Written by Padua Senior Ava R.

As a student, we face many challenges in life such as striving to achieve in academics and sports, working jobs outside of school, and finding time to spend with family and friends. Trying to balance all of these activities can be overwhelming but there is a simple solution: meditation!

Before I began meditating in Mr. Shelton’s class, I was quite ignorant of the reality of how easy it was to simply focus on my breath and calm my mind. I always thought meditating had to be done by yourself in a secluded room for hours and hours. After being properly introduced to meditation, I have now learned that one can meditate anywhere, anytime, with any number of people in the room. I am fortunate to be in one of Mr. Shelton’s physics classes where everyone meditates for three minutes before class begins. In those three minutes each day, I am able to forget about the stress present in my life and simply clear my mind; I end up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the tasks at hand for that day.

Unfortunately, our hectic lives can be an obstacle to meditating. It is quite easy to meditate in class because the room is quiet, everyone around me is participating, and Mr. Shelton is there to guide us to concentrate on our breathing. However, outside of class, I often find myself rushing from sports practice to home, then shower, eat and begin the hefty amount of homework for the night; I simply forget to take a moment to meditate. Fortunately, I believe this obstacle can be overcome. By educating individuals about the power of meditation, I think more people would be willing to try it and it will eventually become an essential and routine way for students to relieve themselves of stress. For example, if all of my teachers learned of the benefits of meditation, they might dedicate time during each class to engage in this practice. In turn, this would become a daily part of my routine and I would be more likely to turn to meditation at home when I am feeling stressed.

All in all, meditating is an easy way to free your mind from any stress impacting your life at that moment in time. From meditating for just three minutes each day, I feel calmer and have a sense that everything is going to be okay, no matter what is going on in my life at that moment. I now feel comfortable enough to be able to take a moment, close my eyes, focus on my breath, and forget about the world, wherever I am at. I am excited to take this technique with me as I travel to college and am presented with new challenges in life.