The following practice has been brought to you by the School of Kammam,
Empowering students through mindfulness meditation.
Before you begin,
Find a safe and comfortable space where you won't be disturbed.
For safety,
Do not listen to this recording whilst driving or operating machinery.
Hi,
I'm Matt and I'll be your guide for the following period of meditation.
Take a moment to make yourself comfortable.
You may want to sit upright with the back straight,
Or you may want to lie down if you're new to the practice.
When you're ready,
Bring the eyes to a gentle close.
When I'm working with nervous energy in the body,
I like to go through a process of grounding and relax the body part by part,
Part by part,
Starting at the toes,
Noticing any sensations here,
And maybe bringing some movement to the toes for a second,
Just to make the connection between the mind and this part of the body.
As I extend a kind inner gaze over the soles of the feet,
Around the ankles and the uppers,
Into the shins and the calves,
Before coming to the knees and the backs of the knees.
And sometimes I can feel a little bit of tension here.
And so I just like to exercise an inward resolve,
Giving this area of the body and any other area permission just to let go and relax,
Knowing that when I do so,
And my body is relaxed,
My mind exhibits a similar quality.
Continuing over the thighs and the glutes,
Feeling my body stable on the surface upon which it rests,
Allowing the attention to climb over the lower back,
Middle back and upper back.
I sometimes feel a little bit of discomfort and tightness in the back,
And so giving it a slight stretch,
Gently pushing the chest out,
Can help me release and relax this area before I come to the abdomen.
Acknowledging the organs in the cavity of the torso,
Which ceaselessly operate,
To allow me to navigate this life.
Coming to the chest and accepting any tightness,
Tension or heat as it is.
Moving down the arms,
Forearms,
Forearms,
Wrists and hands.
I allow myself at the early stage of meditation to make any adjustments to my posture,
If it would help me feel a little more at ease,
As I feel the shoulders relaxing deeper now.
The neck and throat,
A certain intention to release any stiffness from the muscles in the face,
Cheeks,
Brow,
Forehead,
And arriving at the top of the head,
And just basking in this calm for just a moment.
Serene and relaxed,
Allowing thoughts of the past and the future to just be as they are,
And abiding in the safety and serenity of the present moment.
As we settle deeper into the moment,
Feeling the increase in warmth and calm that can arise from stillness,
We may want to turn inward and reconnect with our reasons for engaging with the practice.
We may want to bring a deeper awareness to any nerves,
Apprehensions or anxieties that we may be dealing with,
As we prepare to embark on a new journey.
It doesn't matter how old you are,
The experiences you've had in the past,
And what grades you've achieved before,
Everyone,
On some level,
Gets nervous before the start of their course,
Programme or research,
And oftentimes it is the ambiguity surrounding expectations,
Making friends,
Fitting in,
And being able to manage the workload that can occupy the mind and cause discomfort or unease in our subjective experience.
It doesn't matter whether you're an undergrad,
Master's student or PhD candidate,
This experience will arise in some form,
As it is a completely natural reaction to the changing circumstances that will inevitably cause us to grow positively in all directions.
We can liken this increase in activity in the body and mind to the running of a series of apps which simulate the experiences that we may come into contact with,
Providing us with a small and manageable dose of each of the new emotions that we may feel.
And so we might want to feel gratitude here,
As an antidote,
Taking a moment to express a kindness and thanks for the minds preparing us for what is to come.
As the time comes closer and we experience these nerves and doubts,
We can simply notice and express an inner kindness,
Saying thank you to the mind in the recognition that this is merely a temporary discomfort,
Preparing us to be at ease in new and enriching situations.
Cultivating this kind of approach will ultimately empower us to make the most of this life-changing experience.
Coming to the end of the meditation period now,
Take a moment to check in with how you feel.
There's no need to quantify or label,
We can just know.
Always remember that you can work with this practice as many times as you need to.
You will now hear the bell three times,
And on the third ringing of the bell,
Slowly and gently open the eyes and come back into the room.
