At the time of year when stress is at its highest for most students, one organization in Ames is offering an interesting remedy.

The Ames Karma Kagyu Study Group, a Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Group, is offering a course on meditation on Tuesdays in May. The course will introduce the techniques of mindfulness meditation as practiced in the Buddhist tradition.

Tim Mullaney, a graduate student in health and human development, is teaching the course. Mullaney said anyone can benefit from practicing meditation regularly.

“Meditation settles the mind,” he said. “It helps people to deal with the stress of everyday life. “

Mindfulness meditation, which Mullaney said had its beginnings 25,000 years ago, develops tranquility, gentleness, patience and nonaggression for those who practice it. Mullaney said meditation also helps people gain more compassion for others, “which is the greatest thing a person can have.”

“It is about finding yourself,” he said. “You gain freedom from any conflicting emotions you might have in your life, which helps you to develop self-kindness.”

Mullaney said meditation is a way of slowing down for a bit, and anyone can find the time to do it. “It can easily fit into anyone’s lifestyle,” he said. “It is a way to counter-balance the rush of life.

A person can choose to meditate whenever he or she wishes, he said. Mullaney said meditating in the morning can leave a person feeling alert and refreshed, and meditating after work or before bed can help a person to relax.

Although meditation is commonly a Buddhist practice, Mullaney said it is more about psychology than religion. “Meditation is the basis for spirituality, but it has more to do with psychotherapy and good mental health than religion. Anyone of any religious background can participate.”

Mullaney has been practicing meditation for more than 20 years. “I have been interested in many other things in my life, but this is one of the few that has never gotten stale,” he said. “It gets deeper and more meaningful the longer I do it.”

The Karma Kagyu Study Group is new to Ames, but it has meditation centers throughout the United States and Canada. The first meditation class will meet on Tuesday, May 6 at 7 p.m. in the Gold Room of the Memorial Union, and the second class will meet on Tuesday, May 13 at 7 p.m. in the Memorial Union Gallery.