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Contempla tive practices

Contempla tive practices. Rick Repetti , Ph.D. Department of History, Philosophy & Political Science Kingsborough Community College. Opening Meditation. Agenda. 1. Overview of contemplative practices What, why, how? 2. “CUNY Contemplatives ”

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Contempla tive practices

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  1. Contemplative practices Rick Repetti, Ph.D. Department of History, Philosophy & Political Science Kingsborough Community College

  2. Opening Meditation

  3. Agenda • 1. Overview of contemplative practices • What, why, how? • 2. “CUNY Contemplatives” • What we do in our classes • What is happening on our campuses • 3. Practicum: Sample practice(s) and assignment(s) • 4. Q&A • 5. Closing meditation

  4. Why contemplative practices? “The faculty of voluntarily bringing back a wandering attention, over and over again, is the very root of judgment, character, and will... An education which should improve this faculty would be the education par excellence. But it is easier to define this ideal than to give practical directions for bringing it about.” - William James, Principles of Psychology

  5. Some other reasons why • Meditation is the attention-training discipline par excellence. • Alternative mode of inquiry • Focus on process (reflection), not product • Time to experience slow, relaxed reflection on the content • Antidote to attention deficit disorder (ADD) • Inner calm and outer composure helps with exams, better grades • Creates a special mood in class (cf. art studio) • Sense of connectedness to others and the work • Broadening of perspective • Metacognitiveprocesses help learning & self-regulation • Intrinsic curiosity: Empirically proven via TMS • Toronto Mindfulness Scale (multi-variate validated survey instrument) • Ram Dass’ reflection on his own practice: “Undigested experiences”

  6. Types of contemplative practices • Great variety • Yoga, zen, breathing, chanting, etc. • Other practices • Journaling, free writing, process-writing, etc. • Informal: • Reflective dwelling, reverie, or free associating on a topic, image, word, idea, variations

  7. Meditation: the paradigm case • 2 types: contraction & expansion • Contraction:One-pointedness • Bull’s eye metaphor: • The “primary object” or target • Black lines represent attention aimed at target • Purple lines represent mind wandering from the target • Mind wanders off, refocus • Anything is a possible target: • Candle flame, mandala, spot on wall, sound, breath, etc. • Expansion: Everything is the target

  8. Visualization and guided imagery • Visualization: • Sample mandala • Others: • Deities • Symbols • Numbers • Etc. • Guided imagery: • Journeys to idyllic places • Symbolic: • armadillos & knights

  9. Breathing exercises • Yoga “pranayama”: control (yama) of life-force (prana) • Basic: slow, deep, full, conscious, diaphram breathing • Complex: counting, ratios, speed, holding, etc. • Nadisuddhi(alternate nostril breathing) • Variations: with poses, visualizations, etc. • Zen: simple counting in/out breaths, 1-4, repeat

  10. Mindfulness (vipassana: insight) • Traditional Buddhist practices • Non-judgmental observing, watching, witnessing • “Bare seeing” of whatever is, in the here and now • Bodily sensations (body scan or sweep) or breath • Thoughts, emotions, mental states • Walking, eating, dishwashing • Any activity • Expanded: Stream of consciousness • Choiceless awareness/Zen • Alternative: Noting, labeling • Of categories of experience • Thinking, anger, memory, …

  11. Other forms • Close reading of a passage: Lectiodivina • Cf. 3 rings of the bell • 1. Visual reading aloud • 2. Mental reading, silently • 3. Receptive listening, creative opening • Writing • Reflective, journaling, free writing, process, etc.

  12. Geri Deluca’s BC writing class • Practices used: • 1. Meditation and body scan • 2. Lectiodivina • 3. Close listening and saying back what you hear • We’ll try this later • 4. Reading texts with a “spiritual” orientation: considering the connection between great literature and a deep sense of values

  13. Helene Dunkelblau’s ESL QCC class • Practices used: • 1. Reflective writing • Reader response journals in conjunction with The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (spiritual content) • 2. Guided imagery • Stimulus for essay writing • 3. Breath meditation • Before high-stakes tests

  14. Alex Tarasko’s QCC nursing class Practices used: 1.Loving-kindness meditation • to develop empathy in nursing students 2.Story telling and active listening • as therapeutic interventions with patients facing losses • tell story about some loss, listener repeats it back 3. Focused breathing meditation • to help students diminish their distractive thoughts at beginning of lecture • as stress reduction prior to an exam

  15. My KCC philosophy classes • Calming breath, mindfulness, lectiodivina • Post-meditation free-writing • Post-reading journaling • Content meditations • Sample: Identity • “What if…?” Imagine a different childhood, career • All things considered: Who am I? What am I? • Can you imagine self, without: • Arms, legs, senses? • Body, brain? • Consciousness?

  16. My Vassar summer classes • Contemplative Ethics • Began 2-hour classes with 20-minute meditation • Students first brought into peaceful, meditative state • Using guided body scan, deep breathing, mindfulness, etc. • Then, suggestions, questions, ideas, from readings • Followed by 10-minutes free writing

  17. Others at KCC • 2 members of our Contemplative Practices Group • Susan Ednie (Sociology) & Jay Mancini (Physical Sciences) use 3-minute breath exercises before exams • Both are statisticians who keep detailed computerized records of grades • Both used the technique in target classes as against otherwise identical control group classes • Both had statistically significant increases in grades in the target classes • Similar results in my own classes (but no “stats” yet)

  18. CUNY Contemplatives at BC • Weekly meditations open to faculty, staff, students • Formerly: Monthly meetings of the involved faculty • Now: 1-per-semester meetings with CUNY group

  19. CUNY Contemplatives at QCC • Monthly meetings of the faculty from Queensborough and from Queens College • 1-per-semester meetings with CUNY group • Presentations at conferences

  20. CUNY Contemplatives at KCC • Weekly meditations for faculty/staff, 1 release hour • Monthly with students • Monthly meditation-reading group • 1-per-semester meetings with CUNY group • Presentations at conferences • PSC-CUNY grant to research use of meditation in my classes • $10K CUNY faculty development grant & KCC President’s Innovative Pedagogy Award for reflective learning community: “Reflective Practice: Medium & Message” • Kate Garretson (ESL), Holly Krech Thomas (Speech) & my ancient philosophy class

  21. At CUNY School of Law • Contemplative class as 1-credit elective • Skills development related to public interest advocacy • Center for Contemplative Mind in Society • They have a law program and an academic program • Became part of the CUNY Contemplatives last semester at our presentation at the 4th annual CUNY Gen Ed conference

  22. Practicum: Hands-on • Three techniques: • Lectiodivina – followed by: • Reflective free-writing – followed by: • Mindful listening and verbal mirroring • Cf. 3 levels of the bell ring • 1. actual sound • 2. mental repetition of sound (cf. after-image) • 3. silent, receptive, listening, opening (creative effects)

  23. LectiodivinaPassage: If water derives lucidity from stillness, how much more the faculties of the mind! The mind of the sage, being in repose, becomes the mirror of the universe, the speculum of all creation. Chuang Tzu

  24. Reflective Free-writing 5 minutes, non-stop writing. Uncensored, unedited. Stream of consciousness. Whatever comes up. Or whatever came up.

  25. Mindful listening & repeating Speaker: 5 minutes, non-stop , mindful speaking. Uncensored, unedited. Stream of consciousness. Whatever comes up. Or whatever came up. Listener: Non-judgmental, mindful listening, noting. Switch: Listener repeats back, 1st speaker listens

  26. & etc. • Join the other CUNY Contemplatives? • CUNY-wide network of like-minded academics • Stay connected and aware of our activities: • http://cunycontemplative.pbwiki.com • Sign email list, and you’ll get an e-vite to the wiki • Next event, big conference at CUNY Graduate School, Friday, April 3, 2009

  27. Closing meditation

  28. Thank you! Namaste! http://cunycontemplatives.pbwiki.com www.contemplativemind.org Rick.Repetti@kingsborough.edu

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