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Karina De Gracia
Professor Voltz
English 1102
January 27th 2016
Meditation: classroom edition
Today we are going to practice meditation, my professor
announced to the class. Now, this may feel odd for some of you, but
have an open mind and try to power through. Thoughts of sitting
Indian style on the floor with my middle fingers to my thumbs,
humming, flashed through my head. Well, lets get this over with I
thought to myself. Professor Sinclair dimmed the lights, and pressed
play on the guided meditation from YouTube. The classroom giggled as
a Buddhist nun appeared on the screen; the nun spoke in a gentle
voice that almost sent shivers down your spine it was so creepily
soothing. Everyone rustled around the room, glancing at one another
as if silently asking are we really about to do this? I quickly sat up
and attempted to find a comfortable position in my stiff chair-per the
request of the Buddhist nun. The nun, in almost a whisper, explained
the goal of todays practice and her purpose in assisting our
meditation. Closing my eyes in a classroom filled with strangers felt
awkward at first; I felt as if every person in the room was secretly
watching me and judging my meditation. However, despite the less

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than ideal location, I took a deep breath, relaxed my body, and
attempted to ignore my surroundings.
At first my thoughts were all over the place: reminiscing on my
adventurous weekend, dreaming of devouring a meal from chick-fil-a,
and a brief moment of panic over the homework I still had to do. I
thought about what everyone else was thinking about, and if they were
trying as hard as I was to contain my laughter after the nun said to
now share the love and kindness with the animals all over the
universe. I quietly chuckled to myself as I imagined trying to hug a
slimy wet fish or a darting squirrel. How exactly do you share your love
and kindness with an animal in the first place? I thought to myself.
Suddenly, I began wondering if I was breaking the rules. After all, this
was my first time meditating and I was completely ignorant on the
proper meditation procedure. I decided to play it safe and rein in my
thoughts. Yet no matter how hard I tried, I couldnt seem to shake the
random thoughts flooding my mind. Curious how they were doing, I
cracked open my eyes to peak at the rest of the class. A boy next to
me sat eyes wide open, tapping his pencil anxiously awaiting the end
of the meditation. Isabel, sitting to my left, I was convinced had fallen
asleep. To my surprise, most of the classroom was deep in meditation. I
drifted back into a state of meditation, this time following step by step
the nuns directions.

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Now imagine a person or thing that encompasses peace, love,
and all things beautiful, She murmured, this could be Buddha, or if
youre a Christian perhaps Jesus, or Mary, or a Saint you have faith in.
I put my mental paintbrushes to use, and imagined the most vivid
picture of Jesus I could create. I imagined he was clothed in white
garments lined with gold detailing and a purple sash; he was radiating
a bright light and warming the room. His arms were wide open, as if he
were waiting for me to jump into them and spin me around. I smiled,
feeling a small sense of victory at my skillful imagination. Next, we
were told to picture the person we chose and imagine them filling our
bodies with a light, pouring it into us from head to toe until were
completely filled. At this point, I felt a little skeptical of the purpose
behind these fifteen minutes. Quite frankly, it didnt seem as satisfying
and rejuvenating as some people described it to be. Although I felt
outside my comfort zone, I reminded myself of what Professor Sinclair
shared with us before we began meditation: Meditation takes times,
and practice, at first it may feel silly and awkward. Continuing along in
the practice, I decided to fully trust Professor Sinclair and accept it may
not be life changing- at least this time. Once the fifteen minutes came
to a close, the relaxing background music faded, and dozens of heads
slowly rose from their desks.
Despite feeling like I wasnt accomplishing anything during the
meditation, I did feel significantly more relaxed afterwards interestingly

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enough. Not quite as magical a feeling as people described, but
relaxed nonetheless. Maybe it was the classroom setting; maybe it was
the deafening silence. Either way, I drew the conclusion meditation is
an astounding pastime. I have an entirely new respect for people who
can sit in silence and not drive themselves crazy. I, however, am not
one of those people. I learned I genuinely enjoy when my mind is busy
thinking in a million directions, I love the beauty admits the chaos.
Perhaps in the future I will give meditation another chance, but until
then, I think Ill stay clear for now.