I should begin this post with a little bit of honesty. I initially found these contemplative practices to be questionable at best. I couldn’t understand the points being made, or find the headspace to allow myself to listen. I am not really a spiritual person, nor do I take the time to think reflectively about how things make me feel.

This all changed during the hunger practice. By coincidence, I just had not eaten all day prior to doing this contemplative practice. It became relatable, and it finally clicked. I felt the hunger and was actually able to experience introspection. In my life I have been lucky enough to never experience chronic hunger, but I can now (at least slightly) sympathize with those that do experience this. I will never completely understand true hunger, and neither should anyone else. It should be a global initiative to end hunger and food instability/inequality. This evolved into a deeper understanding that I will carry through the rest of this course.

This breakthrough actually surprised me so much, I went back and redid the previous practices. They made so much more sense and their message was received on a deeper and more thoughtful level. I realized that the introspective aspect of this class is just as important as the reading and analysis.