Today's mindfulness practice is all about taking some time to transition from our work to home life.
Without a moment to transition from work to home,
We may bring a lot of the stress,
Anxiety,
And stuff that we experience at work home with us.
This can cause us not to be completely present with our families or enjoy the time we have after a long day at school.
Taking just a few moments to create a habit of transition will help to leave the tasks of working at work and open your heart to all the rest of the precious moments,
Exciting moments,
And dull moments that happen outside of work.
So I want to invite you to get into a position that allows you to be relaxed yet alert.
Begin by breathing naturally,
Feeling your body rise on the inhale and fall on the exhale.
Continue to feel your breath rise and fall,
Paying attention to what that feels like in your body.
Note where you feel your breath most vividly.
Is it at the tip of your nose,
Your throat,
Your lungs,
In your belly?
Note this place and observe sensations there.
Feel the air tickling your nose.
Observe how it is cooler on the inhale and warmer on the exhale.
Can you feel the way your chest gently rises and falls?
Gently rest your attention at this place for just a moment.
Today to transition from school to home,
We are going to do a body scan to bring some awareness to how your body is feeling right now and try to relax any tension being held in our bodies.
We are going to take a few minutes to release the stress that we may be carrying and not take it into the next part of our day.
Notice your feet on the floor.
Notice the sensations of your feet touching the floor,
The weight and pressure,
Vibration and heat.
Notice your legs against the chair.
Feel the pressure,
The pulsing,
The heaviness or the lightness.
Notice your back against the chair.
Feel the support the chair is giving you.
Take a breath and relax into the support of the chair.
Bring your attention to your stomach area.
If your stomach is tense or tight,
Let it soften and take a breath.
Notice your hands.
Are your hands tense or tight?
See if you can allow them to soften.
Notice your arms.
Feel any sensation in your arms and let your shoulders be soft.
Notice your neck and throat,
Let them be soft and relax.
Soften your jaw.
Let your face and facial muscles be soft.
And notice your whole body present and take one more breath.
Be aware of your whole body as best you can.
Take another breath.
As you bring awareness to your body,
Is there anywhere else that you need to pay attention to?
Is there any part that you need to soften or relax?
Take a few moments to just relax into the awareness of your body.
Okay,
Cool.
Now,
Return to the sound of my voice,
Return to your breath,
The inhale and the exhale.
As this practice comes to an end,
Take a moment to prepare to move forward with your day,
To transition from wearing your educator hat to wearing whatever hat you wear after work.
Of course,
Both of these hats are yours,
But now you can hang up your educator hat until tomorrow.
Feel free to experiment with other activities for work transition,
Stretching at your desk,
A mindful walk,
Driving a new way home,
Enjoying a cup of coffee.
Pick an activity that helps to mark some closure to one chapter of your day.
To honor this work you are doing every day as a teacher,
We have a nice way of closing.
Repeat these words to yourself as I say them aloud.
May the actions I take toward caring for myself,
Toward understanding myself,
Toward being more peaceful with myself,
Be of benefit to all beings everywhere.
May the actions I take toward caring for myself,
Toward understanding myself,
Toward being more peaceful with myself,
Be of benefit to all beings everywhere.
I'm going to ring the bell and when you can no longer hear the bell,
Allow your eyes to open.
May you find serenity over stress and peace in your heart as you do this incredibly noble work of educating our world's children.
Thank you for sharing this time.
I wish you a wonderful day.
