Page 60 - Panama City Living Magazine

PETER SNYDER MINDFULNESSCREATES YOUR OWN UNIVERSEBy Val SchogerPhotography by Michael BooiniWith the disposition of an amateur MMA ghter (he won re- gional titles until he broke his hand for the third time) and as proud owner of a Prius, Peter Snyder is a man of contrasts.With a military father, his family moved a lot when he was a child. As a teenager, Peter was a troublemaker. The man he has become is balanced, has a soothing voice, is a successful entrepreneur, and a yoga teacher. He earned a master’s degree in Clinical Social Work from Florida State University, owns a private therapy practice and o ers stress reduction classes at FSU Panama City and in private studios.Peter has been practicing “mindfulness” for 10 years. He ded- icates much of his spare time to volunteer work.You teach others to be mindful. What's your understand- ing of mindfulness?Openness. That's the quickest way to put it. It’s openness and it is the opening and the closing of your awareness. The shifts inside, the thoughts and how the mind directs that shift. For me, at least while I'm at my practice, ... I am aware I still have a long way to go in my own mindfulness. In that sense, I'm just a kid–in kindergarten.Can you put one of your own practices into words?My practice of mindfulness is sacred to me. It means so much to take that time. Mindfulness is not about always feeling good or always being happy. That's not reality. So, just being open to what is there is hard. I'm not resisting when I'm feel- ing sad, or when I am feeling lonely. By not resisting I mean I am not condemning myself and am not getting lost in that storyline. I just accept how I feel–dropping inward.I was getting to the point where I was sitting for two hours and it felt like two minutes went by. The practice was so deep.What was the ultimate motivation for you to start yoga?I was a very di erent person and went through a rough time. I was very tense and easily aggravated. My teacher was a ZenBuddhist. I learned about the four noble truths from the teachings of the Buddha. "All life is su ering" and "Our suf- fering comes from our attachments and desires." It just rang true with me.I thought I would soon be able to levitate and do all these crazy things, but I just started sitting. At that time, I rarely had quiet time. But I learned to sit, even if there was chaos around me. At rst I would only be able to sit for maybe ve minutes. I just kept at it twice a day, every day, and then it built.I started reading more, researching more and, learning about Ashtanga yoga, I started practicing it. I listened to a cassette tape about Kripalu yoga. There were no visuals to go along with the instructions. This type of yoga is focused on breath and body awareness and that's what the audio cassette guid- ed me through. I started practicing four times a week. It all progressed from there. I stayed at a residential Zen center to meditate and begin my practice. I stayed for about a year and then moved to Panama City to be close to family.How many men do you have in your classes?It depends. It uctuates for my public classes. I have classes with all men when I volunteer at Holmes Correctional facility and give a class on mindfulness... this is usually every Friday.How many students do you have at the correctional fa- cility?It depends. Thirty, sometimes 40.What is their feedback?They love it. Most are good guys ... I think I've been teach- ing going on four years or ve years. Many of them are still there, sadly. But the mindfulness training creates some solace. They have lost a lot. Their environment is very chaotic. From my experience, and I've worked with many di erent personali- ties, the inmates are often the most receptive, wanting to nd something to help them change.60 • March - April 2018 • www.PanamaCityLiving.com