The term might not look daunting yet, but it’s only just begun.
For the proactive, the University Health Center offers a six-week course, Relax and Renew, on meditation to help keep stress at bay starting Wednesday, April 15.
Students, faculty and staff can enroll now on a first-come-first-served basis, and about 20 spots are available. The course costs a one-time fee of $15 for students and $25 for faculty and staff.
Jude Kehoe, a nurse at the health center who has practiced meditation for 38 years, leads the once-weekly classes every fall, winter and spring term on Wednesday evenings from 5 to 6 p.m.
Beginners are welcome, Kehoe said, but those wishing to refresh their meditation practice or just partake in the energy of group meditation may also benefit from the course.
The skills students learn in class may prove to be a valuable asset to their study habits.
“I end right before finals, so you have techniques you can use to get through finals,” Kehoe said. “I teach students how to induce relaxation within themselves.”
The National College Health Assessment’s annual survey has consistently found that stress most hinders students’ academic performance. Hence the motivation for the health center’s Relax and Renew classes, which teach the practice of mindfulness meditation.
Kehoe encourages students to use the techniques they learn in class every day, and she said past students have found the practice helpful not only in stress reduction, but also in knocking out homework assignments.
Sometimes, she said, meditating for a minute or less is all it takes to relax the mind and focus on the task at hand.
Kehoe, who has taught the series at the University since 2003, will guide instruction around the principles of centering the mind, attention and concentration.
Classes take place in the Ramey Room in Carson Hall. To sign up for the class, call the health center at 346-2770.
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