5X社区

Flashes Take Care of Flashes Through Online Meditation Classes

Meditative practices are bringing the Kent State community together, even from the comfort of their own home.

Kent State of Wellness has moved its Meditation Across Campus sessions online, in an effort to continue the sessions despite the COVID-19 global pandemic.

The Meditation Across Campus sessions were introduced by Kent State of Wellness in fall 2018 to help relieve stress and anxiety.

Melissa Celko, the director of Kent State of Wellness, has been practicing meditation for decades and knows the benefits it can provide for individuals, especially during this time.

鈥淢editation can help in many ways,鈥 Celko said. 鈥淚t can help reduce levels of stress and boost your immune system, which are two really important things right now considering the coronavirus pandemic across the globe.鈥

Meditation Across Campus Zoom callThe sessions are now held online through Zoom, in effort to create a sense of community.

鈥淶oom is a great tool because you get to see other faces and hear other voices,鈥 Celko said. 鈥淲e keep everyone muted and then at the end of the video call people can ask questions or share their experiences.鈥

Additionally, the online sessions give people an opportunity to continue their practice and come together to meditate in a group.

鈥淐ommunity meditation is a very different experience than meditating on your own,鈥 Celko said. 鈥淚t helps to have it guided by someone, so you can really be present in the moment.鈥

The sessions may be able to give people a sense of peacefulness during this time.

鈥淚 hope people are able to get that sense of connection and reminder that they are part of a bigger community: 5X社区, and that there are others in the community who are feeling the same things that they are,鈥 Celko said. 鈥淭his is Flashes Taking Care of Flashes, and this is giving us an opportunity to live what that means.鈥

Celko understands that it can be hard for students to participate because of having schoolwork and other pressing issues but expressed that the sessions can be very beneficial, and she would love to have more students involved.

鈥淵ou don鈥檛 need to have a video, you don鈥檛 have to speak, you can just listen and experience for yourself,鈥 Celko said 鈥淚t鈥檚 an easy and comfortable environment where everyone can be themselves.鈥

The sessions take place Mondays and Friday at noon, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 a.m. and Wednesday鈥檚 at 4:30 p.m.; however, these sessions are only scheduled to go through the week of May 18th. The summer schedule will be different.

The classes are between 15 and 30 minutes, but an hour is set aside on zoom if people have questions.

鈥淓very session is different based on a lot of things, but mostly it's the facilitators opportunity,鈥 Celko said. 鈥淚f I am not facilitating a session, I am usually there to control the session, answer questions, hear about people's experiences and help if people need additional resources.鈥

To join a session visit www.kent.edu/stateofwellness/meditation, or Google 鈥5X社区 Meditation.鈥

Learn more about Kent State of Wellness

POSTED: Wednesday, April 15, 2020 11:50 AM
Updated: Friday, December 9, 2022 11:24 AM
WRITTEN BY:
Andriana Ruscitto