Athens Insight founders Abby Zylla and John Hand.
Members of Athens Insight meet twice a week for meditation.
By Nancy Larksukthom
The room is dim and incense is burning. Nine people are sitting cross-legged on the floor with their eyes closed. There is no movement, just the sound of breathing.
Welcome to Athens Insights, a student group at the University of Georgia founded in fall 2008 by three students to bring people together every Sundays and Thursdays for meditation.
Meditation is a practice that allows your body to be in a state of relaxation, physically and emotionally. It has been traced back to ancient times and is a strong part of many religious traditions, such as Buddhism.
Meditation is a practice that allows your body to be in a state of relaxation, physically and emotionally. It has been traced back to ancient times and is a strong part of many religious traditions, such as Buddhism.
The idea of meditating is to clear the mind and re-evaluate the way one observes what is going on around oneself. According to Athens Insights, not only does meditation help create a state of peace, but it also reduces stress, anxiety, and depression, and it enhances concentration, alertness and self-esteem.
“I have noticed that meditation allows me to meet new situations with equanimity,” said Deborah Schmidt, a retired UGA linguistics professor and member of the Athens Insights group.
Based on studies at the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, meditation has been linked to a positive emotional state by increasing brain activity on the left-side. It has also been shown to improve the immune system and mood.
Meditation techniques are usually different for each individual. Basic guidelines, as posted on the Athens Insights webpage, consist of keeping a straight posture with your head slightly tilted forward. Legs should be crossed and eyes closed either halfway or completely.
Learning to accept distractions is also an important step to master. Outside noise can disrupt the mind but it is essential to acknowledge that the disturbance is there and simply move on. Tuning into the sound of breathing can be helpful.
“Breath is the main conscious factor if you have to have one because distractions are inevitable,” said John Hand, founder of Athens Insights and a senior anthropology major at UGA, “but [breath] it is a good measuring device to be able to see how good your concentration is and to see how quickly you can catch yourself from being distracted.”
Learning to accept distractions is also an important step to master. Outside noise can disrupt the mind but it is essential to acknowledge that the disturbance is there and simply move on. Tuning into the sound of breathing can be helpful.
“Breath is the main conscious factor if you have to have one because distractions are inevitable,” said John Hand, founder of Athens Insights and a senior anthropology major at UGA, “but [breath] it is a good measuring device to be able to see how good your concentration is and to see how quickly you can catch yourself from being distracted.”
Practicing meditation is not easy and for beginners, it can be tough. It takes practice to sit in the same position for a certain amount of time, said Hand, who suggests “sticking to a regular schedule and short, concentrated sessions."
“When starting out, meditation comes easier for some people than others and there is no reason to be upset when trying to clear your mind,” said anthropology senior Abby Zylla, another founder of Athens Insights.
The Athens Insights group was formed because the founders wanted “something that was not necessarily denominational set on particular tradition” such as a Zen group, a Buddhist sect, or a yoga group that does chants.
The group wanted it to be student-based so it could both be advertised in an academic setting but also open to the community.
Zylla states that the meditation group practices a simple form of meditation, different than Zen. The difference is that Zen has more rules on posture and techniques on focusing, while the Athens Insight group encourages its members to meditate in any way that works for them.
“I think meditation is something that you have to experience for yourself because it can’t really be explained since it is different for everyone,” said Satya Kamdar, 24, a member of Athens Insights.
Athens Insights meets on Sundays at Five Points Yoga and on Thursdays at Rubber Soul Yoga Revolution. There are no fees, but donations are accepted. All donations go towards the yoga studios, which offer the space for free.
“When starting out, meditation comes easier for some people than others and there is no reason to be upset when trying to clear your mind,” said anthropology senior Abby Zylla, another founder of Athens Insights.
The Athens Insights group was formed because the founders wanted “something that was not necessarily denominational set on particular tradition” such as a Zen group, a Buddhist sect, or a yoga group that does chants.
The group wanted it to be student-based so it could both be advertised in an academic setting but also open to the community.
Zylla states that the meditation group practices a simple form of meditation, different than Zen. The difference is that Zen has more rules on posture and techniques on focusing, while the Athens Insight group encourages its members to meditate in any way that works for them.
“I think meditation is something that you have to experience for yourself because it can’t really be explained since it is different for everyone,” said Satya Kamdar, 24, a member of Athens Insights.
Athens Insights meets on Sundays at Five Points Yoga and on Thursdays at Rubber Soul Yoga Revolution. There are no fees, but donations are accepted. All donations go towards the yoga studios, which offer the space for free.
The group starts meditating at 5:45 p.m. for a 30-minute session. Afterward, there is discussion that allows members of the group to give feedback on the topic of the day, which can be anything – from spirituality to cosmology.
They also agree that meditation is a powerful practice when trying to achieve a balanced state of mind since it can release stress and tension.
“I always feel more relaxed, often almost euphoric,” Zylla said. “Sometimes, I’ll come out of meditation realizing that I’ve been smiling.”
“I always feel more relaxed, often almost euphoric,” Zylla said. “Sometimes, I’ll come out of meditation realizing that I’ve been smiling.”
Edited by Ashly Luckose
Nice tweaking of the lead to make it clearer. Watch little things, like "every Sundays and Thursdays" in the second paragraph.
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