Welcome to this short guided mindfulness exercise aimed at teenagers with a focus on self-belief.
You're joining me in my office in a school.
There is a small group of 13 to 15 year olds with me and we're going to practice this mindfulness meditation together.
So don't be alarmed if you hear some background noise.
We've tried to pick a time during a class so there is less likely to be movement in corridors but you may well find that you hear doors or voices in the background.
This needn't matter,
This needn't be a distraction.
So the purpose of this session is to guide you into relaxation and give you an opportunity to think about yourself and how you believe in yourself.
And we're going to begin in a seated position if possible.
So you can either sit on the ground with your legs crossed and your spine straight and upright or you can sit in a chair.
Either way,
Make sure that your spine is upright and you're sitting in what might be described as a position of dignity.
Having said that,
If you'd like to lie down and relax fully during this guided mindfulness meditation,
That's also fine.
Just take whichever position suits you best but do try to stay awake.
And we're going to begin by developing some focus on the breath.
So breathing is something that we all do all the time.
We can perhaps hold our breath for a minute or two if we need to but normally we breathe without thinking about it and we breathe obviously to get oxygen which is essential to our body's functioning.
So we're going to bring our conscious awareness to our breathing and we're going to do that by taking five deep and full breaths together,
Letting each breath fill you completely and each exhale help you to feel completely relaxed.
So we'll begin now by taking one deep breath in through the nose and out through the mouth until that breath has completely left your body and then again in through the nose and gently out through the mouth.
You might like to imagine on your out breath that you're blowing a flickering candle flame but you're not blowing it out.
Those deep breaths have filled you with oxygen,
Those exhalations have been waves of relaxation,
The breaths have been purifying you and the relaxation of each exhale has been softening you.
Take a moment now to think about how you feel.
When we breathe deeply and consciously like this it's an act of self-compassion at its very basic level.
It's us reminding our body what it is essentially for.
You can let your breathing now return to its natural rhythm and just note how you're feeling.
Sit with that feeling for a moment and then bring your awareness to your spine.
Is it still straight?
Are you sitting with dignity?
Are you projecting confidence?
Is your posture proud and your head held high?
If you haven't already you can gently allow your eyes to close now and feel an extra layer of relaxation in your body as you do.
Allow that relaxation to fill your body,
Bring your awareness to how relaxed you feel.
And now I'd like you to move your awareness to your head.
Notice your eyes,
Notice your ears and any sounds they're picking up.
Notice your nose and your mouth.
Perhaps you can feel air gently coming in and out.
And then move your awareness down your neck,
Through your shoulders and through each arm,
Down to the tips of your fingers.
And now back to your breath without changing it in any way but noticing the expansion of your chest as you breathe in.
Perhaps noticing your heartbeat,
Noticing how your stomach moves as you breathe.
And then extend your awareness to your hips,
Down through both of your legs,
Through your knees and calves,
To your feet.
And then move your awareness from toe to toe.
And now take another deep breath breath in through your nose and smile.
And with that smile try to bring into your mind the recollection of a time when you were happy,
When you were smiling.
It might be a memory from far back in time or it might be something that's just happened.
Let the feelings associated with that smile fill your mind and fill your body.
Visualize yourself smiling and now say quietly to yourself in your head,
When I smile I'm relaxed,
I'm confident,
I'm calm whenever I feel stressed.
Smiling can help me whenever I feel stressed or anxious.
Smiling can help me if I smile even just a little.
It can remind me that this feeling will pass and deep down at my core I am calm I am calm and confident and relaxed.
Whenever I need to I can choose to breathe deeply and recall a time when I was laughing or smiling and I can bring the feeling of happiness and contentment and relaxation back into this present moment.
And I can remember that I matter.
I can do things,
I can accomplish things in my own time.
I deserve to be happy.
When I relax I'm able to focus.
I don't need to worry about the future because I already am enough.
And now I'd like you to picture something that it is that you want to accomplish.
Bring it to mind in as much detail as you can.
Try to add as much detail as you can.
This picture of you achieving your goals,
Accomplishing what it is you want to accomplish.
Hold that image in your mind and repeat quietly to yourself,
This is me,
This is who I am.
I matter,
I can accomplish things,
I believe in myself.
And now hold this moment,
This image and these feelings.
Bring your attention once again to your breathing.
Don't change it in any way.
Just notice the flow of your in-breath and your out-breath.
Notice where in your body you feel your breath,
Whether it's at your nose with the air coming in or in the rise and fall of your chest or in your belly.
And with one last gentle deep breath in and out,
Let go of any focus.
Let go of focus on your breathing.
Let go of focus on any image you have of yourself.
And when you're ready to come back to this present moment,
You can gently open your eyes.
Feel free now to sit quietly for as long as you like.
Thank you for joining us today for this guided meditation and thank you to my students present here who have been extremely quiet.
I hope you're able to leave here today with a renewed sense of self-confidence.
