Meditation Club: Deep Breathing and Tea Time

Stressed about school? Stressed about jobs? Stressed about life? Want to bring more balance to your busy life? Meditation club is here to help!

The Mines’ meditation club was originally founded years ago but was unfortunately abandoned when the club president graduated in Spring 2015.

“I realized that the framework was there for me to take the reins,” said re-founder and current club president Sergey Koryakin, who discovered the remains of the club on OrgSync.

Koryakin, who is a sophomore studying Engineering Physics, spent a month in the Shanxi province of China last summer. There he participated in the Woodenfish Program at a monastery as a student of meditation and Buddhist philosophy.

Koryakin described the summer as a life-changing experience that inspired him to bring mindfulness to his fellow students at CSM.

“The ultimate goal of meditation is really up to the person meditating,” Koryakin explained. “For me, it brings calm and focus into my life and helps me train my attention, ultimately improving my daily life.”

He expressed that for many others, the meaning can be more spiritual in nature and “almost synonymous with prayer.”

“The only goal I have for people coming to meditation club is that they leave feeling better than they came,” Koryakin stated.

Meditation club meets on Thursdays at 5:30pm in Brown W375. Anyone and everyone is welcome to attend. Those who are new to meditation can participate in a guided session and learn the basics of meditation while experienced participants can participate in a silent session for practice.

“The club is open to all students and faculty interested in bringing a calm focus into their lives,” Koryakin said.

Meetings typically last around an hour. They start with tea drinking and meditation discussions for 10-15 minutes and lead into the guided meditation session. These sessions usually last around 15 minutes, after which there is another 10 minute tea drinking and discussion break.

Finally, the group participates in a silent, unguided session followed by more discussion. The silent session is a time for participants to practice and explore the techniques that were explained in the guided session.

If you want to learn more about meditation or practice finding balance and mindfulness in your life, come to meditation club meetings on Thursdays at 5:30pm in BBW375. If interested practitioners cannot make it to this meeting time, Koryakin is more than willing to meet outside of the allotted time to work through meditation.

“Mines is a stressful place to be, so meditation is a great respite to calm,” Koryakin said.