Blog # 3: Meditation

This semester I am currently taking a Meditation class on Wednesday nights. The Meditation class is held in the gymnastics room at the Hescett Center building. As class begins every week, the students sign the attendance sheet and sit on the sticky, sweaty mat. We all wait patiently on Dale Martin, our teacher to begin class.
As class begins, Dale speaks in monotone for the first thirty minutes of our 1 hour and 20 minute class time. Today he spoke mainly about his life history. I found very interesting that we have many things in common. First off, I noticed that we obviously have the exactly same last name. Then he mentioned he was catholic and asked the entire class who else was catholic to raise their hand. I lifted my hand proudly high in the air because I was too a catholic and was baptized as an infant to join the catholic religion. Then to tie all the coincidences he then stated he was of German decent. I was absolutely shocked, because I was also of German decent. I secretly thought to myself, maybe my teacher and I was related. If that were the case I surely hope I get an outstanding grade in the class.
As I tried my hardest not to fall asleep while he was talking about himself and his life history, he then surprised the class with an interesting fact about him. He stated that meditation saved his life. Dale told us he would get horribly painful migraines when he was younger. He decided after 7 years of pain to take the challenge of joining a meditation class. To this day he believes meditation has saved his life due to not having migraines and the stress he once had when he was younger.
Finally when the actual meditation section started during our class our teacher told us to spread out and make a circle. Sounds pretty tough, huh? After my class and I followed the directions of becoming a circle we were then instructed to lie back in anatomical position. Then we were to loosen up our distal joints, which included our hands and feet and roll them in opposite directions of each other. Once our joints were all loose and flimsy our eyes were told to shut. The lights went off and the meditation was to begin.
We were instructed to take extremely deep breaths filling the lower parts of our longs first, followed by a deep exhale. After several minutes of deep breathing our mind went into la-la land. I personally wanted to drift off to sleep, but decided I should see where my mind took me. During the thirty minutes of meditation I didn’t exactly fall asleep, but I dozed off and was still aware of my surroundings. There was a young man sitting next to me that snored like an elephant! I wanted to tell him to quit that bulldozer noise he was making out of his nose, but that was be very inappropriate considering everyone was trying to relax.
When Dale announced for the class to bring their awareness back to the room my fingers and toes went numb and had a tingly feeling to them. Other announced they could see bright vibrant colors. Another student said he fell asleep.
Meditation affects everyone differently. I don’t think about anything and just focus on relaxing; while others think about what hardships they once had years ago. Meditation to me means to relax the mind and I personally don’t think trying to make yourself upset is anything relaxing.