Namaste Meditation Club promotes mindfulness in everyday life.
The co-president, junior Yvan Trinh, says the club teaches students how to incorporate mediation into everyday life.
“It is more than just sitting on a cushion and being quiet . . . for example, we do a lot of walking meditation. It’s all about mindfulness and focusing on the activities that you’re doing rather than the thoughts that are running through your mind.”
In the fall of 2008 Trinh and junior Alicia LeClair wanted to create a place at Whitman where students could meditate on a regular basis. Working with Sonja Aikens, the administrative assistant for the Intercultural Center, the two decided to head up the Meditation Club.
“Meditation is a great way to be at peace and be in the present. At times I felt frustrated with my self because of my self-centered and unhappy thoughts throughout the day. Meditation helped that,” Trinh said.
Although the club does not have formal meetings on a regular basis, Aikens leads meditations for the club on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 8 to 8:30 p.m. in the Spirituality Room, located in the basement of Prentiss Hall.
“It’s a way for people to get together and meditate and learn about meditation if they are new to the practice,” despite the brevity of the meetings, said Trinh.
Participation in the group tends to fluctuate as students get busier throughout the semester, but a core group of members attends meditation every week and plans other events. For example, the club sponsored a daylong meditation retreat last year and hopes to host a Winterim program about meditation through eating, as one of the primary teaching goals of the club is to expand how people view meditation.
Although she admitted that meditation can be difficult at times, Trinh said that its benefits make it well worth the effort.
“Meditation takes time to learn but if you try for a little bit everyday you will see results. It gives you the skills to cope with life and gives you ways to get away from the everyday suffering in life,” said Trinh.
The mindfulness and calm that meditation brings could certainly be beneficial to most students, especially during this busy time of year.
Students of all levels are welcome at the weekly Tuesday and Wednesday meditation sessions.
