At this time of the year, especially during this slightly longer 11 week term, it is understandable that we all start to feel a bit drained, students, staff and families alike. There is a lot going on in all our lives. There is the normal business of school and home life, extra weekend sporting commitments, lessons to be planned, reports to be written, homework to be done, furniture to move, meetings to attend, work commitments, upcoming calendar events to stay on top of, the list could go on and on.
It is important that during these times we actively make time to pause and rest. As we push towards the end of the term and the well deserved break from school life in a few weeks time, please remember to look after yourselves, your families and those you encounter throughout the day.
Mindfulness can be a great way to help us pause and reflect. Below is a Catholic Mindfulness activity created by Dr Gregory Bottaro that you may like to explore individually or as a family over the coming weeks.
Take care and enjoy the week ahead.
Catholic Mindfulness with Dr Gregory Bottaro
Mindfulness aims to ‘fill the mind’ with a focussed awareness and is proven to be very effective in managing anxiety. Catholic Mindfulness grounds this practice in prayer and invites the active engagement of God in the process.
The Sacramental Pause was designed by Dr Gregory Bottaro as a daily mindfulness practice that helps us to connect to God present in the world, and in our bodies. A sacrament according to St Pope John Paul II, ‘makes visible the invisible reality of God’. Thus, the Sacramental Pause aims to enhance our awareness of the sacramental presence of God in our life through the ordinary encounter with everyday reality.
Sacramental Pause
- Presence: With your eyes closed and sitting or standing straight with both feet grounded, pray: Ever present God, here with me now, help me to be here with you. (x3)
- Scan: Become attuned to everything that is around you; sounds, smells, temperature, the feel of your clothing etc. Scan your body from toes to head; notice your posture, muscle tension, aches etc. Scan your emotions and thoughts; notice and acknowledge any feelings or thoughts and allow them to pass through your mind.
- Focus: Narrow your focus to your breath. Become aware of the sensation of breathing, of the air moving in and out through your lungs, throat, mouth and nose, of your diaphragm and ribs moving. With your next breath, breathe into your whole body, expanding your focus to incorporate your entire body – one point in the universe with infinite dignity.
- Return: When ready, finish with the prayer:
Ever present God, here with me now, help me to be here with you. (x3)
Leon Bolding
Principal