Hello and welcome to this mindfulness session.
If you're a teenager in school and you feel that you need a break,
Then you're in the right place.
Mindfulness can be an excellent tool to help us manage stress,
To reduce anxiety and to improve our overall well-being.
So let's begin.
Find a quiet,
Comfortable place where you can sit or lie down.
We're going to begin by taking a couple of deep breaths in through the nose and gently out through the mouth.
Do that one more time in through the nose and as you exhale,
You can gently allow your eyes to close.
Now just allow your breathing to return to its natural rhythm and as you breathe,
Focus on the sensations in your body.
Notice any tension that you're feeling,
Any discomfort.
Notice areas of softness or relaxation without trying to change anything that you feel.
Just observe.
Notice how your body is feeling and by now you've probably been aware of a thought,
Maybe more than one and maybe you've followed a thought.
So just notice the thoughts that come up and whether they're positive,
Negative or neutral doesn't really matter.
Just notice that their thoughts,
Allow them to come and let them go without any judgment about them or attachment to them.
Take another deep in-breath and imagine that you're inhaling calm and relaxation and with each exhalation,
Imagine that you're exhaling stress or tension.
So each breath in and each breath out,
Tension leaving your body,
Letting go of worries,
Letting go of distractions.
So I'm going to introduce you to three different methods that we can use in mindfulness.
I'm going to do each one of them for a short period but of course afterwards you can continue with whichever one you want or you can use one or two of them for taking a mindful break at any time during the day.
So the methods we're going to be having a look at are a body scan,
A visualization and gratitude.
So let's start with the body scan.
Again a deep centering breath to start and then beginning at the very top of your head,
Slowly scanning down your body,
Noticing any sensations that you feel along the way.
So down over your forehead and your eyes,
Down the back of your head,
Down through your jaws,
Down through your neck and your shoulders and continue gently and slowly scanning down your body,
Noticing sensations,
Observing any areas of tension or relaxation.
And when your scan reaches your feet,
Feel that connection with the ground.
And now we're going to slowly come out of the body scan.
So focus on your breathing,
Notice how your breath feels as it moves in and out of your body.
Maybe you feel it most in your nose or your mouth.
Rest with that feeling of breath.
And again,
If your mind wanders or becomes distracted by thoughts,
Simply notice that and bring your attention back to your breathing.
The next method we can use is visualization.
So we'll try a very brief and simple visualization now.
With your eyes still closed,
Imagine yourself in a peaceful place.
This could be a real place that you've been to,
Or it could be a place that you imagine.
Perhaps it's a beach or a forest or a meadow.
Wherever it is,
Try to visualize the sights,
The colors,
The shapes.
Imagine any sounds that would accompany that view.
Perhaps there are smells particular to this place.
Really bring that visualized place to life and allow yourself to feel enveloped by it,
To feel calm and to feel relaxed.
Once you've established yourself in a visualized place of peace,
It becomes easier and easier to revisit that place in the course of a day.
It becomes a safe haven for you,
A place you can get to to relax,
To take the time that you need to recenter and to regain your calm before moving on with your day.
Let's take another deep in breath through the nose.
And as you allow your breathing to continue in its natural rhythm,
Bring our focus away from the visualization and back to the present moment where you are.
Become aware of the sounds around you.
Allow yourself to be fully here.
And we're going to close with a gratitude exercise.
Bring to mind three things that you are grateful for today.
Now these can be simple things.
You have a roof over your head or they can be more personal.
You've spent some time with a family member or a friend.
It may be a possession.
It may be a meal.
Just find three things that you can feel grateful for today.
And for each one of them,
Reflect on the positive impact that they have in your life.
Sometimes it's easier to think of one place,
One thing,
One relationship to really focus your gratitude.
So one more time,
A deep breath in through your nose.
And as you release that breath,
Bringing your attention fully back to your body,
Perhaps wiggling your toes,
Stretching your arms and slowly opening your eyes.
So congratulations on completing this mindfulness session.
Take a moment to consider how you're feeling now compared to how you felt before you started.
And remember that these techniques,
Body scans,
Visualization,
Gratitude,
As well as the more general focusing on your breath are available anytime you need a break during the school day or at home.
I hope that you choose one or more of these to practice with on your own.
And of course,
You can listen to this track anytime you like.
I hope you have a great remainder of the day.
