Genius Hour Project Final
Sean Getty
Period 5
Senior English
8 May 2015
Meditation
Initially the purpose of my genius hour project was just to learn to meditate and clear my head from everyday struggles and drama. After really getting into it, my purpose evolved from learning to teaching. I created my site and my videos to help high school students and teenagers de-stress from all our worries and learn how to handle everything that comes at us.
When my journey with meditation started, it was really hard to grasp for me and at times I just thought it was stupid. I could never clear my head because I was always worrying about tomorrow and the next day. But after I finally got the hang of it clearing my head was so easy I started to do it every morning. Meditation became my everyday ritual to dealing with stress and not freaking out about the future. So when I felt I had a good grasp on things I decided to change up my goal a little bit.
Meditation was a breeze for me, although I wouldn't exactly call myself the “Zen Master,” I felt I could use this to help other people. I started thinking about how useful this practice could be for all the students dealing with big tests and all the teenagers worrying about what’s to come. So I decided to use my webpage the teach other people about this cool little practice. In my videos I explained what meditation was and how useful it is to people who have tried it, I also showed newcomers a little bit on how to grasp the practice. I've been working on posting links to further help the interested minds and things to try and attract the weary.
Although my project started out as just another school assignment, it developed into my own journey. I pushed myself to keep trying, even when things got very frustrating. I started to focus more on how I could really help people with the things I've learned rather than just pass the class. The project in itself even helped me to be a more attentive student; by eliminating all of my worries for the time being, I was able to focus on my studies and learn things I didn't think I would. Meditation went from my requirement, to a beloved step in my day that I feel has helped to better me as a person. During my journey I tried, I learned, I practiced, and I taught.
I shared everything that I've learned, initially through my class presentation, but then I took more and more steps to try and get everything out in the open. I updated my weebly page with a little bit of history on meditation and how it is useful for some. I also attached links that people can use to learn how to meditate and get a better handle on everything. I put up some videos of music that will help ease your mind and you take the steps to clear your head, and now I've put up my own personal “how to” video that introduces you to what you need to know. I will continue to update information and post new links when I have the time, but with graduation coming up and life hitting me in the face, excuse me if its not regularly.
In sharing my information with the world and the students my main goal is to help everyone learn to deal with all the stress that comes with growing up. I also want people to see how beneficial this little practice is. I’m trying to teach people that although you can just treat it as a de-stressor it’s also a lifestyle. When meditating you will find things about yourself that you didn't know, you’ll even learn things that you need to work on. When you take meditation seriously and incorporate that mindset to your everyday life, it can better you as a whole. It may sound cheesy, but it will open new doors to your heart and mind, and create a happier personality throughout your life.
If I could do anything differently with my genius hour, I would probably have incorporated yoga with meditation. The reason being that the two intertwine very well and the benefits combined are not only mentally nourishing but physically too. Yoga shares a lot of the ideas that meditation has but also has a twist on some. While meditation is focused mainly on mental relaxation, yoga is focused more on physical relaxation. Using both together would create such a peaceful and relaxed state that I can’t think of anything that could be better than that.
Meditation and yoga both have wonderful physical benefits including muscle strength increase, flexibility increase, better posture, builds stronger bones, drops blood pressure, etc. They also combine to have wonderful mental benefits including overall improved mental well-being, decreased anxiety, decreased depression, boosts memory, improves concentration, among many more. These two practices are often overlooked and people don’t realize how good they are for you. That being said, I would have liked to include videos or walkthroughs on how to do some simple yoga poses. I could have even included links proving how beneficial yoga could be and why everyone should at least give it a shot.
Throughout my genius hour project I learned a lot. As I've mentioned many times, my mind is like a bullet train, and in practicing meditation I have learned how to control that. Although I still have my moments of worry and stress, I now know how to handle them. Using this practice I've even adopted the lifestyle into how I live everyday. It helps me to not only be nicer and be in a better mood, but also to look at things from a different perspective. Meditation has also helped me in school, helping me achieve straight A’s for the first time since my freshman year in high school.
I also feel that I've developed as a leader (teacher) too. I don’t really feel like just sitting in the background when I’m in a group anymore. I no longer have issues with too many ideas in my head, and now I can use my ideas to better my group. I have no issues sharing and leading my peers if need be. Sometimes the information you’re blessed with is just meant to be thrown out in the open and shared with the world. This project helped me step out of the box I put myself in when I moved here and it’s shown me that your comfort zone was meant to be expanded.
Guidance Page Link: http://kingsfordcounseling.weebly.com/counseling-resources.html (my link is then found at bottom of page)
How To Video Link: http://touchcast.com/bbbbbb/meditation_how_to
Period 5
Senior English
8 May 2015
Meditation
Initially the purpose of my genius hour project was just to learn to meditate and clear my head from everyday struggles and drama. After really getting into it, my purpose evolved from learning to teaching. I created my site and my videos to help high school students and teenagers de-stress from all our worries and learn how to handle everything that comes at us.
When my journey with meditation started, it was really hard to grasp for me and at times I just thought it was stupid. I could never clear my head because I was always worrying about tomorrow and the next day. But after I finally got the hang of it clearing my head was so easy I started to do it every morning. Meditation became my everyday ritual to dealing with stress and not freaking out about the future. So when I felt I had a good grasp on things I decided to change up my goal a little bit.
Meditation was a breeze for me, although I wouldn't exactly call myself the “Zen Master,” I felt I could use this to help other people. I started thinking about how useful this practice could be for all the students dealing with big tests and all the teenagers worrying about what’s to come. So I decided to use my webpage the teach other people about this cool little practice. In my videos I explained what meditation was and how useful it is to people who have tried it, I also showed newcomers a little bit on how to grasp the practice. I've been working on posting links to further help the interested minds and things to try and attract the weary.
Although my project started out as just another school assignment, it developed into my own journey. I pushed myself to keep trying, even when things got very frustrating. I started to focus more on how I could really help people with the things I've learned rather than just pass the class. The project in itself even helped me to be a more attentive student; by eliminating all of my worries for the time being, I was able to focus on my studies and learn things I didn't think I would. Meditation went from my requirement, to a beloved step in my day that I feel has helped to better me as a person. During my journey I tried, I learned, I practiced, and I taught.
I shared everything that I've learned, initially through my class presentation, but then I took more and more steps to try and get everything out in the open. I updated my weebly page with a little bit of history on meditation and how it is useful for some. I also attached links that people can use to learn how to meditate and get a better handle on everything. I put up some videos of music that will help ease your mind and you take the steps to clear your head, and now I've put up my own personal “how to” video that introduces you to what you need to know. I will continue to update information and post new links when I have the time, but with graduation coming up and life hitting me in the face, excuse me if its not regularly.
In sharing my information with the world and the students my main goal is to help everyone learn to deal with all the stress that comes with growing up. I also want people to see how beneficial this little practice is. I’m trying to teach people that although you can just treat it as a de-stressor it’s also a lifestyle. When meditating you will find things about yourself that you didn't know, you’ll even learn things that you need to work on. When you take meditation seriously and incorporate that mindset to your everyday life, it can better you as a whole. It may sound cheesy, but it will open new doors to your heart and mind, and create a happier personality throughout your life.
If I could do anything differently with my genius hour, I would probably have incorporated yoga with meditation. The reason being that the two intertwine very well and the benefits combined are not only mentally nourishing but physically too. Yoga shares a lot of the ideas that meditation has but also has a twist on some. While meditation is focused mainly on mental relaxation, yoga is focused more on physical relaxation. Using both together would create such a peaceful and relaxed state that I can’t think of anything that could be better than that.
Meditation and yoga both have wonderful physical benefits including muscle strength increase, flexibility increase, better posture, builds stronger bones, drops blood pressure, etc. They also combine to have wonderful mental benefits including overall improved mental well-being, decreased anxiety, decreased depression, boosts memory, improves concentration, among many more. These two practices are often overlooked and people don’t realize how good they are for you. That being said, I would have liked to include videos or walkthroughs on how to do some simple yoga poses. I could have even included links proving how beneficial yoga could be and why everyone should at least give it a shot.
Throughout my genius hour project I learned a lot. As I've mentioned many times, my mind is like a bullet train, and in practicing meditation I have learned how to control that. Although I still have my moments of worry and stress, I now know how to handle them. Using this practice I've even adopted the lifestyle into how I live everyday. It helps me to not only be nicer and be in a better mood, but also to look at things from a different perspective. Meditation has also helped me in school, helping me achieve straight A’s for the first time since my freshman year in high school.
I also feel that I've developed as a leader (teacher) too. I don’t really feel like just sitting in the background when I’m in a group anymore. I no longer have issues with too many ideas in my head, and now I can use my ideas to better my group. I have no issues sharing and leading my peers if need be. Sometimes the information you’re blessed with is just meant to be thrown out in the open and shared with the world. This project helped me step out of the box I put myself in when I moved here and it’s shown me that your comfort zone was meant to be expanded.
Guidance Page Link: http://kingsfordcounseling.weebly.com/counseling-resources.html (my link is then found at bottom of page)
How To Video Link: http://touchcast.com/bbbbbb/meditation_how_to