– By Maria
Feeling anxious? Overwhelmed? Meditate!!
Inspired by this slogan, I joined meditation society in my first year. Surprised by how kind and welcoming the environment was, I further decided to join the committee as the treasurer. I started to meditate when I was going through a stressful period in my last year of high school, and I haven’t stopped since. For me, meditation is a moment to check up with my body and myself and relax through breathing. I like to meditate in the morning before starting my day, or sometimes while walking on my way to campus, but as with any act of self-love, I don’t push myself too much. So, when I don’t feel like meditating, I simply don’t do it. If you are wondering if I can meditate while walking, the answer is yes! Meditation is not only sitting in silence with your legs crossed for 1 hour every day, but there are many ways to practice it, and I believe everyone should find the one which they are most comfortable with.
One of the reasons why meditation society was created is to break down the prejudices which can distance people from meditation by introducing the purposes of mediation and explaining the benefits of it. It is a great practice to manage stress, increase self-awareness, boost confidence and reduce negative thoughts.
We try to have different types of meditation in every session and alternate between in-person and online mode to fit our schedules. To name a few, we had relaxing, self-acceptance, body scans and astrology meditations. Furthermore, during semester one we collaborated with other societies such as Muay Thai society, Turkish society and Neuroscience society. Our main target, in collaboration with KCL ThinkMental Society, is to raise awareness on the importance of looking after students’ mental health and provide support especially during stressful times such as exam periods.
Mental health is as important as physical health, and I believe that one cannot exist without the other. Personally, meditation and sports have helped me vastly to maintain an efficient balance between my physical well-being and mental peace, and enabled me to deal with the isolation and the uncertainty of the on-going pandemic.
My experience of being a part of the KCL Meditation society has been great so far! Not only has it acted as a distraction from the daily stress of academics, but has also allowed me to learn something new every day and to meet people I maybe wouldn’t have met otherwise. Additionally, my role as a treasurer has provided me with ample opportunities to learn skills that I am certain will help me in career, such as managing the funds and establishing connections with external associations to set up mutually benefitting partnerships.
But most important of all, this experience has taught me the importance of our mental health; that everyone goes through bad days; and there is nothing wrong about sharing your problems with others. On the contrary, it is always nice to have some support from other students. So, whether you want to try out meditation or simply have a chat about your mental health, I would suggest you come to one of our sessions. The sessions are completely free and there is no commitment. Furthermore, we are always open to collaborating with other societies, so do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any ideas.
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