Meditation can help teachers reduce stress and feel more relaxed, because a happy teacher leads to a happy learning environment.
What is Meditation?
Meditation can be defined as an activity that involves relaxation and awareness. Meditation is about focusing on the presence and being mindful of your emotions and having awareness of yourself.
Why is Meditation important for Teachers?
Teachers are at the heart of education with the major role in promoting, supporting and managing learning for students in order to achieve the vision, the mission and goals of the school. Teachers need to continuously develop themselves professionally and personally. New knowledge, teaching techniques and methods as well as enhancing the learning experience from various learning sources should be obtained through various channels of professional developments to keep up with the ever-changing globalization trend. However, with a lot of pressure teachers face in trying to keep up with the fast paced world and in managing their role at their best effort as a teacher, they do not have the time to go on vacations and take time off to relax their body and mind and this could lead to negative effects on their physical and mental health which eventually could affect their teaching ability as well. Therefore, simple meditation could be a small activity that could have a big impact on teachers’ lives and career.
How to meditate?
As teachers, finding a quiet place to meditate isn’t easy in school, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t one. Maybe while the students are on their break or off to P.E. class or during lunch hour; find a quiet spot for yourself.
Step1: Once a quiet place is established, simply adjust your seating comfortably; it can be on a chair or on the floor, whatever is comfortable for you. Then gently close your eyes and inhale deeply through your nose and exhale through your mouth while releasing all of your tensions through the exhalation. Try to deeply inhale and exhale about 3 times.
Step 2: Now, try to relax every part of your body, starting with the top of your head, your forehead, your eyes, your cheeks, your neck, your shoulders, arms, hands, your torso, your back, your abdomen, your legs and all the way down to your toes. Try to release all the tension through each breath from every part of your body while also observing which part still feels tense and simply release and relax that area as well.
Once your whole body feels relaxed and comfortable, you might find yourself wanting to fall asleep which is not a bad thing but it is not the goal of meditation. Meditation is not only for relaxation but also for you to have mindfulness or in other word, awareness, while being comfortable and relaxed.
Step 3: To practice awareness while meditating, try centering your attention at the center of your body, which according to some Buddhist’s beliefs is two fingers width above your navel. It is not mandatory to pinpoint your mind exactly at the center, it could be your stomach or any part of your body that you feel most comfortable and have the most awareness. If you find yourself feeling a bit tense while trying to focus your mind at the center, just simply ease off and start again with the relaxation steps and breathing steps to reset your meditation. The goal is for you to relax, not to feel more tense.
Step 4: Try to gently keep your focus at the center of your body and observe the state of your mind. The natural state of our mind is to feel loose and content and calm. Do not try to force your mind to to be happy, but only observe it in its natural state. Sometimes the mind may wander, just simply observe it and bring the focus back to your center.
Visualization and mantra can assist some in focusing their mind at the center easier.
Visualization is when you image an object at the center of your body to anchor your awareness to something so that your mind doesn’t wander off to something else. It is advised to use peaceful, clear, bright objects for visualization to help keep the mind content and focused. You may visualize the sun, the moon, the star or even the cross at the center of your body to anchor your wandering mind, but do not force it, but rather just gently visualize the object gently and softly.
Reciting a mantra is when you say a mantra in your mind that arises from the center of your body to keep your mind focused on the phrase or the word so that the mind doesn’t wander off and fall asleep. Some mantras are: “sam-ma-ah-ra-hung” or “Bhud-to” or “Ohmmmm” or it could be any relaxation mantra you choose that is consistent and comfortable for you to recite at ease with no force or tension.
Using either mantra or visualization can help assist many in their meditation practice. Some may choose only one technique and some may use both techniques at the same time or some may not use neither of these techniques but keeping quiet and relaxed is their preferred method. You can choose for yourself which technique best suits your preference, because there is right or wrong but only to be mindful and relaxed is the key.
Step 5: Once deep into the practice or maybe even the first trial, some may experience unexpected feelings or experiences during meditation, if this happens, just simply let it be and continue being still and relaxed. Try to be neutral and observe your mind like you are on a journey within.
How long should you meditat?
You could follow these basic steps for meditation whenever you’d like to keep your mind at a healthy and relaxed state. The meditation practice can be at least 5-10 minutes but if you have more time and would like to sit longer, it is fine too; there is no limit to how much time you should meditate.
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References
The meditation technique from this blog was simplified from the original practice of Ven. Phramonkolthepmuni /Luang Pu Sod Chandasaro or Luang Pu Wat Paknam. You could find further information in the the following links:
1. Benefits of meditation:
2. Meditation steps:
3. Visualization and mantra techniques:
4. Luang Pu Wat Paknam’s brief biography: