Mind Science

Meditation seems to have hit the mainstream. My social media news feed is now filled with shared articles about the benefits of mediation. A segment on 60 Minutes showed congressmen taking meditation breaks to relax and focus. Even my mom hopped on the meditation bandwagon. So I decided to join my mom at her weekly meditation class and see what all the fuss is about. Here's a recap of my first encounter with mindfulness.

The Kadampa Center looks relatively bland from the outside, located in a quiet shopping center filled with offices and vacant space, but upon closer inspection that you find colorful statues and flags. The center is a non-profit used for practices in Tibetan Buddhist mindfulness meditation, or "mind-science."

The first thing I noticed was that everyone at the Kadampa Center smiles. The man who greets me at the door has a smile that reaches every part of his lightly bearded face. The woman behind the counter in the gift shop grins quietly as she surveys the room. When I take off my shoes and enter the meditation room, a short middle-aged man bows cheerily to every passerby. Welcome to Meditation 101.

Vibrant tapestries depicting the Buddha cover the otherwise standard white walls of the room. Strings of mini Tibetan prayer flags symbolizing luck, happiness, compassion, prosperity and health hang throughout the ceiling. Cushioned chairs form rows outlining the center of the room where long maroon cushions line the floor for people who prefer to meditate cross-legged. The chairs and cushions all face the front of the room where the Buddhist equivalent of an altar sits, overflowing with candles, flowers and countless statues of the Buddha. Pictures of the Dalai Lama line the wall behind the altar area where two large figures with multiple heads and arms sit among even more flowers and candles. The area of wall left uncovered by pictures or tapestries holds hundreds of cloth-enclosed books – all the teachings of Buddhism. 

I took a seat in a chair directly behind the area of people sitting on the floor and began to peruse the crowd, an interesting mix to be sure. I couldn’t see his face, but the man sitting on the floor in front of me wore a fitted t-shirt with the message “NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE” and had a the word “MONSTER” tattooed on the back of his shaved head. Two girls in their early twenties sat next to me giggling back and forth while motioning animatedly with their hands. Couples of all ages trickled through the door, pointing to the colorful decorations and making sure to grab an informational pamphlet on the way in.

The instructor introduced himself as David Machles and sat with his legs expertly crossed facing the crowd of about fifty people (a “surprisingly large turnout,” he noted). His short gray hair was thinning and behind his glasses was a pair of friendly eyes that seemed to close entirely as he laughed. The first twenty minutes of class were spent making introductions and partaking in the customary social banter of introductions.

Before our first meditation, David instructed us to form the proper position – if you’re in a chair, sit with your feet flat on the floor and straighten your spine, “like a stack of quarters.” We began to count our breaths and sense the air entering and leaving our bodies.

“Imagine that you are inhaling bright, white light and visualize this good light entering your bloodstream and every cell of your being,” said Machles in a calm voice. Next was the body scan. Starting with our toes and moving slowly up the body we “released tension.” He reminded us that if our mind wanders, “gently bring it back.” He chimed a bell to signal an end to the meditation, which he said lasted three minutes.

“Are there any questions or concerns about our first exercise?” 

Five hands immediately shot up. How exactly am I suppose to release tension in my toes? I started to feel dizzy, is that normal? Is there such a thing as too focused? What if I can’t keep my feet still? Unruffled by the bombardment of questions and comments, Machles answered each question thoughtfully.

          “Try imagining your body filling with air, like a balloon rising into the atmosphere,” he told one woman. 

He ended class with one homework assignment: be happy.

The Importance of Being a Follower

Group interviews seem to be all the rage, especially on a college campus. Employers can test your "creativity" and "problem-solving skills" with "fun" team building exercises while applicants passive aggressively compete for attention and pretend to like each other. Personally, group interviews are much more stressful than one-on-one interviews because I feel the pressure to be something that doesn't come naturally to me.

For the record, I'm not a whiner. I work hard and actually enjoy staying busy. The main reason I dislike group interviews is because of the pressure to showcase your "leadership" skills. If you're a young person, whether you're in high school, college, or just entering the job market, the concept of leadership has been drilled into your head. But here's the problem: when people think of a leader, they think charismatic, outgoing, outspoken, blah blah blah. The whole point is, these qualities don't necessarily add up to an innovative, dedicated, hard working person. Does commanding attention mean that you're automatically better suited for a position?

You can't be a leader without followers, and in my opinion, being a follower is extremely underrated. For some reason, the term "follower" has come to mean someone who can't think for themselves. Let's redefine "follower" as a person who joins a movement or follows the example of another after thoughtfully considering a situation. 

The President of the United States, leader of the Free World, has a team of followers who advise him and even write his speeches. Pretty much every religion started with a single person and a small group of initial followers, right?

If you're tired of hearing me babble, watch this TED talk by entrepreneur Derek Sivers, who discusses the importance of being a follower and building a movement:

Coulture Magazine

As I mentioned in my first post, I am working as the marketing director for a student-run magazine this year. Coulture Magazine is the premiere fashion and lifestyle publication at UNC and focuses on making fashion accessible and relatable for people of different races, sizes and genders. All of the content is created by a student staff of writers, photographers, models, editors, and more. 

Photo by Coulture Magazine. Follow on Instagram @coulturemag.

I was so excited to try something new and challenge myself. I would be overseeing a group of students to sell advertising to local businesses and organize promotional events. It has been challenging, but not in ways I was expecting. I had been anticipating a big time commitment, maybe dealing with clashing team members, but the biggest problem I have experienced so far is effective communication. 

Everyone on the team is a full-time student with other extracurriculars, which makes coordinating meetings and keeping everyone on the same page more difficult. People don't always respond to emails or show up to meetings. As a relatively Type A person, I couldn't understand how people could just ignore messages or appointments. I began to feel like a nagging busy-body every time I sent an email or tried to follow-up with people. Therefore, my goal for this semester and our second issue of Coulture is to create more team unity and accountability. 

We are having our first marketing meeting this week. At the meeting, I plan to break down a more focused list of goals and designate clearer roles. I hope this creates a more cohesive team, but I also hope it helps everyone feel involved and utilizing their best talents. 

For more information about Coulture Magazine, visit coulture.org where you can enjoy blogs, pictures and an online version of our first issue.

About Me

Hello to everyone in the blogosphere! My name is Jessica, but my friends call me Jessie, and I am studying public relations at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. So, I will be blogging each week about whatever thoughts come my way, most likely revolving around campus life and journalism-related topics. But first, here's a little background information about me and my interests.

I was born and raised in Cary, North Carolina, a large suburb of Raleigh. I have a younger brother, two dogs and a love for traveling. This past summer I had the amazing opportunity to study abroad in Rome, Italy, where I shadowed Italian journalist and recently published author Filomena Pucci. Now that I'm back at school, I'm working as the marketing director for Coulture Magazine, a new student-run fashion and lifestyle magazine. These are just a couple things I'll be talking more about on my blog.

Overall, I hope to use this blog as a platform for sharing my own experiences and interests as well as a way to connect with others. Stay tuned!