It’s no secret that Milford Mavericks are stressed out. With the chaos of show week for the fall musical, Honk, the transition between seasonal sports, the first term coming to an end, mid-terms looming on the horizon, and just the everyday school life, most students have come to accept stress as a constant companion. Stress and anxiety aren’t and shouldn’t be considered a companion though, and the counseling staff at MHS hope to remind students of that through the Mindful Meditation Seminars.
The seminars are led by mindfulness practitioner Melody Henry, from In Harmony Yoga and Wellness in downtown Milford, with the goal of giving students the opportunity to take a break from their classes and teaching them the skills they need to practice mindfulness in their everyday lives. “It’s always volunteer work when I do it, ” explained Henry. “I come in and then I want to just offer the tools.”
This isn’t Henry’s first time with Milford students as she’s been leading Mindfulness sessions on most Fridays for the gym classes, specifically Body Toning, for the last six years. “I could just tell coming back from COVID that there was an increase in anxiety and I just thought it was a great idea to bring in somebody that would help kids work through some of the stressors of school,” said Rick Wank, Milford’s beloved P.E. teacher. Melody isn’t the first instructor Milford has seen as there was one before her. “We had another yoga instructor before her (Melody) that kind of ghosted us and left us hanging,” explained Wank, but thanks to a student who at the time worked at In Harmony Milford was able to get in contact with Melody. “Melody is the one who showed up and it’s just been a great partnership with them since,” said Wank.
“Different tools resonate with different people,” explained Henry. These “tools” often fall within two categories: the relaxing meditative group and then the “fired up” areas. The meditative group often involves a lot of sitting in the dark and just practicing quieting the mind. “My favorite part is with the relaxation ones when she puts the heated rice bags on your chest,” said junior Falon Slating. “It’s so relaxing I feel like it just adds to it.” The more movement-based “fired up” sessions involve quick poses and possibly a dance that can zap both energy and anxiety from the nervous system.
One of the main goals of the seminar is to teach students, especially those who function with high anxiety, how to take a pause from their daily life. This “pause” is that feeling of utter euphoria and a sense of calm that comes when an individual is completely in the moment and not worrying about what happened before or what’s going to happen later. “For me, it feels like when I’m sitting in the car and it’s a chilly day and the sun’s on me,” described Henry. “I just get that moment of pause and it’s warm and cozy.”
“Mindfulness is learning just to be in this moment right here and not be thinking about what occurred before and rehashing that in your mind or thinking about what you have to do next .”
– Melody Henry
The only way for stressed-out Mavs to experience the benefits of these Mindful Meditation seminars is to attend, despite the societal stereotypes that are often grouped with taking care of one’s mental health. The seminars won’t work if those who go don’t feel comfortable being there, especially when some students have gone to the seminars for the sole reason of disrupting the peaceful atmosphere Henry and Milford Counselor Gina Pryor have strived so hard to create.
“Anybody can join but moving forward, freshmen need to get preapproval from their counselor,” said Pryor. The more students
that attend, the more good these seminars can do, but the program will only work if everyone goes into them with the purpose of the seminar in mind: to create a safe space to learn and practice different mindfulness coping mechanisms. To further enhance this ideal, there will also be a limit of the number of students able to attend so that the small group atmosphere is better preserved.
So if any stressed Mavericks have a free seminar period, please sign up to attend using the QR codes posted throughout the building and in front of Student Services. Using the QR codes allow Pryor and Henry to better plan for group attendance and seminar tracking. “Anyone who is interested have them reach out to In Harmony because they are always supportive of any opportunity,” said Henry. “Please always come here.”