Brief Meditation Exercise

A Partners for A Greater Voice parent survey in the U.S.A. reports that parents have high degrees and extremely high degrees of stress in their life when caring for their children with hearing loss (44%). Parents say they have anxiety and feel worried before an IEP meeting, or while dealing with their child’s behavior at home or in school for example. After this simple meditation exercise, parents report they feel more relaxed in body, heart, and mind; reducing stress and anxiety. Research states how mediation reduces high blood pressure, improves clarity of mind, increases creativity, and fosters better decision making.

Begin by taking pause and find a comfortable seat. Close your eyes and focus on the breadth – both inhales and exhales. As you come to an awareness of the breath, mindfully listen and feel the sensation of oxygen moving in and out the nostrils, feel breath fill your lungs. Deepen the inhalations and exhalations, and try to send the breath to lower lobes of the lungs and watch the belly expand. Just like filling a glass with water, use this traditional yogic pranayama technique to calm, and center yourself in stillness. Say to yourself on an exhale, “calm mind, calm mind” and repeat a few times. Then say, “I feel peace in my body” on the next several exhales. Perhaps you say, “I make myself twice as relaxed with every exhale.” Choose any mantra or language that works for you. After 3-5 minutes of mindful breathing, parents report the strength of self-regulation coming forth and are able to return to the task, decision, and needs of their child with more focus.

Balancing mind and body is key to regulating our emotions and calming our fight or flight response. This brief breathing exercise helps stimulate the para-sympathetic system and calm the nervous system.