Hello.
What follows is a short mindfulness meditation recording designed to help you face the potential stress of upcoming exams.
We're going to begin by sitting comfortably in an upright position.
You can imagine striking a pose of dignity,
Or you can imagine that a cord attached to the very crown of your head is gently being pulled upright.
Have your feet planted firmly on the floor so that you are grounded,
And when you're ready,
Gently allow your eyes to close.
Begin with one or two deep breaths in through the nose,
Filling your diaphragm and holding for one or two seconds before releasing the breath through your mouth,
And then allowing your breathing to return to its normal pattern.
And as you breathe for a couple of moments,
Concentrate on the inflow of air and think to yourself the word calm with each in-breath.
And as you exhale,
Think to yourself the word capable.
So on the in-breath,
Calm,
And on the out-breath,
Capable.
And as you maintain your focus on your breathing,
Know that you are not your grades and you are not your academic achievements.
Know that your grades and your academic achievements do not define who you are.
They do not make you who you are.
These things represent a snapshot in a moment of time showing what you were able to do in a very specific set of given circumstances.
So reassure yourself again,
I am not my grades,
I am not my academic achievements.
I'd like you to picture yourself now sitting in the room where you're going to take your exam,
But fast-forwarding to the moment when time is called and you've put your pen down and imagining how you're feeling.
Now imagine how you feel 10 minutes after the end of your exam.
Are you second-guessing how well you did?
Are you congratulating yourself?
Are you filled with a sense of relief?
Now fast-forward again in your mind to 10 months after the end of this exam.
Does it impact you at all?
Do you remember this day and this exam as having been a source of stress?
And fast-forward again in your mind to 10 years after this exam.
Can you even recall the exam?
The sensations that you felt leading up to the exam?
The sensations that you felt finishing it?
In fact,
Do you even remember the exam?
And as you're picturing this moment,
Rest your awareness in that sense of perspective and distance.
Imagine the change in our thinking 10 minutes after an event,
10 months and 10 years after an event.
Help us to gain perspective over what's really important and to place things like exams that may concern us into a much smaller context in our lives.
Of course,
This is not to say that certain exams and tests are not important.
But at this stage,
You're prepared.
You have an opportunity to demonstrate what it is you know,
What it is you are capable of doing.
It's an opportunity also to find out what it is you need to work on,
What it is you need to find out more about or seek more help and guidance about.
Say a silent thank you in gratitude for the opportunity that this presents you,
Knowing that you're prepared and that you're ready for this exam or test.
Remember that you are not your grades and you are not your academic performance.
Focus now for a few moments on your breathing in through the nose,
Out through the nose,
Just watching your breath and narrating it.
Calm on the in-breath,
Capable on the exhalation.
If your thoughts wander,
Perhaps thinking about the upcoming exam or test,
Don't follow your thoughts.
Don't pursue your worries.
Return to your breathing.
Return to your calm and you're capable.
This meditation will end with the sound of a bell.
Listen to the bell until you can no longer hear the ringing.
And when the sound is finished,
You can open your eyes.
