Sukhita Yoga and Meditation for Schools
Finding Space for You
In times of change, the experience we most want is to feel a sense of space and ease to come back into balance. In four sessions of yoga and mindfulness, you'll explore some simple approaches from Sukhita Yoga to help you feel calm, inwardly strong and energised.
Sukhita Yoga is a method developed by Hugh Poulton and Sarah Haden. These sessions have been created to support your wellbeing and creativity at this time. The mindfulness sessions are suitable for everyone and the yoga sessions for everyone who is able to participate in typical school PE lessons.
Sukhita Yoga is a method developed by Hugh Poulton and Sarah Haden. These sessions have been created to support your wellbeing and creativity at this time. The mindfulness sessions are suitable for everyone and the yoga sessions for everyone who is able to participate in typical school PE lessons.
Preparation
You can choose whether to do the Mindfulness session on its own or with the yoga. Because you're going to be sitting still for a while it can be really helpful to do some yoga before-hand so you feel physically freer, more grounded and relaxed in your body ready for the mental work. If you'd like an alternative, a walk (in nature if you can) before you start would be great. Please wear clothing which allows freedom of movement and for the yoga ensure you're on a non-slip surface with plenty of space around you.
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Before you start the Mindfulness sessions decide whether you'd like to be in a chair or on the floor. What's important is letting your spine feel upwardly supported by itself, so no leaning back into a chair or wall. It’s helpful to feel supported in your lower back.
If you are comfortable sitting cross legged on the floor it can be helpful to have a cushion under your sit bones so you're slightly tilted forwards. If you are sitting in a chair, you might try using a small cushion to support your lower back and maybe a rolled in towel under your sit bones to tilt your pelvis forward. It’s worth taking a little time to find what is right for you. Have a look at our short video to help you. |
Mindfulness
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The session today is about introducing you to some simple mindfulness approaches to feel a sense of space and ease to come back into balance. These are relevant generally in our life but become all the more so when we find ourselves in more challenging times. Why is this? Mindfulness is really useful to help us look after our mental health. We are learning how to be more aware of what's going on inside us – the mental processes and sensations that shape our moods, thoughts and how we act…..like anxiety, loneliness, anger, frustration, feeling really restless and distracted, unable to find our get up and go – the duvet moments. Sound familiar?
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The good news is these mental states are temporary (though the sticky ones may feel anything but whilst the happy ones we wish we could hold onto). So with this realisation we begin to see what mindfulness as a mental training is about….perhaps you didn't realise it's possible to grow some space around these states of mind (just like you might grow your capacity to speak French or play an instrument)? It's really interesting that we've had a lot of scientific and medical interest in mindfulness over the last 20 years and you may have heard how it helps us rewire our response to things we find difficult, challenging or uncomfortable using the natural neural plasticity of our brain. It's exciting and it's directly applicable to each of you right now.
So what do you need to do? It’s a mixture of science and art.
1. Investigate. The first step is to shine a light on what's going on.
2. Become the observer. Learn skills to create some space around what you find. This stage is learning to be kind to yourself however you’re feeling (imagine connecting with the feeling of a warm hug and relaxing into it mentally). This is the stage we begin to feel more calm.
3. Connect with the intuitive and creative part of you. This is where we have insight into what we can do to help ourselves. It’s a non-rational place where you can discover a bigger space inside you giving some different choices from your usual habits and patterns of thinking, reacting and behaving.
All that's needed from you is to be curious and ready to listen…not just to the teaching but much more importantly to you.
Yoga
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This session is about introducing you to how to feel the same sense of space and ease through movement. When you feel at home in your own skin, this sense of balance and possibility infuses all that you do and gives you a healthy starting point for new experiences as well as changing habits.
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Physical discipline
At one level it is a discipline that trains your physical body so with practice you can feel positive effects on your internal strength and flexibility whatever your age and shape. It can be very inspiring when you come across older practitioners who move with the fluidity and expression you would expect to associate with someone much younger showing you that looking after your health and vitality is something worth aspiring to and valuing throughout your life. It's a great practice both for those with a huge affinity for sport and also for those interested in looking after themselves physically in a different way.
Mental discipline
Essentially Yoga is a solo practice although it can be shared and often is in a group. What differentiates it from exercise is the way in which you learn to train mentally and emotionally through the physical form. It's a different way of challenging yourself because it requires you to step up and look after the way you feel as you move. This is particularly the case when you discover areas of your body that are not free and flexible. This experience can lead you to a range of emotional responses including wanting to give up, feeling frustrated, wanting to force yourself to go somewhere your body is not ready for. Becoming more aware of this aspect gives you an insight into the way in which you relate to things that are not going the way you want. It is equally true in revealing the opposite – how you respond when things are easy for you and whether you can remain open, curious, generous and relaxed. Through these moments you start to uncover much wider patterns in other areas of your life.
At one level it is a discipline that trains your physical body so with practice you can feel positive effects on your internal strength and flexibility whatever your age and shape. It can be very inspiring when you come across older practitioners who move with the fluidity and expression you would expect to associate with someone much younger showing you that looking after your health and vitality is something worth aspiring to and valuing throughout your life. It's a great practice both for those with a huge affinity for sport and also for those interested in looking after themselves physically in a different way.
Mental discipline
Essentially Yoga is a solo practice although it can be shared and often is in a group. What differentiates it from exercise is the way in which you learn to train mentally and emotionally through the physical form. It's a different way of challenging yourself because it requires you to step up and look after the way you feel as you move. This is particularly the case when you discover areas of your body that are not free and flexible. This experience can lead you to a range of emotional responses including wanting to give up, feeling frustrated, wanting to force yourself to go somewhere your body is not ready for. Becoming more aware of this aspect gives you an insight into the way in which you relate to things that are not going the way you want. It is equally true in revealing the opposite – how you respond when things are easy for you and whether you can remain open, curious, generous and relaxed. Through these moments you start to uncover much wider patterns in other areas of your life.