Breathe Gettysburg

Stressed? Distracted? Anxious?

Okay, right now, wherever you are, take a slow, deep breath.

Hold it...

Now let it go.

A little better, right?

College can be tough, academically, socially, emotionally—but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming, and it shouldn’t tear you apart.

We launched Breathe Gettysburg as an initiative of the Center for Religious & Spiritual Life to help you build resilience to handle the challenges of everyday life by developing mindfulness skills.

What is Breathe Gettysburg? It’s a collection of classes and experiences that fall under the broad categories of relaxation, meditation, and mindfulness. Some of these experiences spring out of specific religious traditions, some are more generally spiritual, and others are just plain fun and relaxing! All of them are open to the entire College community, no matter what your spiritual background is (or isn’t!).

Here’s what we’ve got going at Breathe Gettysburg so far this semester:

Drop-in Coloring: Color your way to serenity (with snacks!).

• When? Mondays beginning at 6 p.m.
• Where? Center for Religious & Spiritual Life

Qigong: Meditation in Motion: Qigong is an ancient system of physical postures and slow, mindful movement with roots in Chinese medicine and martial arts. In Chinese medicine, its goal is to cultivate and balance the body’s qi, or life energy, through gentle movement, meditation, and mindful breathing.

• When? 3-3:30 p.m. on the following Mondays: Sept. 16, Sept. 30, Oct. 28, Nov. 11, and Nov. 25
• Where? Jaeger Center multipurpose room
• Who leads it? Rebecca Colgan, LPC, Staff Counselor, Counseling Services Office. Colgan is a licensed professional counselor with training and general practice in ancient healing arts. She is also a Reiki master and medical Qigong practitioner.
• Want to know more? Visit these links!

• Qi Gong for Vitality
• Qigong Institute

Meditation Moment: A 20-minute pause in your day for contemplation, meditation, and mindfulness. We unroll our yoga mats (provided), do a little gentle movement and stretching to center ourselves, then follow a brief guided meditation. You’ll emerge relaxed, refreshed, and ready to take on the rest of your day!

• When? Tuesdays from 11:30-11:50 a.m.
• Where? Jaeger Center multipurpose room
• Who leads it? Kristin Largen, Associate Dean of Religious and Spiritual Life/College Chaplain
• Want to know more? Visit these links!
  • 12 Benefits of Meditation
  • 20 Scientific Reasons to Start Meditating
  • Meditation Benefits

Knitting Group: Come learn to knit—we’ll provide you with needles and yarn—or bring your current project with you for an hour of stress-relieving needlework! Everyone is welcome!

• When? Wednesdays from 4:15-5:15 p.m.
• Where? The Center for Religious & Spiritual Life
• Who leads it? Kathy Bradley, Executive Director of Health and Counseling Services/Associate Dean, Counseling Services Office. Bradley carries on a family tradition of knitting. She learned from her mother (who is still knitting at age 90), who started knitting at age 5, taught by her grandmother, Dr. Bradley’s great-grandmother. She is happy to introduce others to the calmness and joy of knitting.
• Want to know more? Visit these links!
• The Health Benefits of Knitting
• The Magic Mindfulness of Knitting and Crochet
• Medknitation Part I: How Are Meditation and Knitting Related?

Centering Prayer: A new name for an ancient spiritual practice of the Christian church; a radically counter-cultural practice in noisy 21^st century America, where chatter is unceasing and productivity is valued above all. You’re invited to experiment with this gentle practice of entering profound silence, where you achieve nothing and can simply “be” with God.

• When? 5:30-6:30 p.m. on the following Thursdays: Sept. 12, Sept. 26, Oct. 10, Oct. 24, and Nov. 14
• Where? The Center for Religious & Spiritual Life
• Who leads it? John Largen, who teaches contemplative spirituality at United Lutheran Seminary in Gettysburg.

Faculty/Staff Meditation: Faculty and staff are invited to start their day with a brief 20-minute meditation.

• When? Fridays from 8-8:30 a.m.
• Where: The Center for Religious & Spiritual Life
• Who leads it? Katy Mattson, Associate Director, Center for Career Engagement
• Want to know more? Visit these links!
• Greater Good in Action
• Science of Resilience: How to Thrive in Life - Frank B. Roehr Memorial Lecture
• UCLA Health: Guided Meditations

Poetry Moment: Take a short break during the day to reflect on a piece of poetry, spiritual writing, or a brief reading from one of the world’s sacred texts. We’ll read it together, meditate on it in silence, and then reflect together with some discussion. Everyone from all traditions—or no tradition—is welcome. Come as you are for a bit of light and peace in your busy day!

• When? Fridays from 12:30-1:30 p.m.
• Where? The Center for Religious & Spiritual Life
• Who leads it? Kristin Largen, Associate Dean of Religious and Spiritual Life/College Chaplain
• Want to know more? Visit these links!

• Lectio Divina
• Secular Lectio Divina: Meditative Practice for Left-Brain Buddhas

Slow-Flow & Yin Yoga: Deep, slow stretching and restorative poses.

• When? Fridays from 5-6 p.m.
• Where: Jaeger Center multipurpose room
• Who leads it? Nasreen Gooya ‘20
• Want to know more? Visit these links!

• Yin Yoga 101: What You Need to Know
• 10 Reasons to Make Time for Yin Yoga When You’re Too Busy
• Yin Yoga

Breathe Gettysburg is supported by a grant from the Of Many Institute for Multifaith Leadership at NYU.