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by DEEANNA HANEY
Intern Lifestyles Reporter
Appalachian’s meditation club, App Sits seeks to erase common misconceptions and stereotypes about meditating.
When people think of meditation, the image is most often a cross-legged Buddha in a far off land.
Some even believe meditation reveals the “true meaning of life.”
 Photo by The Appalachian.
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“A girl recently
told me that she really wanted to find ‘the answer,’ and I tried to
explain that ‘the answer’ is always changing,” Adrian M. Tambor, senior
interdisciplinary major and co-founder of the club, said.
Founded
spring 2007, App Sits has developed a handful of faithful students at
their weekly meditation sessions held Mondays and Thursdays at 5:30
p.m. in Belk Library & Information Commons.
The art
of meditation has been practiced for over 5,000 years and can be found
as a component of several religions including Buddhism, Hinduism and
even Christianity. It is often used to initiate a deep state of
awareness of one’s self and their environment, according to
project-meditation.org.
App Sits
sessions begin with a dream sharing activity and the exploration of
their meanings, and are followed with a 10 to 15 minute meditation.
One of the most common preconceived notions about meditation is that it is solely for relaxation and de-stressing, Tambor said.
“It’s really personal,” Tambor said. “I’m still finding what it is. It’s just one of many [practices] for spiritual learning.”
Sales associate of Dancing Moon Earthway Bookstore, Benny Baldwin, echoed Tambor’s sentiments.
 Photo by The Appalachian.
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Relaxation
and spiritual learning may eventually inter-relate if meditation is
practiced long enough, and can also be helpful for people who have a
hard time focusing, Baldwin said.
“[Meditation]
has shown me how to quiet my mind and [given] me insight to problems
from the past. It’s a lot easier to not get angry in traffic or just
play your guitar,” Baldwin said.
Dancing Moon offers guided meditation sessions every Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.
Led by owner Bob H. Snead, each session encourages a focal point and deep breathing exercises.
“I think
we’ve missed two sessions in about five years, so you can pretty much
count on them,” Baldwin said. “We hold [the sessions] upstairs and they
are usually pretty packed.”
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