On Thursday, Utah State University’s Meditation Club met in the Merrill-Cazier Library for a 30-minute meditation session with instructions and advice on personal spirituality.
Peter Tauber, president of the club and one of the founding participants, welcomed the five individuals who were present for the meditation session by inviting them to get comfortable.
“Your body should be as aligned as possible in order to be comfortable for the next 30 minutes,” Tauber said. “If your body is comfortable, your mind also becomes comfortable and relaxed.”
According to Tauber, the club’s purpose is to provide a space for students and anyone else who wants to join. Those involved will have the opportunity to experience mindfulness and raise awareness of the world around them, he said.
“For a few weeks now, my husband and I have been trying to wake up before our alarm goes off every morning and just meditate for 15 minutes,” said Erin Davis, who was attending for the first time. “We have also been doing a lot of spiritual reading by authors like Eckhart Tolle, Deepak Chopra and Jon Kabat-Zinn.”
Tauber said he has also been inspired by Tolle’s spiritual teachings.
According to his website, Tolle is a spiritual teacher and author from Germany. He is the author of several spiritual books including “The Power of Now” and “A New Earth.”
About five to 10 students and faculty members attend the Meditation Club’s weekly sessions, Tauber said.
Many of them started meditating due to a hardship in their life or because of depression.
“I was struggling a lot with depression and emotional strife before the club started almost two years ago,” Tauber said. “It’s been a huge support and I have definitely become stronger through spirituality.”
Sandra Weingart has been part of the club for almost a year.
“It’s nice to take a break during a busy day at work,” Weingart said. “Sometimes my brain runs on a treadmill like a mouse. With meditation I can calm my brain down and focus on the important things.”
Tauber and Davis are also attending Cache Valley Sangha’s Sunlight Over Moving Water: The Lamp of the Mind winter retreat being held Feb. 24 until Feb. 26 at the Bear River Charter School.
“Meditation is definitely developing a higher profile,” Weingart said. “Everyone in our world is always hoping for happiness after they get a raise or after they find the perfect soul-mate, but with meditation you can have happiness right now — why wouldn’t you want that?”
Rebecca Eisenhower, Eric Jungblut, Trevor Anderson, Ryan Neeley, Marisa Nielsen, Trey Williams, Nicole Murray, Bailey Nielsen contributed to this report.
No comments:
Post a Comment