From a young age, senior Eric Rosenblum has been curious about consciousness, spirituality and the human experience. As a child, he would play in his yard and watch worms wriggle through the dirt and wonder “What’s it like to be a worm?”
That question would lead to another — “What’s it like to be me?” — and set him on a lifelong journey toward understanding the nature of existence.
Today, as the founder and president of Awake Forest, he helps students explore similar curiosities through the practice of mindful meditation. Every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., students from all years and backgrounds gather in a meditation room beneath the Pit in Reynolda Hall. They begin by discussing their week or engaging in deep icebreakers before meditating together for 30 minutes.
Rosenblum guides this weekly meditation, where a group of roughly 10 to 15 students sit in silence, focusing on their breath, thoughts and the present moment. The group also let conversations flow naturally, often finding inspiration from a book or passage someone comes ready to share with the group.
The club, with around 30 rotating members, offers a sense of community that extends beyond its weekly meetings. Members frequently text in the group chat, inviting others to join impromptu meditation sessions in different spaces around campus, such as a garden or other outdoor spaces.
When Rosenblum arrived at Wake Forest freshman year, he received a text from his mom telling him to check out the Mindful Wake Club, which she had read about online. She even texted him an hour before the club’s first meeting that semester, reminding him of the opportunity.
“I was literally walking past the library and the meeting was happening there, so I was like, ‘Okay cool, I’ll go check it out,’” Rosenblum said.
He met the club’s founder, Tim Auman, who was the university chaplain for 25 years until retiring last winter. Auman was both a church minister and an ordained Buddhist. He started Mindful Wake, an organization split between the Office of the Chaplain and the Office of Wellbeing.
“It’s a mix of spirituality, mental health and physical health,” Rosenblum said.
Auman planted the idea to start Awake Forest. He told Rosenblum that he had been waiting for a student to start a meditation group since beginning his role as chaplain. Auman said it was the right time to start this kind of organization, and Rosenblum agreed.
During his sophomore year, Rosenblum founded Awake Forest with the challenge of balancing the needs of both experienced meditators and complete novices. From its early days, Awake Forest has welcomed all individuals, regardless of their background or prior experience.
“Some people have read a dozen books and have meditated for years; others walk in and don’t even know what meditation is,” Rosenblum said.
He sought a structure that would neither disrupt experienced meditators nor leave beginners lost. While he does guide the club’s weekly meetings, his leadership style is not overbearing. He recognizes that too much guidance could interrupt certain members’ practice, so he’s established a system that fosters success for both newcomers and frequent meditators. The club found a flow that works for all, welcoming anyone interested in joining.
“We’ve landed in this happy medium where our more experienced members will bring in newbies and teach them a little about what we do before their first meeting,” Rosenblum said.
Christian Hayden, a senior in Awake Forest, recalls how meditation has transformed his life. He started meditating in high school, and it’s become a huge part of his life and throughout college. He met Rosenblum while studying abroad in Sydney, Australia in fall 2023. After returning from his study abroad program, Hayden joined Awake Forest where he’s grown to be a leading member of the club.
“[Rosenblum] was the first person I met at Wake Forest who did this practice, and it was awesome to share that,” Hayden said. “It just makes me happier throughout the day and makes me better at everything I do.”
Hayden discovered many benefits to meditating in a group as opposed to practicing alone.
“I think a lot of meditation is about holding intention, and because we’re so used to thinking about the past and projecting into the future … it’s hard to kind of hold that intention in mind,” Hayden said. “But there’s just something about it when you’re with other people, you’re reminded of that intention to be present at all times and it genuinely does have a massive impact.”
In addition to holding him accountable to his intentions, Hayden has found his involvement in Awake Forest to be extremely fulfilling. For him, the most rewarding part of his role is watching their meditation sessions redirect people’s day for the better. The Wednesday night sessions positively redirect his whole week.
“I think a lot of times people walk in the room with a lot of baggage,” Hayden said, “and they’ve had a stressful day, but then, we sit down for 30 minutes [and]have this amazing conversation.”
These meetings can “redirect people’s entire lives,” according to Rosenblum. One of the most rewarding moments Rosenblum has had as the founder of Awake Forest was when a football player came up to him and told him how one of their sessions made him rethink some of his biggest life choices.
“The passage we decided to read that day was from this awesome book called ‘The Alchemist.’ It talked about following your inner voice, your heart, your destiny,” Rosenblum said. “I think he was a math and [statistics] major, and he came up to me at the bar the other night and said he’s considering switching to philosophy, and he seemed really happy.”
Rosenblum noted that meditation has the power to inspire positive change in people’s lives, and he believes it’s important to hold a space for people to meditate and have these transformative realizations.
Rosenblum and Hayden have big hopes for the future of Awake Forest. In the next few weeks, they are starting their first ever guest series where they will bring in guests to guide discussions and offer new perspectives on mindfulness, wellness and self exploration. Guests include a philosophy professor and a WFU yoga instructor.
The series will kick off on Mar. 18 with James Hash, assistant minister for the largest Black church in Winston-Salem. Hash studied mindfulness at UCLA and Rosenblum believes he has an interesting perspective to share.
Through this guest series, Rosenblum and Hayden hope to attract anyone on campus who’s interested and might want to get involved. Like their weekly gatherings, these guest series meetings will not be exclusive to former club members.
Rosenblum has seen unprecedented growth for the club this year, and he hopes this will continue beyond his graduation in May, when he and Hayden plan to pass down their roles and possibly increase leadership in the club. While they don’t know their successors yet, they are excited to meet more people throughout the semester who could be future Awake Forest leaders.
