By Nichole Schleihauf
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Oct. 14 at the Recreation Center, Mindfulness with Aliyah provided a decompressing meditation session for students.
Aliyah began by passing around sheets with a body outline. Participants were encouraged to take a moment and assess where they felt tension in their body and mark it appropriately on the paper.
Afterwards, Aliyah explained a little about her past with mindfulness, starting from a year ago. Mindfulness can be something small, like nourishing oneself with water or taking some calming breaths. In any case, she emphasized the importance of taking a chance to slow down throughout the hustle and bustle of life.
Body scans are also important to do around once a week, give or take, Aliyah suggested. She recommended Micheal Sealy’s guided meditations on YouTube for those interested.
All attendees were invited to make themselves comfortable, most lying down, as they began the meditation. Sealy then gave calm and soothing instructions to relax every part of the body, from the tips of the toes to the top of the head.
As the audio came to a close, Aliyah slowly brought the group back to the room and out of their thoughts. She concluded the meeting with some deep breathing exercises. The technique she used is called Nadi Shodhana, or alternate nostril breathing. It is great for a simple stress reliever when one finds themself frazzled.
To conclude, she treated the group to some fresh fruit, personal massagers and shaker bottles.
Mindfulness with Aliyah is held every other Thursday in the Recreation Center. The next meeting will be held on Oct. 28.