Meditation for Resilient Educators
Introduction
Working as an educator has always required a bold level of resilience in the face of juggling multiple priorities, demanding deadlines, a hectic daily pace with few breaks, being 'on' all day, being coaches, mentors and counsellors for a growing population of overwhelmed students. And now, the road ahead that has been paved by COVID, the stakes are even higher when the stress of staying healthy has been added to the mix.
Fatigue, chronic tension, emotional and physical burnout and an overall sense of dis-ease can be the result for an educator without some self-care resources and supports.
This series is made up of six different guided meditations to support educators in accessing their emotional stability, calmness and focus. Having your mind as an ally will be important in the uncertainty that lies ahead. Come. Sit. Breathe.
Breath Meditation
This guided meditation focuses on a basic breath awareness to begin to train our active "toddler" mind to come back to attention when it gets distracted by worries of the future or regrets from the past. Our breath is a magnet to the present moment and it is always with us. This practice can be adapted to be used anytime, anywhere.
Concentration (Five Senses)
Using the five senses that are always with us, we can develop our attention muscle as we look for the calm but illusive space between effort and ease. A gentle meditation that can be done with no props but is especially sweet if you plan ahead an include some relaxing scents and maybe just a wee bit of chocolate!
Deep Rest (Body Scan)
Using a Guided Body Scan meditation, there is opportunity to spend time in relaxed awareness and to find a place of deep rest.
The Words We Say Visualization
Considering how our words impact our daily lives, this guided visualization considers the weight that comes from concrete words and the ease that comes from releasing some of the weight.
Sitting with Difficult Emotions
When you're looking to strengthen and tone in your physical workout, you add resistance. When you want to grow more grounded in your emotional stability, you learn to sit with difficult emotions. This short meditation creates a supportive place to grow in emotional resilience by learning to be comfortable with discomfort.
Loving Kindness (Compassion)
Loving Kindness Meditation is a nourishing way to develop compassion for ourselves and others. Learn to drop the false barriers we set up between ourselves and others and feel more connected as a result.
