I don’t teach much online anymore - about a year ago the in-ear headphones I was using to teach with mysteriously disappeared (last seen in the hands of a toddler 😑). I kept hoping they’d show up and so put off getting a replacement, and in that time my online-class mojo sort of fell away.
One thing I have kept up though is an early morning, once a month meditation I guide for a small number of students (which I can use a regular mic for).
Truthfully, some months this practice it feels like it’s as much for me as it is for my those that join me.
A couple of weeks ago after guiding my most recent practice, I popped a little story up on Instagram where I mentioned the theme I’d used. It prompted so many conversations and questions that I thought I’d write about it here in the hope that it’s helpful for some of you...
I’ve made a recording of the guided meditation I was talking about - I can never remember exactly what I said live and in the moment, but it’s fairly close to the original 😂 It’s written on the theme of the resistance and restlessness we might feel when we try to slow down.
The audio and the transcript are available at the bottom of this post as a little Brucey bonus for my paid supporters 🤍 You can join the party for just £4/mo.
I don’t teach standalone meditations a lot. The online session I do is 15 minutes and it seems to work beautifully as something people can dip into from home, whilst being in that shared energy of other people doing the same thing - even if it’s we’re not all physically in the same location.
There’s something kind of lovely about knowing you’re all channelling the same moment of quite and peace, even when you’re dotted across the country.
In terms of what I actually teach, I follow a similar structure most sessions. The wheel does not need reinventing as much as we think it does.
I always open with an invitation to settle and ground yourself a little. I give plenty of time (and permission) to fidget, shift about and readjust into any position that feels comfortable. If a student is new to this kind of practice, they often think they need to sit rigid and still; it’s helpful to let them know that when their body is comfortable and supported, it’s going to be less of a distraction for the mind.
My single favourite anchor to drop into any given moment is ALWAYS the breath, so next, I’ll offer a few, fairly open cues that allow people to start to connect to the rhythm of their own breath. I’ll encourage them to have a play with a couple of different breathing styles, or offer up a suggestions of how they might use the breath to fall into a better awareness of their body.
Again, this is about giving them permission to play. If they’re freaking out about following some weird breathing style they’ve never done before, or worrying about doing it ‘right’, those feelings are likely to take over everything. Then what’s the point in this practice? Ease and exploration is ket for me.
Next, I’ll usually introduce something to do with whatever the theme of the session is that day.
Theming is a funny one. Just like my regular classes, I try to link a theme to something that’s relevant for me in my own life at that time. Mostly because talking about something you actually have a personal understanding or opinion of makes things a thousand times easier to talk about.
The conversation that went on in my head around theme planning last month went something along the lines of…
what’s going on for me/in the world at the moment?’
well, things feel very autumnal at the moment - that could be nice
ok, what relates to autumn?
slowing down, letting go, turning inwards
ooh…they’re all nice theme ideas
yeah, but they feel kind of obvious too. what’s a layer deeper than this?
well, they’re all lovely things, but they can all be pretty tricky in practice to actually DO.
bingo.
My brain chat was literally that simple (and boring).
So my autumnal slowing down theme became about the acknowledgement that these practices aren’t always easy. Bringing in the relatability element - the seasons might be in a ‘let go/slow down’ phase, but I personally don’t feel like I’m in a letting go/slowing down place myself. There’s a disconnect between what I see, and what I feel, and so THAT becomes my theme - the truth that you feel like you ‘should’ be doing something in sync with nature, but it’s not always easy to.
That’s how I share something that resonates, rather than something that feels bit generic.
I made the practice about recognising that resistance is a valid thing to experience. Noticing how it shows up in your body, and then instead of saying ‘just let go’ of XYZ that is bothering you right now (which can all feel wildly impossible and way to romanticised for most people) I offer the opportunity to play with just the idea of what it might feel like in their body if they were to release even the tiniest of somethings.
So it wasn’t about ‘hey, find something that it’s serving you and just let it go’ - which can feel kind on infuriating. It was hopefully more relatable.
This practice encouraged reflections on the theme - noticing how different things created different sensations in the body. I also used the breath to help connect to particular feelings.
Sometimes the body of the practice will be a reflection like this, sometimes it’s visualisations and sometimes it’s all about the breath or noticing things in the moment. This is the ‘main body’ of the practice that relates to the theme.
At the end, I like to bring people out by coming back into the present moment slowly. When it’s an online practice, I tend to keep the ‘returning’ bit short, and don’t make a fuss of a big close where everyone opens their eyes and says goodbye. This is so that if they can, people have the option of staying a little longer in whatever quiet bubble they’ve created.
A couple of general notes….
I don’t throw in TONS of silence in these online practices. When I do, I try to let them know it’s coming. Something like ‘I’m going to give you a couple of minutes of quiet now’ - otherwise they can end up opening their eyes and checking the screen, thinking the connection has dropped out, which can somewhat ruin the moment.
Along that same line, I’d consider these guided mediations. That’s no everyone’s bag. This isn’t a space where I’m teaching meditation practices for students to work with in their own time (and actually, quiet mediations are my personal go to) - these are more of a space for people to be held through a session.
This practice in particular was a bit more of a reflective one - bringing up certain states and feelings, and noticing things in your own body. It’s a bit more ‘thinking’ than traditional meditations, and I don’t always guide stuff like this. I tend to go with what feels right in the theme.
This sort of active reflection isn’t everyone’s bag and the experience is always going to be different to sitting in your own practice for an extended period of time.
I try to speak as ‘normally’ as possible - I actually find that harder during recordings than during regular teaching haha. I don’t have a particularly floaty or sing-song meditation voice. Again, that works for some people and it doesn’t work for others. I probably speak a little more softly than usual, but personally I’d feel distracted in what I was saying if I was turning on some totally different tone.
I also don’t play music alongside me speaking. Mostly, this is because I can’t be assed with faffing around with royalty free music that doesn’t sound shit. But also, a lot of people don’t like music in that kind of practice. When sharing online, I’d rather guide without music and that way if someone does like it, they can just play their own favourite tracks alongside. I love Gentle I by Ryan Rickho at the moment.
Finally, I don’t really script my meditations but I DO outline them in advance. This way, I’m not rocking up with an entirely blank canvas and winging it. Having some pre-determined structure to riff off makes sure I don’t feel like I’m flailing, and also helps me keep to time. I don’t have anything against scripting at the start (especially if it’ll stop you feeling panicked!) but I’d spend some time reading it a LOT beforehand, so it doesn’t sound to rigid and superficial.
If you want to bring more meditation or visualisation practices into your classes, or as additional offerings, my best advice is to do a load of them yourself. Insight timer is PACKED with great, free audios from a ton of brilliant teachers and you can experience what it’s like on the other side.
Start to drop some more smaller moments of meditation and reflection in class or do some online with friends. As ever, the single best way to learn is through doing.
I actually have a profile of my own on Insight Timer with an advent of meditations I shared a few years ago - 24 meditation tracks, that started as 1min on Day 1, 2mins on Day 2….right up to 24mins. Great if you’re short on time and fancy a little audio reset!
If you’re doing your own recordings, set yourself up on there too. It can be a nice way to share your offerings with regulars who want to practice with you. I think I make about $3 a month off there, but hey…that’s (almost?!) a coffee.
Finally, and more importantly than the rest…don’t overthink it. Or at least, try to overthink a little less. You don’t need to to deliver some grand, life-altering insight; just share from the heart 🫶🏻