Exam Prep

Hi and welcome to the Headspace exam exercise. So normally when we go into an exam, there's only quite a strong feeling of tension, stress, pressure. However you like to think about it. And whilst we might feel quite focused in our approach we don't normally have a sense of ease or relaxation, but if the mind's too tight, if it's too narrow, too constricted, then it's very difficult to either think things through in a rational way, or to bring things to mind. So information that we've learned beforehand. So in this exercise, we're trying to find that sweet spot between focus on the one hand, relaxation on the other. Where we're able to maintain our attention and yet bring to mind everything that we've already learned. So just take a moment or two to get comfortable. No matter what's coming up, no matter if you're just about to go into the exam or if you're preparing beforehand. Just take a moment just to get comfortable. You can have the eyes open or eyes closed, whatever feels most natural, and just beginning with a big deep breath, breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. As you breathe out, if you find it more comfortable just gently closing the eyes and just taking a moment to sink down into the body to become aware of that feeling of the body against the seat beneath you, the sensation of the feet on the floor, and with the hands and the arms resting on the legs. Don't worry too much what the mind's doing, allow the thoughts to come and go. We're just focusing our attention on the body right now. And as you sit there just starting to notice how the body's breathing. If there's a lot of anticipation, the breath might be moving quite quickly. We're not gonna try and change the breath in any way at all, just following the natural rhythm of the breath. That rising and falling sensation. If you find it helps, just gently place your hand on the stomach just so you can feel that movement a little more clearly. And as you sit there, there's a very good chance that the mind can be busy, feel agitated, restless in some way. It's almost as though we just sink back into that restlessness. We just allow the thoughts to come and go. Knowing that we've done everything we can to prepare, knowing that we have all the information we need, knowing it'll arise in the mind at the right time. Just resting on that rising and falling sensation, finding that sweet spot between focus and relaxation and then just gently bringing the attention back to the body. And when you're ready, just opening the eyes again....