Sept 12: Centering in Jesus w/ Irene Kraegel
Summary
TLDRIn this session, Irene Krael, the Director of the Center for Counseling and Wellness, leads a mindfulness practice centered around Christian meditation. She encourages participants to focus on their sensory experiences, be present in the moment, and find peace in Christ's invitation to rest. By guiding deep breathing and sensory awareness exercises, the practice helps participants release mental burdens, reduce stress, and connect with God. Krael also highlights mindfulness groups offered by the counseling center for those interested in further exploring these practices throughout the semester.
Takeaways
- 😀 The speaker, Irene Krael, is the director at the Center for Counseling and Wellness, offering centering practices for participants.
- 🧘♀️ Mindfulness practice is used to center oneself in Christ, which has become a tradition at the start of each semester.
- 🐑 The speaker feels like a sheep needing guidance and encourages participants to find peace in God's presence as their shepherd.
- 🧠 Mindfulness helps in becoming aware of the present moment and letting go of thoughts about the past or future.
- 🌼 There are opportunities to join mindfulness meditation groups organized by the Counseling Center, with sessions starting soon.
- 🙏 Jesus modeled mindfulness by withdrawing to quiet places to pray, and the Bible encourages stillness and contemplation.
- 💨 The mindfulness practice focuses on paying attention to the senses, such as breathing, touch, hearing, and sight.
- 👂 Participants are encouraged to notice sensory experiences without judgment, allowing thoughts and emotions to pass naturally.
- 🕊 This mindfulness practice is intended to help reduce stress and anxiety, increasing joy and connection with others, while also being spiritually significant.
- 📣 Participants are invited to visit the Counseling Center for mental health support, and all services are free.
Q & A
Who is the speaker in the transcript?
-The speaker is Irene Krael, the director at the Center for Counseling and Wellness.
What is the purpose of the centering practice mentioned in the transcript?
-The centering practice is intended to help participants center themselves in Christ, providing a moment of mindfulness and stillness, particularly at the beginning of the academic year when people may feel overwhelmed.
How does Irene Krael describe her current state of mind?
-Irene Krael describes herself as feeling frazzled, likening her state of mind to that of a sheep that is unsure where to go or what to do.
What metaphor from scripture does the speaker refer to during the centering practice?
-The speaker refers to the metaphor of sheep and the idea that Christ is a shepherd who provides green pastures, symbolizing guidance and rest.
What is mindfulness, according to the speaker?
-Mindfulness is described as a practice of becoming intentionally aware of the present moment, paying attention to the senses and letting go of the tendency to overthink or analyze the experience.
How does mindfulness help with mental health, according to the speaker?
-The speaker mentions that mindfulness helps reduce depression and anxiety, increases a sense of connection with others, and boosts joy.
What are some sensory experiences that participants are encouraged to focus on during the practice?
-Participants are encouraged to focus on their breath, the sensations of touch, hearing, sight, smell, and taste as a way to ground themselves in the present moment.
How does the speaker connect mindfulness with Christian faith?
-The speaker connects mindfulness with Christian faith by referencing Christ's practice of withdrawing to quiet places for prayer and the Biblical encouragement to be still and know God. She also mentions that paying attention to sensory experiences can deepen one’s awareness of God's presence.
What resources does the Center for Counseling and Wellness offer related to mindfulness?
-The Center for Counseling and Wellness offers a mindfulness meditation group, with sessions available starting next week and another starting in October. All services at the center are free.
What is the speaker's final encouragement to the participants after the practice?
-The speaker encourages participants to take the stillness and centeredness they experienced during the practice with them into the rest of their day and to care for any areas of tension or discomfort they noticed during the session.
Outlines
🎙️ Mic Troubles and Introduction to Centering in Christ
Irene Krael introduces herself as the Director of the Center for Counseling and Wellness, apologizing for some technical difficulties. She begins by sharing her excitement for leading a centering practice. She reflects on feeling frazzled, likening it to being a sheep in need of guidance from Christ. Irene explains that the practice of mindfulness allows individuals to settle into the Green Pastures that God provides, bringing peace and calm amidst the busyness of life.
🧘 Mindfulness Practice and Upcoming Opportunities
Irene explains mindfulness, highlighting its focus on being present in the moment and how it counters tendencies to dwell in the past or future. She promotes the upcoming mindfulness meditation groups offered by the Counseling Center, emphasizing the importance of caring for mental health. Mindfulness is described as a practice of awareness, reducing anxiety and depression while promoting joy and connection with others, especially when practiced in God's presence.
🌿 Jesus and the Biblical Roots of Mindfulness
Irene discusses how mindfulness aligns with Christian practices, drawing connections to Jesus’s actions in the Bible, such as withdrawing to quiet places for prayer. She cites Psalm 46's invitation to 'be still and know that I am God' as a biblical example of mindfulness. Mindfulness, as practiced in faith, encourages people to pay attention to their sensory experiences and recognize the divine within them.
🔔 The Grounding Practice and Mindful Attention
A bell rings to signify the beginning of a grounding practice. Irene instructs participants to settle into their bodies, find a stable sitting position, and focus on their breathing. She encourages people to notice their sensations, breath, and surroundings, becoming fully present. She reassures participants that modifying the practice based on individual needs is welcome, and reminds them that the practice is about being present with Christ through mindful attention to their sensory experiences.
👂 Deep Sensory Awareness and Spiritual Rest
Irene leads the group through various mindfulness techniques, shifting focus between different senses: breathing, touch, hearing, sight, smell, and taste. She emphasizes the importance of noticing sensations without judgment and being present to the experience without overanalyzing. As participants tune into their senses, they are reminded that God is with them, offering rest and connection through these experiences.
💆♀️ Releasing Burdens and Finding Rest in Christ
Irene revisits the message of Jesus offering rest to those who are weary and burdened, reminding participants to release their burdens and find peace in Stillness. She concludes the practice with another bell, encouraging people to slowly bring movement back into their bodies and take note of any sensations or areas of tension they experienced during the practice. Irene invites everyone to take this sense of stillness into their day and reiterates the opportunity to join the mindfulness group.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Mindfulness
💡Centering in Christ
💡Sheep Metaphor
💡Breath
💡Sensory Experience
💡Rest in Christ
💡Jesus' Solitude
💡Psalm 46
💡Awareness
💡Mental Health
Highlights
The speaker, Irene Krael, introduces herself as the director at the Center for Counseling and Wellness, emphasizing the importance of centering oneself in Christ.
This centering practice has become a tradition, typically held once per semester near the beginning of the school year.
The metaphor of Christ as a shepherd and participants as sheep is used to express feelings of confusion and the need for guidance and peace.
Mindfulness is introduced as a practice to become aware of the present moment and avoid overthinking or focusing too much on the past or future.
Mindfulness meditation group sessions are offered through the Center for Counseling and Wellness, starting Tuesday at 4:00 PM.
The mindfulness practice helps reduce depression and anxiety while increasing connection, joy, and a sense of presence with Christ.
Mindfulness, when integrated with faith, becomes a powerful practice, as Jesus often retreated to quiet places to pray and encouraged paying attention.
A grounding practice through mindfulness is guided, focusing on the senses—touch, hearing, sight, smell, and taste.
Participants are reminded that they can modify the mindfulness practice according to their own physical or emotional needs.
Irene explains that paying attention to sensory experiences can deepen one’s connection with God, celebrating the body as a temple of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus' invitation from the Bible to come to Him for rest is emphasized as a foundational element of the mindfulness practice.
Mindfulness invites participants to be present with their direct sensory experience rather than overthinking or analyzing it.
The session includes a bell sound to help participants center their attention at the beginning and end of the practice.
Participants are invited to notice sensations in their body, such as tension or tightness, and reflect on how to care for themselves in response.
The speaker closes by encouraging participants to take the stillness and mindfulness into their daily lives and consider joining the mindfulness group sessions for ongoing support.
Transcripts
for
[Music]
e
[Music]
for
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
glad that you're here it sounds like
we're having a mic difficulty so we'll
get it sorted out um but my name is
Irene krael and I'm the director at the
center for counseling and wellness and
I'm so delighted to be here this morning
to do some centering practice with you
as we Center ourselves in Christ this is
become a bit of a tradition we often do
this practice together once a semester I
love that we do it near the beginning of
the year
because there's a lot going on so if
you're like me you might feel a little
frazzled this morning I was thinking
this morning of the metaphor of sheep
that Christ gives us that scripture
gives us um and I feel a little bit like
a sheep this morning like where do I go
what do I do how do I find what I need
so if you are in that same boat you're
in the right place we have this
opportunity to settle in the Green
Pastures that God provides for us as our
Shepherd and we'll do that today um
through a practice called mindfulness
and um I do want to give a shout out
that if you're interested in learning
more about mindfulness this semester we
do have a couple opportunities through
the center for counseling and wellness
to learn that um through a group format
I lead a group called mindfulness
meditation and we have a section
starting next week on Tuesday at 4:00 I
would love to have you join that it is a
delightful time of caring for ourselves
once a week together last for six weeks
there's another Monday section starting
in at um at the end of October so feel
free to sign up there's a QR code on the
screen or you're always welcome to just
reach out to the counseling center all
of our services are free um I would give
a plug for coming to visit us at some
point this semester during our time at
celvin because we're really eager to
care for you and help you get connected
to whatever those Mental Health
Resources are that would be helpful for
you so what is mindfulness um you can
think about a mindfulness practice as
awareness we're intentionally becoming
aware of what is in the moment right now
noticing how our mind tends to run into
the future or move into the past and
there's a lot of freedom and centering
and peace that can be found by coming
right into the present moment being
quiet paying attention being curious
being intentional about where we put our
minds the other piece of mindfulness
that we'll be practicing through this
today is noticing the tendency to think
about our experience
versus having our experience directly um
so we will together be laying aside that
tendency to overthink overanalyze over
interpret and spend a few minutes
together today just having our direct
sensory experience in the presence of
Christ um this is a practice that even
outside of Faith does help reduce
depression and anxiety it helps increase
our sense of connection with other
people increase our joy um but when we
add in this awareness of God in the
present moment it takes on even more
power and significance um Jesus modeled
this for us on Earth so it's very
typical in Scripture that we see Jesus
withd drawing to a quiet place to pray
we see that over and over um and of
course even before Christ the Psalms and
the Old Testament are also full of
references to meditation to
contemplation um love the scripture from
Psalm 46 you're probably familiar with
these words where it says be still and
know that I am God um so this is an
ancient Christian practice um Christ
also encourages us to pay attention
quite a bit he's often saying things
like anyone who has ears listen or
anyone who can see see right so um he
really wants us to pay attention even to
our sensory experience in the moment
um so today's practice will be a mindful
grounding practice into the presence of
Christ um and as you pay attention you
can know that God made your experience
your sensory experience your body as
good we know this from the beginning of
creation um that we're really encouraged
to celebrate our bodies as temples of
the Holy Spirit um to notice the ways
that God shows up through our senses on
a regular basis there is no one way to
do this I'll be guiding us through the
practice together um but you can always
feel free to disregard my instructions
at any time if you would like to modify
this for your own physical or emotional
needs along the way I'll be guiding it
for us sitting but you are welcome to
stand if you would prefer either where
you are you could always go to the back
of the room we have spots up in the
front if you're someone who prefers to
be on the floor to sit down or lay down
this is a very flexible practice um um
it is challenging at times to keep our
attention on the present moment there
may be points it feels uncomfortable for
you um but so you are always welcome to
modify it in any way that you would like
I will be using a bell um so just to
kind of show you what that looks like um
I use this Bell because it makes a
really beautiful sound um it doesn't
mean anything beyond that other then
it's a sound that helps us sort of
Center our attention um in that ringing
um so you'll hear me ring that at the
beginning to get us started and then
I'll also be ringing it at the end to
help us conclude our practice
together so I would invite you if you
would like where you are to find a
stable sitting position you might want
to uncross your legs have your hands on
your thighs or in your lap you could
bring a little bit of energy into your
body if you'd like by straightening your
spine allowing your head to reach up and
touch the
sky and if you choose there's an option
to close your
eyes or if that's not comfortable you
can also just let your eyelids fall
about
halfway and gaze softly at your lap or
at the floor in front of
you as you settle in here if it's
helpful you might want to take a couple
deep
breaths feeling your shoulders rise on
the INB breath and gently fall on the
out breath
breath just at your own Rhythm those
deep breaths coming in and out of the
lungs and then as you're ready allowing
your breath just to return to its
natural rate and
[Music]
Rhythm and I'll ring the bell to begin
our practice together
so we begin with this invitation from
Jesus who says come to me all you that
are weary and are carrying heavy burdens
and I will give you rest
take my yoke upon you and learn from me
for I am gentle and humble in heart and
you will find rest for your
souls for my yoke is easy and my burden
is
light so resting here in this
Stillness in this invitation from Jesus
to lay down our
burdens resting here in the silence
[Music]
and perhaps paying attention to the
rhythm of the
breath noticing this natural rhythm of
breathing if you
[Music]
choose paying attention to where your
breathing is the most noticeable so
perhaps it's that rise and fall of your
shoulders
the opening of your
chest maybe it's that warm sensation as
the air leaves the nose and that
tingling cool sensation as the air
enters through the
nose wherever you feel the breath most
easily or most vividly just letting your
attention rest there if you choose
this is the breath that God has put into
your lungs no need to control it or
change
it you're simply receiving this Divine
[Music]
breath and moving attention to your
sense of
touch so noticing what is it that you
feel on your skin in this
moment you might know notice the
sensation of your chair or the
floor perhaps sensations of clothing
touching your
skin maybe you notice the feeling of air
on your skin on the hands the
face maybe the top of the scalp if
that's available to you
and if you'd like you can tune into
Sensations that are within your body as
well maybe feelings of
tingling
temperature perhaps even the blood flow
within your
body if it's available to you that
sensation of your heart beating your
lungs
[Music]
moving noticing these Sensations moving
and changing moment to
moment nothing you need to
do nowhere else you need to go just
being present
here to the sense of
touch and you'll have thoughts as you go
through this practice the intention here
is not to get rid of those thoughts you
can just notice them maybe notice any
feelings or emotions that come up during
this practice smile at them if you'd
like
knowing that God is present here and
loves
you and bringing your attention back
here to the sense of touch if you
choose as best you can staying open to
what is present here treating yourself
with kindness being curious about any
Sensations that you feel on your scin or
inside of your body whether they're
Pleasant or unpleasant
[Music]
and knowing that if there's no sensation
in a particular area that's okay too
we're just practicing direct awareness
of whatever is here as we go along
experiencing this God given sense of
[Music]
touch and now if you choose taking a
deep breath
in letting that air out as you shift
your attention to the sense of
hearing as much as this is available for
you noticing what do you
hear there may be sounds from inside of
the
[Music]
room perhaps sounds from outside of the
[Music]
room maybe the sound of your own
breathing or your own
body there's no need to search for
sounds you're just noticing sounds that
are present
and perhaps labeling this experience as
[Music]
hearing just as thoughts pass through
the mind and keep going these sounds
also pass through the Mind pass through
the
awareness and there may be a desire to
label the sounds or judge them whether
you like them or
not seeing if you can come back directly
to the sensation of hearing with without
that filter of
[Music]
thought you are part of this bigger
world that's buzzing with activity and
sound part of this whole world that God
has
made so allowing yourself to connect to
that through the sense of
[Music]
hearing taking a deep breath in if you
choose and letting that air
out and and now if you choose shifting
your attention to the sense of sight so
if your eyes are open you might just
gently if they're closed you might just
gently open them and notice
shapes
colors
lines perhaps there's that tendency to
label what you see to judge it seeing if
you can just be present with some
curiosity to light to
reflection to visual
detail staying present to this sense of
sight that God has
given again as much as is available to
[Music]
you taking a deep breath in one more
time letting that breath
out and shifting your attention now to
the sense of smell
noticing what you can
smell and so you may just be the quality
of the air where you are or you might
choose to smell something that's
accessible to you maybe your sleeve or
your skin or maybe an object that's
within
reach not labeling or judging the smell
you're just
noticing noticing this sensory
information that God's
provided also being aware of any
thoughts or feelings that might come up
in conjunction with that sensory
experience smell is often connected to
emotion to memory so just being curious
about whatever is there as you stay
present the best you can doing your best
to keep an attitude of curiosity
openness
[Music]
non-judgment aware that God is with you
right here in this space
taking in one more deep breath if you
choose and letting that air
out and then we come to the sense of
taste what can you taste maybe there's
something in your mouth or something you
would like to taste that you have with
you perhaps just noticing what that
sense of taste is and any thoughts and
feelings that might come up in
reaction if you do choose to take a sip
or a bite of something maybe even
noticing any changes in taste and
texture and Sensations moment to
moment you stay in tune with that
experience of
[Music]
taste and if your eyes are open you're
invited to close them again if you would
like or just keep them halfway open
halfway
closed coming back here as much as you
choose to the physical sensation of
[Music]
breathing each breath a gift from
God air coming
in air going
[Music]
out noticing your body as a
whole as you sit here here or stand here
or lie
here this body that God created that God
called good from the very
[Music]
beginning this dwelling of the holy
spirit that is your
body and so as much as you're able being
present right here in this temple in
this
place and receiving this rest that Jesus
offers in the Stillness
[Music]
Jesus says come to me all you that are
weary and are carrying heavy burdens and
I will give you
rest take my yoke upon you and learn
from me for I am gentle and humble in
heart and you will find rest for your
souls for my yoke is easy and my burden
is light
[Music]
so resting here in this silence in this
Stillness that you've cultivated
[Music]
[Music]
I'll ring the bell one more time to
conclude our practice seeing if you can
listen to the sound of the ring from the
very beginning until it Trails off into
space and can no longer be heard
[Music]
[Music]
and then as you're ready you can just
bring some gentle movement back into
your body so if you'd like to stretch a
little bit you've been in the same
position for a while so notice what your
body needs move around a little bit
maybe roll those
shoulders and I would encourage you as
you move on from this practice even
right now take a moment to be aware of
what you noticed during that time this
is some really helpful information for
you so maybe you notice particular
thoughts going through your mind or
Sensations in your body areas of tension
anybody notice some tension or tightness
in your muscles yep um so that all gives
you information about what you might
need and you can consider if there's any
way that you might like to take care of
yourself a bit extra around those areas
that came up for you I would encourage
you to take a bit of this Stillness and
centeredness with you into the rest of
your day a reminder to sign up for the
mindfulness group through the Counseling
Center I would love to see you there and
feel free to connect with me afterwards
with any questions that you might have
go in peace
not
Посмотреть больше похожих видео
Relax Deeply Into Your Inner Stillness | POWERFUL 10 MINUTE MEDITATION | Wu Wei Wisdom
Social-Emotional Learning: Lesson on Mindfulness
10 Minute Pranayama to Increase Immunity | इम्यूनिटी बढ़ाने के लिए प्राणायाम @satvicyoga
Neuroscience of Mindfulness Meditation in 4 minutes
Healing Affirmations for Mind Body + Spirit | Listen Daily for Best Results ✨
संपूर्ण ध्यान - Complete Meditation_15 days Meditation challenge #meditation #dhyan #sirshree
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)