Lauren Lewis

Meditation

April 27, 2017

Alexis Switenko

EPORTFOLIO ASSIGNMENT

I have loved participating in my meditation class. In this class, I have learned not

just about the foundations of meditation practices, but I have learned about myself and

how to better interact and connect with people around me.

Starting out in this class, I wasnt completely sure what to expect. In looking at

the syllabus, I thought it would perhaps be a more conventional style lecture class,

covering a wide range of subjects dealing with the different types of meditation, their

history, and the people and symbols and icons that have contributed to the practice of

meditation in popular society up to this day. However, upon arriving to this class, I found

an open environment, one where the professor truly cares about her students, getting to

know them on a personal level, and working with them to provide them with the best

possible experience in her classroomafter all, meditation begins with your state of

mind. This is absolutely something that Professor Switenko did not ignore in creating the

atmosphere of her classroom.

Each day, we came into a calm and peaceful environment, we were asked about

any troubles or news we felt the need to share, and we delved into a new style of

meditation as the Professor led us along a pathway into ourselves. We learned about

several different types of meditation, mostly centered around mindfulness meditation.

Professor Switenko kept the class very down-to-earth, and made sure not to get too lost in
the mysticism that can drive some people away from the idea of meditation and

enlightenment. She taught us the basics, and she tactfully provided us with the

opportunity to explore the more pseudoscientific arts of chakra meditation, mudras,

aromatherapy, and more. She provided us with a safe space where we were pushed to

learn more about ourselves and our own headspaces, but not beyond any point we were

no longer comfortable with.

There were a few meditations that stood out to me particularlyone was called

So Hum meditation. This meditation consists of simply breathing, no matter where you

are (but preferably in a seated position), and on the inhale you let the mantra SO fill

your head. So is translated into I Am. On the exhale, you recite the mantra HUM.

Hum translates into That, which, as a deeper translation, means All That Is. It is a

simple meditation that uses the simple tool of our breath, something that happens all day

every day no matter what, to ground us, bring us to mindfulness, and put us in our place

in the universe. This is one that I have been practicing in my everyday life, and it has

helped me be a calmer and more connected person to my surroundings.

Another great aspect of this class was the Professors and my classmates ability

to connect meditation to actual physiology. It is one thing to say that meditation will

make you feel better, elevate your mind, etc., but its another completely to bring actual

studies that prove how meditation practice has literally improved test subjects physical

bodies. Not only in a preventative way; things like improving circulation and bloodflow

to the brain are incredible things, but they are not necessarily something that catches the

attention and makes you believe in the powers of this practice. However, regressing the

effects of Alzheimers disease, improving the capacity to heal, and actual brain scans that
show the brain of someone who practices mediation working harder in many areas than

non-meditatorsthis evidence is powerful. This has shifted my thinking towards the

practice of meditation completely.

This class has provided me with a skill I will continue to use for the rest of my

life. This has been an invaluable experience, and it was a wonderful opportunity to be

able to take a break in the middle of my busy schoolday simply to sit or lie down, close

my eyes, and look inward. To be provided with allotted time to calm my thoughts and

improve my minds focus. I would not trade this experience I had for anything else. This

education will aid me in all my future studies, as I will have the tools and knowledge

necessary to take a break and relieve myself from stress throughout my day, wherever I

am.