12:11:45 So, in this very short session, I'm going to introduce you to eight different.
12:11:55 Yeah, eight different meditations, like in my eyes, since 1988 and two of my courses.
12:12:06 I actually require students to do meditative practice for five weeks.
12:12:13 And it's certainly I feel it's the most significant thing I've done as a professor at the end of that they write a short kind of summary of the impact of doing that.
12:12:25 And just over the years so many, so many amazing comments about doing the practice.
12:12:34 So, I use meditation and mindfulness basically interchangeably.
12:12:48 And no, the most common term today is mindfulness, but I still like the term meditation, but I'm using them. There is a slight difference that I've mentioned that at the end.
12:12:53 So meditation and mindfulness is being present in the moment with a non judgmental awareness.
12:13:03 And basically, we do behind all of our thoughts, there's this natural awareness and often when we're in nature. We can just feel this sense of natural awareness and that's what we're trying to cultivate with meditation, kind of relaxing into that natural
12:13:19 awareness.
12:13:21 And so why do we do it particularly from an education perspective. Well first of all, there's just so much evidence now that meditation, helps our well being, our health, both physically and mentally.
12:13:38 So, in that that evidence. So now, doctors who like 20 years ago would have laughed about meditation, a recommended it to their patients as a way to deal with stress and and some some some illnesses,
12:13:57 but also from a teacher's point of view, I think it's extremely helpful, because the more. So again, we're working and met and meditation and mindfulness and being more present, and the more present you can be in the classroom, the stronger connection
12:14:15 you will have with the kids.
12:14:17 So, but it takes practice it's so easy to get lost in our thoughts.
12:14:23 And if we're lost in our thoughts and our student comes to us and we're thinking about what we're going to do tonight or on the weekend, and not fully there for them will lose them.
12:14:36 So it takes some practice to build up that being present, so that's why I think this is so valuable for you.
12:14:53 As a teacher, and all practice, it's the more we practice this, the more that the presence develops. And the more that our children or students can feel that presence.
12:15:06 Okay.
12:15:05 So, so what I'm going to do now is I'm going to introduce you to eight different types of meditation and and then hopefully one to one or two of these will resonate with you as one that you might consider doing on your own.
12:15:18 I think it's important and that's why in my classes I give people choice. I mean I do a breath meditation, it's called the positive, but it's really important that you develop ownership with with with the meditation practice so.
12:15:33 So I'm going to give you these eight, and which one of these like resonates with you and if one or two.
12:15:41 Does then that's when that you might want to explore and doing sort of daily, daily practice.
12:15:47 So the first thing that we need to look at is, we're doing the meditation is posture.
12:15:53 You need to, again, when you're doing the meditation, just sit and be a wreck but not rigid, but be relaxed and direct.
12:16:05 So it's very important that the spine, be like straight. So that's the energy can go up in our body, it's the spine is straight.
12:16:13 So some people. You can do this line down but the danger of lined out as you can fall asleep. If you don't fall asleep.
12:16:21 That's, that's a possibility as well, to do the meditation.
12:16:26 And then the, I suggest having your eyes closed, but it's also possible to keep them half open it's up to you.
12:16:36 And if either one is fine ok so the body, a direct and are relaxed and the eyes, either closed or have open. Okay.
12:16:47 So we'll start with the breath meditation, this is probably the most popular.
12:16:54 Meditation because the breath.
12:16:57 Again, it's always there it's such, it's such a, an immediate anchor that we can, that we can focus on.
12:17:06 So we're going to do two approaches one is where we just observe the breath.
12:17:11 And the second we will count the breath. Okay.
12:17:15 So if you just so we're going to start with breath observation.
12:17:20 So now just, we'll just experience the breath right before we get into the observation. So, feeling the breath coming into our your nostrils and down the throat into the chest, and down into the app and
12:17:42 just experienced the body breathing.
12:17:47 Just a natural organic function in our life that we often don't notice, but it's it's the really the basis of so much of our life the breath.
12:18:03 So now pick out one, one of those places, eat and I would suggest either the air come into the nostrils, or the rising and the falling of the abdomen.
12:18:16 So just one of those places and just focus on that will end, we're just going to do these for like one minute.
12:18:24 So one minute, observing the breath.
12:19:27 Okay, thank you.
12:19:34 So now we're going to count the breath. This is a little bit more structured some people find their just observing it, they, their minds really wander, a lot so with the county and there's a little bit more like structure.
12:19:49 Okay.
12:20:01 So, the way it works is do you with the breath. There's no county but with the, with the out breath with when you exhale, you count one, and then and then and out to, and then you just go up to five.
12:20:06 And at five you put you start again with one. Okay.
12:20:12 So counting the breath to yourself.
12:21:21 Thank you.
12:21:25 So, each one of these things that we do is just an anchor. So counting the breath is small anchor, so that the thoughts don't just take over and.
12:21:43 And again, it's the value of doing the meditation is that we can see the thought is just the thought.
12:21:54 And some of our thoughts, it can be problematic, or they can be negative.
12:22:00 And when that happens, we can sometimes take ownership of those thoughts and that causes discomfort or suffering.
12:22:08 So the meditation provides us a space between ourselves or awareness and the thought.
12:22:16 So it gives us some freedom.
12:22:19 In terms of dealing with our thoughts
12:22:23 and Suzuki Roshi a famous in.
12:22:27 Teacher He said, we welcome the thoughts, but we just don't serve them tea.
12:22:34 When it's not that we're pushing the fox away, but we're not, we're not, we don't want to feed the thoughts we don't want to feed the storyline.
12:22:42 We just want to let them come and go, and again, an image that used a lot in meditation is that they're like clouds just like floating by.
12:22:51 And the more that we can have that sense of distance, the more that we will feel relaxation will feel more openness. Okay, so that's that's doing the meditation around the breath either observing or, or the county.
12:23:09 The next two are more focused on the body.
12:23:12 And again, the body is, again, it's something like the breath it's always there that can ground us.
12:23:19 So the first one that we do is it's called the body scan, where we we bring awareness to different points of the body.
12:23:28 And to do this one very carefully.
12:23:31 And, and going up and down, different parts of the body takes at least, like, five to 10 minutes depending on how slowly you do it. So he, so we'll just, we'll just do the head.
12:23:51 It's just bringing awareness to different parts so. So starting with right now we bring awareness to the top of the head.
12:24:03 Is there anything happening there, or nothing.
12:24:13 There might be an itch or there might be nothing just bringing awareness to the top of the head.
12:24:20 Now remove the awareness to the forehead.
12:24:24 And this is a place where attention can arise in the body, and in the head.
12:24:30 Right. And this is where headaches can come from, or center.
12:24:36 Oh, we're just we just noticed it now, and bring awareness.
12:24:47 Now we bring awareness to the, the, the eyes, the eyes, sometimes there can be stress with the eyes and we've been reading a lot or whatever, we're just we're just we're just bringing awareness to the eyes.
12:25:18 just we're just being with what's happening. Now we move the awareness to the, to the cheeks.
12:25:32 And now to the, to the lips in the mouth.
12:25:36 This is another area where we can sometimes notice tension.
12:25:48 Now to the chin.
12:25:57 Now we bring awareness to the right side of the head and the right here.
12:26:08 And the left side of the head and the left ear.
12:26:18 And now the back of the head.
12:26:28 So we would from here we would move to the neck, the shoulders the arms and, again, gently moving down the whole, the whole body.
12:26:37 And again, besides, again, having something to focus on again anchor, bringing awareness to different weekend sometimes spot tensions in the body and just bringing that awareness to that to that part of the body will relax the part of the body.
12:26:54 And that's really the more that we can relax the body, the more than, the mind will relax. So the body, the body and the mind are so interconnected. Right.
12:27:06 So that's the body scan.
12:27:09 The next one, sort of really again focusing on the body is walking meditation.
12:27:17 And this is a very slow walk.
12:27:20 It's not power walking. It's very, so that I anchor here is really your foot. So it's lifting your foot and moving it and placing it down and setting out a very, like, small area to walk in, I'm, it's okay if you're, you can also walk outside that's great.
12:27:40 But in the winter, it's fine just to pick you like your room, and to walk from one end of the room to the other. And it can just slowly, just slowly experiencing your foot moving in and placing itself on the ground.
12:28:02 It is nice when the weather is nice to go out and if you can do it barefoot, because then you can really experience again part of this. The Walking is his connection to the earth like walking feeling you're feeling your foot on the earth, and feeling
12:28:18 the connection of the foot on the earth is a very, it's a very wonderful thing.
12:28:24 So, for some people have find it really hard to do any kind of sitting meditation and all the other ones we're doing, we're doing here are sitting, then I suggest the walking, if it's if it's a real challenge to sit for any length of time.
12:28:40 Okay,
12:28:44 so those, those are the ones that really kind of focused on the body. The next to focus on image and sound.
12:28:52 So the next one is called visualization or working with imagery.
12:28:59 And, again, a lot of visualizations are based around nature because nature is very like nourishing. So we're just going to go for a very short walk.
12:29:09 And we're going to sit by a stream for a while, and just relax there okay and whatever image I'm just going to give you the kind of this little journey, we're going to go on whatever image comes up is fine.
12:29:23 And, and just experienced what what what what's happening for you. Okay.
12:29:31 So you're walking now in a forest on a warm summer day.
12:29:38 The sun is shining.
12:29:43 There's a slight breeze this rustling leaves of the trees, and you feel you feel that gentle breeze on your face.
12:29:58 Birds are singing.
12:30:06 They're feeling very connected to walking in the forest.
12:30:14 In the distance you hear the rushing waters of a stream.
12:30:18 And you decide to walk towards the stream.
12:30:30 Now you see the stream in front of you.
12:30:33 The water is very clear. You can see the stones at the bottom of the stream.
12:30:40 So you decide to either sit down or lying down by the stream for a few moments.
12:30:51 So sitting at the line there you feel the support of the earth.
12:30:59 Which relaxes you and you've listened to the rushing waters of the stream which gives you energy.
12:31:07 So you're feeling both relaxed and energized.
12:31:14 And you look up in the sky.
12:31:18 And you see some white clouds just floating by.
12:31:23 And those are just like your thoughts.
12:31:27 Just come in and going.
12:31:34 No need to claim to them, or to push them away.
12:31:37 Just let them be whatever they're doing.
12:31:55 You're ready now to get up and resume your walk,
12:32:00 feeling relaxed and energized,
12:32:04 feeling connected to the earth
12:32:11 to the forest around you and all the creatures in the forest
12:32:18 and connected to the sky.
12:32:24 Just feeling very much at home on the earth.
12:32:33 Okay, thank you.
12:32:35 So there are many of these ones based in nature, that there's some of these that are online.
12:32:42 So you need to find the one that is most like nourishing for you.
12:32:50 And, again, people that are visually oriented, find this one of the ones to really consider.
12:32:57 The next one is more around sound.
12:33:01 And it's called mantra, where we repeat a phrase, again, almost every religion has has has a mantra.
12:33:12 So, in Catholicism it's a rosary and Islam is the beaker.
12:33:20 But here we're just we're just going to do a very simple one, we're just going to repeat to ourselves.
12:33:27 The words peace and calm. Right.
12:33:30 And it's, again, here we just want to sort of let the words repeat themselves not put too much like effort into the repeating just it's just kind of like there's a radio station, repeating these words and we're just listening and letting that letting
12:33:48 those words and the rhythm of them relax us ok so again for one minute, just repeating to ourselves, peace and calm.
12:35:00 Okay, Thank you.
12:35:03 So we have the last two to do.
12:35:06 And one is called passage meditation, where we take a small passage, either from like poetry, or if there's a spiritual texts that you like.
12:35:18 And just repeating a few lines I would say no more than about 10 or 12.
12:35:22 It's a little different from the mantra because they're more words, but it's, again, sometimes there's this poem or something from a sacred texts that really touches you, so this is an opportunity to work with that.
12:35:41 Yeah, and basically just slowly repeat, repeat the, the passage.
12:35:48 Okay, so this is the one that we will do, it's about our thoughts.
12:35:54 I'll do it twice.
12:35:56 So again just relaxing and focusing
12:36:04 the thought manifest is the word.
12:36:08 The word manifests as the deed.
12:36:11 The deed develops into the habit.
12:36:15 And the habit hardens into character.
12:36:19 So watch the thought, and its ways with the care and let it be born out of love and respect for all beings.
12:36:37 thought manifests as the word.
12:36:41 The word manifest is the deed.
12:36:46 The deed develops into habit.
12:36:49 And the habit hearts into character.
12:36:52 So watch the thought, and its ways with care and let it be born out of love and respect for all beings.
12:37:20 Thank you so the last time we're going to do is what's called loving kindness meditation, and it's it's really a meditation on friendliness.
12:37:32 And so we're going to, and they're different words that can be used, but were the words that I use are, may I be well happy and peaceful.
12:37:43 And then we want to extend those thoughts to those around us either geographically or, or emotionally will will will do them.
12:37:50 The one emotionally so we'll start with ourselves and then our family and then our friends, and then we finally move out to people that we may have some difficulty with.
12:38:00 And then finally all beings on the planet.
12:38:04 So I start my class with this, and it's a really nice way to like settle in.
12:38:10 But also, meditation, it's developing some love and compassion if we just focus on just the awareness alone, sometimes there can be a coldness with that and we want to like a warm approach to meditation and mindfulness, not just some kind of technique
12:38:30 that we do, but something that has some more to it right so ideally, So doing this because in the eyes.
12:38:38 We try to start in the heart area, trying to feel some work there if we can. If not, that's okay we just we just try to start with, with that awareness.
12:38:54 So I say a phrase and then there's a moment of silence, and then we go on to the next phrase Yeah.
12:39:01 May I be well, happy and peaceful.
12:39:13 Maybe my family, we will happy and peaceful.
12:39:24 My friends be well, happy and peaceful.
12:39:34 My colleagues, be well, happy and peaceful.
12:39:47 May those that I teach and care for my baby well, happy and peaceful.
12:40:03 Those that I meet in daily life. May they be well, happy and peaceful.
12:40:19 Those said I'm having some difficulty with me Thank you Well, happy and peaceful.
12:40:37 May all beings on the planet be well, happy and peaceful.
12:40:56 Okay, thank you. Yeah.
12:40:59 So those are the different ones. So, we have about 10 minutes left.
12:41:09 What I'd like to do now, and when before we, we have discussion I want just to talk about mindfulness. So these are these are like meditative practice that we plan to do, and that we spend some time doing the mindfulness is in daily life, just trying
12:41:26 to be present to what we're doing.
12:41:29 So if I'm preparing dinner, and I'm cutting the salary.
12:41:33 That's all I'm doing I'm not trying to solve all the problems in my life while I'm cutting the celery.
12:41:39 I'm just cutting the celery. It's just me and the celery and trying to bring that kind of awareness to whatever we doing in daily life again, allows us to develop presence, right.
12:41:54 So, that is that the mindfulness is bringing this awareness into our daily life for the meditation is so definite like time we're saying this is what we're doing.
12:42:03 The mindfulness is letting. And what's really nice is that after doing these practices for a while. The mindfulness can naturally arise, so we'll be doing something, and the awareness will just come and it's a very, it's a very lovely thing because you're
12:42:22 just.
12:42:32 We, the mindfulness depends a lot on the senses and the touch and the site and the hearing and so we we experienced things more fully when we're mindful to our touch and through our site, and through our hearing.
12:42:37 So, towards building the two together like this any kind of sitting practice with the daily mindfulness. And so again, coming into the classroom.
12:42:49 Both of these things are so so helpful to you being present to
12:42:57 the students.
12:43:00 And some, some teachers, I know have developed little practices to center themselves as they start today so they may like greet the children as they come in.
12:43:10 So it's interesting to find ways for you to, to build some things and again, the breath is always there even if that's not our main meditation, just taking a two or three deep breaths can really bring us back into our bodies and relax ourselves that's
12:43:43 always there. Okay.
12:43:38 So, um, I think we've got what we've got seven minutes, maybe we'll just open to discussion no i don't think we'll have time to go into the groups.
12:43:49 So maybe we can hear from people as to any. So, just one more thing about the practice for people.
12:43:59 I really suggest that you start again the daily practice is the most helpful, because if you do it sporadically it, the impact of the practice is less, but if you can do it like every day, I would say, starting with five minutes and trying to work up
12:44:16 to maybe 15 or 20, but whatever whatever amount of time you, you can do is valuable, even if it's just five minutes a day.
12:44:27 So it's that regular practice can can really help ground us and again develop the presence. If we don't do it every day these, these things, the skills were working on, don't develop as fully.
12:44:41 So that's, yeah. And the other thing is to pick a time when you have energy. So some of us are morning people.
12:44:50 So if you're a morning person this is a good time to do the meditation right way.
12:44:59 Or if some people like my wife has more energy as she goes on during the day so she's, she's the most energy at like 10 o'clock at night. So, it's to pick a time that you have energy into and again if you pick a time was sort of you normally do at that
12:45:16 time of day so it's not like, we'll have to kind of fit it in but if you say well, the time after I wake is the time that I do this, or the time at 10 o'clock or whatever is the time that I do it.
12:45:31 So, those are ways to help you build a really
12:45:37 a practice right.
12:45:40 And finally I would suggest is just approach on this very lightly it some people get awfully serious about meditation.
12:45:47 They think that well this is going to be, you know, Make me a great person or whatever.
12:45:52 But, you know, tick, con that one of the great Vietnamese cheek meditation just encourages you to do it. Do the meditation with a smile.
12:46:02 So that just taking a lightness to this and not getting too like if it works for you. Some people will say well everybody you know I talked to it's got to meditate know.
12:46:14 And so, so maybe we just have a few minutes now I ready for questions. Yeah.
12:46:20 Feel free to just speak out or you can put something in the chat.
12:46:27 Now, I'll just say one thing, jack, doing the Boise wellness program for the last few years. One of the things we've tried to do is have the practice sessions.
12:46:38 So we have multiple weekly practice opportunities to practice. I think they have six during the week so late. Yeah.
12:46:48 Yeah.
12:46:50 Yeah, and their course. The building is closed but when the building was open, there were mindfulness groups that would meet like during the week but I'm sure that online to now right so, yeah, yeah, yeah.
12:47:10 Hi, thank you so much. And I'm, I have a question and I'd imagine most of the people here are in teaching as well.
12:47:18 But do you find any meditative practices, more helpful more or less helpful for younger children, like, yeah, in your experience.
12:47:29 Yeah, yeah, like the, the book.
12:47:32 It's on this list by King Khan and Catherine Where is called Happy teachers change the world. A Guide to cultivating mindfulness in education.
12:47:55 So, Again, with young children, young children are naturally mindful, so just kind of building on that, and not again very short periods of mindfulness, not, you know, asking them to, like, and not having a five year olds ship for like more than a few
12:48:14 minutes right so.
12:48:17 right so. But again, that the tech con book is very very just a great book with all kinds of things you can do with kids. Yeah.
12:48:49 Well, we have a little bit of a break here I'm also going to post our next sessions or next wellness sessions and the registration links.
12:48:59 If you're interested in attending the next ones coming up.
12:49:09 Um, I actually actually have a question. Um, so I'm just curious. So, um, you know I have some familiar familiarity with mindfulness techniques.
12:49:21 You know through like Jon Kabat Zinn publications and that sort of thing I found it helpful for my life. But I also know that folks who have, you know, challenges with trauma or with extreme anxiety sometimes, you know these techniques can be very difficult
12:49:38 or perhaps not even beneficial, not enough so trauma so I'm just wondering, I'd be interested to hear you address address that.
12:49:48 Yeah, definitely.
12:49:51 If people.
12:49:59 If the meditation allows some of those experiences to come up then it's not really that's why I would suggest doing things that are very body oriented again like the walking or the body scan or some yoga exercises, not, not just dealing with a thoughts
12:50:15 because if you're just dealing with the thoughts, those nights.
12:50:30 Emily I think you have your hand up, I think you asked the question, um, do you recommend focusing just on one specific type of meditation for your practice or mindless practice or because you can't put them together so put, like, yeah, you can do, you
12:50:46 know, two or three if you want, like, I like personally I do the breath meditation and then I I include the loving kindness at the end, right.
12:50:58 So, it's yeah it's it's you can take these and work out, kind of a program for yourself that, you know, seems to resonate right. And I think that you don't have to just stick with one and being very open about working with them right.
12:51:16 Yeah, yeah.
12:51:17 Thank you. Yeah, yeah.
12:51:25 I'm just mindful of the time.
12:51:30 And we're at 1251. So I just wanted to take the time to say thank you jack for coming again. We really appreciate you kicking off our series.