By Nicole Fellin, Staff writer
Susquehanna students have the opportunity to meditate on campus every Tuesday at 6 p.m. with Jennifer Asmuth, Assistant Professor of Psychology. She is hosting a Koru Mindfulness mediation class in the Weber Chapel.
Koru means “looped” or “spiraled” and generally refers to the unfurling of fern fronds. It also tends to symbolize the balance between growth and stability, as well as new life and harmony.
All students and faculty members are encouraged to attend this meditation series.
According to the website, Koru mindfulness meditation is often considered exercise or even training for the mind.
The more one practices Koru within their busy schedule, the more skilled they become at creating space between an event and your own emotional reactions to that event.
This type of meditation can place an emphasis on strict mind practices that are based on practical skills.
The program has been engaged in assisting college aged adults for over 10 year.
Mindfulness can be defined as a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while simultaneously acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts and even bodily sensations.
The Koru mindfulness mediation series at Susquehanna presents students with a wide variety of opportunities to train their mind to act in a certain scenario.
Many students of all ages have found this program to be extremely beneficial.
The main goal of Koru Mindfulness mediation is to specifically target the developmental needs and interests of young adults.
With its roots located at Duke University, it has been empirically tested in a randomized, controlled trial and has been found to have significant benefits on sleep, perceived stress, mindfulness and even self compassion.
These are all crucial aspects that a college aged adolescent needs to have control of.
Senior Megan Grady found this session to be extremely helpful and interesting.
“I felt extremely calm while thinking about a stressful situation,” Grady said. “Yet, at the same time, I know I’m going to take these lessons I’ve learned from these sessions and apply them to day to day situations.”
Senior Tina Cebek loved the Koru Mindfulness session as well.
“As an ex-student athlete, it would have been nice to have a program like this during the season; athletes would be able to begin to train their minds to think in a more positive direction as our work piles up,” Cebek said.
The Koru mindfulness meditation sessions will be offered until the very beginning of May.
These sessions will provide each participant with a handful of mindfulness skills.
These skills can help in the areas of time management, something all college aged students need to take a grasp on.