Meditation

Meditation has resided at the core of Aiglon life since the school’s inception. It is a driving aspect of our daily activities and rooted in our guiding principles. John Corlette considered a structured meditative practice to be essential to the development of students and faculty alike and worked to instil methods to best inspire and enrich the whole student. Even today, his approach remains relevant in our daily life and practice.

These sessions take the place of the morning assembly found at many other schools. They are performed in such a way as to create a significant moment of mindfulness at the start of the students’ and teachers’ day. Meditations are designed to provoke concepts with which to inwardly challenge ourselves. Beginning and ending with a period of silence, each meditation features a single idea, presented as a talk, that is dropped within the centre of a still pool. In the silence that follows, this idea grows with a student’s personal consideration and is carried with them for the remainder of the day. The best of Aiglon’s meditations are remembered and discussed for years.

Topics for meditation are presented by staff and students. Traditional concepts of spirituality are woven among ideas, which range from the choices we make at the crossroads of life to the effects of social media. These aren’t lectures but well-constructed, brief insights suggested amidst contemplative silence. On some occasions, a meditation is a simple phrase, followed by an appropriate piece of music to aid personal reflection.

What Aiglonians take away from meditations is a sense of quiet, centred introspection. Horizons are broadened within a safe space, and students are empowered to explore their own thoughts on new ideas or set off to further investigate familiar concepts. While not religious in nature, these meditations focus on the essence of our spirit, enriching each individual and preparing them with a practice to continue in their life beyond Aiglon.

Students develop a deep understanding of their responsibilities to both their inner self and society and how they can be a positive force in the world they inherit.