For my personal project I have decided to practice meditation. To me, meditation is not simply sitting and achieving the skill of being without thoughts. Meditation is being in touch with your body, mind, and soul. For the past year or so, I have been exploring the world of mindfulness, which is the practice of being at peace with your thoughts, instead of trying to control them. I used to hate that my mind is so naturally busy. Mindfulness has made me more at peace with the pace of my mind, it has helped me calm feelings of anxiety, and has helped me sleep. Having experienced this type of meditation, I was eager to see how different methods could affect me.
I was researching different types of meditation one could practice, and came across an article that contained 23 different meditation techniques. As part of my project, I plan to pick a different technique every week and practice it twice a day, for four days of that week. I will then reflect on how I was able to practice this technique, how it made me feel, and how it contributes to nonviolence within myself.
I chose to study meditation as my personal project because I feel it is very important to keep our minds healthy. Practicing meditation can improve sleep abilities, decrease stress, improve focus and relationships, promote compassion, and decrease aggression. Becoming more focused and centered within myself will allow me to show nonviolence and understanding in my relationships with others, as is a core intention of meditation. By channeling feelings of compassion for others and myself, as well as decreasing anger and stress, I will be able to better practice nonviolence in my personal life.
Sources:
https://www.headspace.com/science/meditation-benefits
https://liveanddare.com/types-of-meditation
Hey Kayla, your idea perfect! It is, as you said, important to be in touch with one’s own mind and body, and it is important to be at peace with yourself. Focusing on your feelings will help you express yourself more clearly and will help your relationships. Nonviolence, to me, is about channeling your energy and emotion into a more beneficial thing than anger or violence, and meditation will help you accomplish this. Trying different types of meditation is great, and reflecting on how they affect your mental state is the best way to sort which is best for you.
I’m not well acquainted with the practice of meditation, however, I’ve done breathing exercises in the past which have helped me feel more relaxed and centered.
Overall I think this is a great project, one that will allow you to be more mindful of yourself and of others. Moreover, I think it’s important that you’ll be sharing how meditation makes you feel, as it may encourage others to try it as well. To conclude, I’d like to ask: What challenges do you think you’ll encounter as you continue with this project?