Teaching Sequence

2 Minute Activities: Developing Natural Body Awareness

Explain to students the purpose of mindfulness: mindfulness is a way to take good care of the mind; to notice where it is and wise ways to use it.

Noticing is a skill. It is a skill that we can practice to help our minds work better. We can notice what we need to be healthy, happy and choose well each day. When we practice being mindful, we practice paying attention to build a stronger and kinder mind.

When we notice nature, it helps our minds and bodies calm down and feel better. Noticing nature helps everyone remember that we all belong to the natural world, like one big family.

Use these practices as ‘mindful entry points’ for united focused attention in your classroom. These activities can be used at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of a lesson. You can share these activities separately or as a sequential unit. Alternatively, undertake one a day for a period of a week. Where possible, share these practices outside.

Note: use the spaces ( … ) in the following scripts to allow time for children to be present in the moment and fully register the experience in their bodies.

Activity 1: Mindful Wave Breathing - Standing Practice

Script:

Standing with space between your feet … let’s begin by noticing your hands … and let one hand rest against your heart and the other on your tummy. Noticing the breath moving inside you … … just like waves … … rolling up, as you breathe in … down as you breathe out … … up … … and down.

Returning your hands to the sides of your body … taking a big, deep breath in … and … breathing out, through your mouth, as you bend forward… … making a wave with your body as your hands come down towards your feet … … pausing down there … … take a big, deep breath in through your nose … and let a new wave flow upwards … all through your body …as it returns to being tall again … … with your hands floating over your head … … breathing out again, feeling the wave roll down, bending forward … … pausing … and breathing in, let another wave flow through your body as it returns to being tall again … pausing … letting your hands return to rest beside you … staying tall … noticing your body becoming quiet and still … … … noticing your breath settling inside you … as the ‘waves’ slow down … slowing down … to feel like soft ripples!

Take a breath ... and a moment … to notice how your body feels now.

The Nature of Mindfulness: Mindful Wave Breathing (https://soundcloud.com/cool-australia/track-1-cool-aust)

How to use this audio recording: Teachers may listen to the audio in preparation for this activity, as it provides a model for how they can run the session themselves. Alternatively, teachers may simply play the recording directly to students if they prefer (audio equipment required).

Activity 2. Mindful Standing - Waking up the Body

Script:

Let’s begin by bringing our feet so close together that your legs feel like a sandwich … Perhaps your body feels like a stiff, hard pole! Now take a step to the side and feel your body move … and, just like a young elephant that is slowly waking up: wake up your body! As you breathe in, move one foot up … and as you breathe out … bring your foot down to the floor. Now, as you breathe in, move the other foot up and as you breathe out … bring this foot down to the floor. Breathing in, letting one foot rise, and breathing out. Let the foot back down … one side … and then the other.

Now, let your hands move with your feet … breathing in, letting one hand rise up with the foot and leg … and breathing out. Hand and foot lowering down … and then, letting the other hand rise up with the foot and leg.

To finish, imagine that you are a little elephant that has just gotten wet … so now you can ‘shake off’ the water … shaking through one foot … and up through the leg … then the other foot, and up through the leg. Then shaking through the hands … and up through the arms … letting your arms float up to your head as they shake. Finally, have a shake all through your body … and let the shaking slow down, and slow down some more … until you become still, ready to notice what will happen next.

Take a breath … and a moment … to notice how your body feels now.

Activity 3: Making Mindful Shapes - Standing Practice

Script:

Nature has all kinds of shapes and sizes. We can notice that our bodies can be all kinds of shapes and sizes too. Let’s notice our bodies move and change from being stiff and tight to soft and loose with a ‘mindful Nature’ version of ‘Simon Says'.

Be a heavy, hard, big rock ... … and notice what shape your body wants to be … … then be a slippery, creeping, wobbly Octopus … and notice how your body feels and moves … …

Be a massive, still, majestic mountain … … and notice what shape your body wants to be … … then be a light, soft, flitting feather … and notice how your body feels and moves … …

Be a tall, old, straight tree … and notice what shape your body wants to be … … and then be a misty, airy, floaty cloud … and notice how your body feels and moves … …

Be a still, shimmery, beautiful blue lake … and notice what shape your body wants to be … … And then be an elephant … and notice how your body feels and moves …

Be a green, shiny, pointy leaf, hanging on a tree, swaying in the breeze … and notice what shape your body wants to be … …

Be a light, lively, colourful butterfly … … and notice how your body feels and moves … … ...and let your ‘butterfly body’ find a place to land and rest … …

And feel your body return to being you… ... quiet and still … what shape would your body like to be now?

Take a breath … and a moment … to notice how your body feels now.

Activity 4. Coming to Life with Movement - Crouching to Standing

Script:

Nature is always creating life. Every moment, everywhere, a new plant, insect, animal and human comes to life.

Let’s notice now what it feels like to come to life! Find your place and space to be … to become very, very small, on the floor or ground. Let’s pretend to be a teeny, tiny seed. Perhaps you could roll your body into a little small ball … imagining that you are waiting … … for the soft, moist earth to receive the warmth of the sun. Notice what the warm sun feels like on your back? Let the warmth flow into your back … and into your whole body … feeling warm all through (does the warmth make you want to move?) Noticing your body soaking up the warmth … and … noticing your hands come together to make a shoot … letting your hands break through the ‘seed shell’ … and grow outwards … and forwards. Feel your body changing shape … … stretching through your arms and legs and back … and then … … growing upwards … reaching for the light! Notice how it feels to kneel … then crouch … and push … pushing upwards to the sun! Notice how strong your hands and arms, feet and legs are. Notice how your whole body works together … letting it stretch … letting it open … and be as tall and strong … … and as alive as you can be!!

Take a breath … and a moment now … to just be still … and to notice how your body feels now.

Activity 5: Mindful Balancing - Standing

Script:

Animals and insects are fabulous at balancing! Have you noticed how birds can balance on one leg, possums can ‘line walk’ along cords, cats can balance on fences and ants can balance on a leaf of grass as it sways in the wind!

Let’s notice how you can balance now. Find a spot on the wall inside, or a tree outside to keep your eyes still and focused. This helps your head be still … and makes it much easier for your body to balance! Notice your knees now … and just let them bend a little. Lift up one leg, as you hold your body still … … and feel where your foot would like to be. Would your foot like to rest against your ankle? Or just under your knee on your calf? Or perhaps your foot might like to go all the way to the top of your leg and press into your thigh? Notice how clever your body is at balancing! Notice that when you are ready, you can let your arms slowly … smoothly … move out to the sides of your body … until your hands meet above your head … and then let your hands come down to rest in front of your heart … … Now notice your breathing as your body balances! Slowly bring your leg back to the ground … and give both your legs a shake!

Remember to focus your eyes again on your ‘visual balancing spot’ … and let the other leg find its best balancing space … against your ankle … pressing against your calf … or right up against your thigh. Notice your strong, straight spine in the middle of your body … as your strong leg holds you up. When you are ready, let your hands float up … meeting above your head … and slide down to your centre … in front of your heart … Enjoy this feeling of being balanced.

Slowly bring your leg back to the ground … and give both your legs a shake! Take a breath … and a moment … to notice how your whole body feels now … as it rests in balance over your feet and legs.

Reflection

Conduct a class discussion about how students felt before, during and after the activities.

Did their attention wander? Were they able to bring their attention back to the meditation practice?
How did they feel emotionally? What did they think?
What did they see, touch, smell, feel and hear?
Have they noticed any changes within themselves, in others or in the class as a whole?

Extension

Ask if any students would like to volunteer to read the script and lead these sessions on a rotating basis.
Encourage older children to keep a mindfulness journal so they can record their feelings, observations and drawings; noting any changes they have observed in themselves, in others or in the class as a whole. Alternatively, younger children could conduct one-on-one interviews with each other to reflect on how they feel and any changes they may have observed in themselves and in each other.
Encourage and remind students to practice these activities every day, if possible. Discuss some techniques they might use to ensure they commit to daily practice. Part of this conversation may include suggestions for students to ensure they get daily nature time.

The Nature of Mindfulness - 2 minutes

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