What is mindfulness, and how can it help CLC students? Mindfulness is our basic ability to be fully present, aware of our surroundings, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what is going on. What does mindfulness have to do with being a college student? Surprisingly, it has quite a bit to do with academic success. Did you know mindfulness can improve concentration?

Larry Starzec is a CLC Professor of English who teaches English 121 and taught the class with a mindfulness theme for many years, before COVID. In this class, he shared with me what the themed composition class entailed. I was all ears – two of my favorite things together as one!

Professor Starzek explained that mindfulness has its origins in Buddhist meditation. It gives attention to the moment and nurtures greater awareness, acceptance, and clarity. He felt that reflection through writing is one form of mindfulness because as you are writing, you are also giving it dedicated focus. The unique thing about his course is that it included a physical and mental engagement. I especially enjoyed hearing about the five-minute breathing exercise at the beginning of each class. I can’t begin to imagine the positive difference that would make compared to other courses where we dive right in.

Meditation and mindfulness go hand in hand. Meditation is the practice of concentrating on one thought or element. When you begin, you focus on your breathing – in and out. You acknowledge it and then let it go when you have a thought. You can count 1, 2, 3, 4 as you take a deep breath and then another 1, 2, 3, 4 as you release the breath. You can go back to one and repeat. You are exercising your mind to keep coming back to the present thought. Professor Starzec explained that because of the mindful way he opens each class, his students reported they were more present and centered, and he saw more positive participation. He smiled as he recalled the overwhelming number of students who loved the class. I can completely understand why!

I was lucky enough to gain further insight into mindfulness and meditation benefits from current CLC student Ruben Enriquez. He said he uses this in his daily life and has done extensive research on the topic. He described how we are constantly being rushed and how the bustle of our daily lives as college students can inherently create other problems, including sleep issues, stress, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and memory loss. I think this is especially true in regards to the consequences of COVID.