Guided imagery exercise

A Spaceman's View

Ask the class to sit comfortably in their chairs - sitting upright,shoulders relaxed, hand in laps with both feet flat on the floor. Speak slowly, firmly but softly with gaps in between sentences.

NB If this is the first time you have attempted anything like this in class it's best to warn the class that some may feel a bit giggly at first but for the sake of others, they will be asked to opt out of the exercise if they cannot concentrate on using their imaginations.

Start with a few simple breathing exercise. Ask the children to listen..... to concentrate on what they can hear outside the classroom....... then inside the classroom......... then their own breathing etc etc

Ask them to imagine they are floating up out of their bodies and have a bird's-eye view of the classroom. Suggest what sort of things they might be able to see - the tops of their own head........... the people near them...... their desks....... the carpet area etc..

Ask them to imagine they can go a little higher - they can now see the roof of the school........... the marks on the playground.......the trees..... litter bins...... school gates etc.

Higher still and they can se the roads..... the town/village..... the shops. Point out any local places of interest.

Now pupils will be imagining a similar view as to that which they would see from an aeroplane - roads.... tiny cars...... London in the distance etc.

Continue going higher so that you will be able to see over London with the River Thames winding through it........then the edges of our country.... the sea surrounding it......above some clouds .... they can see other countries.....other continents.....

Higher still and they can imagine passing through the atmosphere...... they can look back and see that the world is round...... slowly turning....... half the world in darkness...... half with the sun shining on it ....... suspended in space ............. beautiful..........sparkling.......what colours can they see ? greeny blues, browns......... no other planet looks as special as the Earth.................. all the animals and plants .........over 6 billion people living on it.

Give the children a moment or two to 'watch the world' and then talk them through the whole exercise in reverse - slowly bringing them back to the classroom. At the end say “You are now back in our classroom in your own seat. When you are ready ...... open your eyes”.

Pupils will want to share what they have imagined. You may wish to get them to note down their own ideas before being influenced by those of other pupils.