“It’s worth it,” Joey Hartert stated.

According to Hartert, sacrificing an extra thirty minutes of sleep and trading the warmth of his duvet for the army-green wrestling mats every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 7:00 AM proves to be a sacrifice worth taking.

The Meditation Club appears to break all the boundaries; entering the dimly-light wrestling room, you don’t hear the typical chatter that seems to make its way through the walls of FHC after hours. Instead, you hear silence. The only thing that can be heard is the gentle rhythmic sound of breath as it is drawn in and out in slow, synchronized beats. The meditation club not only encourages literal silence, but also silence within one’s soul.

Zachary Kropf addressed the tranquility that the unique club offers:

“In a modern world that values activity, achievements and results, it is perhaps surprising that more people are turning to meditation,” Kropf said. “For all the activity of modern society, many still feel a fundamental need for silence, inner peace, and a moment of reflection … which is exactly what the mediation club provides.”

The club breaks all of the boundaries; it offers an experience that is unparalleled to the traditional after-school clubs that take place in deserted classrooms after the final bell. There is no concrete routine that is followed; instead, the meditation club simply goes by a day-to-day basis, offering the students what they are in need of instead of abiding by a script for their meetings. A typical meeting is truly a dynamic experience, one that can range anywhere from stretching to a walking meditation. And while the club proves to be different than the average club in the sense that it doesn’t follow an agenda, it is also unique concerning the aspect of the club as a whole. It is more of a personal endeavor; although you may be surrounded by your peers, you are alone in your own head space. This concept of figurative solitude offered by the meditation club allows for one to become more in touch with their inner selves in a comfortable and welcoming environment.

While the notion of meditation in general may appear rather convoluted, the meditation club’s goal is simple: to give students the ability to relax. It seems that many people in today’s society driven by touch screens and emojis often forget to do this simple thing. They seem to forget the importance of unplugging from technology and taking time to nurture their inner selves and souls, which is rather easy to do in the midst of such a busy world. Among the constant hustle and bustle encompassed by today’s modernistic society, the meditation club provides a stillness that allows one to concentrate on the beauty of both their external and internal world in that exact moment. The Meditation Club brings students back to the basics every Tuesday and Thursday morning for thirty minutes, reminding them about the importance of silence in a world that seems to be engrossed in loudness.

“Meditation is one of those things that you have to experience for yourself,” Kropf said. “It’s unique in the sense that it allows you to break away from the physical world and instead get in touch with your inner self, which is extremely important in terms of your mental health. I feel like the Meditation Club provides a much-needed memo about the significance of connecting with your inner self.”