Chinmaya Devaraj, MS '22, first learned the power of mindfulness as a highly stressed 11th grader in Bangalore, India, who was working hard to manage competitive academics and the social awkwardness of his teenage years. He lost sight of those practices in his early college days, but reconnected with an expanded set of mindfulness and wellness tools as a graduate student at UMD. Since 2016, he has been appreciating the benefits of improved wellbeing, community connectivity and meaningful friendships. Read more to learn about Chinmaya's journey.
Chinmaya Devaraj experienced a life changing move near the end of his high school education in 2008. His family moved from a small town in India to city of Bangalore and enrolled him in a well-known, competitive school. Chinmaya had always achieved good grades and was shocked at the academic and social challenges he experienced at the new institution. Not only was he feeling academic insecurity and social awkwardness, he was also preparing to take the qualifying examination that would impact his college academic and career trajectory. Feeling lost and doubting his abilities, Chinmaya stumbled upon the SKY Happiness program through a flyer left at his house. Little did Chinmaya know how impactful that flyer would be in connecting him to mindfulness practices and a community of support that that set the foundation of his academic success and person health and happiness today.
I was feeling lost and curious. The mindfulness program made me focused, calm and able to channel away the negativity and self-doubt.
Initially, Chinmaya decided to attend the introductory session of the SKY Happiness program (now called SKY Campus Happiness Program). Arriving late, he was told that he couldn’t join the session. Instead, he was offered to attend the full program – a significant investment in time while he was studying for his qualifying exams. He leaned in to the opportunity and participated 2.5 hours a day for a full week. Surprisingly, Chinmaya found clarity of mind. Chinmaya expressed, “I was feeling lost and curious. The mindfulness program made me focused, calm and able to channel away the negativity and self-doubt.” Not only did Chinmaya’s mental and physical wellbeing improve, he also improved his qualifying exam score by four times. Chinmaya was excited by this big shift in academic outcomes, but didn’t look beyond the mindfulness activity benefits of academic improvement.
During Chinmaya’s undergraduate studies, he found it difficult to practice mindfulness techniques when staying in a dorm and sharing living space with others. He also didn’t have connectivity with a community of any like-minded, practicing students. He enjoyed other fun things such as video gaming, outdoor activities and hanging with friends, but he let go of self-care. Chinmaya noticed a lot of stress, fear and anxiety that crept in to his life during this time away from mindfulness practices.
When starting his graduate program in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Clark School of Engineering (ENGR) in 2015, Chinmaya again felt the deep stress of a rigorous academic program. It was a bit too much to handle and reminded him of his 11th grade year. He made a decision to focus on himself and attended a virtual world cultural festival. It attracted a worldwide audience of 3.5 million people enjoying music, dance and the arts. While experiencing the festival, Chinmaya realized that his intellectual and academic studies had caused him to lose sight of extracurricular activities and mindfulness practices. It was a time of reflection and awareness for Chinmaya, and he made the decision to return to mindfulness practices and other joyful activities like music and dance.
In the following months, Chinmaya started off with online guided meditations and movement. In 2016, he returned to the SKY practice and incorporated that into his regular activities and community engagement. In 2018, he founded the SKY at UMD student chapter of the SKY Campus Happiness Program.
While the SKY practice has been quite impactful to Chinmaya, including the community and relationships he has formed, what is important to him is not solely the SKY practice on its own. Right now, prioritizing time for multiple mindfulness techniques and other activities he enjoys, such as music, dance, and physical activity in different forms is equally important to his total health and wellbeing. Chinmaya is enjoying exercising at RecWell-the campus activity center, practicing meditation, learning acoustic guitar theory, cords, and notes; and learning ballet from a classically trained ballerina. The kind of academic and professional work Chinmaya conducts is very intellectual and these wellness practices balance his life and build community.
The community and the connections you have with the people you meet during life’s journey is so important. I have some of the best friends right now and my social life has improved with all of these activities. I want to excel in work and research, but also in all aspects of life.
Chinmaya now finds himself happier, especially compared to ten years back when friends were more like acquaintances met in academic classes rather than community building settings that related to shared interests and connectivity. Initially his teenage to undergraduate years friend group was small and short lived. Now Chinmaya’s personal and community activities are more about being healthier and happier, and that translates to his friendships and relationships.
Ultimately, Chinmaya believes that whatever your journey is, it is healthier and more meaningful when you experience a variety of physical, mental and social wellbeing activities that add to a well-rounded life beyond academics and careers. “Everything combined, the mindfulness practices, the community building and lasting friendships, make life more worth it!”