The  Mental Stillness Progam is popular and is  practiced in public and private schools, at all year levels,  throughout Australia. These new  videos have been developed through research and trials to make using the excersises easier and more effctive but do need to be used in their present form.  Any changes  or editing may reduce their effectiveness.

They are suitable for use  with  all age groups.

Before you start :

-You will find it beneficial if you have viewed the video clip and tried it out yourself prior to your  session. It is designed to be played on an interactive white board (IWB)  or projected on to a screen.

-Before you begin you  might like to think about the time of day that will best suit your class. An ideal time is early in the morning as it will set the tone for the rest of the day. It is also important to have uninterrupted time as disturbances can easily break the students’ concentration. So choose a time when you can best achieve this without interruptions such  as late arrivals creeping in.

Getting started:

-Talk to the students about why we are doing this and what they might achieve.

-Tell them that this is practiced in many schools throughout Australia to enable students to focus and help improve  concentration throughout the day.

– Explain that many students have experienced improved confidence and improved relationships.

-You will know the best way to explain this for your age group and their particular understandings.

The activity:

-For young children you might find it best for them to sit on the floor close to you or in a circle.
-For older students sitting at their desks may be the most practical way.

-You will need to join in with them and model the activity. It has been found to be an important beneficial aspect that the teacher and any other staff in the room are active participants.

-Before you begin encourage students to develop strategies needed for the exercise.   Eg maintaining silence and not disturbing other students.

– You may like to get them to gently stretch or roll their shoulders or take a few slow breaths with them before you start the clip.

-Wait  until they are settled to commence.

-If you want you  can show them the actions or just go straight into the activity .

-Join in with them, not only you will it improve the quality of the session but you may also benefit, finding yourself more focussed and energized.

-The first time you participate use either the 5 or the 10 minute Mental Silence exercise as these allow the students more time to experience the benefits of mental silence. After that you can use the 2 minute video clip  later in the day or after each break to quickly refocus their attention.

– Ask them how they felt, focus on the positive benefits.

Where next:

-For the greatest benefits try the exercise each day as the students will soon develop the ability to find that state of flow and peace whenever they need to, but regular and sustained practice is needed to continue to benefit your students.

-Let them know that they can use the techniques at any time throughout the day even at home. Tell them that any time they feel they need to refocus or are having difficulties, to  just take their attention above their head as they did with the video.

-Encouraging  other classes to also give it a try is worthwhile  as it has been found the more classes using Mental Stillness the greater the benefits will be throughout the school.

-Additional  Mental Stillness exercises are available in Silence Your Mind, by Dr Ramesh Manocha  Chapter 11.  This chapter contains a a variety of exercises, some of which are designed specifically for younger children. They can be done anywhere as none require the use of  an IWB. They can even be practiced sitting outside on the earth absorbing the benefits of the natural environment.

-Please remember that the videos are designed to be used as they are. Editing is not advisable as the videos are directly based on specific sequences tested in scientific clinical trials