Courage

Courage

Step 1 : “Firstly, sit in a comfortable position on your chairs, or cross legged on the floor. Make sure your back is straight and head is upright. Take a deep breath and relax as you breathe out. Take another deep breath… and another…”

Step 2 : “Be aware of the five senses: the smell of the air in the room, the taste of the water in your mouth. the firmness of the ground under your feet and the touch of the air on the skin. Now close your eyes to avoid the distraction of seeing the things around and hear the sounds in the room. (Pause a minute or two). Hear the sounds outside the room. Let your hearing stretch out as far as you can.

Step 3 : Breathe out any feeling which may be unpleasant or uncomfortable, such as feeling frightened… feeling angry, feeling sad. Let any feeling that upsets you drift away. Feel peaceful and be loving to everyone including yourself.

Step 4 :“Now bring your attention back to the classroom, open your eyes and stretch, as the exercise has finished. Smile at the person next to you and tell them the date and time.”

(After these silent sitting exercises students may wish to share their experiences and this should be encouraged, especially asking how they feel. It is a good time to do some creative work such as drawing a picture of their experience.)

Adapted from ‘Sathya Sai Education in Human Values’, Published by BISSE Limited