mrs. neal's not-so-conventional Meditation Class for Teens

TABLE OF CONTENTS: “THE VISION” DEDICATION INTRODUCTION — How I Began This Journey PART ONE: THE MOMMY LECTURES Chapter 1 — As You Begin This Journey Chapter 2 — Maintain a Healthy Body The Importance of ... WATER The Importance of ... SLEEP The importance of ... BREATHING Chapter 3 — Maintain a Healthy Mind Chapter 4 — Prayerful Meditation and Spiritual Health Chapter 5 — Your Moral Compass — Who Influences Yours? Chapter 6 — How We Impact Each Other’s Lives Chapter 7 — Respecting Each Other’s Personal Path PART TWO: THE HOWs and WHYs and OTHER LESSONS Chapter 8 — The Physiology and Science Behind Meditation Chapter 9 — Meditation and the (Teenage) Brain Chapter 10 — Stress Response vs. Relaxation Response Chapter 11 — Causes and Effects of Stress "The Struggle of The Butterfly" Chapter 12 — Take a Breath — Try to See The Big Picture Chapter 13 — Equip Yourself with Healthy Tools! Chapter 14 — The Mind-Body Connection to Music Chapter 15 — Visualization / Setting Goals / Achievement of Goals Chapter 16 — Meditation to Improve Sports Performance Chapter 17 — Using Meditation to Tap Into Creativity Chapter 18 — How Have You Been Programmed to Think? Chapter 19 — A Different Perspective of “Mistakes” Chapter 20 — Creating A Fresh Start Chapter 21 — Mental Exercise for Mental Fitness Chapter 22 — A Quick Peek At Your Subconscious Chapter 23 — Learn to Interpret Your Dreams; and What Symbols Represent to YOU PART THREE: THE PRACTICE OF MEDITATION Chapter 24 — mrs. neal’s not-so-conventional class for teens Chapter 25 — Life Force, Chi, Qi, Prana, Energy Field, Whatever… Chapter 26 — Creating Your Place of Peace Chapter 27 — mrs. neal’s Basic Guided Meditation Exercise PART FOUR: CLOSING THOUGHTS and OTHER STUFF Chapter 28 — A Few of My Favorite “Thinking” Quotes... Chapter 29 — A Common Thread — The Golden Rule Chapter 30 — Sharing Knowledge Chapter 31 — What My Students — and Others — Have Shared Chapter 32 — Random Comments and Tidbits "The Star Fish Story" Recommended Reading FINALE — About the Quotations in this Book Excerpt from Chapter 1: So, What Is Meditation? Rid your mind of any pre-conceived notions you may have about meditation (believe me, I have heard them all). There are as many methods of practicing meditation as there are people who do it, and just as many reasons to do it. Basically, it is putting oneself into a state of deep relaxation to allow for mindfulness. Meditation is a very personal experience. The method presented in my program, and in this book, is just one of many; I developed this method and have used it for years because it works well with young people. What Exactly Does It Mean To Meditate? Look it up! The definition according to the dictionary: meditate [L. meditari, to consider.] to consider thoughtfully; to intend; to ponder, especially on religious matters. Simply put, meditation is thinking. It is an exercise of contemplation which can be used to train, calm, focus or empty the mind. It is a method of achieving an altered state without the use of any chemical substances. It allows you to stay in control of your mind and your body at all times. With meditation, you do not hand over control of you to any one or any thing at any time. You will see the word “think” a lot in this book. When you see the word “think” as you read this book, think “meditate.” How Can You Use Meditation? You can choose to use meditation techniques just to relax, to help you sleep, to gain insight, to help you study, or to use the power of your subconscious mind to achieve goals, change habits, solve problems, or to pray. Meditation can be an intense form of prayer! It sometimes takes a bit of patience and practice to reach a meditative state. As with anything else, the more you practice, the easier it becomes as you condition your brain and body to work together to reach this state. Once you have experienced this state of mind and body, you get to choose how you want to use it. THINK TIME: How will you choose to use meditation? Excerpt from Chapter 7: RESPECTING EACH OTHER’S PERSONAL PATH If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away. – Henry David Thoreau, author So, we’ve talked about your role models, and about the impact we all have on each other’s lives. Now let’s talk about personal “choices” — the control we have over which path we choose to take, or not to take. And, what control we have over which path someone else is choosing to take, or not to take. It’s natural to want to point out each other’s flaws — to tell someone else what they should or should not be doing — and it’s hard to resist offering a friend a few suggestions on how to fix their lives. (There’s a nice Biblical reference on this topic in the book of Matthew, chapter seven — look it up.) If only our friends would listen to us! When you feel that urge to tell your friend what path they should be choosing, take a step back, and take a breath. Excerpt from Chapter 9” MEDITATION AND THE (TEENAGE) BRAIN Meditation is the dissolution of thoughts in eternal awareness or pure consciousness without objectification, knowing without thinking, merging finitude in infinity. – Voltaire, author Teen Stress... Teens are one of the two most highly-stressed age groups — the other highly-stressed group is the elderly. As a teen, you are at the awkward age between childhood and adulthood. You don’t want to be treated like a child, but you also are not being treated like the adult you may think you are. When you consider all the changes that you are going through during your teen years — with physical changes (puberty, hormones), emotional changes, and changes to your brain — it’s no wonder you are stressed. Reducing your stress is important to your mental health as well as your physical health. Many teens are fighting battles, conquering demons, trying to understand their emotions, and dealing with a multitude of issues on a day-to-day basis. ... And The Teenage Brain The teenage brain differs from the adult brain. It processes information differently, and functions from a place of emotion rather than logic. As a teenager, your brain is still under construction; it’s not fully developed, and won’t be until you are in your early- to mid-twenties. There is a lot going on with you physically during your teenage years, including brain development. The physiological changes begin in the pre-teen years — at about 11 to 12 years of age — and this development continues throughout your teenage years and into your early twenties. Excerpt from Chapter 15: VISUALIZATION / SETTING GOALS / ACHIEVEMENT OF GOALS All our knowledge has its origins in our perceptions. – Leonardo da Vinci, renaissance artist and painter I often mention that I don’t make resolutions; I prefer to set goals for myself. And, I use meditation to help me achieve my goals. When I meditate, I get a clear mental image of me achieving whatever the goal happens to be that I am focused on achieving. It doesn’t matter how big or how small the goal is, by using visualization techniques, I am more likely to achieve that goal. I encourage you to set goals for yourself. The goals don’t have to be complex or challenging. They can be as simple as eating all your vegetables for a whole week, or reading one book a month. Remember that your subconscious mind does not distinguish between what is real and what is not; because of this, you can visualize yourself succeeding at those goals you have set, and your subconscious will lead you to that success. How Does This Work? Think about something that you want to accomplish in the next five minutes. What exactly do you want to have achieved in that short amount of time?