MEDITATION FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS

WHAT IS MEDITATION?

Meditation is a simple and direct method which leads to mental and emotional well being for those who practice it. It is a way of calming the constant chatter that goes on in our heads. Much of our restlessness and distress is a direct result of our agitated and undisciplined minds.

Most of us need to calm our minds. A calm mind id a happy mind, it is a mind that is open, attentive and creative.

Meditation is a way of working with our emotional life. Many of us when growing up are not taught how to be with our emotional aspect. To lead a healthy balanced life we need to develop both our cognitive and affective capacities.

Meditation is also a way of listening to our intuition. If we are constantly caught up with our chattering minds, we can so easily miss out on the enormous satisfaction and guidance of our intuitive ability.
 

MORE BENEFITS OF MEDITATION

Improves learning capabilities
Normally our minds are very full and occupied with a million and one things. A busy over active mind is a major cause of the inability to pay attention. When we meditate we gently allow the mind to calm, giving us both a sense of well-being and the ability to focus on the task we are engaged in. This enables us to take in and digest new information.

Has shown signs of decreasing conflict between students.
Meditation is a very effective way of working with emotions such as anger, fear, and anxiety. Quite often we lash out at others through anger or it leaks out in covert but unkind  remarks. Meditation gives us space to see anger and to step back from it. Without this space we actually become the anger over which we have very little or no control whilst it’s present.

Enhances creativity.
Our thinking capacity is a wonderful tool, but for the vast majority of us thinking has taken over our lives. Busy chaotic minds can mean busy chaotic lives. Whilst we are mesmerised by our thoughts we can find it quite difficult to think creatively, because unconscious thinking, which is what most of our thinking is, happens to be negative and repetitive thinking.

Meditation allows our minds to quieten so that we give “room” to see things from a different point of view. When we quieten the mind we naturally access our creative and intuitive capacities and this encourages new ways of seeing, thinking and expression.

Helps release stress
Enables teachers and students to better cope with stress.
Meditation is the practice of calming the mind. It offers a way to free our minds from the thoughts and emotions that limit us, so that we can cultivate a calm, relaxed and positive way of being. Through the practice of meditation we can discover how to let go of physical and mental tension, maintain a balanced mind under difficult circumstances, and achieve our full potential.

Helps build self esteem
Feelings of low self esteem can have paralysing effects on student’s performance in the classroom. Developing a practice of meditation can be of some help in combating feelings of low self esteem. By stilling the mind through meditation, one is introduced to a deeper part of one's being which lies beyond the mind's judgments and criticisms. We have all had experiences 'in the heart', like for example when watching a sunset or being touched by a moment of kindness, experiences which seem to point to a deeper sense of self than that experienced by the vacillating mind. Meditation helps us have these experiences more often, and gradually identify with them instead of the mind's constant self-rejection.

Improves health
Meditation relaxes the mind and body. In our often busy lives our body can be in a constant state of tension, getting very little time to rest and recuperate. When given the chance as in meditation the body releases the tension that it holds leading to a sense of ease and physical relaxation. When we rest in the body as we do in meditation it allows the immune system to strengthen thereby leading to a greater resistance against ailments.
 
Develops emotional intelligence and expression.
To be a happy, well balanced individual it is essential that we become comfortable with our feeling and emotional life. Most of us when growing up are not shown in an intelligent way how to relate to our emotions, which quite often means we repress them and come to see them as something of an annoyance.  Meditation is a way of learning to be with and of processing our rich emotional life. As we experience our emotions more we come to feel more alive and naturally start to express them creatively in our daily lives.

PURPOSE
Over recent decades there is increasing pressure and stress in people’s lives. Teachers and students are certainly no exception to this. The intention behind these workshops and courses is to bring meditation into schools and colleges so that both teachers and students can benefit from this important tool for life.

The workshops I run can be anything from 20 minute guided meditation in a staff room to a course that may run for many weeks or months. I adapt the workshops to the needs of each individual school.

For more information please contact me on suryacitta@googlemail.com or call 07910 598951