Mindful Sitting
This meditation was adapted from Happy Teachers Change the World: A Guide for Cultivating Mindfulness in Education by Thich Nhat Hanh and Katherine Weare.
Why practice this meditation?
This practice will help you sit calm, still, and relaxed. It builds your awareness of your thoughts, feelings, body, and your connection to people sitting around you.
Meditation
Begin.
Sit on a cushion, mat, or floor.
Keep your shoulders relaxed and back straight. Think of yourself as a strong, stable mountain.
Hold your head over your spine and slightly tuck your chin.
Softly close your eyes. Feel your forehead, face, and mouth relax.
Noticing contact with the ground.
For those in a chair, notice where your feet touch the floor.
For those on a cushion or floor, notice the places where you touch the floor.
Relax your body and feel the ground supporting you.
Sitting and breathing.
Sound the bell once to begin.
[Facilitator] Guide the group through several rounds of breaths with these or other phrases that are meaningful to you.
Bring your attention to your breath. In….out…
Breathing in, your breath becomes deep. Breathing out, your breath becomes slow.
Breathing in, you feel calm. Breathing out, you are at ease.
Breathing in, smile. Breathing out, relax.
Breathing in, sitting tall. Breathing out, sitting strong.
Repeat until you feel ready to close the meditation.
Closing.
Take 3 deep breaths.
Invite everyone to come back into awareness with their contact to the floor.
Gently open your eyes and stretch. Smile.
Variations and Tips
During the sitting meditation, invite participants to imagine themselves as a tree in a storm or a rock in a fast river.
For additional ways to let go of thoughts and feelings, imagine yourself sitting on a bench and watching: traffic driving back and forth, ducks swimming past on a river, or clouds floating by in the sky.
Reflection Questions
How did it feel to sit during this meditation - did it change your mind or breath?
Where was your mind today? Was it stressed, calm, or distracted?
Where was your body today? Did it feel relaxed or tense?
When your mind wandered, how did you bring it back to the present moment?