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QUESTIONS WITH: Meditation leader helps people get mellow
Class starting in Sterling Heights
BY ELAINE LOK
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
July 9, 2006
Cindy Kozak says teaching meditation has filled a void in her life. (Family photo)
Cindy Kozak is on a mission to help people reduce the effects of stress.
The 57-year-old Shelby Township resident used to work at General Motors but is a Licensed Professional Counselor now. She is teaching a five-week Beginning
Meditation course at Bemis Junior High School in Sterling Heights. The class will meet from 6:30-8 p.m. Mondays starting July 10, 2006.
QUESTION: What led to your becoming a counselor?
ANSWER: I began taking graduate level classes at Oakland University in 1995 and earned my Master of Arts in Counseling in 1997. I passed the certification
exam to become licensed shortly afterwards. I continued to work for GM after that and was offered early retirement in 1998; that's when I pursued my counseling career.
Q: How did you start teaching others meditation?
A: I was teaching for a year through the continuing education program at Chippewa Valley High School and Utica Community Schools, when I began to
notice that everyone is so stressed out and in such a hurry. I went through stressful periods working full-time and going to school. I know what it can do to
your health, so two years ago, I took a course to become a meditation instructor.
Q: How does one meditate?
A: Find a quiet place in your home; doing it for any length of time is better than
none at all. Close your eyes and clear your mind. That's the hardest part for people -- to quiet their minds. The brain's purpose is to think, so we will always
have thoughts. We can't turn them off, but with mediation you can get to a place where you can watch the thought go by and let it go ... I tell students it's like
looking at the blackboard -- instead of focusing on the writing, focus on the board. It takes practice.
Q: What other activities do you recommend for relaxation?
A: One thing I tell the students is that if you can only do one thing, do deep breathing; that slows the heart rate, lowers blood pressure, and allows the body
to decompress. Or try doing things you love to do like reading or watching your favorite show. I recommend exercising because it releases endorphins in the brain, which naturally make you feel relaxed.
Q: What do you enjoy about teaching?
A: Since I was 5 years old, I've known I wanted to teach. When I got out of high school, it was the era of graduate from high school, get married and have
children; so teaching fell by the wayside. When I was at GM I was comfortable, but I really wanted to have a degree, so I completed a Masters Degree in
Counseling. Now I work as a adjunct counselor at OCC. But teaching community education classes like Meditation has really filled a void in my life.
For more information on Meditation classes, call Cindy at 586-991-0639.
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