Rob Byko Photography
A goal of meditation is to be still and silent, shut down the mind, and open the heart. It isn’t necessarily easy, says Susan Bornuff, who leads a meditation class Wednesdays and Thursdays through the Isle of Palms Recreation Center. It’s especially challenging in today’s “attention economy,” as she describes it.
Bornuff has been directing the Isle of Palms classes since last September, but she has been leading classes for the past 25 years, including 15 years of training. “It’s a practice, like playing golf or playing piano,” she says. “You’re not going to be Rory McIlroy right away. It takes work. It isn’t just about sitting there in silence.”
Bornuff says many people tell her they want to learn more about the art of meditation, but often they don’t follow through. It’s something she now believes she “can’t live without.” She first discovered the practice of meditation while battling celiac disease; a condition doctors were having difficulty treating. She came from a very “left-brained” and rational way of thinking, having earned a master’s degree in speech/language pathology from the University of South Carolina. It was life-changing when she started exploring how intentional breathing and setting an intention can change a reality. “What you set the intention for is what you’re going to get out of it,” she says. “It might be you just want to be able to reduce anxiety. For me, it was to be able to find a way to heal from an illness.”
When we slow down, rewire our minds, and treat each other with compassion and gentleness, it's not just helping ourselves."
-Susan Boruff
Rob Byko Photography
Susan Boruff leading a meditation class at the IOP Rec Center.
For the Collective Good
“The science follows the breath,” explains Bornuff. “Across religions, the breath is considered a divine energy ━ whether they call it chi, prana, or spirit, as I do.” Research indicates that meditation tends to lead to an increase in the production of theta and alpha waves, which are the brain wave frequencies associated with enhanced learning abilities and overall mental well-being. “When we turn off the limbic part of our brain or the ‘fight or flight’ part, we open up the divine energy or the heart. It’s our inner light or true self,” she says.
The Isle of Palms meditation classes are held twice a week, Wednesday mornings at 8 a.m. on the IOP marina dock and 9 a.m. at the Recreation Center, outside under the big tree. The classes are 30 minutes long.
The first 10 minutes is an explanation of why the participants are there, the second 10 minutes is a guided meditation, and the final 10 minutes is usually a silent meditation practice. Half of the battle is “just showing up” with intent.
Bornuff, who has two daughters in their 30s, says she recognizes that many millennial-age adults who have grown up in an era where their attention is being pulled from all directions are struggling, and she is beginning to see them show up in her groups.
She sees the practice of meditation as potentially being not just for an individual selfish good but for the collective good. “When we slow down, rewire our minds, and treat each with compassion and gentleness, it’s not just helping ourselves. When you’re able to shut down your mind and open your heart, you’re able to open other hearts as well. Isn’t that something we could use now?”
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IOP Rec offers Community Meditation
Community Meditation at the IOP Marina Public Dock: Join this community group and work on guiding each other through a meditation experience to relax, breathe, engage the imagination and be silent for a time, take a break from the busy world around us. Wednesdays, 8 a.m. Free.
Community Meditation at the IOP Rec: Group meditation under the trees. Wednesdays, 9 a.m. Free.
