By Julian Menendez | Staff Writer
With finals inching nearer, the Spiritual Beings club gathered near the FIU nature preserve for a session of guided meditation. The air was light with much-needed laughter, with both newcomers and established club members joining in.
Walking through the preserve to arrive at the meditation spot slowly dissolved the looming stress that existed outside of it. Although the preserve sits in the center of campus, it feels isolated — a small pocket of calm in the middle of everything.
Once the group arrived, a blanket was laid out and students settled in. Before beginning, members chatted and caught up on their weeks, the kind of low-stakes conversation that’s harder to come by the closer the semester gets to ending. Afterward, club president KJ Young turned on a speaker and played relaxing white noise, guiding the group’s breaths and thoughts.
A baseball game roared just a few hundred feet away, but it barely registered. The meditation lasted less than 30 minutes, but for many students, it was enough to decompress and reset. For many in the circle, focusing on nature and the ground beneath was enough to quiet the noise of a long day on campus.
Graffiti in a clearing at the FIU Nature Preserve | Julian Menendez, PantherNOW
For Julia Sherpa, a crime science major attending for the first time, her reasoning was simple. “I just wanted to make new connections and kind of calm down,” she said. “There’s a lot of stress in life.” She added that she’d be back if the club hosted another event.
Aaron Baquero, a senior psychology major and one of the club’s marketing managers, said he hopes first-time attendees leave with more than just a moment of quiet. “I really hope they take away how to meditate properly, and that meditation has a lot of benefits,” he said.
For Baquero personally, the biggest one is managing racing thoughts. He also credited the setting itself – “Since it’s in the preserve, it helps you become one with nature a lot more… I feel meditating anywhere outdoors is much more beneficial to you,” he said. Baquero also led individual tarot readings for interested members, rounding out the evening’s mix of reflection and community.
Amelie Belmont, the club’s Vice President, described the organization’s mission as building a community where members can work towards their “highest self.” The club regularly hosts nights where members can gather to discuss different belief systems such as Christianity, atheism, Buddhism, Hinduism and more.
The goal of these events is not to debate, but rather to connect. “It’s really welcoming, it’s so supportive and it’s full of people that have similar interests,” Belmont said.
As for the club’s future, Belmont acknowledged some uncertainty. Several club members, and much of the board, are graduating this semester, leaving gaps that will need to be filled. Still, she remains optimistic that the club will prosper.
Promising members are being considered for E-Board positions, and the club’s welcoming atmosphere gives it a strong foundation to build on. “I have faith that things will continue to go well, “ she said.
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