Sacred Heart University offers meditation sessions open to students, faculty and staff. This program is led by Venerable Shim Bo, the Buddhist Chaplain of Sacred Heart’s campus ministry.
The sessions are held on Wednesdays on the first floor of Linda’s at 8 a.m, 12 p.m, and 5 p.m. The sessions usually last about 20 to 25 minutes, and do not require registration or sign-up.
“I think meditation is beneficial because physiologically you’re being kind to your body. And at the end of the day, the function of meditation is to help you become less compulsive and neurotic in your life because you’re not chasing out of fear every thought that you have,” said Shim Bo.
Photo by: Brenden Murphy’27, staff photographer
Shim Bo said that there are many benefits to meditation, and that people are able to mentally feel the benefits once they are done with their session. He said that after people have meditated, they usually find themselves more tranquil.
“People feel calmer. I think that they feel a little freer in their mind and body, and I think they feel more present to themselves and other people,” said Shim Bo.
Rev. John Ograh, the University Chaplain of Sacred Heart is also connected with the mediation practice led by Shim Bo. He said that meditation is a highly important practice in his own spiritual life.
“Meditation is required of my priestly identity because as the Roman Catholic Church is concerned, meditation is considered a disciplined thought by which a person journeys into himself, in order to connect properly with their god,” said Ograh.
Ograh believes that meditation plays a huge factor in mental health. He said that with the practice of meditation, it can help with feelings of anxiety.
“Each time I go to meditation, I feel less anxious afterwards. Anxiety is caused by worries. There are gray areas in our lives, and each time I go to meditation, I am able to push those things out,” said Ograh.
During the meditations, Shim Bo focuses on posture and breathing. The sessions are guided on how to properly sit and maintain consistent breathing for optimal focus. Sophomore Zoë Vella has attended the sessions guided by Shim Bo, and said that her experiences have allowed her to leave feeling better than when she walked in.
“Mediation was very relaxing for me. It allowed me to clear my head and focus on my breathing. After I meditated, I felt less stressed, and more motivated. Venerable Shim Bo would guide us through breathing techniques to use during the session,” said Vella.
Vella has meditated before attending the sessions led by Shim Bo, but prefers the guided group sessions. She said that she finds it very comforting knowing that Sacred Heart has a place where she can go to relax her mind if she becomes too stressed or uneasy.
According to Shim Bo’s meditation practice instruction guide, the intended purpose of these sessions is to feel calm, generate insight about oneself, and create harmony with the mind. The practice intends to let things be and learn to be at peace with them.
“A part of meditation is focusing on the breath and letting things be just as they are. If there is a sound, don’t say to yourself ‘that sound is interrupting my meditation’, take a breath and let the sound be there. To summarize this process, it’s an intentional process of being real with what life is showing you. It’s being free from suffering,” said Shim Bo.
