How this is?

Introduction to Meditation Lesson Plan

For Journalists: Finding moments of clarity amid difficult stories

Duration: 60 minutes

Audience: Journalists who cover difficult stories (war, crime, human suffering)

Core Message: Meditation is basic, nonjudgmental awareness. This can help us stay grounded and find perspective even when witnessing humanity's darkest moments

Instructor: Adam Davidson

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, participants will:

1. Understand that meditation is simply awareness - not escaping reality but staying centered within it
2. Experience how brief moments of meditation create a space for us to witness bad things without being taken over by them
3. Learn practical techniques to stay grounded during and after difficult reporting
4. Recognize how awareness helps us maintain perspective and self-care in this work

Session Outline

1. Opening: The Reality of Our Work (10 minutes)

Personal Opening (3 min)

"I'm Adam Davidson. I've covered wars, financial crimes, and human trafficking."

"Covering Jeffrey Epstein was the hardest - not just the horror of what I learned, but dealing with disbelief, attacks, and watching nothing change."

"I want to share practical tools that helped me stay grounded and sane."

Group Check-in (7 min)

"What happens in your body when you're absorbing difficult material?"

"What are your current strategies for dealing with it?"

Listen for: physical tension, numbing out, compartmentalizing, substance use

Acknowledge: "We need better tools than just pushing through or numbing out."

1. The Bell Exercise: Simple Awareness (8 minutes)

The Exercise:

"Just listen" (ring bell)

"Now concentrate hard, really focus" (ring bell)

"Which time was meditation?"

The Point:

"The first time - just simple awareness"

"Meditation isn't about trying hard or achieving a special state"

"It's recognizing the awareness that's already here"

"This simple awareness can be our anchor in rough seas"

1. First Practice: Finding Your Anchor (7 minutes)

Framing: "Let's practice finding a stable reference point"

Guided Practice:

"Feel your feet on the floor - solid ground" (1 min)

"Notice your breath - not controlling it, just knowing it's there" (2 min)

"When thoughts come, just notice and return to feet or breath" (2 min)

"This is your anchor - always available" (2 min)

Debrief: "What was it like to have somewhere to return to?"

1. Teaching: Practical Tools for Journalists (12 minutes)

Part 1: Creating Space (6 min)

"When we absorb traumatic content, it fills our entire awareness"

"Meditation creates space - like stepping back from a screen to see the whole picture"

Example: "During Epstein interviews, I'd feel victims' trauma in my chest..."

"I learned to notice: 'There's tightness in my chest' instead of 'I am traumatized'"

"Small difference, huge impact - I could hold the information without drowning"

Part 2: The Three-Part Check-In (6 min)

"Before/during/after difficult content, ask yourself:"

Body: "What's happening physically?" (Tension? Holding breath?)

Emotions: "What am I feeling?" (Name it without judgment)

Awareness: "Can I notice all this without being consumed?"

"This takes 10 seconds but changes everything"

"You're still doing your job, just with more awareness"

1. Second Practice: Working with Difficult Content (8 minutes)

Practice with Real Material:

"Think of a moderately difficult story - not your worst" (30 sec)

"Notice what happens in your body" (1 min)

"Name what you're feeling: 'Anger is here' or 'Sadness is here'" (1 min)

"Take three conscious breaths" (1 min)

"Notice: You're aware of the story, but you are not the story" (2 min)

"Return to your anchor - feet, breath, present moment" (1 min)

Debrief: "What shifted when you named what was happening?"

1. Small Group Discussion (6 minutes)

Groups of 3-4

Prompts:

"When in your workday could you use these 10-second check-ins?"

"What makes it hard to step back and create space?"

1. Practical Integration (8 minutes)

Real-World Applications:

During Interviews:

Feel your feet on the floor while listening

One conscious breath between questions

Quick body scan in bathroom breaks

While Writing:

30-second awareness breaks every 20 minutes

Notice when you're holding your breath

Stand up, feel your feet, reset

After Work:

2-minute transition ritual before going home

"I witnessed this, I am not this"

Physical movement to discharge the day

When Facing Backlash:

"Criticism is happening, I am here"

Three breaths before responding

Remember: Your job is to report truth, not control reactions

1. The Bigger Picture (5 minutes)

Why This Matters:

"Yes, these tools help us cope and continue working"

"But more importantly - they help us remember who we are beyond the stories"

"When we stay grounded, we can:"

See clearly without being overwhelmed

Feel compassion without burning out

Do this work while still having a life

"The awareness that witnesses horror is itself unharmed - like a mirror reflecting fire without burning"

1. Closing Circle (5 minutes)

Final Practice Together (2 min)

"Let's sit for a moment as journalists who've seen difficult things but haven't lost ourselves"

Simple awareness of being here, breathing, intact

Closing Words:

"Start small - three conscious breaths before your next interview"

"Try the 10-second check-in once tomorrow"

"Remember: Awareness is always available, even in the worst moments"

"You don't have to be consumed by the stories you tell"

Challenge: "Pick one technique we practiced. Use it once in the next 24 hours."