Meditation is a practice that many people all around the world participate in order to be more mindful. There are many different ways to meditate, and numerous benefits that come with the practice.

Some people practice meditation throughout the day whenever they have a while alone with their thoughts. Others reserve time in their day to meditate, maybe in the morning before they go to school or at night before they go to sleep. Freshman Quinn Bodon finds it difficult to have a set time everyday.

“To find the right time through a rigid schedule can be very difficult, but keeping an open eye to certain situations can help you determine the right moments,” Bodon said.

People have started meditating for so many different reasons. Some people do it for spiritual practices or to destress. Junior Maya Selesnick meditates for cultural reasons and for relaxation.

“I first started meditating to calm my anxiety and other emotions,” Selesnick said. “My mom and I are Buddhist and she taught me a lot about how good it is for you.”

There are many different benefits of meditation such as reducing stress and anxiety, enhanced mental health and self awareness and many more. These students have noticed benefits along the lines of feeling calm and getting less stressed throughout the day. Freshman Jesus Trujillo has noticed that he has started to think about the future more often, instead of overthinking about the past which has helped him to be more mindful throughout the day.

“One big thing that’s helpful, from meditating, is that I kind of feel more calm throughout the day,” Trujillo said.

There are many different ways to practice mindfulness. Some people participate in yoga or go on walks. Some people just find a moment to be mindful when they witness something that calms them down.

“First of all I make sure I’m in an area where it’s kind of quiet and I know I’m not going to have any instructions or anything like that,” Trujillo said. “I make sure there’s a lot of natural light coming in and I kind of do a mix of yoga and listen to a motivational type podcast and maybe rain noises in the background.”

These students have noticed countless different benefits since they started meditating.

“After I started meditating I noticed that I had less anxiety attacks and I was able to keep calm in stressful situations,” Selesnick said.

Meditation is something that can only benefit someone and there is no harm in at least trying. Many people who do not meditate are often confused on where to start and if they’re doing it “correctly,” but there is no right way to meditate.

“To start meditating, you first need to let your guard down,” Bodon said. “You need to first understand why you’re doing this all in the first place, then things will make so much more sense.”