Download or read book The Contemplative Practitioner written by John P. Miller and published by University of Toronto Press. This book was released on 2014-01-01 with total page 201 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Describes how the experience of the whole through mindful contemplation can release energy and knowledge for practical use in the classroom and in the place of business.
Download or read book Contemplative Practices in Higher Education written by Daniel P. Barbezat and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2013-10-30 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Contemplative pedagogy is a way for instructors to: empower students to integrate their own experience into the theoretical material they are being taught in order to deepen their understanding; help students to develop sophisticated problem-solving skills; support students’ sense of connection to and compassion for others; and engender inquiries into students’ most profound questions. Contemplative practices are used in just about every discipline—from physics to economics to history—and are found in every type of institution. Each year more and more faculty, education reformers, and leaders of teaching and learning centers seek out best practices in contemplative teaching, and now can find them here, brought to you by two of the foremost leaders and innovators on the subject. This book presents background information and ideas for the practical application of contemplative practices across the academic curriculum from the physical sciences to the humanities and arts. Examples of contemplative techniques included in the book are mindfulness, meditation, yoga, deep listening, contemplative reading and writing, and pilgrimage, including site visits and field trips.
Download or read book Art as Contemplative Practice written by Michael A. Franklin and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 2017-09-01 with total page 277 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Drawing upon his personal experience as a practitioner-researcher, visual artist, and cancer survivor, Michael A. Franklin offers a rich and thought-provoking guide to art as contemplative practice. His firsthand experience and original artwork complement this extensive discussion by consulting various practice traditions including yoga, rasa and darshan experiences, imaginal intelligence, and the contemplative instincts of select early twentieth-century artists. From this synthesis, Franklin suggests that we treat art as a form of yoga and meditation with the potential to awaken deeper insight into the fundamental nature of the Self. Exercises and rubrics are included that offer accessible instruction for any artist, meditation or yoga practitioner, art educator, or art therapist.
Download or read book Emotions and The Body in Buddhist Contemplative Practice and Mindfulness Based Therapy written by Padmasiri de Silva and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-06-30 with total page 150 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book represents an outstanding contribution to the field of somatic psychology. It focuses on the relationship between body and emotions, and on the linkages between mindfulness-based emotion studies and neuroscience. The author discusses the awakening of somatic intelligence as a journey through pain and trauma management, the moral dimensions of somatic passions, and the art and practice of embodied mindfulness. Issues such as the emotions and the body in relation to Buddhist contemplative practice, against the background of the most recent findings of current neuroscience, are expanded in the book. A broad review of the Darwinian-Jamesian heritage on emotion studies is a unique contribution to the tradition of the somatogenic strands of emotions, and provides a contrasting focus to the ideogenic emotions in Sigmund Freud. This work provides an invaluable resource for students of psychology and philosophy, psychotherapists and meditation teachers, students, and for anyone with an interest in the field of somatic psychology.
Download or read book The Practice of Contemplative Photography written by Andy Karr and published by Shambhala Publications. This book was released on 2011 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book teaches photographers how to connect fully with the visual richness present in their ordinary, daily experiences. According To The authors, photography is not purely a mechanical process. You need to know how to look, As well as where to point the camera, and when to press the button. Then as you develop your ability to see, your appreciation and inspiration from the world around you become enhanced. Filled with practical exercises and techniques inspired by mindfulness meditation, this book teaches photographers how to "see what's in front of them". It offers a system of training and exercises that draw upon Buddhist concepts, As well as on insights of great photographic masters such as Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Weston, and Henri Cartier-Bresson. There is a series of visual exercises and assignments for working with texture, light, and colour, As well as for developing mindfulness, As a way of bringing the principles of contemplative photography into ordinary experience.
Download or read book Aging as a Spiritual Practice written by Lewis Richmond and published by Avery. This book was released on 2012-12-31 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Offers a Buddhist perspective on aging well, with anecdotes of the author's experiences with illness, aging, and transformation, and guided meditations.
Download or read book Contemplative Science written by B. Alan Wallace and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2007 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Science has long treated religion as a set of personal beliefs that have little to do with a rational understanding of the mind and the universe. This work attempts to bridge this gap by launching an unbiased investigation into the history and practices of science and Buddhist contemplative disciplines.
Download or read book Mindfulness Starts Here written by Lynette Monteiro and published by FriesenPress. This book was released on 2013-07-23 with total page 146 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Living a rushed, demanding life and wishing for mental calm to deal with the difficulties you face? Stressed out by tangled thoughts and frazzled feelings? Mindfulness Starts Here offers you a way to ease stress with clear instructions on these points: How mindfulness works using Five Skillful Habits How being mindful can help you deal better with sadness, pain, and anxiety How mindfulness can make your life more manageable In Mindfulness Starts Here, you learn how mindfulness works through simple, clear explanations. The instructions and practices show you how to pay attention to your life so you can make skillful decisions. The examples help you understand: How practicing Five Skillful Habits can change the way you live your life Why living fully in pleasant and unpleasant times can enrich your life How mindfulness reduces reactivity to and increases steadiness under stress"
Download or read book Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening written by Cynthia Bourgeault and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2004 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening is a complete guidebook for all who wish to know the practice of Centering Prayer.
Download or read book Meditations of a Buddhist Skeptic written by B. Alan Wallace and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2012 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A radical approach to studying the mind. Renowned Buddhist philosopher B. Alan Wallace reasserts the power of shamatha and vipashyana, traditional Buddhist meditations, to clarify the mind's role in the natural world. Raising profound questions about human nature, free will, and experience versus dogma, Wallace challenges the claim that consciousness is nothing more than an emergent property of the brain with little relation to universal events. Rather, he maintains that the observer is essential to measuring quantum systems and that mental phenomena (however conceived) influence brain function and behavior. Wallace embarks on a two-part mission: to restore human nature and to transcend it. He begins by explaining the value of skepticism in Buddhism and science and the difficulty of merging their experiential methods of inquiry. Yet Wallace also proves that Buddhist views on human nature and the possibility of free will liberate us from the metaphysical constraints of scientific materialism. He then explores the radical empiricism inspired by William James and applies it to Indian Buddhist philosophy's four schools and the Great Perfection school of Tibetan Buddhism. Since Buddhism begins with the assertion that ignorance lies at the root of all suffering and that the path to freedom is reached through knowledge, Buddhist practice can be viewed as a progression from agnosticism (not knowing) to gnosticism (knowing), acquired through the maintenance of exceptional mental health, mindfulness, and introspection. Wallace discusses these topics in detail, identifying similarities and differences between scientific and Buddhist understanding, and he concludes with an explanation of shamatha and vipashyana and their potential for realizing the full nature, origins, and potential of consciousness.
Download or read book Contemplative Pedagogies for Transformative Teaching Learning and Being written by Jing Lin and published by IAP. This book was released on 2019-11-01 with total page 397 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In our current systems of education, there is a trend toward compartmentalizing knowledge, standardizing assessments of learning, and focusing primarily on quantifiable and positivist forms of inquiry. Contemplative inquiry, on the other hand, takes us on a transformative pathway toward wisdom, morality, integrity, equanimity, and joy (Zajonc, 2009). These holistic learning practices are needed as a counterbalance to the over-emphasis on positivism that we see today. In addition to learning quantifiable information, we also need to learn to be calmer, wiser, kinder, and happier. This book aims to find and share various pathways leading to these ends. This book will describe educational endeavors in various settings that use contemplative pedagogies to enable students to achieve deep learning, peace, tranquility, equanimity, and wisdom to gain new understanding about self and life, and to grow holistically. Embodiment is a central concept in this book. We hope to highlight strategies for exploring internal wisdoms through engaging ourselves beyond simply the rational mind. Contemplative pedagogies such as meditation, yoga, tai chi, dance, arts, poetry, reflective writing and movements, can help students embody what they learn by integrating their body, heart, mind, and spirit.
Download or read book Contemplative Prayer at Work in Our Lives written by Geoff Colvin and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2021-05-24 with total page 121 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While many practicing Christians are relatively satisfied with their prayer life, others are not. The latter often find their prayer practice has dried up. Their traditional forms of prayer at churches have become routine and empty. In a very real sense, there is a void in their spiritual lives. They want a deeper union with God yet experience an unsettling estrangement with their current pathway in prayer. In Contemplative Prayer at Work in Our Lives, Geoff Colvin draws on his own experiences, studies of spiritual literature, and participation in retreats and meditation groups, to unravel the challenging practice of contemplative prayer, a unique form of meditation involving very few words in silence and stillness. Contemplative prayer centers on the fundamental belief that God dwells not only in the world at large but also at the center of our being. This book offers Christians an approach for understanding contemplative prayer followed by hands-on detail for developing and sustaining a practice that hopefully leads to a richer and fuller spiritual journey to union with God.
Download or read book The Path of Centering Prayer written by David Frenette and published by Sounds True. This book was released on 2012-09-01 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the teachings of Jesus, there are prayers, and then there is prayer—the silent, loving communion with the divine, beyond words or ritual. With Father Thomas Keating’s book Open Mind, Open Heart, hundreds of thousands discovered the transformative power of Centering Prayer as a form of Christian meditation. Now, with The Path of Centering Prayer, Keating’s senior student, friend, and advisor David Frenette reveals the profound depths of this practice, making it easier for meditators to deepen their connection with God. Has your spiritual path grown routine or unfulfilling, or is it at a crossroads for new discovery? For all Christians who seek to move closer into the presence of the divine, The Path of Centering Prayer offers guidance in this rewarding and time-honored meditation practice, to help break through obstacles and illuminate the way. “This book in my view is the best, most comprehensive, and most practical book on centering prayer.” —Father Thomas Keating “In this beautiful book, David Frenette expands the map of the known Centering Prayer universe. With the blessing of his spiritual father, Thomas Keating, David develops and gently reshapes fundamental building blocks of the Centering Prayer teaching. This is an important moment in the Centering Prayer lineage transmission, when a faithful student emerges into mastery. David’s work will breathe significant new life into your personal practice.” —Rev. Cynthia Bourgeault, author of Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening “This excellent book represents Christianity come to maturity! Here you will find good theology, good practice, good psychology, and a recovery of the foundation itself—how to live in communion all the time.” —Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, founding Director of the Center for Action and Contemplation “With simplicity and great wisdom, David Frenette reconnects you to the universal tradition of how to open to God, how to pray in silence, and finally, how to let the spirit pray within your heart. If you want, or need, to be drawn deeper into prayer, read this book and live its guidance.” —Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, PhD, Sufi teacher and author of Prayer of the Heart in Christian and Sufi Mysticism “In his lucid guide to Centering Prayer, David Frenette navigates a path for beginners and seasoned practitioners who wish to enter ever-deepening states of loving friendship with the Divine.” —Mirabai Starr, author of God of Love: A Guide to the Heart of Judaism, Christianity and Islam “This wonderful book provides direction, encouragement, and support for a prayer practice with ancient roots. Drawing on his considerable experience as a spiritual director, David Frenette skillfully shares stories and offers wisdom that illuminates the heart of the practice and will lead practitioners through the subtle challenges that inevitably arise in the process of living into ever-deepening levels of prayer. This is a book not only to be read, but to be consulted regularly for insight and help along the way.” —The Right Reverend Robert O’Neill, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado “The Path of Centering Prayer is a beam of light in what can sometimes be a dark and unknown journey with God. It is written from the heart of David’s relationship with God and his discoveries along his contemplative journey in solitude, in community, and in spiritual direction. From this place of wisdom, David enlightens readers with encouragement and enrichment, which will nourish them in their own commitment to the centering prayer practice and the contemplative life.” —Gail Fitzpatrick-Hopler, President of Contemplative Outreach, Ltd.
Download or read book New Perspectives on Mind Wandering written by Nadia Dario and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-10-07 with total page 277 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the last decade, a great variety and volume of scholarly work has appeared on mind-wandering, a mental process involving a vast range of human life, connected with “first-person perspective” and “personhood”, submental thinking, mental autonomy, etc. While different and emerging features that flow into and out of one another (second field, mental travel, visual imagery, inner speech, unspecific memory, autobiographical memory, fantasies, introspection, etc.) and negative and positive approaches seem to describe mind-wandering, we offer an interdisciplinary theoretical and empirically informed and informative overview on mind-wandering studies and methodologies oriented toward the educational field. The aim is to transform and enrich the debate on mind-wandering but also to show how theoretical arguments and research findings could inform the teaching-learning context. This groundbreaking book, moves along three representations of developed scientific knowledge: imaginary lines, circles and spirals. The first section, “The Lines”, develops new lines of inquiry on attention (selective and sustained) and mind-wandering, the influence of age and mind-wandering, embodiment, consciousness and experience and mind-wandering. In the second section, the “Circles”, groups of Chapters on the same topic, methodology (tasks and measurement), intervention (auditory beat stimulation and mindfulness practices) and creativity, recreate a dance of interacting parts in which there are always profitable, decisive and retroactive exchanges between the information that each group or author activates. The last section, “The Spirals”, critically discusses the absence of a unified theoretical perspective, in the pedagogical field, attentive both to the processes of emergence and the interactions between parts.
Download or read book Lit from Within written by Sarah Powers and published by Shambhala Publications. This book was released on 2021-11-16 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Build an integrated, deeply personal practice to cultivate transformation, self-trust, and awakening with insights and techniques from beloved teacher Sarah Powers. More than just physical poses on a mat, yoga can be a profound path of self-realization. Lit from Within encourages readers to pursue yoga in its fullness, examining conscious and unconscious habits, connecting to our inner landscapes, and freeing us to relate to ourselves and our world with a sacred outlook. Sarah Powers helps readers relate to five levels of our human experience--physical, energetic, emotional, mental, and interpersonal. Each section offers an opportunity for self-inquiry and practices to fuel our growth, including yin yoga, meditation, emotional intelligence exercises like creating connection with an inner critic, and interpersonal dynamics drawn from the Internal Family Systems approach. Learning to recognize, reflect on, and at times re-direct these different levels of experience adds a vital dimension to the practice. The book draws on Sarah's many years of practice and teaching, influenced by the rich tapestries of yin yoga, Buddhism, Taoism, and psychology. In these challenging times, Lit from Within offers a path to health, wholeness, and connection--from the inside out.
Download or read book Storying our Relationship with Nature written by Amanda Fiore and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2024-03-07 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book takes readers on a journey that is part storytelling, part academic analysis, and part spiritual exploration. The authors identify the climate emergency as a breakdown in spiritual consciousness which fails to recognize our deep interconnection with Nature. To meet this crisis of spirit, Storying Our Relationship with Nature serves as a guide for transforming ourselves and our lives through story and highlights the importance of social and emotional aspects of environmental education. The authors introduce the philosophical and historical foundations of our objectification of Nature as a commodity and describe the effect this view has on our lives. They detail a path forward through storytelling, contemplative practice, Eastern philosophy, and the transformative power of education. Throughout the book, reflective activities provide a space for the reader to personalize their learning, leading the reader towards the book's central message: once we learn to consciously re-story our relationship with Nature, we can transform our cultural narrative of fatalism and greed into one of love, determination, and possibility, helping us move towards a sustainable future.
Download or read book Exploring Self toward expanding Teaching Teacher Education and Practitioner Research written by Oren Ergas and published by Emerald Group Publishing. This book was released on 2020-10-29 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Against the backdrop of a pull toward external standards and accountability, this collection of chapters re-grounds us in the importance of bringing the 'self' to the foreground of the discourse of teaching, teacher education and practitioner research.
