This morning I went into a local High School to give a quick 30 minute Mindfulness session to some stressed out GCSE students.
Their exams start soon and their teacher wanted the students to learn some simple methods for staying calm and focussing on their exams.
Mindfulness to the rescue!
So we did a really simple exercise which will work wonders, if they can just have a go every day.
This is what I suggested (give it a try – whatever your focus is) ….
First set a timer – I would suggest 5 minutes as a good start.
Sit up straight with your feet flat on the floor, hands on your lap…
Close your eyes…
See if you can notice a rising and falling sensation in your body that comes with the breath…
Just observe the breathing process, don’t change it…
Then start to count the breath…so one for an in breath, 2 on the out breath, then keep going to 10.
Each time you get to 10 go back to 1 and start again.
Repeat this until your timer goes off.
Then rather than leaping up just sit for a while longer and let your mind do whatever it wants to do – if it wants to think then let it think.
Enjoy the calm and focussed mind you have created.
Get on with your day and at any point when you feel stressed take a moment just to go back to the breath and to remember that calm.
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