From our Leaders of Wellbeing

Staff Meditation

Last week staff were invited to practice their own mediation. We used a meditation called

Eye of the Hurricane. 

This meditation used the metaphor of a hurricane to guide staff to 'observe' what is happening from moment to moment with a sense of calm and clarity.

We have placed the script below it has been taken from https://PositivePsychology.com

Why not try it at home with a partner reading slowly to you or record yourself reading it and then try listening to it. Hopefully, you will feel calm and your mind will be clear. If yo

Eye of the Hurricane

Find a comfortable meditation position, either sitting on a cushion on the floor, or on a chair. Sit tall with

your back straight, but shoulders relaxed. And let your hands rest in your lap, and gently close your eyes.

■  Let’s take three deep, slow breaths to begin.

■  Become aware of your body, sitting here. Notice the sense of contact between your body and the seat

beneath you... notice your feet on the floor... notice your clothes against your skin.

■  Now let’s consider a metaphor. Within the strong, turbulent winds of a hurricane, the eye, the center of

the hurricane, is quiet. There is no wind and no movement there. For a moment, picture this idea in your

mind. Can you visualise the strong, turbulent winds of a hurricane, and the inner core that is peaceful

and quiet?

■  Let’s see if you can become like the centre of the hurricane. Your current circumstances, your thoughts,

your feelings, and the sensations throughout your body, can be compared to the winds of a hurricane. Is

it possible for you to let go of all of these things for a moment, so that you are no longer taking part in

them... like the centre of the hurricane is not taking part in the turbulent surrounding winds.

■  To do this, start by focusing on your breath. Simply breathe in and breathe out. Focus inward.

■  Just like the eye is deep within the hurricane, your eye is deep within you. Use your breath to connect

to this part of you. Simply breathe in and breathe out.

■  Stay connected to your breath. If anything stressful happens in this moment, such as negative thoughts,

unpleasant feelings, annoying sounds, difficult life events, memories... try to look at them as if they are

the turbulent wind of the hurricane; whirling around, continually changing, unpredictable in nature...

■  Notice that you are not them. You are the silent centre of the hurricane, the part that is peaceful, despite

what is happening around you.

■  You are the silent centre of the hurricane, peaceful and at ease.

■  You are not reacting, you are simply observing. Like the wind of the hurricane, these experiences are

constantly moving and changing. You, on the other hand, are stable. You are not moving or being carried

away by them.

■  As you are breathing, notice how you move more and more towards the centre of the hurricane, towards

the eye. Just like the turbulent wind of the hurricane, your thoughts, your feelings and whatever is

happening outside yourself is still going on, but you are no longer part of it. You are in a safe, peaceful

place... Breathing in, breathing out.

■  As you sit here, connected to your eye, notice whatever arises. Notice the wind of the hurricane, but

do not participate. Stay in the eye. Notice thoughts... notice feelings... notice sensations... continue

to watch the ever-changing nature of the world inside and outside you. Watch from a distance, with

curiosity, and without judgment... without reacting to what you see.

■  No matter how intense or bad the hurricane gets, the eye is always centered, calm and at ease. Even the

most turbulent hurricane cannot hurt or harm the eye; the eye is safe. Whenever you feel you need to

restore your inner peace, use your breath to connect to this silent part of yourself. Just breathe in and

breathe out. It may help to visualise the hurricane, with yourself in the centre.

■  It can be difficult to see the eye of the hurricane at times, and sometimes we forget the eye is there...

however, it is always there. If we examine closely enough—even the strongest, darkest hurricane—

sooner or later we’ll see the eye, centered and constant.

■  Now, when you feel ready, slowly open your eyes..