Maya Yonas and Ryan Kiefer (who prefers to be called ‘Kiefer’) noticed that virtual classes created a disconnect among students.  They said that “Our attendance in classes was plummeting and our work ethic and overall engagement were depreciating.  We wanted to find a way to reengage with our schoolwork and we came across numerous accounts of how meditation can improve mental and physical health."

"It has been shown to reduce stress," they continue, "and to control anxiety, promote emotional health, enhance self-awareness, lengthen attention span, and even generate kindness.  Knowing these possible benefits, we decided to establish a Guided Meditation Group within our school.”

Kiefer and Maya held their first virtual meeting in February 2021, and it was attended by approximately 12 students and three facility members.  They allowed the members to leave their cameras off if they did not feel comfortable, but they kept their own cameras on to show that they were actively involved and ready to provide any help they could.

At the end of each meeting they allowed 10-15 minutes to watch relevant meditation videos. Kiefer says that their group-guided meditation sessions “helped combat the loneliness that was brought on by the pandemic by providing an outlet that allowed people to unite in a positive and productive manner.”

The Guided Meditation Group has continued online and as of February 2022 they had 32 participants, including four faculty members.  They hope to have some in-school sessions before the school year ends. Both believe that meditation helps achieve peace by promoting mindfulness and clearing the mind to allow for self-reflection and thoughts to be processed in a more positive, healthy manner.  They believe those benefits don’t stop when the meditation session is over, and that by adopting a more peaceful lifestyle, people will spread that inner peace throughout their community.

In addition to promoting physical and mental health through meditation, both Maya and Kiefer have pursued other ways to better the world.  Kiefer started a glass recycling service, picking up recyclables from his neighbors to avoid having them added to a landfill.  He volunteered with TopBasket, shadowing children with special needs as they learn to play basketball.  He also assists at the Washington National Cathedral to raise money for earthquake repairs.

Maya has worked as a camp counselor, and assisted the Ethiopian-Eritrean Society by organizing events such as International Night.  She currently serves at Camp Cardiac, offered by George Washington University’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences.