Inhale Serenity, Exhale Life Pollution

by Natalie Miller

While your college years may be fun and exhilarating, they can also be overwhelming and confusing. Choosing majors, studying for tests, paying rent and planning for the adult world can be enough to make a person want to pull out their hair and cry for their mothers.

To combat constant stress and obligations, Mad4U has converted an old conference room on the 4th floor of Warren Hall into a new meditation room. Located right next to the office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, this room is a serene oasis tucked away amongst the hustle and bustle of college life.

Open the inconspicuous door and you are immediately struck with a jaw-dropping view of campus through the room’s enormous windows. Step through the entrance onto the lightly colored wooden floors—just be sure to leave your shoes at the door. There are no mindless discussions, cell phone alerts or other distracting noises. A gentle waterfall wall fixture trickles in the background of your perceivable auditory field. Choose one of the many white cushioned meditation benches to spend some time forgetting about your homework and focusing on your breathing.

Students are already heading to this haven for a relaxing break between classes. “The meditation chairs are the best that I’ve ever used,” Junior Nursing major and head of JMU’s meditation club, Turning In, Nate Coleman said. Nate used the room for his own meditation practice, and has also shown the facility to fellow meditation followers.

Though students aren’t expected to become levitating Zen monks within the room’s austere walls, Shari Scofield, coordinator for Mad4U and advisor for Madison Meditates and Turning In, wants students to use the space for “…individual or small group mindfulness practice.”

Mindfulness is the practice of focusing on and accepting the moment and everything it entails—thoughts, feelings—without judgment of the moment or yourself, which requires “regular practice” to maintain. Shari hopes to begin teaching mindfulness classes in the meditation room based on the theories and practices of noted mindfulness leaders.

Students and faculty can access the room during any time that Warren is open. The room is first come first serve, so reservations aren’t necessary. Come by the new meditation room to escape your stresses and rediscover simplicity!