Contemplative corners on campus: A guide to restorative spaces

Sraman's favorite place to meditate, or simply to take a break, is the Living Mandala Garden, located between Cannon Chapel and the Quad.

The garden was established in 2012 to express the interconnection of nature, spirituality, art and community on the Emory campus. It is an extension of the dharmic tradition of mandala making, which is associated with the act of meditation.

"It has beautiful flowers, and it's a great place to reflect on the interconnectedness of nature and life," Sraman says.

When students ask him how to meditate, or even achieve a calm state of mind, he instructs them to focus on their breath to connect with "the lived reality of being alive and the experience of paying attention to your body."

He's realistic, though, about how far this practice can take you. He says it won't solve everything, but it can be an effective tool to reset your mind in trying times: "If you're feeling too hot, you have a cold drink," he explains.

It's healthy and necessary to encounter moderate levels of stress, Bergquist says, to help strengthen the capacity to handle life's inevitable obstacles. Stress is only beneficial, she adds, when it's not permanent.

"Our growth happens in the recovery," she explains, "where we build pathways in our brain that help us handle the same stress better in the future."