BYU–Hawaii ‘ohana share how brief mindfulness practices bring focus and encourage others to pause with purpose
Silence. Self-reflection. Moments of distraction. Self-care. These are some of the words BYUH students used to describe meditation. Though it may feel uneventful at first, meditation—or kilo-ing in Hawaiian—invites people to live in the present and act with greater intention.
Seeing meditation as part of mindfulness, Keilani Cabatu, a junior majoring in social work and intercultural peacebuilding from Maui, said mindfulness is intentional living. “Being intentional with my thoughts and actions affects my higher self—or who I’m striving to become,” she said.
Defining mindfulness
Savani Aupui, adjunct faculty in the Faculty of Culture, Language & Performing Arts and at the David O. McKay Center for Intercultural Understanding, said mindfulness means taking steps toward self-awareness. “I see mindfulness as being intentional about your decisions and self-reflective about them,” she said.
“Mindfulness connects your heart and mind and helps you engage with others,” Aupui said. The practice was first academically introduced to BYUH through the Mindfulness in Peacebuilding course (IPB 271) before being integrated into Interpersonal Peacebuilding (IPB 231).
Although IPB 231 focuses on building relationships among communities and individuals, Aupui said that kind of work begins within. “Mindfulness is a skill required to establish understanding and peace with everyone around us,” she said.
Benefits of meditation
Aupui said meditation can look different for everyone—whether it’s a 15-minute morning session or mindful walking. “It’s giving yourself time and space to let your mind relax and think about what needs to be done that day,” she said. Practicing mindfulness, she added, helps people make better decisions that improve both their lives and relationships.
Mindfulness, Aupui said, can also enhance academic performance. “When students are mindful about how they prepare for class or a quiz, they’re less likely to be distracted,” she said. “Your heart and mind stay calm, allowing you to better handle stress in school and in life.”
Mindfulness connects your heart and mind and helps you engage with others beyond yourself.
The start of mindfulness journey
Mya Thornton, a senior studying marine biology and intercultural peacebuilding from Kailua, said mindfulness helps her stay present. “I’ve read that when we’re anxious, we’re living in the future, and when we’re depressed, we’re living in the past,” she said. “Meditation brings you back to the present.”
Initially skeptical, Thornton said her father—a longtime practitioner—encouraged her to try meditation. “He would tell me and my sisters it changed his life,” she said.
Thornton eventually tried it and secretly enjoyed it, she said. “For a while, I didn’t want him to know,” she said, laughing. “But it brought me so much peace and calmness that I started meditating regularly near the end of high school and into college.”
Thornton, who has struggled with mental health since age 12, said mindfulness quiets her negative thoughts. “It helps me clear my head,” she said.
Cabatu said she first learned mindfulness through yoga. “When I came to BYUH, Amanda Ford—then the professor for the mindfulness course—invited me to take her class,” she said. “As a social work major, I really value mindfulness as a form of self-care.”
Ways to be mindful
To stay active mindfully, Cabatu said she enjoys walking and playing pickleball. “Walking helps my mental health because it moves my body slowly and intentionally,” she said. Pickleball, meanwhile, offers a more energetic outlet, she added. “It’s still mindful because I have to focus on my movements, coordination and presence in the game,” she said.
Thornton said she practices both personal and guided meditations with themes such as gratitude, loving-kindness and body awareness. Compared with exercise, she said, meditation offers a mental reset without physical exhaustion. “In workouts, you need about 30–45 minutes to feel refreshed,” she said. “In meditation, five minutes can do the same.”
During the busy David O. McKay Center 20th anniversary, Thornton said short meditations helped her manage stress as the organizer. “There wasn’t much time for self-care, so I’d do short walking meditations or square breathing when I couldn’t fit in a full session,” she said.
Cabatu said shell diving is another mindfulness practice she loves. “There’s so much to notice—the ground beneath you, the warmth of the sun, the water around you,” she said.
Mindfulness just means taking time for yourself in whatever way feels right.
Struggles of meditation
Thornton said one of the challenges she faced when she was first starting in meditation was being consistent. She continued she did not realize how much meditation was helping her life because she did not make it a priority. “I used to have excuses not to do it. Once I realized how beneficial it was, it was a turning point for me,” she said.
Cabatu shared a similar experience, saying it’s hard to stay present while meditating. “We naturally want to move, and it’s so easy to wander our minds. That’s why it’s difficult to do meditation,” she shared.
Thornton said meditation doesn’t have to take 30 minutes. “It feels less intimidating when you start with just five minutes,” she explained. Taking time to meditate, she added, helps her keep moving instead of breaking down. “Instead of getting overwhelmed, I noticed that meditation helps me to take on heavier loads in school and get more things done,” she shared.
Comparing movement-based meditation to still, guided meditation, Thornton said it was easier to stay present when there’s something active to focus on. “In walking meditation, you focus on each step—how your heel hits the ground—and that helps me stay centered,” she said. “But in still meditation, when you’re just breathing, your mind tends to wander.”
Cabatu agreed, saying movement-based mindfulness is easier to practice. “When you’re silent meditating it’s easy to be influenced by external distractions around you,” she explained.
"Mindfulness Hour" & words of advice
Thornton recalled the previous Mindfulness Hour initiative, which replaced the now-discontinued mindfulness course in the peacebuilding program. “When people think of meditation, they picture sitting still with their eyes closed,” she said. “But this initiative includes other practices like yoga and journaling.”
She said the program is expected to return this fall and will be open to everyone—beginners and advanced meditators, not just peacebuilding students.
For those hesitant to try meditation, Cabatu encouraged starting small. “Even two minutes of silence is enough,” she said. “Mindfulness just means taking time for yourself in whatever way feels right.”
Thornton added that openness is key. “Just like in peacebuilding, we’re taught to turn first,” she said. “Having that mindset helps you approach meditation successfully.” She admitted that starting can be intimidating but compared it to cliff-jumping. “Once you take that first leap, you want to keep doing it again and again,” she said.