The Barnes Center at The Arch consistently remains innovative with its holistic health offerings. One of its newest services, Virtual Reality Meditation, offers students a chance to experience immersive meditation with the HTC Vive Pro. This virtual reality (VR) assisted mindfulness escape is available on a first-come, first-served basis every Thursday from 3 to 7 p.m. in the Crowley Family MindSpa.
“The virtual reality mindfulness escape is an amazing experience, that I think all students should try. I tried the underwater one for only 10 minutes and felt extremely relaxed afterwards. You get to touch jellyfish and see schools of fish swim around you,” Clare Peppler ’22 says. “It is different than most mindfulness activities but I think it is an amazing way to get into meditation and mindfulness without having to think about it!”
Outside of the Crowley Family MindSpa VR-immersive experiences, the Barnes Center hosts the third floor Meditation Room and offers a variety of opportunities for the campus community to practice mindfulness. Sessions include:
All members of the campus community are invited to reserve the Meditation Room for their classes or groups. Group reservations can be made on the Wellness Portal. Additionally, the University offers classes for credit focusing on mindfulness and meditation. Both Political Culture and Practice (HNR 220) and Mindfulness in Children and Youth (HSF 452) focus on using meditation and mindfulness in everyday life across varied demographics. Interested students can explore the class descriptions on the Course Catalog.
For more information, check out the Meditation Room webpage or contact the Barnes Center by calling 315.443.8000.
Story by Division of Enrollment and the Student Experience communications intern Abigail J. Covington ’19, G’20
