Shenandoah Professor Demonstrates ‘Heartfulness’ At The United Nations

Professor and Director of Gender & Women’s Studies Petra Schweitzer, Ph.D., is a beloved colleague and faculty member at Shenandoah University, well-known for her enthusiasm, passion, and desire to inspire students and make the world a better place.

Schweitzer has been practicing heartfulness meditation for about 28 years. Heartfulness meditation is a simple and practical way to experience the heart’s resources and create contemplative space for ourselves in the midst of our busy daily life. “Through regular practice, we will experience a transformation within that will utilize our consciousness and potentiality in all aspects of life.”

“My motivation to bring awareness to heartfulness meditation is based on my experience of studying it myself and seeing the benefits of it in my life. The natural outcome of practicing Heartfulness is joy and love, and to wish it for the other as well.”

Petra Schweitzer, Ph.D. | Professor and Director of Gender & Women’s Studies 

Heartfulness: A Self-Directed Tool for Joy and Love

Schweitzer traveled to the UN headquarters in New York City on Aug. 22 to serve as a nongovernmental organization (NGO) representative for Shri Ram Chandra Mission, a nonprofit and spiritual organization for the 67th UN DPI/NGO Conference entitled: “Together Finding Global Solutions for Global Problems.” There, she joined an interactive workshop where the use of meditation and other yogic techniques were discussed to support campaigns for social and economic justice aimed at answering the question: How to change the world?

“Other NGOs and groups from all over the world came to the workshop,” said Schweitzer. Presenters of different meditation techniques shared how individual transformation can promote unity within and among communities dedicated to change. After the discussion, Schweitzer conducted a Heartfulness Relaxation and Meditation.

For the second semester, Spiritual Life and the Mosaic Center for Diversity invite Shenandoah students, faculty, and staff to experience Heartfulness Relaxation and Meditation– meditation to empower harmony of the body and mind. In guided sessions, participants can learn to de-stress daily and develop a routine of Heartfulness Meditation.

“Heartfulness is a self-directed tool to help one change from the inside,” said Schweitzer. She continued to explain the importance of encouraging students to create balance in their lives. “My motivation to bring awareness to Heartfulness Meditation is based on my experience of studying it myself and seeing the benefits of it in my life. The natural outcome of practicing Heartfulness is joy and love, and to wish it for the other as well.”

Written by Elise O’Neill-Eckman ’19