Reflective practicesRick Repetti, Ph.D.

Department of History, Philosophy & Political Science

Kingsborough Community College

Opening Meditation

Agenda

1. Overview of contemplative practices What, why, how, when, where, and with whom?

2. “CUNY Contemplatives” group and some members: What we do in our classesWhat is happening on our campuses

3. Practicum: Experience sample practice(s) and

assignment(s) {time}4. Q&A5. Closing meditation

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

Meditation is the attention-training discipline par excellence.

There are many other reasons.

Some other reasons whyAlternative mode of inquiry, focus on process (reflection),

not product Dedicate class time to experience slow, relaxed reflection on

the content What is it like to dwell quietly on the content, open, creative?

Heightened awareness, clarity of mind, focused attention (cf. 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 workBroadening of perspectiveMetacognitive processes

These help learning & self-regulation Intrinsic curiosity: Empirically proven via TMSRam Dass: “Undigested experiences”

Types of contemplative practicesGreat variety of meditation techniques

alone Yoga, zen, breathing, chanting, etc.

Great variety of other reflective practices Journaling, free writing, process-writing, etc.

Informal: Reflective dwelling, reverie, or free associating

on a topic, image, word, idea, variationsRoom for creativity, customizingLet’s review several

Meditation: the paradigm case2 types: contraction &

expansionContraction: One-

pointednessBull’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.

Visualization and guided imageryVisualization:

Sample = sand mandala

From memory Each symbol/color

has meaningOthers:

Deities, chakras, etc.

Symbols, numbers, etc.

Guided imagery: Journeys to idyllic

places Symbolic:

armadillos & knights

Breathing exercises

Yoga “pranayama”: control (yama) of life-force (prana)Basic: slow, deep, full, conscious, diaphram

breathingComplex: counting, ratios, speed, holding,

etc.Nadi suddhi (alternate nostril breathing)Variations: with poses, visualizations, etc.

Zen: simple counting in/out breaths, 1-4, repeat

MindfulnessNon-judgmental observing, watching,

witnessingOf thoughts, breath, bodily sensations, walking, eating,

etc.

“Bare seeing” of whatever is, in the here and now

Alternative method: Noting, labelingOf categories of experienceThinking, thinking, anger, anger, memory, memory, …

Traditional Theravada Buddhist (also Zen) practicesBodily sensations (body scan or sweep) or breathWalking and eating versionsThoughts, emotions, mental statesExpanded: Stream of consciousness (choiceless

awareness/zazen)

Other forms

Close reading of a passageLectio divina3 stages, cf. 3 rings of the bell

1. Visual reading aloud 2. Mental reading, silently 3. Receptive listening, creative opening

WritingReflective, journaling, free writing, process

writing, etc.

Geri Deluca’s BC writing classPractices used:

1. Meditation and body scan2. Lectio divina3. Close listening and saying back what you

hear4. Reading texts with a “spiritual”

orientation:considering the connection between great literature and a deep sense of values

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

My KCC philosophy classesCalming breath, mindfulness, lectio divina

Post-meditation free-writing, post-reading journaling

Content-related meditations Sample 1: Identity

“What if…?” Imagine a different childhood, career All things considered: Who am I? What am I?

Sample 2 : What would it be like to be a brain in a vat?

Sample 3: If in an experience machine, why be moral?

Alex Tarasko’s QCC nursing classPractices 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

Others at KCC2 members of our Contemplative Practices

FIGSusan 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 (no stats yet for me…)

CUNY Contemplatives at BC

Weekly meditations open to faculty, staff, students

Formerly: Monthly meetings of the involved faculty

1-per-semester meetings with CUNY group

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

CUNY Contemplatives at KCC

FIG’s weekly meditations for faculty/staff, 1 release hour

1-per-semester meetings with CUNY groupPresentations at conferences on teachingPSC-CUNY grant to research use of meditation in

my classes$10K CUNY faculty development grant & also KCC

President’s Innovative Pedagogy Award for learning community: “Reflective Practice: Medium & Message”Kate Garretson (ESL), Holly Krech Thomas (Speech)

& my ancient philosophy classContemplative classes at Vassar College summer

program

At CUNY School of Law

Contemplative class as 1-credit elective

Skills development related to public interest advocacy

Connected with Center for Contemplative Mind in SocietyThey have a law program and an academic program

Became part of the CUNY Contemplatives last week at our presentation at the 4th annual CUNY Gen Ed conference

Practicum: Hands-onThree techniques:

Lectio divina – followed by:Reflective free-writing – followed by:Mindful listening and verbal mirroring

Cf. 3 levels of the bell ring1. actual sound2. mental repetition of sound (cf. after-image) 3. silent, receptive, listening, opening

(creative effects)

Lectio divina Passage: I love the dark hours of my being. My

mind deepens into them. There I can find, as in old letters, the days of my life, already lived, and held like a legend, and understood. Then, the knowing comes: I can open to another life that's wide and timeless. So, I am sometimes like a tree rustling over a gravesite and making real the dream of the one its living roots embrace: a dream once lost among sorrows and songs.

--Rilke, Book of Hours, I,5

Reflective Free-writing

5 minutes, non-stop writing. Uncensored, unedited. Stream of

consciousness. Whatever comes up. Or whatever came up.

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

Q&A and etc.Q & A?

Join the other CUNY Contemplatives?CUNY-wide network of like-minded academicsStay connected and aware of our activities:http://cunycontemplative.pbwiki.comSign email list, and you’ll get an e-vite to

the wikiNext meeting October 24, 5 p.m.,

restaurant NYC

Closing meditation

Thank you!

Namaste!http://cunycontemplatives.pbwiki.com

www.contemplativemind.org

Rick Repetti (KCC)RRepetti@kingsborough.edu