Alright, I’m going to sit down and meditate.
*silence*
I wonder if the grades have been posted from the exam yet. I probably got a C. Maybe a C+ if i’m lucky. That professor is so –
No, Mind. It’s meditation time. Please shut up.
*silence*
Did my phone just vibrate? I could’ve sworn I felt it vibrate. Or many it was one of those phantom vibrations I keep hearing about. I guess we’re all just really addiction to our –
Damnit, Mind, I mean it. Can’t I just have two minutes of solitude in here?
I’m kinda hungry.
Ugh, forget it.
If you’ve ever sat down to meditate and found your internal dialogue battle to be a lot like this, you’re not alone. The quest for inner peace and serene silence is no walk in the park. (Although, a nice walk in the park might help with the crazy mind.)
Up until now, we’ve been taught everything in school from photosynthesis to Hemingway to box and whisker plots. (Who has ever needed a box and whisker plot in real life? No one ever.) Nobody has ever taught us about how to quiet our ceaselessly chattering minds and get in touch with the core of our being.
Until now.
On Monday, September 28, UF will be hosting it’s first ever Mindfulness Day. This day-long event will include workshops and presentations on meditation and yoga and a keynote presentation by Michael Singer, the Gainesville yogi and New York Times best-selling author of “The Untethered Soul” and “The Surrender Experiment: My Journey into Life’s Perfection.” Singer rarely does public speaking events, so this is a very special opportunity to absorb some wisdom from a very special Gainesvillian. (We can vouch for him.)
UF Mindfulness Day marks the launch of an interdisciplinary collaboration funded by a UF Creative Catalyst Grant. The goal of this collab is to infuse mindfulness practices into courses and curricula, enhance current mindfulness offerings, develop new programs and create spaces designed to cultivate a more mindful culture. We’re in for some serious campus zen.
“This project aims to reconnect us to ancient truths, breath by breath, taming our constantly chatting and anxious minds,” said Sabine Grunwald, the project leader of the UF Mindfulness Program. “Mindfulness practices unify our body, heart, mind, and spirit.”
Whether you’re a newbie to the world of mindfulness or a committed young yogi, check out the schedule below, then grab a friend and a yoga mat and show your support on Monday, September 28 at UF Library East Room 100 (near the Plaza of the Americas).
And remember: Be mindful even if your mind is full.
