From restlessness to post-war to usual routine – this last week of February

February 29, 2020 by talkingnow 1 Comment

This past week’s Class Relax experiences:
1. Sunday – regular class, end of day, 7th graders’ attempt to allow their bodies to relax
2. Monday and some of Tuesday – Schools, roads shut down.
3. Wednesday, post-war – grateful 9th grade pupils surrender their bodies to relaxation
4. Thursday, story-telling – 7th graders noisiness subsides as puppets retell a story

The last week of February is always an interesting time of year as the anemones blur into the delicate narcissus blooms and yellow mustard flowers carpet the fields. As I met the pupils this week to facilitate Class Relax, I knew to expect fresh energies of springtime. And we enjoyed those energies Sunday afternoon.  I didn’t know, of course, that the week would suddenly change gears, with a barrage of rocket fall on our area Sunday night, requiring us to stick close to safety. It took 2 days until a true ceasefire allowed us to come back to our usual routines. I felt exhausted and I could only guess the condition of my pupils. Wednesday’s pupils wanted to indulge their need for relaxation. Then along came Thursday, and it was business, noisy business, as usual!

Monday, Tuesday, we were all at home or away from the area.
During times of war, when I can’t speak to individual pupils, I send out recorded meditation guidance as first aid. What’s App is my fastest vehicle to reach past and current groups of pupils as well as to their Homeroom teachers. There is also an open invitation to call or write me for individual guidance. I often receive thank you notes and comments that the recording helped. Sometimes a reminder that focusing on breathing can help quieten the mind, even for a minute or two, is enough to help.

Back to Class Relax in school

Wednesday’s school schedule was disrupted to allow for in-class conversations and time to play chess, volleyball and allowing for opportunities to let out steam and reunite with friends. The hour for the 9th grade Mindfulness class, however, saw us all back in the Relaxation Room of the Dream Building. The couches were quickly dismantled to allow for stretching out. Some chose to sit, one wished to stand.

After a few minutes of allowing ourselves to be still, we took time to assess our current states of mind, body and feelings, and shared with the group. I assured them that as we went through the body scan, and then guided meditation, as we noticed tensions, thoughts or sensations we were to treat ourselves kindly: to accept what we observed and to open our hearts to ourselves.

Self-compassion.

Some pupils asked for permission to draw rather than lie back – and this they did. This active self-exploration is a wonderful calming tool and good that they recognized their personal need.

And then we began, noticing our body breathing and directing the breath to our body parts from our feet up to our waists, then torsos and arms and finally allowing the breath to energize the head. We used a long cleansing breath, exhaling out all remaining worries or thoughts and refilling, refueling with fresh energy-filled air.

We allowed our body to come back to normal breathing and then I began the guided imagery: starting at their front doors earlier this morning when they had gathered everything they needed and set out on their way to school. I asked them to retrace their steps slowly as they got to their bus or car, closing the door, sitting down and driving to school. I asked them to carefully recall one thing they’d seen on the way that caused them to smile. It might have been a flower, a pet, a person, or anything at all. When they’d found that image, I asked them to signal me by raising one finger. I then asked them to continue their journey to school until they reached the front gate. I asked them to allow themselves to re-visit that image, to allow themselves to experience it in their minds, sensing the sensations, giving in to the smile. This, then was their positive image to hold within their hearts, always there for the nourishment it offered.

As usual, I mentioned that shortly we’d hear the sound of the Tibetan Singing Bowl which would indicate time to move our hands, our fingers, our arms. To come back to our bodies, opening eyes last and then stretching ourselves back to the current reality.

Relex (sic) love yourself always

After a short break, we re-entered the zone of relaxation and this time, I led them through a short self-compassion meditation. We used the repetition of phrases of self-nurturing as our anchor of attention. I suggested offering ourselves peace, safety and happiness or any other phrases that might suit them. After a few minutes, I asked them to think of someone who inspired them, who caused them to smile when they thought of them, and when they had someone like that, to signal by raising and then lowering their fingers.  That person was then invited to appear fully in their imagination and then the same nourishing wishes were offered to them. Afterwards, we came back to ourselves wishing ourselves another round of self-compassion. Slowly, we came out of the state, with the sound of the bowl.

Tibetan Singing Bowl

I guided them through stretches, asking them not to talk, not to expend the energy they’d collected. (It sometimes happens that they actually refrain from talking). Those who were in comfortable sleep, needed encouragement to shake themselves out of it. (Which I offered, instead of the typical peer-style clonk on the back).

All such guided meditation sessions need careful transitions back to the waking state, to allow for enough clarity to navigate their way back to class! And so we stretch, doing some moves to encourage blood flow. We end with a Dry Shower to lightly drum on the body, in a regulated pattern, and then deep breathing with sounds on the exhales and a culminating self-hug with “There’s nobody like me!”  and a thank you to all for coming together.

Thursday

Grade 7 was a different story. First lesson of the day – 18 pupils (which is half of the class), sitting in a circle. I welcomed them by asking them to listen to the Singing Bowl. Quiet was attained, and I passed around the Talking Piece asking them to give their names and how they felt at that moment.  In a very short while, noisy nodes appeared in the room: two groups of chattering boys. I noticed and proceeded with the go-to physical equalizer of the Wonderful Waiter. Most participated, except for a few of the noisy boys (hints of Murphy’s Law at play).

The Wonderful Waiter hang drum/harp

Back to our seats, I asked one of the chattering boys in confidentiality if he’d yet heard the story of the wanderer and the village. He said he hadn’t and so, I brought out my story-telling persona.

The story is a beautiful example of how mind-set operates. It’s an ancient tale, brought to my attention by the good folks at Mindfulness Without Borders. I told the tale of how long ago, people explored the world on foot, and how one day, a wanderer reached the stone arches of a village. As the story goes, he meets a very old woman sitting on a bench outside the gate and they converse. The next day, a second wanderer appears and re-visits the same conversation with a very different point of view.

At the end of the story, which clearly I have not spoiled for you here, I asked what the story signified. This time I received three similar answers, each pupils insisting that their way of phrasing was unique and demanding to be heard. The chattering boys were unconvinced. I offered them the free card of escape – back to their classroom if they felt they couldn’t keep quiet. They didn’t accept, but some of them moved to different places.
Convinced I had hope of continuing, I asked for 3 volunteers, and lo and behold, the same ones who had spoken up about the message of the story jumped up to accept the challenge. I pulled out 3 puppets and told them how to wear them on their hands and to select who would be the very old woman, and who would be Wanderers 1 and 2.

Then the story was re-told. We improvised an afterward and then with the ringing of the Singing Bowl, we collected the puppets and indulged in a Dry Shower to end the lesson.

This teacher was grateful to be able to leave our totally fortified building to venture out into the pastoral sunshine. The week was draining, the pupils demanding and my personal reservoir insufficient to brush it off. I needed a Thursday to bike ride and commune with the budding flowers and green carpets of wheat.

Class Relax is pleased and privileged to be able to serve – yet, this weekend came just in time!