I ask you my friends to be still and know that I am here with you
An overview of a process which has been developed to assist students appreciate the value of stillness/reflection/meditation and prayer in their lives during their journey from Year 7 to Year 12.
Michael Schell
Head of Religious Education
Loreto Normanhurst
RATIONALE
Throughout the ages, spirituality has been associated with religious faith and for many people it is true to say that their spiritual life is shaped and influenced by deeply held beliefs drawn from a religious tradition. However spiritual experiences are not restricted to those who are adherents to any one particular religious belief. Whether or not they spring from a religious tradition, such experiences are a key factor in the way a person regards the whole of life.
The basic aim of such a process is to help students, who are drawn from a wide range of spiritual traditions, to develop the capacities and skills which will enable them to explore more fully their own feelings, experiences and reflections of their life journey. For the many students this may take place during the six years they are at the senior school. This has been particularly evident in Years 11 and 12, when the reality of the transition from being a school student to becoming a young adult embarking on the “real” quests of life becomes something that is not just talked about but begins to be actually lived. Not only do we hope that they will grow in their ability to cope with the pressures of life in our modern society but that they will also become more aware of the nature, direction and importance of their own spirituality during this time.
In years 7 and 8, it is important to begin to facilitate and nurture this process through the practice of “quiet time” which is brought about through the skill of “stilling” being introduced to the students. This is essential if they have not been exposed to or engaged in this practice in the years of primary schooling. Together with this process of developing both internal and external stillness, the students are encouraged to use these moments for prayers of petition, thanksgiving and praise.
In year 9, the students are then introduced to various relaxation techniques, which aim at enhancing this experience of the stillness and the quiet encountered in these earlier years.
Jesus response to the 12 apostles on their return from their mission is quite significant today in the ever increasing business of school life :
“Let us go off by ourselves to some place where we will be alone and you can rest for a while.” So they started out in a boat by themselves for a lonely place. (Mark 6, 30 – 32)
By introducing the students in years 10, 11 and 12, to the richness of meditation as practiced for centuries by the Christian Church, both in the East and in the West, it is hoped to provide another dimension to the development of their spirituality as they strive to become people of integrity, wisdom, compassion and faith.
Some thoughts on the nature and importance of Stillness and Meditiation :
The Affective approach seeks to redress the imbalance when education solely stresses the cognitive. It can give an alternative approach to materialism and help students to gain inner confidence and to recognise the value of silence, gentleness, compassion, concern for others and their own personal responsibilities. A central dimension of religion is that it shapes/colours/moulds an individual’s view of reality both in the inner and outer worlds. Time is needed for silence and reflection to enable this aspect of religion to take place. It is essential that the spiritual side of pupils’ lives be taken seriously.
(Vardy, P. The Five Strand Approach)
Meditation enables a peace and serenity that we may not have experienced before to flow through our lives, our thoughts, our being. In today’s frenetic lifestyle, it is important to take time out for ourselves in order to nourish the inner person and our spiritual life. Our core self is sometimes left behind as we try to keep in step with others.
(Garth,M. Inner Space – Meditations for Children)
Meditation means taking time out for the self, sitting quietly in order to tune in to feelings of peace, harmony and well being and to feel we are strong enough spiritually to cope with whatever life gives us.
Meditation is not new. People have practised meditation throughout the ages in many different cultures. Although each of the major belief systems meditates in a different way, all come back to going within, to listening to the inner self, to becoming in tune with self, nature and God.
(Garth,M.)
Simply getting in contact with oneself and feeling the reactions of the body are helpful for entering into dialogue with God. The greatest obstacle to interior silence is nervous tension.
(De Mello, A. Praying Body and Soul)
Eight or ten minutes of exercises at the beginning of prayer will be enough to feel relaxed and at peace and to find in the silence a climate suitable for contemplation. These and other relaxation exercises, which lead us to experience God’s presence within us, may already be true prayer and may be extended at will.
(De Mello, A.)
Becoming aware of one’s own breathing or bodily sensations leads to interior silence. God’s revealed word is understood only in silence. This silence is the place where the Spirit is found within us.
(De Mello, A.)
We must become aware of God where we are and in what we do, or life will never be sacred to us……… Contemplation is the ability to see the world around us as God sees it.
(Chittister, J. In a High Spiritual Season)
Unlike mere travel, a pilgrimage is a journey into the landscape of the soul…..because pilgrimage offers a metaphor for spiritual journey in many religious traditions, it provides a context for investigating the human longing to feel at home.
(York, S. Pilgrim Heart – The Inner Journey Home)
In the rush of modern life, we tend to lose touch with the peace that is available in each moment – the path to mindfulness is the process of keeping our consciousness alive to our present experience and reality. Living mindfully, slowing down and enjoying each step and each breath is enough.
Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace is Every Step)
Let us pray for wisdom. Let us pause from thinking and empty our mind. Let us stop the noise. In the silence let us listen to our heart.
(Leunig,M. Common Prayer Collection)
Aims of such a school based Affective Program :
The graduated nature of the process of stillness/sacred silence/meditation to which the students are introduced in Years 7 - 12, aims:
- to develop skills for relaxation in order that the students be able to better cope with the stress of school and adolescence;
- to expose the students to a variety of techniques to facilitate their relaxation and their attainment of inner silence/quiet;
- to introduce the students to a way of prayer long valued by the Christian Church and by other religious traditions;
- to provide the students with an opportunity to encounter themselves and their God within a school setting;
- to provide students with a time to stop, look and listen to what is happening in their lives – a time to preview and review the events of each week.
As part of the overall Religious Education that takes place in the high school setting, this affective strand of stillness, reflection and meditation plays a vital role in developing and nurturing the incredible hunger that young people today display in seeking after matters that deal with their spirituality in a congruent, authentic and respectful manner.
The following process was developed at a boys’ school to assist in the appreciation ofstillness, reflection and meditation :
Year 7 :
In this year we aim to develop an appreciation of stillness/silence by having a time of quiet at the beginning of each period. A focus or intention may be suggested to the students – and the quiet may be concluded with a short prayer initially led by the teacher. Student involvement in this exercise is strongly encouraged as the confidence and familiarity of the students grows in the process. It is suggested that the “quiet time” be only one minute in duration in the beginning and be gradually extended to 5 minutes by term 4 or as the students are able to cope.
This “quiet time” should be supplemented by visits to the Sanctuary, Chapel in the second half of the year where longer and different forms of prayer can be experienced.
Year 8 :
In this year we aim to further develop the students’ appreciation of stillness and silence and to lead them into a process of reflection. In term one it is suggested that their “quiet time” be 2 – 5 minutes in length depending on the ability of the class to cope with this time. As in Year 7 some focus may be given by the teacher – the time may be concluded by a prayer read or shared. It is important that students be encouraged to help facilitate this “quiet time”. Music, slides etc can be used to vary the input to this time.
In the second half of the year we encourage the students to engage in some basic relaxation exercises to help them enter into this search for stillness in the classroom and in their lives.
Once a term visits to the Chapel, Sanctuary or other quiet outside areas ought to be organised to give the students an opportunity to apply and further develop the skills they have acquired in class.
Year 9 :
In the early weeks of Term 1, the students are lead through some of the simple relaxation techniques to which they were introduced in Year 8. The Quick Recovery Technique (QRT) is the basic activity that introduces them to the importance of breathing – the breath of life – the “Ruah” of God – the Holy Spirit – in their lives. For the rest of the rest of the term, the students use this process as the beginning of a 2 – 3 minute quiet time at the beginning of every period of this subject.
In Terms 2 and 3, the QRT is replaced by reflective music, or a short reflective reading to assist the students in developing their experience of stillness. This would occupy 4 –5 minutes at the start of each class.
In Term 4, it is anticipated that the students are now able to engage in some simple visualisation activities during this time of stillness/reflection in the classroom.
At the end of each term there would be the opportunity to experience a 15 –20 minute reflection time in the Chapel or in another quiet place in the school grounds.
Year 10 :
In Term 1, the students would revisit the relaxation and visualisation techniques that they experienced in Year 9. This would introduce a 5 minute quiet time at the beginning of each class at the conclusion of which they have the opportunity to journal their experience on special reflection sheets. They are encouraged to engage in this process throughout the year.
Terms 2, 3, 4 would see the students using a range of visualisation techniques which would further develop their relaxation and reflective skills as well as introducing them into the beginnings of meditation as a possible platform in their spiritual journey.
At the end of each term there would be an opportunity to experience an extended period of relaxation/reflection/meditation in the Chapel or another quiet place in the school grounds for 20 – 30 minutes.
The use of the Journal in Year 10 is hoped to provide a new depth of reflection and prayer to the stillness that has been developed over this time.
Year 11 :
The focus in Term 1 is basically a deepening and enhancing of the experiences that the students had been exposed to in Year 10. With a greater level of maturity and wisdom the students are encouraged to explore these experiences and begin to select whatever they find helpful in their own spiritual journey to relax, reflect and to pray.
In Terms 2 and 3 the students are introduced to a wider range of visualization exercises and reflective music during 10 minutes of quiet time at the beginning of each period. Themes and music for reflection and meditation from Taize and Iona provide new resources for the students.
During this time, the students would be able to experience two occasions per term when there would be extended quiet time (15 – 25 minutes) in the Chapel/meditation room.
Continued use of a Journal is encouraged throughout the year.
Year 12 :
Each period would begin with a 10 minute quiet time using themes and music similar to those used in the latter part of Term 2 and Term 3 in Year 11. However, after 4 – 5 periods of “revision” work in relaxation and reflection most of the 1st and 2nd Terms would be given to quiet time that would used to develop further skills in visualisation and guided meditation relating to the themes being explored in class. It is hoped that two extended periods of quiet time (30 min. each) would be used each term with special themes for those times of high stress – major assessments, half-yearly, HSC Trial Exams – using the Chapel or other quiet areas in the school grounds.
Term 3 is a special time of reflection and meditation with each period dedicated to working through the themes and details of the special document designed for the students in the closing weeks of their time at Senior School. A specially designed booklet known as “The Testament” is the material that is used as the basis of their reflective and meditative activities/prayer in this Term.
In Year 12, it is expected that the skills and practice of the students acquired over the years will enable them to exploit the stillness to further enhance their spiritual development as well as enabling them to better cope with the considerable pressures that the HSC seems to generate with unerring predictability.
Resources
- For all years but especially Years 7 - 9
The Good News Bible
The Psalms for Today – Mark Link
Praying Together – Peter Gilmour
The Prayer Tree – Michael Leunig
Common Prayers Collection – Michael Leunig
Don’t Just Do Something, Sit There! – Mary Stone
The Affective Strand – Peter Vardy
Seize the Day
Cry Freedom
Additional Resources for Years 10 – 12
Inner Space – Maureen Garth
Praying Body and Soul – Anthony de Mello
Sadhana : a Way to God – Anthony de Mello
He was in the World – John Bell
Peace is Every Step – Thich Nhat Hanh
The Art of Mindful Living – Thich Nhat Hanh
The Blooming Lotus – Thich Nhat Hanh
Meditation – a Practical Guide to achieving Harmony – John Hudson
Photolanguage Australia –
In a High Spiritual Season – Joan Chittister
Pilgrim Heart – The Inner Journey Home – Sarah York
Heart Gone Walkabout – Noel Davis
Mountains, Myths and Mystery – Jacinta Shailer
Symphony of the Seasons – Jacinta Shailer
Music :
Hidden Forest – O’Connor
Uluru – O’Connor
Tales of the Wind – O’Connor
Taize Chants – a series of cds
Heart of Perfect Wisdom – Chants
La Romanza – Bocelli
Heartland – Tim Wheater
Celtic Voices –Women of Song
Illumination –a Celtic Blessing – Terry Oldfield
The Practice of Contentment – Gyuto Monks
Enya – Clannad – Lorenna McKennitt - take your pick!
and many more!!!!
BUT
Be sure that the music reflects what is going on in the students and in the teacher!