CMU Professor Brings Awareness to Mental Health through Meditation

A professor at Central Michigan University is bringing awareness to mental health by teaching people how to find their inner peace.

Religion and philosophy professor Guy Newland says more people need to learn how to meditate.

“Calming the mind, focusing the mind and using that more calm focus state to have more insight into our own emotional lives,” says Newland.

For CMU student Abigail Shepard, it was realizing to focus on the present instead of worrying about the future.

“Especially for college students who are constantly asked what are you doing after graduation, what are you doing for grad school, what are you doing to get into grad school,” says Shepard

Professor Newland says the solution is to meditate by following these two steps:

“Strengthen your ability to focus your mind internally by focusing on the sensation that’s associated with your breathing,” says Newland.

And once you’ve focused your breath… “Use that focus to relax the tension that you’ve developed by working with the breath and just open it up and see what presents itself.”

Shepard says, “Mindfulness helps with this as you become aware of your thoughts and how you’re treating yourself, then you can turn back and be like now I can go and work to change these thoughts.”

Learning how to become aware of your feelings and thoughts can also have a positive effect on your relationships and even your success at work.

Check out this cool, very relaxing video on mindfulness if you need a three minute stress break!