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Alisha Jane Hiskey

Professor Sheila Fielding
Writing 103 Section 41
31 January 2016

Turning In to a New Persona

Many people do not know that just by meditating you can speed up brain processing
potential, lessen stress and anxiety, improve memory recall, and reduce the risk of many diseases
including heart disease (Luders et al.). Meditation has been practiced for millennia, and
originally it was intended to develop spiritual understanding, awareness and direct experience of
an ultimate reality (Chrisman). Some might think that meditation is for old, very religious,
spiritual people; but really it can be practiced by anyone with a few minutes to spare, and a quiet
place to relax. I began practicing meditation techniques when I joined JMUs Meditation Club,
Turning In. Just in the semester that I have been a member, I have witnessed my stress decrease,
and my focus increase significantly. I have also made many new positive friendships, that I will
continue to develop. My membership in the JMU Meditation Club has made me more aware of
my whole self; including my emotions, my breathing, my stressors, and my aura.
Meditation is for those who wish to develop an understanding and awareness of
themselves. It is also for those who desire to relieve stress, pain or sadness in their life. For
several years I have struggled with anxiety that makes even daily tasks difficult. I have tried
many kinds of therapy such as medication and counseling, but the results were not what I
wanted. Upon joining Turning In, I was provided with an elevating, helpful environment that
gave me the tools to notably reduce my anxiety. I surely am not the only one who has

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experienced positive psychological effects from meditation. Meditation has been used as the
primary therapy for treating certain diseases; as an additional therapy in a comprehensive
treatment plan; and as a means of improving the quality of life of people with debilitating,
chronic, or terminal illnesses (Chrisman). There has been recent noteworthy research on the
effects on meditation, and all the findings are nothing less than extraordinary. Meditation has
been shown to loosen neural pathways and over time, even shape our brain for the better; that is,
if you stick to it. Thankfully, there are many different ways to meditate everyday, some that take
less than ten minutes, so you can get on with your day feeling revitalized and stress-free.
There are many different forms of meditation: sitting, walking, mindfulness,
transcendental, and more. Each meditation form has a different focus and/or end goal. Each week
at Turning In, we incorporate a different style and new focus word or phrase. We use materials
such as cushions, crystals, singing bowls, candles, mandalas, sage, and gongs to aid our
contemplation. Turning In is set up so that each member of the group has an equal part; that way
everyone learns from each other. The older members of the group take turns leading the
meditation. During many of the sessions, the leader teaches the group about different meditation
terms, and even the history of the practice. One of the different terms is Chakra, which represents
the seven centers of spiritual power in the human body. Each of the different Chakras has a
corresponding color and hand position, known as a Mudra. The energy in your body is thought to
flow through these seven Chakras starting from your base, and traveling to your sacral, solar
plexus, heart, throat, to your brain and then to your crown, at the top of your head. At your
base, the red Mudra represents your foundation and survival needs. The next orange Mudra
signifies self-worth, and your emotional self-awareness. The yellow solar plexus Chakra deals
with personal power and feelings of purpose. The green Chakra in the heart involves love,

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compassion and consideration. The blue throat Mudra represents creativity and expression. The
purple Chakra symbolizes wisdom, clarity and inspiration. The last crown Chakra, my personal
favorite, epitomizes awareness, consciousness, and concentration. When I was taught the seven
hand positions, the teacher noted that if you had difficulty holding one of the positions, then you
probably had trouble with those characteristics. This rang true for me, in that I had trouble with
the solar plexus Mudra. If you practice the problematic position daily, it is said that those
characteristics will be strengthened.
I heard about Turning In during the student activities fair in the fall, and learned they
have hour-long meditation meetings on Wednesdays in Madison Union. On the next Wednesday
of the semester, my roommate and I went to the room, and even before we walked in we smelled
the faint yet welcoming scent of lavender and sage. Upon walking in we saw everyone dancing,
laughing, and hugging. I felt quite out of place as I did not see any familiar faces in the room full
of people. My roommate and I shrugged it off and we continued around all the jubilant members
to find a spot on a pair of cushions in the corner. I noticed in the center of the room was a
plethora of vibrant crystals and stones that formed a circle of its own. Many meditators believe
that crystals add to the energy and aura of a room. When we all sat down in the routine double
circle formation to begin our meditation, I struggled to find a comfortable position. I learned
later that during meditation your legs and even arms can fall asleep, making things rather
uncomfortable. However, as I found a restful position, I began to relax and listen to the guided
meditation. For this session, the leader chose a mindful meditation with Tibetan singing bowls.
To this day, that meditation is one of my favorites of all time. After I began to fall into a
meditative state, I began to feel a complete awareness of my body. I felt my breathing deepen
and slow significantly. Roughly 20 minutes into the meditation I saw slight psychotropic

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sensations. I saw faint blue and purple curved lines that formed a sort of third eye. This is not
uncommon, I learned later that it is common for people in a deep state of mediation to experience
visual hallucinations, body tingling, feelings of expansive or contraction, or heavy bodily
sensations.
Joining Turning In has helped me in more than a few ways. Not only has it helped me
significantly with my anxiety and stress levels, it has helped me control my breathing better. For
someone with a family history of high blood pressure, it is great to have found a pastime that has
proven to effectively limit symptoms of heart disease. I have also had the pleasure of meeting
and befriending people who just plainly radiate positive energy. That is something that is not is
always easy to find. Even those closest to me, including family members, have noticed that I
seem more balanced and focused, which I attribute to my new commitment to meditation.
I hope to further my journey of self-discovery and learn new techniques and meet more
people who also appreciate the value of meditation. There is a smaller, gender exclusive meeting
called Sacred Circle that I will begin to attend next week. Sacred Circle is only for people who
are very serious about meditation. I am grateful to have found a community of others who will
support my interest in developing control over my mind, body and spirit.

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Works Cited
Chrisman, Linda, and Rebecca J. Frey. "Meditation." The Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative
Medicine. 3rd ed. Vol. 3. (2009): 1448-1452. Web. 25 Jan 2016.
Luders E et al. (2012) The Unique Brain Anatomy of Meditation Practitioners: Alterations in
Cortical Gyrification. Front. Hum. Neuroscience (2012): Web. 25 Jan. 2016.