With some deep breathing and open minds, more than 75 people gathered in the Bartholomew County Public Library Red Room to join the nation in a group meditation event.
The event, “America Meditates,” was organized by international non-profit organization Art of Living, and sought to raise awareness about mental health and promote peace and well-being in society, said Saurabh Joshi, one of the local event’s organizers.
The nationwide event, which was dubbed by the organizers as “the biggest meditation event in the U.S. history,” included 131 local group meditations in the United States and Canada, including at least four in Indiana. Additional group meditation events were held in 10 countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.
America Meditates was part of the two-day Mental Health and Mental Fitness Summit in Denver that sought “to disrupt outdated approaches to mental health.”
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“A group meditation event like this has enormous potential to enhance our own well-being as well as improving the well-being of people around us,” said Joshi, who has been an Art of Life instructor for a few months.
The event’s organizers spoke briefly about some of the benefits they have received from meditating, including reducing stress, increasing happiness, improving concentration, among others.
Then, Naqsha Biliangady, an Art of Life instructor since 2015, guided participants through about 10 minutes of what she called “chair yoga,” which consisted of various light exercises, including stretching the neck and massaging the temples, among other exercises. It is called “chair yoga” because all of the exercises can be performed while seated.
Next, Usha Hebbar, who has been an Art of Living instructor for around 10 years, led participants through a guided meditation and breathing exercises.
The meditation took around 20 minutes and consisted of taking deep breaths and focusing the mind on several different parts of the body, including the knees, abdomen, arms, head, among others. Hebbar also instructed participants to become aware of their thoughts and emotions and let them go.
After about 16 minutes into the meditation session, a few people started getting restless, opening their eyes, shifting in their chairs and looking around.
The idea of the meditation, Hebbar told the audience, was to “just go deep within yourself.”
Amanda Hummer, 32, of Columbus said she attended the group meditation event because she was curious about what it would be like to meditate in a large group.
“I meditate alone a lot, and I have experienced profound differences in just adding one person to that meditation,” Hummer said. “So I was very curious to see what it would be like to sit in a room full of beings who meditate maybe differently that me, but just to feel the energy here and see what it was all about.”
Hummer said meditating with more than 75 people was “absolutely amazing.”
“We’re all interacting with each other all the time, but when we’re coming to this similar place inside of ourselves, you can’t help but feel that,” she said. “For me, it more deep and blissful than when I meditate by myself.”
Tom Burns, 67, of Columbus said he came to the event because he “been dabbling around” with meditation for a few years.
“It just calms you down,” Burns said. “You get all wound up, you know, and it’s hard to sit down and sort of calm yourself down.”
Steve Chapman, 54, of Columbus said he brought his wife and two of their children to the event because they knew some of the event’s organizers.
Chapman said some he would recommend meditation to others because it “does help you relax,” but he would prefer meditating in smaller groups.
“You could hear everyone breathing in and breathing out,” Chapman said. “And it’s like, ‘man, that’s really loud.’ Sometimes it’s hard to concentrate and focus and actually keep your eyes closed when there’s that many people in the room. For me it is anyway.”
The practice of meditation has increased in popularity in the United States in recent years, according to a 2017 survey by the federal Centers for Disease Control’s National Center for Health Statistics.
In 2017, 14.2% of adults ages 18 years and older reported meditating during the previous year, compared to 4.1% in 2012, the survey states.
Around 5.4% of children ages 4 to 14 years reported in 2017 meditating during the previous year, the survey states. In 2012, the figure was 0.6%.
The survey defined meditation as “engaging in mental exercise to reach a heightened level of spiritual awareness or mindfulness.”
Meditation itself is not a religious practice, but rather a relaxation exercise, the organizers said.
“Meditation is for everyone,” Biliangady said.
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Local members of Art of Living hold free monthly yoga and meditation sessions at Faith Ministries, located at 5103 W. State Road 46.
The group meets for yoga the third Saturday of every month from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at Faith Ministries.
The group also holds a monthly full-moon meditation at Faith Ministries from 7 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on full moon day.
Anyone interested in learning more about meditation can email the event’s organizers at [email protected].
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