A Mindful Lifestyle at Perrysburg High School

Caitlin Taylor
eSomethin Staff

The idea of practicing Mindfulness stems from some early Eastern World Buddhist traditions. To be mindful is to be aware of the current situation and to focus with a purpose. So many people in our anxiety-ridden society struggle with past regrets or worries of the future so much that they forget about their current state of possible happiness. This especially applies to high school students with all the tests that can go awry alongside all the social pressures teens experience.

One student named Kaitlynh Nguyen and Aastha Bhavsar recently did a project in their Teaching Professions class that centered around how mindfulness could positively impact a school setting and presented with their idea to the administration. Now, a 5-week series of free Mindfulness classes are to be held in the Media Center of Perrysburg High School after school on Tuesdays from 3:35-3:55. The first class was held on Tuesday, April 16th.

First Mindfulness Session. (Right to Left and around: Jenn McCullough, Caitlin Taylor, Kaitlynh Nguyen, Aastha Bhavsar, Janice Ray, Teresa Nissen)

The classes are being taught by Jenn McCullough, a Mindfulness Education from the Toledo Mindfulness Institute. McCullough’s first exposure to Mindfulness happened when she was 16 at her High School.

“We did some kind of relaxation exercise and I remember how good it felt. So that happened but then nothing else happened for like another 10 years and then I took my first yoga class, we practiced [mindfulness] at the end and I was profoundly moved by how relaxed I was and I remembered that feeling from 10 years prior and I realized I haven’t really relaxed in 10 years,” McCullough explained.

From that point forward, McCullough has dedicated her time to practicing a mindful lifestyle and about exposing others to this idea.

The remaining dates for the after-school classes are 4/23, 4/30, 5/9 (a Thursday), and 5/14. If these dates don’t mix well with your schedule or if you want to go further into exploring this topic, the Toledo Mindfulness Institute has a Mindfulness Camp for Teens the Week of June 10th, Monday to Friday (8: 30-11: 00 am). For further information visit the Toledo Mindfulness Institute website.

CORRECTION: Proper accreditation as to who presented the Mindfulness Classes idea at PHS has been made. Aastha Bhavsar was also a part of the class’ creation along with Kaitlynh Nguyen.

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