[ot-caption title=”Michael Kasten explaining areas of the brain relating to stress. (Via Ana Simon, sophomore).”]

Drained after a long day of ACT testing, the Pine Crest students walked into Stacy Auditorium as they normally do for an assembly and took their seats. To their surprise, the speaker provided the perfect remedy to their stress-filled morning. On September 29th, 2015, owner of The Mindfulness Method, Michael Kasten, spoke to the student body about meditation.  Meditation started as a traditional Buddhist act performed by monks, and overtime it has become popular form of relaxation that people use to unwind and release stress. Located in Fort Lauderdale, just fifteen minutes south of Pine Crest, The Mindfulness Method teaches students of all ages helpful ways to use meditation in their everyday lives.

A business owner and a public speaker, Kasten began teaching meditation in 2008. He shared with the students the importance of “insight” and “being present” through his personal experience with meditation. Having a larger impact on his private and business life than he expected, Kasten shared his connection with meditation; he explained, “[I received] great gains in my business, my life, and a huge increase in my returns…I really need to share this with the world. The most important thing for me right now is to share it and get it into the school system because I think that’s the way it will have the most impact.”

Kasten began the assembly by explaining how critical it is that students take control of their emotions instead of having their emotions control them.  He compared both positive and negative human emotions to wolves, and explained the differences between reacting and responding.  Students learned that we, as humans, have not evolved past our emotions, which highlights the importance of practicing meditation. To finish off the informative assembly, Kasten attempted to get the students “in the present” by having them participate in thought and breathing exercises.

When asked if any philosophers got Kasten interested in this practice, he responded, “John Kabbat Zinn is a physician who started the center for Mindfulness Research in Massachusetts, and he’s probably the one who brought Mindfulness Meditation into the United States about twenty years ago. He’s probably responsible for making it as well known as it is.”  Another insightful question posed was if Kasten thinks humans will ever evolve to mind over matter. With much thought and consideration, Kasten replied, “I think we’re in the process right now, physiologically, of being able to do that…I think that is what meditation does, because it gives you the opportunity to be present in the present moment; you wind up being able to have a choice about your mind being over matter rather than matter ruling your mind.” He shared that as of now, meditation will be the guide that allows humans to make the choice of mind over matter.

Pine Crest students left the assembly with a greater sense of ease and relaxation than they had when they entered the auditorium. Grateful for Kasten’s thoughtful presentation, the student body now has several methods to relieve upcoming stress inside and out of the classroom. Not only did the students learn a helpful approach to dealing with problems, but they also gained insight on how to live an overall healthier life. To signup for a class at The Mindfulness Method, visit https://mindfulnessmethod.wordpress.com/

Source: Mindfulness Meditation