Lesson 1. Mindful Seeing

Guided Breathing Exercise | 5:00 | Flower Breathing

 

Educators |

Let’s invite everyone to sit and put our mindful bodies on. Stretching your spine tall like a mountain, gently breathing in, and slowly breathing out. Feel your body and mind starting to relax now.

 

Let's Begin |

 

Reflection |

• How is everyone feeling after doing our flower breathing exercise? Calmer? Relaxed?
• Put your hand up if you were able to smell the flower and see its colour as though it was alive.
• Would you like to try again? This time really imagining what our flower looks like and smells like.

 

Mindful Life Lesson | 3:00 | Mindful Seeing

The objective for students is to cultivate focused attention using their eyes. Students will also learn to develop impulse control, executive functioning and resilience.

 

Educators |

Did you know that using our sight is one of the many ways we can become more Mindful?

Today we are going to practice being more mindful by using our sight. Focusing our eyes and paying attention to a single spot without getting distracted.

The more we practise, our eyes can be a very powerful way of helping us become more present and mindful so we can concentrate and focus better.

 

Mindful Life Exercise | 5:00 | Mindful Seeing

 

Let's Begin |

• Draw a mark on a whiteboard or choose a spot that everyone can see. Have all the students look at the spot for 30 seconds without getting distracted.
• Next, have them stare at the spot for another 30 seconds and tell them that this time you will try to distract them while they are looking.  
• After a few seconds, start waving your hands next to the spot, picking up objects and making funny movements.

 

Discussion |

Ask your students what it was like for them to try to keep their eyes focused and what it was like trying to ignore the distraction.

 

New Eyes |

• Now Invite the students to see the world with new eyes:
• Closing their eyes and, when they open them, imagining that this is the first time they can see.
• First, ask students to focus on their hand. What do they see for the first time?
• Now invite students to look around the room.
• Ask them to look around for a minute and see if they can spot anything they have never seen before.
• Ask students to share new things they notice

 

Discussion |

Isn't it amazing when you are Mindful all the new things you notice and see, especially seeing things that you didn't notice before? Where else in your life could you practise seeing things with new eyes?

Some example may include;

• Walking or riding to school 
• The park

 

Mindful Life Practise | 

Ask students to pay attention to something in their bedroom that they haven’t noticed before.

 

• Look through new eyes and ask yourself has it been there for a long time? Look at the colour shape size as though you have just seen it for the first time. 
• Maybe try this each morning when you wake up, you may wish to write a list that we can share next week.

 

Remember to practise your new mindfulness skills and your meditation 'Peaceful Mountain' Before going to sleep at night works really well. If you need help, ask Mum or Dad to listen with you. 

Guided Meditation | 9:31 | 'Peaceful Mountain'

Let students know this is their special time to relax and calm their mind and body. Invite your students to sit or lay in a comfortable position and gently close their eyes. If thoughts come and go that's ok.

 

Note sensitive children |

When asking the students to close their eyes remember some students may not feel safe. Suggest that they can focus their gaze on the floor in front of them, but it is helpful not to get distracted by looking around.

 

Let's begin | 

Isabelle’s “Peaceful Mountain” Guided Meditation encourages children to see with beginners eyes. The meditation starts at the base of a majestic mountain that has stood tall for thousands of years. Along the journey, Isabelle encourages listeners to breathe crystal clear air, climb past towering trees and blue lakes, and see the sky and Earth for all its beauty, stillness and peace.

 

Reflection |

• Put your hand up if this was the first time you have done meditation, if so how do you feel?
• Did anyone feel as though they were really on top of a majestic mountain feeling the clear air and the stillness?

 

Mindful Game | Simon Says

Objective: Mindful seeing and listening.

 

Educators |

Explain to the children we are playing a game that uses their mindful seeing and mindful listening skills. SIMON SAYS!

 

How to play |

1. Choose who will take the role of SIMON. It is best if you model first.
2. SIMON stands in front of the group and demonstrates to the group the physical actions to follow and showing them how to perform the action.
3. For example, 'SIMON SAYS' hop on your left foot 5 times.
4. Players must only follow instructions only after they hear the words 'SIMON SAYS!'
5. Players are out if they perform the action before hearing the phrase.
6. If a child is out they must sit on the floor.  Children will be caught out as the game progresses faster and faster.

 

Here is a fun example |

1. Say “Simon Says, spin around twice.” Simon Spins around
2. Say “Simon Spins, around three times” Simon spins around three times
3. Did any of the students. Spin around?  - You didn’t say “Simon Says!”
4. The students that spun around are out

 

Fun Ideas |

• SIMON SAYS hop once on your left foot and twice on your right foot
• Swing your trunk like an elephant
• SIMON SAYS to play the air trumpet
• SIMON SAYS to hug yourself
• Touch your toes and breath out two times
• SIMON SAYS hold up 8 fingers
• Hold up 4 fingers
• SIMON SAYS laugh out loud
• Now smile!
• SIMON SAYS pretend you are holding a big ball
• SIMON SAYS count out loud to 5 holding up each finger as you count
• Count to 6
• SIMON SAYS to roar like a lion as loud as you can
• Now meow like a cat

 

 

Journal | PNG Format |

Educators |

Slide your students' journal to your desktop and print.