Mindfullness

In week 11 of our honors program, we attended a mindfulness session organized by Marianne. At that specific juncture in our program, stress levels were running high, and the group dynamics were far from optimal. The initial reaction of the group to the mindfulness session was somewhat dismissive, as it was not a practice ingrained in our daily routines. For many of us, this marked our first exposure to mindfulness.

I found Anna's, the facilitator of the mindfulness session, approach noteworthy. She took the time to inquire about our expectations and provided clarity on what we could anticipate. Following this introduction, we promptly commenced the session, a refreshing departure from the extensive periods of explanatory sessions we had previously encountered.

While my understanding of mindfulness is limited, I found value in attending the session. It offered a welcomed deviation from our usual activities. Personally, however, I did not derive significant benefits from the mindfulness exercise. I observed that I could achieve a similar sense of calmness simply by taking a walk. The specific sitting posture during the session mainly resulted in back pain for me.

Nevertheless, I acknowledged that some group members found the session to be highly beneficial. This led me to the realization that, at times, it can be advantageous to set aside daily concerns and engage in something entirely different to provide the mind with respite. For the remainder of the honors program, I chose to implement this concept by incorporating regular walks, allowing for movement and a temporary escape from any thoughts.