Something Learned: Week #1

So, our program is officially done with its first week of study!

We’ve had so much to see and learn and explore in this past week that it has honestly felt like at least 2 weeks since we arrived.  Between beginning our studies at SRH Hochschule Heidelberg, biking 50 km to Mannheim and back through Ladenburg, exploring the Altstaldt, traveling to Baden-Baden on our weekend and many more adventures, I have seen and experienced so many incredible things.

One particular experience was that of taking a wellness class that is offered to Master’s level music therapy students at the university, and which we were invited to attend.  Throughout the entire class time, the meanings of wellness, mediation, and relaxation were stated and discussed, with individual meanings for each considered.  We spoke about stress, and how a disconnect from mind and body can cause a great deal of it, but also how some stresses are positive and useful tools to help one achieve their goals. 

Two particular activates in this class that stood out to me were that of sight deprivation and eating therapy.  In the sight depravation activity, us students paired up into groups, with one person being blind and other guiding them, forcing the blindfolded to trust the other person completely to insure safe exploration of their environment.  The other activity was called “eating therapy,” which through research has found aid in people’s mental refocusing and peacefulness.  Using a single raisin, every aspect of rationalizing the raisin and its energy to consuming the raisin and thanking it for its sustenance was done to achieve a more conscious state of awareness. 

Through all of this, I feel as if I have new tools in the toolbox to help me find my center and peace and focus in my being, no matter where in the world I may be.