Meditation Walks for Writing
Objectives: Students will be able to...
1. use visualization to stimulate writing
2. write descriptively
3. use listening skills
4. relax for 20 mins.
Materials:
1. composition paper
2. pen/pencil
3. tape of relaxing instrumental music (can be used, but not necessary)
Preliminary Activity:
1. Ask students to move the desks into a circle and to get into a
comfortable position (head on the desk, lying on the floor, etc.) and to
refrain from making any noises, talking, or giggling. In order for this to
work, students must be quiet. Limit all distractions as much as possible.
2. Turn off the lights.
Activity:
1. Have students concentrate on breathing, taking a deep breath in, holding
(for about a second), and then exhaling. "Deep breath in, hold it, and
release"
Repeat 3 times.
2. Say to students in a calm and quiet tone: While still breathing ("deep
breath in, hold it, release") concentrate on your muscles.
First focus on your toes and your feet. Without moving a muscle, try to
tense your toes as you breathe in and relaxing as you exhale. Deep breath and
tense, hold it, and release. Next, focus on your legs, deep breath in and
tense, hold it and release. Move on to your back and stomach: deep breath
in, hold it and release. Move on to your shoulders and neck: deep breath in
and tense, hold it and release. Your head: deep breath in, hold it and
release. Finally your arms, hands, and fingers: deep breath in, hold it and
release. You have just squeezed all the frustration, anxiety, sadness, and
other negative feelings out of your body. You feel very calm, relaxed, and
comfortable.
3. While still breathing, deep breath in, hold it, and release, imagine
yourself getting up out of your chair and walking towards the door. You
reach your hand out and can feel the coolness of the doorknob. You open the
door, and walk out into the hall
At this point lead the students (in their minds) to the nearest exit door and
outside onto school grounds.
4. You open the exit door with its bright red neon exit sign and step
outside. Now this morning when you stepped outside it was [insert weather
description here]. This time when you step outside you feel very
comfortable, and it is springtime (warm sunny, plants blooming, etc.). You
can feel the warm sunlight on your face and shoulders. Also, as you walk
across the school grounds, you notice that you are barefoot. You can feel the
cool green grass beneath your feet. [Have students walk towards the woods]
5. As you walk on the trail in the woods you notice the ground beneath your
feet, how wide the trail is, if there are any plants growing along the trail,
the types of trees on either side, color of the leaves, etc. {Give students
various sensory descriptions as they "walk" and continually repeat the
descriptions at various intervals}
6. The trail can lead to a number of different places and beyond. This is a
quick gist of the trip my students take. Feel free to improvise and include
various descriptions or sensory prompts. For this part I'm going to write
using 3rd person instead of second. When speaking to the students use 2nd
person.
a. a stream with bright tropical fish and stepping stones to get across
to the rest of the trail. (Usually I tell my students that one of their feet
slips and enters the water, whereby a fish will take a quick nibble on one of
their toes)
b. a field with tall grass and a GIANT tree in the middle (so tall that
the top is lost in the clouds)-- the trail picks up on the other side of the
field.
c. back on the trail and the scenery begins to change and they find
themselves in their own "special place" (somewhere where they feel
comfortable and safe-- it can be a room, the beach, a clearing in the woods,
a house, etc.)
Ask the students:
-what objects do you see?
-Colors?
-What sounds do you hear?
-What are you doing?
-What time of day is it? What time of year is it?
(Questions which use their senses)
d. a person joins them in their special place--someone who makes them
feel calm and happy. It could be a person they saw yesterday, last week,
today, or someone they haven't seen in years.
Ask students:
-Who is this person?
-What are you doing with this person? Talking? Fishing?
Watching a sunset?
e. the special person leaves, but the students feel happy because they
were able to spend time with this person. And they know that this person
will always be here waiting for them.
f. students take one last sweeping glance around their special place
noticing all details. Have the students turn around and the trail will be
right behind them.
g. take the students back the way they came.. repeating various sensory
cues ("you see the sunlight filtering through the branches, you can hear the
birds in the trees, and you feel the warm earth beneath your feet")
7. When students have "returned" to their seats, tell them to slowly cover
their eyes with their hands (this is always a great way to tell who fell
asleep). As you count back from 5, slowly have them open their eyes into
their hands, and as you reach the number one, slowly take their hands away
from their eyes.
8. Say to students: "Now without talking, turn to your sheet of paper and
beginning writing about the experience. Describe the trail, your special
place, or special person, or for those of you who fell asleep, what you
dreamed about. But don't talk; you don't want to break the spell." You will
be amazed how quickly and quietly they write!
9. For the last 5 minutes of class debrief:
Discuss: How easy or hard it was to write.
What images they saw.
****I never grade the meditation writings. I just read them and make
supportive comments about the content. This is a great prelim. activity for
creative writing. I use the meditation writes as pre-writes for poetry
writing sessions.
Have fun!
-Kate Seitz
9th grade English
Southern Regional High School
Manahawkin, NJ
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