To begin the first week of study season, the newly established DU Vegan Society teamed up with DU Meditation for a calming event. On the first Monday, after the academic term ended, the societies hosted a lunch and meditation session in the Hist Conversation Room in the GMB.
The event was also a collaboration with ‘Niteline’ to promote and encourage mindfulness during exam times. The lunch served as a means to start off the break with a fun event and to calm stress over the looming deadlines, whilst providing free snacks to all.
The tables were set with a multitude of vegan-friendly foods from fruit to hummus, and there was plenty to go around. After a while, the meditation society asked everyone to sit down to run a meditation session.
This served to introduce many students to meditation who may not have attempted it before. Described as a compassion meditation, we began by dividing into groups and had introductions with a discussion on what we appreciate about others. Following this, we had a ten-minute session guided by a committee member of the society. Everyone agreed it was particularly calming and made you feel more at ease. The aim was to teach students to be nicer to those around us and to become a more compassionate individual.
A raffle with Niteline was also in place, where money was raised from donations which went to the student support line. The stand raised awareness of the work they do, and that no call is too minor.
Overall the event was a lovely beginning to a time of stress for most college students and was also an effective break from the library for others. Chatting with friends and catching up also served as a means of resting and relaxing. The meditation brought focus and hopefully will have taught others a new method of staying refreshed until the end of May when exams will come to a close.