The following practice has been brought to you by the School of Kamma,
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 if you're new to the practice,
Lay down,
And when you're ready,
Bringing the eyes to a gentle close.
And as always,
I like to start with noticing sensations in the feet,
Noticing the temperature,
Any contact,
Or maybe even nothing at all.
We may want to bring some movement to the toes for a second,
Just to make that connection between the mind and this part of the body.
Oftentimes,
We can neglect the lower regions of the body,
Withholding our attention,
Even when they do so much without complaint or resistance,
Supporting us through every component of our experience in life.
We can extend kindness into the legs,
Calves,
Shins,
Knees,
And thighs,
Allowing any sensations to be without labelling or without wanting to change what is unfolding,
Feeling the weight of the body feeling the weight of the body on the glutes,
And bringing relaxation and awareness to this area,
And allowing that attention to climb up through the lower back,
The middle back,
And the upper back.
We may want to gently stretch for a second,
Just to gently nudge ourself in the direction of the deeper calm,
As we move our inner gaze through the abdomen,
Acknowledging the organs,
A digestive tract into the heart,
Allowing the chest to exhibit whatever feelings it may have at this time,
And the knowledge that these will inevitably change,
As we deepen in relaxation,
And we can go down the arms now,
Past the elbows,
Into the forearms and wrists,
Where it might be difficult to notice any sensations of prominence,
But just by acknowledging and extending our kind inner gaze to this area,
We can ensure that all parts of our experience are accepted,
Noticing warmth in the hands,
And adjusting them if necessary,
As we come to the neck and throat,
Before relaxing any tension in the face,
Cheeks,
Eyes,
And arriving at the top of the head,
Feeling the body calmer and more relaxed than it was just a short time ago,
Reminding ourselves that this is always available,
And taking a few moments of silence to just register how we feel,
And enjoying the calm,
The beginning of a new academic year,
Can always be a little bit challenging,
It doesn't matter whether we are first years,
Final years,
Or even post-grads,
After a summer filled with new experiences,
Changes in our social lives,
And a period of hardened decompression,
The thought of getting back into it can be daunting,
Especially if we are new,
We may notice a variety of thoughts,
Emotions,
Feelings,
And fears,
When we reflect on what is to come,
And sometimes these can even be conflicting,
Maybe one moment we feel overwhelmed and uplifted with excitement and optimism,
And the next we may experience a little worry,
Apprehension,
And possibly even a little bit of anxiety,
Whatever the quality of our anticipation,
This is completely normal,
And it's the mind's way of gently offering us a small dose of each of these subjective experiences that we might encounter,
And gently preparing us for what is ultimately an extremely positive growth experience,
One of evolution,
Becoming the people that we have always longed to be,
But it's easy to get lost sometimes in the fears,
And so I'm going to present you with a series of statements to counter those pre-university nerves that we all experience,
Pay attention to how they sit for you as you settle a little deeper into this safe space,
You don't have to party or drink all the time to fit in,
You may get homesick and that's okay,
Because home is only a call away,
Your degree does not define your future career,
And you don't necessarily have to work in your field,
When times inevitably get tough,
Remember that everyone is in the same boat,
And that you are never alone,
It's okay to fail,
It's okay to want time alone,
And the university experience is not perfect for anyone,
That hobby you love,
That nobody else seems to like,
There's a club for that,
After all,
After all,
What may not be cool at home is always cool somewhere on campus,
Make the most of these societies,
Clubs and communities,
And meet other people that truly share your interests,
And this might mean being completely and utterly yourself,
Which is a great place to start,
After all,
If there was ever a place to find another you,
University is that place,
No matter how challenging it can be,
It goes really,
Really fast,
But you'll know yourself better,
Gain confidence that you never would have imagined,
And meet people that will impact your life forever,
Throw yourself into everything,
Take every opportunity,
And remember that this is as much a journey of self-exploration and discovery as it is an academic one,
In fact,
Grades and modules will be the last thing you remember,
Trust the process,
Embrace it all,
But most importantly,
Just be yourself,
Returning to the crown of the head once again,
We can continue to integrate whatever we're feeling and make peace with the sensations in the body,
As we continue to calm the mind,
Scanning over the top of the head,
Feeling into the forehead and over the brow,
As we observe the eyes,
Cheeks,
Nose,
Lips and chin,
Briefly scanning the back of the head and the ears,
As we return to the neck and throat and the shoulders,
Areas which sometimes can hold a little tightness,
Especially when we're preparing for new experiences and are feeling a little anxious,
We can just give ourselves permission to release any discomfort here,
As we feel the shoulders pulled down ever so slightly in relaxation,
Dropping down the arms and over the forearms,
Into the wrists and hands once more,
Increasing in sensitivity,
Warming and smoothing,
Evidence that our mindful eyes increasing in sharpness,
As we come to the chest,
Softening as we scan down into the abdomen,
Just feeling the breath gently expanding this area,
As we breathe in new energy and release tension,
Feeling into the upper back,
The middle of the back and the lower back,
Maybe still feeling some prominent sensations or discomfort in the lower back or running parallel to the spine,
All of which will change completely on its own,
We can just express kindness to ourselves by accepting any discomfort with a curious and accepting mind,
As we return to the base of the spine,
Feeling the weight of the body on the glutes and on the back of the thighs,
Stable and grounded,
Always without complaint and without resistance,
Feeling into the tops of the thighs and moving through the knees and the legs almost melting into the surface upon which they rest,
And feeling once more into the feet,
Maybe noticing some new sensations in this area,
Maybe an increase in temperature or maybe even nothing at all,
Whatever is true for you is perfectly fine,
And just acknowledging how something as simple as gentle observation can help us release and relax,
As we imagine zooming out and noticing the totality of our experience in this moment,
The mind and body calming together,
Never separate,
And I invite you just to bask in this state for a few minutes,
And when you hear my voice again,
We'll gently begin to conclude this period of practice,
Coming close to the end of the meditation period now,
Take a moment to check in once again with how you feel,
Become aware of what has changed,
There's no need to quantify or label it in any way,
Just feel and know you can work with this practice as many times as you like,
You will now hear the bell ring three times,
And on the third ringing of the bell,
Slowly open the eyes and return to the room.
