Image: Desert Sands 
Music
Time: 15 min. 
Notes:  

• I split a classroom with another teacher.  This teacher is conducting class normally, when my class is silent, they can hear all the conversations and lessons in the other classroom. 
• This is the week prior to midterm exams and tensions are high. 

Script:
Music is playing as students enter.
Teacher says the following:

1. Please site facing the image of the sands
2. Breath in through your nose and out through your mouth
3. Breath in 1,2,3,4,5; Breath out 1,2,3,4,5
4. Focus your eyes on the image and remember every detail.  Follow the light as it reflect on each grain of sand.  Follow the shadow that the sand hills cast. 
5. With your next breath, your eyelids are growing heavy and closing. The warmth of the desert 
6. Call the image of the sands to your mind. Breath in and Breath out.
7. Focus on one grain of sand.  You see this grain moving. 
8. The grain rolls on top of another piece of sand and you see it stack on another grain. 
9. The sand structure begins to grow in a line. Turning into what looks like a column. 
10. The sand formations continue to grow into what looks like a building. Is it a temple? Is it a palace? The sand shifts beneath your feat, turning into a sold path as you walk through the door. 
11. Inside the building the light grows dim.  You see sand shifting, swirling to form vines.  From these vines grow bright red fruit.  You grab a fruit and bite into it.  You taste the crisp sweet flavor. 
12. The sands continue to grow and change.  and climb to form trees,  The trees sprout in a circle and grow towards the ceiling.  From the ceiling you see a circular beam of light shining in the center of the grove of trees. 
13. You sit beneath the beam of light and fill the warmth enter your body.The light passes through your veins.  
14. The light begins to dim and the cold air increases as your gently open your eyes. 

Responses from students

• What is one word to describe how you feel afterwards?

chill,refreshed, rested (2), relaxed, very exhausted, tired (2), sleepy(3) could not concentrate, happy, calm, peaceful(2)

• On a scale of 1-10 (1 being stressed, 10 being calm) how do you feel?

Average stress level was 6.4 (edging towards calm)

• Did you feel that you could meditate?  If not why?

Yes(5),  No because, noises next door (10)

Day 2
Image: Desert leading to mountains
Script:
Students entered and teacher took attendance.  Teacher re-introduced mindfulness and the purpose of it.  During the breathing exercises, the phone rang from the tutors.  Teacher requested they call back after the meditation.  
Journey included the following steps:
1. Walk through breathing and proper posture.
2.  Student relax as their eyelids feel heavy
3.  Students are asked to call the image back up to their mind
4. Teacher gave sensory feelings as if their feet are on the desert ground and legs were brushing against the cluster of grass.
5.  The warmth of the ground passed through their feet to soften their joints and pass up through their, leaving them feeling light and fast.
6. They walk quickly through the desert ground and up a the hills. 
7. The airs begins to chill as they walk to the top of the mountain.
8.  Night comes on and they see lights formed in a grid pattern over the mountain. 
9.  They walk towards the light hoping to see a city of people who will accept them. 
10.  The lights turn from a city into a path
11. They follow along a path of lit stones to a bright rectangle in the distance.
12. Walk to the rectangle and see a door. Turning the cold knob they walk through
13.  On the other side of the door they see a circle of trees and white moon above.
14. They sit in the circle and feel complete. A whole person, comfortable in our skin. 
15. Gently open the eyes, welcome back to class.


Student responses:
Students described themselves as feeling calm and relaxed.  Many noted that their mood changed afterwards.  In terms of energy, many said they were more tired than energized.  They responded that the ocean scene left them feeling more relaxed.  


It's important to note that my room is shared with another teacher and is divided by a temporary wall.  Thus, all of the sounds they hear from the other class become more obvious when meditating. I have informed my students that they know they have successfully meditated when they can block all exterior sounds from their mind. 

Day 1   
Date 1/6
Image: Ocean
Time: 20 minutes
Experience Description (written in script form to describe process):
-Teacher placed notes on the board, Students walked in and at the ringing of the bell, teacher took attendance.
-Teacher asked students to silence their cell phones and put their computers away.  Teacher waited quietly while the students did this.   
-Teacher discussed correct posture (i.e. students rested their backs against the chair with their hands open facing the image on the screen)
-Teacher discussed correct breathing and the benefits of the full breath
        - students breath in through their nose to fill their lungs, students breath out through their mouths
        - students were encouraged to breath silently. 
- Initially many students laughed during the breathing exercises.  
       - In response teacher asked the students to focus on breath and not those around them " This is the time for you. not your peers.  This is the time to forget those around you".  When one student continued to joke/comment teacher offered an alternative assignment for the student to do in the hallway. Students responded with silence. 
- Teacher asked the students to focus on the image projected, describing all of the images parts
- Teacher asked students to close their eyes and call image to the surface.  
- Teacher continued to describe image
- Teacher developed "sensory" clues describing the wind, the texture of the sand, the sound of the water. Students began to imagine their journey with the following steps

1.  Seeing a silhouette boat on the horizon as the sun sets
   
2. The boat grows larger and they step in
3. The boat pulls them across they water
4. They look up to see the skies and moon
5. They feel the rock and bump of the boat as their journey ends
6. They feel the splash of the water as they step out and wade to the other beach
7. This beach has sand and cold, circular pebbles, which they pick up to hold in their hand
8. Their feet step on the pebbles as they walk away from the beach and up a path
9. The path leads them to a top of a hill where they see the circular *Grove of Trees
10. The walk into the grove, sit down and look up seeing the circular moon. 
11. They feel whole, complete and rested
12. The wind blows across their face as their eyes lift and look out

*the Grove of Trees is a resting point to mark the end of every journey. 
- Following this, students were asked to complete the feedback sheet. and asked to work on their sketchbook. 
- During the class period the teacher continued to play meditation inspired music


Successes
- students had positive response
- many said they liked the experience
- students were calm for the classroom period
Need for Improvement/ future changes
- develop a back up assignment for students who refuse to participate in meditation
- Re discuss purpose of mindfulness