After attending a weekly meditation class at the Anna Fascitelli Fitness and Wellness Center, I can honestly say that 45 minutes was a highlight of my week. The simple act of doing “nothing” for a relatively small portion of the day is much more beneficial than one may think.
The class is held on Wednesday nights at seven, and serves as a perfect midweek mental check-in. The overall environment of the class provides a complete stress-free zone, being somewhere in which it is not irresponsible to “lay around,” but is encouraged and proven to be productive. While it may seem too good to be true, the painful convenience of dedicating yourself to a weekly rest can be just as easily said as it is done.
The peaceful atmosphere does an efficient job of bringing awareness to not only your inner-self but also your surroundings. While college students are obviously under immense amounts of stress and in a perpetual loop of constant forward motion, the instructor, Logan, reminds the attendees of the importance of slowing down while providing clear guidance of how to properly take a break.
Not only does meditation reduce stress and increase your attention span, this practice also makes it easier to retain information. In addition, meditation has also been shown to improve sleep- and what college student doesn’t struggle with getting a proper night’s sleep?
Being a sophomore in the middle of my fall semester, I can personally attest that the thought of putting off responsibilities and deadlines for 45 minutes to lay on the floor of the fitness center was seemingly horrifying. Not only did it seem counterproductive, but it also struck me as being useless. However, on such a busy campus, sometimes we forget to slow down, evaluate our mental exhaustion levels and work toward improving our personal well-being.
So before you write off participating in a seemingly useless practice, try it out. Who knows, maybe it will become a daily habit and truly enhance the capabilities of your mind.
It is important to maintain not only physical fitness but more importantly, mental strength and awareness.