The Student Recreation and Wellness Center hosted a sound bath meditation workshop Saturday, inviting students to take a moment to slow down and let go of their daily stresses.

 The practice lasted an hour, and students were invited to relax either seated or lying down as the instructor moved around and played a variety of musical instruments.

Alicia Patrice, the instructor of the session, said she has taught meditation and yoga for 18 years, and she enjoys being able to share her passion for the practice with students.

“I started doing yoga when I was in college, and I saw the benefits of mind and body and centering and taking away some of the stresses and things from being a college student and a young adult, and then I wanted to help other people learn how to do it too,” she said.

Patrice said this was her first time hosting a sound bath on campus, and the students that she’s led have met the practice with an open mind.

“There’s a lot of curiosity and sometimes some surprise,” she said. “A lot of people say that it helps to relax them more so than a recorded sound.”

Meditation can be done in several ways, she said, but the presence of sounds can help students remain engaged and enhance the experience.

“I think it helps people to focus that might have trouble in silence,” Patrice said.

Patrice said she graduated with a degree in music history, so teaching sound bath meditations allows her to fully express herself.

“It allows me to use my passion and my talent to affect the practice,” she said. “To me, music is spirituality, so in a way, they’re not two different worlds.”

Patrice said the practice can help students take a moment away from their normal routine so that they can reapproach their work and social life with a fresh perspective.

“It’s a chance to step away from the business that you have as a student and give yourself an hour to practice self-care and just do something out of the ordinary,” she said.

Alana Zoldan, one of the students at the class, said she left the practice feeling much more relaxed, and she’s glad she took the time to attend.

“I wasn’t sure if it was going to be as nice just because I knew it was at the rec compared to the place that I had been, but it was so nice,” she said. “Didn’t really matter what space I was in.”

Patrice said that though many may not be familiar with the practice, there are many places around Kent that offer sound bath meditations, and she hopes that she can help expose students to it.

“It might be something that you’ve never heard of, but now that you’ve heard of it, you’ll start seeing it everywhere,” she said.

 Janson McNair is photo assistant. Contact him at [email protected].