philosophy: Reflect on the creativity of the universe.
Discuss with others what it might mean for the universe to have ‘creativity’ as one of its char-
acteristics. Proceed to introduce the Big Bang theory/Teleological Argument, Causation as
ideas/theories about the beginning of the universe.
Discussion: Discuss creativity as a characteristic of the universe. Discuss how this might
reflect on the nature of what religious people perceive as the work of God. How does this
reflect the nature of anything created? Does everything created therefore also possess this characteris-
tic? Did human creativity originate from this?
Link to the essence of God in humans, the omniscience of God and the nature of God.
Debate:

• If we presume God created the world, is God still with her/his creation or has she/he departed to
create something else? Or is God still here but not interfering in his/her Creation? If so, what is
the point in prayer? Ideas of Hume and Deism can also be discussed.

Philosophy/Religious Education: Discuss creativity as a characteristic of the universe.

Discuss how this might reflect on the nature of what religious people perceive as the work
of God. This can be further linked to Creation stories, causation and St Thomas Aquinas,
to ideas about the Designer and to the teleological argument using the Watchmaker analogy as
given by William Paley.
Art: Any creative process can be described during this meditation. It is best to use the
example I gave and just fill in the gaps. Once students have imagined the process, they
160  Part two

should immediately start painting the shapes and colours they’ve imaged while these are
still fresh in their minds.

‘I am strong, I develop new strengths from my limitations’

grounding meditation

Key words:  Personal power, inner strength, beyond limitations, revision, planning, goals,
aspirations, overcoming limitations, grounding actions
Possible pastoral links: My weaknesses and my strengths, overcoming difficulties,
building strengths, solving problems
Possible academic/content links: This exercise can be linked to any subject because it
is dealing with overcoming difficulties and converting them into strengths and actions. It is
suitable for independent planning, self-evaluations and goal setting.
Start by reading the grounding meditation from page 92 followed by:

Take a deep breath again. For a moment try to remember anything you find hard but wish to do, or
have to do. It could be something you are trying to get very good at, or perhaps it is your school work
you are expected to do but youare not so fond of. Or maybe you simply find it hard and it is not your
favourite activity. This could also be something you have tried and have not yet succeeded at. Think
of anything which is outside of your comfort zone. (pause 6 sec) How do you feel about this activity?
What is the emotion attached to it? (pause 2 sec) Have a think about what is most difficult about it?
(pause 3 sec) Now ask yourself more questions. Have you given this a go? (pause 3 sec) Do you believe
that you could never succeed in this? (pause 2 sec) Have you considered that you could perhaps
become good or much better at this if you tried? Have you really tried? (pause 3 sec) Consider what
you need to use or prepare to give this a go properly. Do you need another person to help you? If so,
who would that be? (pause 3 sec) Or do you need a book? Or perhaps a tool or a prop? Or do you sim-
ply need more information? (pause 3 sec) Decide on a single action which could set you on the road
to become better at this. It can be a small thing. It can be just something simple to start with. (pause 4
sec) Pay attention, how do you feel about this situation now? (pause 3 sec) Do you feel a little bit more
in control and more confident? Take a moment to experience and feel this new position, this new
strength. (pause 3 sec) Take a deep breath and breathe this feeling into your whole body.
Gently focus on your feet again. Remember you are sitting on the log. In your mind stand up
and walk back to the forest. Focus on your bare feet on the forest floor, feel the cool bed of leaves
touching your toes and your heels. (pause 3 sec) Now slowly bring your awareness to this room.
Feel your feet on the ground. Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you keep focus on your feet,
bring your awareness to this room now fully. Become aware of the chair under your body. Listen
for the sounds around you. Bring your mind back to your feet. Where are they? Can you feel
them? Gently wiggle your toes. Feel the full sensation of the floor beneath your feet. Slightly press
them on the floor. Wiggle your fingers and rub your palms. Move your shoulders. Take a deep
breath. When you are ready slowly open your eyes, first looking down then up and up until you
are looking straight ahead. Do this in your own time. When your eyes are open give yourself
a good stretch if at all possible in silence to give others space to do the same in their own time.

Activity one (15 minutes): Write a plan of action. Make sure you include a list of all the
things you could do to make yourself better at this activity/personal strength or whatever
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  161

it is that you are trying to improve. Make sure you also create a list of things, people or
resources you will need to help you. Consider and write down how you are going to evalu-
ate your progress and improvement. What changes do you expect to see? Consider how
long it might take you to achieve this and how much time you have available to invest in it.
Decide on a date or a week when you are expecting to see reasonable results. Describe in
detail the results you are planning to see.
Activity two: Design a table. Please see the Links.
Homework/extension: Make sure your plan of action is available for checking. Perhaps
put it somewhere visible or include it in your diary. Check against it at suitable intervals, and
tick off actions on your list as you complete them. Leave room for improvement and space
to add to your plan as you go along. Evaluate it at the set date.

Links

Revision: This meditation can be adjusted to subject-specific revision as part of Activity

two. Students can think of all the topics they feel unsure about and find difficult. They can
make a Revision Plan of Action to tackle parts of the course they either don’t like or find hard
to learn.
Personal learning Checklist (PLC): Students can look through the entire topic list that
they have already covered in any given subject and decide which topics they feel they need
help with. They can make a PLC Plan of Action and write out all the resources they could use
for that topic, any notes or booklets, Powerpoint presentations and so on. They should also
include a date when they need to complete each action.
PLEASE NOTE: Students find it motivating to perform actions which are specifically
set, are measurable and have an ‘end date.’ This is because they need to be able to see that
they are progressing and that their efforts are paying off. Each time they complete a part
of their plan and tick it off, they are further motivated to move on. This way everything
feels achievable. This is why any Plan of Action should include a planned time limit or at
least an overall goal for a finishing time. An example of a Plan of Action appears in the
following table:
Plan of action for:

What resources/
What do I need to books/ How much time
improve/learn/ information/ do I need
become better What do I need equipment do I need Who can How will to do this?
at doing/ to do to to complete the help me I know I have Completion
performing? improve it? task(s) I have set? with this? improved? date:
162  Part two

‘My personal power – what decisions do I make which influence

others?’ grounding meditation

Key words:  Free will, career choices, responsibility, peer pressure, human rights
Possible pastoral links: Free will, responsibility, peer pressure, individuality and deci-
sion making
Possible academic content links: Religious and Moral Education (moral decisions, influence
of religious rules on people’s daily life), Sociology (laws, rules and society), Philosophy and Ethics
(Bentham, morality, hedonic calculus), Psychology (Asch, Zimbardo, Milgram, conformity and
conformity to social roles, obedience, minority influence), English (influence of written word on
the reader), Law (obeying the rules, laws of the land and citizens), career choices, responsibility,
peer pressure, human rights. Please feel free to use with other relevant content.
Start by reading the grounding meditation from page 92 followed by:

Take another deep breath and firmly focus on your feet. For a moment think of decisions
you have had to make in the past, or perhaps have to make at the moment. Consider how
you make your decisions. (pause 2 sec) Think of all the various people in your life. Have
they inf luenced your decisions in the past? Who inf luences you the most? Why? (pause
5 sec) Most people have more than one inf luential person in their life. Who are these people
in your life? Are they your friends, your siblings or your parents? (pause 2 sec) Consider
for a moment the kinds of decisions they are affecting. (pause 3 sec) What decisions do
you make for yourself? Start with simple ones. Your decisions start in the morning, decid-
ing how to dress, what to eat and at what time to leave for school. Think of those for a
moment. (pause 4 sec) Then think of others. You have decided what hobbies to pursue,
which books to read and whom to make friends with. Ref lect on this for a moment. (pause
3 sec) Now think further. Are you inf luenced by what you read? Or perhaps by what you
hear? Think of any music that might inf luence you; there might be messages there that you
are receiving without even noticing. (pause 5 sec) Are you inf luenced by your peers? Are
you inf luenced by fashion? Do you care about trends? (pause 3 sec) For a moment consider
what would you think if no one or nothing inf luenced you? What would you do? (pause
5 sec) What would you really like? (pause 2 sec) How would you spend your time? (pause
2 sec) What would you wear? (pause 2 sec) Ask yourself this question: Who is your most
independent, original, free self? (pause 4 sec) Consider how can this ‘original self’ be more
inf luential in your daily life. (pause 5 sec) Are there situations where you feel this is not
possible? Why? Are there ways around this situation to be more true to yourself? (pause 3 sec)
Keep this thought.
Gently focus on your feet again. Remember you are sitting on the log. In your mind stand
up and walk back to the forest. Focus on your bare feet on the forest floor, feel the cool bed of
leaves touching your toes and your heels. (pause 3 sec) Now slowly bring your awareness to
this room. Feel your feet on the ground. Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you keep focus
on your feet, bring your awareness to this room now fully. Become aware of the chair under
your body. Listen for the sounds around you. Bring your mind back to your feet. Where are
they? Can you feel them? Gently wiggle your toes. Feel the full sensation of the floor beneath
your feet. Slightly press them on the floor. Wiggle your fingers and rub your palms. Move your
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  163

shoulders. Take a deep breath. When you are ready slowly open your eyes, first looking down
then up and up until you are looking straight ahead. Do this in your own time. When your
eyes are open give yourself a good stretch if at all possible in silence to give others space to do
the same in their own time.

Activity one (5 minutes): Write a list of all situations in your life which might have room
to include more of your own choices.
Activity two: In groups, discus how decision making links to laws, school rules or some-
thing else which also includes rules and regulations.
PLEASE NOTE: The next activity depends on your subject area and the topic you wish
to apply it to. Please see the Links.
Activity three: Pair up with another person and write a paragraph about how personal
decision making is influenced by ________ (topic you are linking it to). Consider how this
influences happiness, and write a paragraph explaining your opinion. Make sure you use at
least one example to illustrate your view.
Group homework/extension: Find examples online where people have to readjust their
personal choices to fit into strict social environments. What was the impact of this on their
success in life and their personal happiness? Bring these examples to share and discuss with
your peers.

Links

Religious and Moral Education: Moral decisions, the influence of religious rules on peo-
ple’s daily lives
Sociology: Laws, rules and society, social constructs
Philosophy and Ethics: Bentham, morality, hedonic calculus
Psychology: Social influence, the works of Asch, Zimbardo and Milgram, conformity and
conformity to social roles, obedience, minority influence, Normative Social Influence and
Informational Social Influence, the behaviourist approach and work of Pavlov, Skinner
and Ryan and Watson, the Little Albert experiment.
English: Teenage decision making, influence of written word on the reader
Law: Obeying the rules, laws of the land and citizens
Sport: Importance of rules in sport, refereeing in sport
Please feel free to use this meditation with other relevant content.

‘I only ever compete with my best self’ grounding meditation

Key words:  Self-esteem, self-improvement, confidence, a positive frame of mind, positive

self-programming, development of individuality
Possible pastoral links: Friendship issues, sense of achievement, motivation, confidence
Possible academic/content links: Psychology, Sociology, Physical Education, Religious
and Moral Education
164  Part two

Start by reading the grounding meditation from page 92 followed by:

‘Take another deep breath. For a moment think about things you aspire to do. This can be any-
thing you wish to achieve now or further in your future. Can you think of any people or a person
who has achieved this already? What do you think of them? What do you think of their ability?
(pause 3 sec) They might not think the same about themselves. How do you feel about your own
ability and potential to achieve your dreams? (pause 3 sec) Don’t compare yourself to anyone.
Everyone else is different compared to you. They cannot be mistaken for you. Think about
importance of this. (pause 4 sec) You are a unique person, special in ways specific to you. (pause
2 sec) There is no one like you in the whole world. This is why you cannot compare yourself
to others. You can only compare yourself to your Best Self. To the best version of you. Nobody
really knows who this person is apart from you. Have a little think about this. Who is the best
version of you? Your very Best Self? (pause 6 sec) What is the ‘best you’ thinking, what is the
‘best you’ doing? How is the ‘best you’ behaving? (pause 5 sec) Now ask the very best version of
you to give you one single piece of advice or instruction. Listen for this very carefully. (pause
6 sec) Whatever your message or instruction was, make sure you remember it.
Gently focus on your feet again. Remember you are sitting on the log. In your mind stand
up and walk back to the forest. Focus on your bare feet on the forest floor, feel the cool bed of
leaves touching your toes and your heels. (pause 3 sec) Now slowly bring your awareness to this
room. Feel your feet on the ground. Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you keep focus on
your feet, bring your awareness to this room now fully. Become aware of the chair under your
body. Listen for the sounds around you. Bring your mind back to your feet. Where are they?
Can you feel them? Gently wiggle your toes. Feel the full sensation of the floor beneath your feet.
Slightly press them on the floor. Wiggle your fingers and rub your palms. Move your shoulders.
Take a deep breath. When you are ready slowly open your eyes, first looking down then up and
up until you are looking straight ahead. Do this in your own time. When your eyes are open
give yourself a good stretch if at all possible in silence to give others space to do the same in their
own time.’

Activity one (15 minutes): Write or draw the message or instruction you have received
from your Best Self. Make a list of all the things or areas in your life which might link to this
message. Now consider the following and write it down:

• How can this instruction/message/experience be useful?

• What was the importance of this message?
• What have you learned about yourself from it?

PLEASE NOTE: This is a non-sharing activity. Students need to complete this exercise
and the following one individually. Please note: the term ‘Best Self’ is introduced here.
This si a very powerful way to introduce almost a new identity into students way of
thinking about themselves. Use capitol letters (Best Self ) when writing instructions for
this task.
Activity two: Describe your true, Best Self in detail. Make sure you cover the following
in addition to whatever else you consider important:

• What is your Best Self thinking?

• What does your Best Self like to do?
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  165

• Who are your friends chosen by your Best Self?

• What are your Best Self’s dreams and aspirations? (Do not worry whether they are
achievable, just go for it and write it down.)

Activity three:
Class debate: Divide into two groups, one for and one against the statement below. Make
sure you have a speaker to conduct the debate.

• Humans should never compete. They should always appreciate individual values of each person
and use it for cooperation.
• Do you agree or disagree?
• What are the pros and cons for each argument?

Make sure you let each side speak and consider both points of view.

Group homework/extension: What would you say to your Best Self ? Would you ask it
for something? Before bed, sit down and make yourself quiet. In silence, in your mind, have
a conversation with your Best Self. Always wait for answers and comments. They should
come in the form of your own thoughts.
Journaling (ongoing task): You can use an empty notebook and keep the record of your
conversations with your Best Self. Two months later, reflect on what you wrote and evaluate
any change that might have resulted from these ‘conversations.’

Links

Psychology: Positive self-regard, the humanist approach, Carl Rogers, self-image, self-
schemas and the cognitive approach, CBT, media psychology, Forensic Psychology – Social
Learning Theory as an explanation for criminal behaviour
Sociology: Feminist Sociology – men versus women
Religious Education: Christianity, the idea What would Jesus do?, the influence of God
in decision making, Christian decision making, morality in religion, the influence of reli-
gious rules on the everyday lives of religious people, choice making and religious rules.
Philosophy and Ethics: The omniscience of God: Does God know everything?
Determinism versus free will, eternal versus timeless.

Design and Technology:

• Design a poster of your Best Self and pin it to your wall to remind you every day of who
you really are.
• Cook your favourite meal and eat it. Treat yourself as your most precious guest. Make
sure you include only the best, most precious and most delicious ingredients your Best
Self would have chosen for you.

Music: Research inspirational music or music based on self-discovery. Write lyrics for a self-
inspired song. Make sure the lyrics are liberating for the person who is reading them.
Language: Biography, autobiography, teenage identity
166  Part two

Art: Self-portrait of my Best Self: Draw yourself and incorporate symbols which repre-
sent the feeling and characteristics of you innermost Best Self.
STEM (Computing): Research positive self-image apps. Find out what is available and
evaluate its usefulness, whether they have user-friendly design and the message these apps
are trying to send/develop in their users.
Media: Research films made about self-image. Also look into how media influence the
self-image of young people.
Sport: Group or sports team performance, the Ringelmann effect, social loafing,
SMART goal setting, Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy, the commercialisation of sport and
media.
Debate: Fitness and competition – healthy or unhealthy in the 21st century?

Drama:
• Analyse competition in Greek tragedy.
• Analyse the role of competition in Shakespeare’s plays.

Maths: Symmetry, investigate 100% symmetric faces. Do they look normal? What is wrong
with 100% facial symmetry?
Geography: Borders, cooperation
History: Wars and competition for land, prestige and power.

‘I have a great support structure’ grounding meditation

Key words:  Support, loneliness, reaching out, community, cooperation, sense of belonging
Possible pastoral links: Isolation, friendship issues, community, teams, support
Possible academic links: PSHE, Sociology, Religious Education, Sport, Drama
Start by reading the grounding meditation from page 92 followed by:

Take a deep breath now and focus on your feet. Take another breath, and as you breathe out,
follow the breath in again with your mind. Notice how breaths come in pairs; as one breath goes
in, the next come out.
Focus for a moment on your day so far. With whom have you interacted since you woke up
this morning? In your mind, list all the people who were there today. Take a moment to remem-
ber everyone. (pause 4 sec). Think now about with whom you are likely to interact for the rest
of the day. (pause 4 sec) Now try to think of some people you might interact with by the end of
this week. (pause 3 sec) Analyse who are the most important people to you. Who are the most
helpful people in your life? Who can be relied upon to be there if you need them? (pause 4 sec)
Consider whether there’s someone you know and wish to talk to but haven’t talked to yet. A
lot of people don’t reach out to others, even though they wish to. Often, the person you wish to
speak to wishes to reach out to you too. Why don’t you? What would be a good opportunity to
do so? (pause 5 sec) Make a mental note of a person or perhaps two people with whom you could
do something together this week. (pause 3 sec) Is there someone you perhaps might be helpful
to, or who wishes to spend some time with you, but who feels shy or perhaps uncomfortable
approaching you? Is there such a person? (pause 5 sec) Keep this thought.
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  167

Gently, gently focus on your feet again. Remember you are sitting on the log. In your mind
stand up and walk back to the forest. Focus on your bare feet on the forest floor, feel the cool bed
of leaves touching your toes and your heels. (pause 3 sec) Now slowly bring your awareness to
this room. Feel your feet on the ground. Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you keep focus on
your feet, bring your awareness to this room now fully. Become aware of the chair under your
body. Listen for the sounds around you. Bring your mind back to your feet. Where are they?
Can you feel them? Gently wiggle your toes. Feel the full sensation of the floor beneath your feet.
Slightly press them on the floor. Wiggle your fingers and rub your palms. Move your shoulders.
Take a deep breath. When you are ready slowly open your eyes, first looking down then up and
up until you are looking straight ahead. Do this in your own time. When your eyes are open
give yourself a good stretch if at all possible in silence to give others space to do the same in their
own time.

Activity one (5 minutes): Write a list of all the people in your life you could reach out to
when you need help or when you want some company. Write a list of all the situations
you would like help with or of the occasions when you wish to have some time with
others.
Activity two: This one can be linked to the content of the lesson. Does everyone
have a support structure? You can link this to any topic related to the human condi-
tion from human suffering to wars, displaced people, migration, motherhood, women’s
rights or any other topic which can be linked to cooperation, community and a sense of
belonging.
Activity three: Pair up with another person who usually spends some time with you
during the day. Discuss people whom you never mix with. Discuss why this is and how you
can change it.
Group homework/extension: Find some inspirational stories about people offering
company, comfort or just simply time within your community/town/village, and bring
these stories to share the very next lesson.

Links

Sociology: Migration, family, nuclear family, community, extended family

Religious Education: Human suffering, religious communities, God as support, prayer, the
omnipresence of God
Philosophy and Ethics: Virtue ethics
History: Who supported whom in the feudal system? Peasant revolts, empires, ‘civilisa-
tion,’ ‘Parliament,’ ‘peasantry’

Drama: Divide in two groups and discuss:

• How do we cooperate in our group as a cast?
• Can we help each other?
• What are the best ways to improve cooperation?

Present your ideas to the other group.

Sport: Weiner’s model of attribution, locus of control, attribution in sport
168  Part two

Language: Read about communities in books, magazines, online, evaluate how support
is presented in literature. Investigate and make a list of key words relating to support.
Art: Work in pairs or groups. Investigate two different artists whose work can be con-
trasted. Record the media, technique and materials that both artists used. Brainstorm ideas
about how you can create another piece of art together. While Supporting each other with
your individual skills create one piece to present these two artists as contrasting each other
with technique, materials, ideas or style. Make sure you record all this in your Art Book for
later. Present your work to the class in the very next lesson.

‘Clear my thoughts’ grounding meditation**

Key words:  Positive thoughts, clearing of the mind, letting go of negativity, revision and
exam stress, competition, performance
Possible academic/pastoral links: Working with thinking and processing negative
thoughts and emotions. This exercise is exceptionally useful for the SEN department and
also for teachers working with children who have behavioural issues or children who
have time management or anxiety issues. This is a very good exercise for pastoral time or
Personal, Social and Health Education. It is suitable for all students.
Start by reading the grounding meditation from page 92 followed by:

Focus on your day today. Start from this morning when you woke up. Try to remember how
you felt. (pause 2 sec) What were you thinking? Were these thoughts making you happy or
were they unsettling? Evaluate that. (pause 3 min) Imagine, you have a bag on your lap. If you
find them, put any unsettling thoughts from early morning in the bag. (pause 4 sec) Now follow
your thoughts as you set off to school today. Were they any negative thoughts on your way to
school? Put those in the bag too. (pause 4 sec) And what happened when you came to school?
Think of each lesson you’ve had today so far. Take a moment and think about each one. Check
each lesson for the quality of your thoughts. Were they happy? Or were they unsettling? Take a
moment to collect any unsettling thoughts and put those in your bag too. I will give you a bit of
time to do that. (pause 7 sec) Now have one more check anywhere else today. In the dining hall,
in corridors, outside, during breaks, while having a test or any other situation. If you find any
more, put the last bit of negative thoughts in the bag. (pause 4 sec)
Now imagine you are back again sitting on the log, holding the bag on your lap. Imagine,
suddenly the Earth cracks open just by your feet, in front of you. It opens a hole, wide and deep.
It is all very dark in there. Drop your bag in the hole. Don’t worry about doing this. The Earth
is very good at transforming anything heavy and negative into living energy, like compost. Just
give it to her. Drop it in. See it disappear. (pause 5 sec). Now see the ground close. It is all back
to normal. Grass is rapidly growing on it. All is repaired. There is no trace of anything there.
You are now free of the bag and the thoughts. Enjoy this feeling of lightness and freedom for a
moment.
Gently, gently focus on your feet again. Remember you are still sitting on the log. In your
mind stand up and walk back to the forest. Focus on your bare feet on the forest floor, feel the
cool bed of leaves touching your toes and your heels. (pause 3 sec) Now slowly bring your aware-
ness to this room. Feel your feet on the ground. Feel your roots deep in the ground. As you keep
focus on your feet ,bring your awareness to this room now fully. Become aware of the chair
 Mindfulness meditation in the classroom  169

under your body. Listen for the sounds around you. Bring your mind back to your feet. Where
are they? Can you feel them? Gently wiggle your toes. Feel the full sensation of the floor beneath
your feet. Slightly press them on the floor. Wiggle your fingers and rub your palms. Move your
shoulders. Take a deep breath. When you are ready slowly open your eyes, first looking down
then up and up until you are looking straight ahead. Do this in your own time. When your eyes
are open give yourself a good stretch if at all possible in silence to give others space to do the
same in their own time.

Activity one (5 minutes): Write a list of all positive things in your life that you can think
of in 5 minutes.
Activity two: In groups, discuss how and why it is important to be able to recognise
when someone has negative thoughts in their mind.
Activity three: Pair up with another person and discuss what could be the best time for
a daily check of thoughts. When would it be done? Can it be shorter? Can it be done in a
couple of minutes? Discuss this.
Group homework/extension: Write a list of situations which are usually linked to
every-day, average negative thoughts in your life. Try and analyse what triggers it. Is it
tiredness, pressure or perhaps school work? Make a list and try to work out how this could
be dealt with. Could you get more rest? Could you ask for help with your work? Do you need
to rearrange your activities and perhaps manage your available time better? Try and plan
to set aside 5 minutes at the end of each day when you know you will be engaged in those
activities to check your thoughts for negativity and clear negative thoughts out of your
mind. This might not be always possible, but if you plan for it, the chances will increase.
Spend at least half an hour doing this.

Links

This last exercise can be very subject-specific. I have done this with many activities, from
exam to revision preparation. Students can use this process while planning and timing their
revision workload. They can check what they know and what still needs revising before
or after this exercise. They can use the insights from the meditation to deal with anything
they are panicking about and plan how and when to deal with each chunk of revision. This
is very useful when they are trying to put their minds at rest if it is done in plenty of time
before the exams.
Sport: Stress management to optimise performance

The ‘Grounding Check Exercise’ 5-minute exercise

for school and home

This is a very short and effective exercise. It is best to do it every day. In this case it is consist-
ency, not length, that is the effective part.
To start with, most people are ungrounded to some extent. This exercise, if performed
daily, will gradually develop and ‘cement’ grounding within a person’s experience of real-
ity. Most people report that the more they do it, the easier it becomes. They also notice a
170  Part two

difference in the length of time it takes them to ‘ground’; the more they do it, the quicker it
happens. This is essential because everyone starts from a different ‘place’ while learning to
ground, especially as some people are more grounded then others when they start learning
this exercise. Eventually, with practice, this can become a very short exercise, which can be
done anywhere, sitting down or standing up. The best results are achieved outdoors, with
bare feet and on the grass. However, anywhere outside, from a beach to a park, would be an
advantage. Anyone interested in developing strong links to the Earth should try to do this
at least once outside to experience the difference. This will greatly improve their practice
and their experience.
Procedure
PLEASE NOTE: For ease of use, I have started with the left foot and continued with the
right. Sometimes it is difficult to ‘see’ one of the feet, so please do this in the order in which
is possible at the time of doing the exercise. It is not wrong to change the order of sides as
long as you follow the procedure itself. This exercise cannot be done without the prior
experience of the grounding meditation taught at the beginning of Part two of this book.

Read straight out of the book:

Sit down or stand up, whichever suits you at the time. Completely relax. Take a deep breath
into your lower abdomen, and check for any tension in your stomach. As you breathe out,
release any tension you might have found. See it leave with your breath. Take another breath,
and this time imagine you are breathing straight into your feet. Now completely focus on the
soles of your feet. Try to ‘see’ them. Check your left foot first. Try and see where your roots
are. Are they in the ground and firmly attached? Take a moment and grow any missing roots.
(pause 5 sec) If you are finding it hard to re-grow the roots, pay attention to which part of the
foot is detached from the ground. Don’t worry about it; just make a mental note and have
another go next time. Once you are happy with what you have achieved with the left foot, and
feel that is all that is going to be done this time, focus on your right foot. Check whether there
are solid roots there. Is the foot firmly attached to the ground? Are there gaps? ‘Regrow’ the
roots wherever possible. Take time to do this. (pause 5 sec) Now see yourself in your mind’s eye
standing or sitting strongly rooted and stable on the ground. Feel this solidity of support from
the Earth. Open your eyes, and take a moment to familiarise yourself with the environment
again. You are now ready to go to whatever daily activity.
The exercise is now finished. Repeat daily.
Literature and training contact

Three electronic meditations

for teachers (only)

I have included three electronic meditations for teachers in here. If you wish to download
your free digital versions of the exercises, please send email to soundfiles@groundingform
indfulness.com and the link to sound files will be sent to you.
The reason why these meditations are available only in electronic form is that from my
experience, teachers are so busy they will not take time to either read this out for each other
or record it for themselves. I have decided the best solution would be to download it instead.

1. ‘I am not perfect; no one is’ Grounding Meditation for Teachers

2. ‘I take breaks’ Grounding Meditation for Teachers
3. ‘I forgive myself’ Grounding Meditation for Teachers
Teacher feedback

While everything in this book has been tried and tested, and due to the constraints of the
space only the most effective exercises where chosen, the author would welcome feed-
back from teachers about what they have found in their own practice to be most effective.
Preferably, teachers would elaborate on their theme, class size, group type, situation, topic/
links and outcomes of the tested meditation. Also, if teachers feel something else could have
been covered which was not included in this book, they can contact the author and share
their suggestions regarding any new areas for consideration.
If you wish to send you feedback, please email:
Feedback@groundingformindfulness.com
CPD training, research and
invitation for collaboration

CPD Training in Grounding for Mindfulness Technique (GfMT)

If you wish to attend a GfMT Course for Teachers or to organise one in your school,
please either visit www.groundingformindfulness.com or email Teachertraining@groundingfor
mindfulness.com for further details.
If you wish to book a GfMT day for your students please email visits@groundingform
indfulness.com.
All training can be tailor made for your school depending on the environment, teachers
and students, including SEN.

CPD for others working with young people

Training is also available for therapists, Youth workers, sports coaches or anyone else work-
ing with young people. Please email training@groundingformindfulness.com

Research in schools - Bring it to your school

If your school wishes to take part in ongoing ‘Happiness in Schools Research Project’ test-
ing GfMT in schools please email research@groundingformindfulness.com for further
information.
Collaboration for teachers and others who work with young people
If you are a teacher and you are either planning or conducting your own research relating
to wellbeing in education and wish to share your papers or collaborate with others please
visit www.happinessinschools.com
174  Literature and training contact

Get involved – Wellbeing in Schools Project

‘Happines In Schools’ welcomes involvement from teachers, SEN teachers and support
staff, Heads of Schools, therapists, youth workers, Youth Club staff, sports coaches and
any other educators working with young people. Its aim is to collate sources of informa-
tion and keep abreast of developments in wellbeing in the lives of young people across
the globe. Its ultimate aim is to build a wellbeing community online. Please email us:
getinvolved@happinessinschools.com
In their own words

Quotes form young people after doing Grounding

for Mindfulness Technique (GfMT)

Because of the sheer volume of collected responses from my students over many years, it is
not possible to include all. I chose variety wherever possible. Included are some common
comments from 11- to 18-year-olds. Responses are not corrected for grammar or anything
else because I think if anything is taken away it will change what they really wanted to say.
So here they are – comments in their own words.

‘How did it feel? It felt really weird because it actually felt like there was roots coming out of my
feet and then it felt like heat was really coming up the roots. It was also calming and relaxing.
What it felt like afterwards? Afterwards I felt really relaxed and calm. I concentrated more
in class but it was really hard to open my eyes after the meditation.’
Amanda, age 12

‘When I meditated it felt calm and relaxing. It made me feel more powerful and confident in
myself and I never felt stronger. ... At the end of my meditation I felt peaceful and enthusiastic.
Meditation is a very good way of calming yourself in a confusing situation.’
Amy, age 13

‘When we did meditation I felt calm and relaxed. It was a really good exercise and it made me
feel blocked form the world. I had no worries and my mind went clear from thoughts. When
Miss said open your eyes I did not want to. Afterwards you feel refreshed and calm. I enjoyed
meditation.’
Mary, age 12

‘When Miss said meditating I thought we were going to sit cross -legged with our fingers in a
flick because that is how I first saw it. I realized not. It was quiet relaxing (better) (Then work).
It calmed my nerves and I breathed better, although I thought the ‘roots’ part was weird. I found
it to be a nice change from work because it was very relaxing.’
Izzy, age 11
176  Literature and training contact

‘Meditation felt very relaxing. It was very strange feeling because we were doing things that
were very interesting that made our bodies do funny things. I took everything in my mind away
and was just focused on the meditation. Afterwards I felt very tired. It was good though because
it made me feel much calmer. And I almost fell asleep.’
Natalie, age 12

‘Yesterday we done some meditation. When I done it I felt relaxed and calm everything inside
my head went colourful such as gold and other bright colours. Over all it felt ok and would
remember it for future reference so I can do it myself.’
No name, age 11

‘When you said we are going to meditate I thought of monks sitting there with our eyes closed
humming. But I was very wrong. We a peacefully sat in our seats with our eyes closed, every
one ways sitting back straight with no part of our body crossed. Miss softly told us to imagine
ourselves standing there. Then our feet started to grow roots these roots dig down to the core
of the earth and the magma warming our roots and our bodies. It was very nice experience.’
No name, age 11

‘When I meditated I felt relaxed. As if it was the only thing I was concentrating on and there
was nothing else. It made me calm and I forgot all of my worries. I felt happier and fresher. As
the room was quiet and there was only one voice, it was quite peaceful to be sitting there.’
Louise, age 14

‘When I meditate it makes me feel relaxed. As if I am numb. I can’t feel anything and my head is
cleared of all thoughts. It makes me forget about all my problems and I feel calm for the rest of the day.
I used to think it was silly but it’s so peaceful and relaxing. Like having a head massage. The music
that was playing was really soothing and I sort of felt there was no-one else there but me and the
sounds that were being played. It was as if I had been taken away from my troubles, just snatched
from my worries. When the music stopped my mind refused to go back to the racket and nonsense
I am used to hearing on a daily basis. It was as if I was floating. Like an out of body experience.’
No name, age 14

‘When I was doing meditation it felt as if all the worries in this world had gone and I felt really
relaxed.’
Aishah, age 14

‘Meditation for me helps me concentrate wherever I get angry so it calms me down and when I
play outside, sometime my asthma will play up so I sit in meditation stance to help me breath-
ing. Furthermore when I have an exam or sports I use it to help me concentrate on my task.’
Vikram, age 13

‘When I was meditating, I felt very relaxed. I felt calm and not stresses. It made me feel my inner-
self. After I had meditated I felt so calm and worry free. I wanted to keep my eyes closed after. I
really enjoyed it. Throughout my lesson and next lesson I was stress and worry free. I like meditat-
ing, as most of the time I can worry a lot over little things, but it sort of stops me from doing that.’
Zoe, age 14
 Three electronic meditations for teachers  177

‘I found meditation easy because it was relaxing and you didn’t have to do any work. It was
quiet you could also feel yourself inside.’
Hannah, age 16

When asked if they think meditation is spiritual, this is what they wrote:

‘I think meditation is considered spiritual as spirit means connection to feelings. As when you
meditate your find your inner feelings.’
Lucas, Age 17

‘I think meditation is considered spiritual because you connect to your soul and innerself.’
No name, age 13
Music

There are many good pieces of music on the internet you can use as your background
sounds. Any music will do as long as it is instrumental and quieter than your voice.
Until you find your own, here are some suggestions:

• Reiki, Sakura Dream

• Reiki Music by Spiritual Moment
• 80 Minutes of Native American & Zen Flute by Massage Tribe
• Zen Garden by Sound Healing Center

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