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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Originally published as January 2007 issue of the Prabuddha Bharata, this book aims to give its readers an overview of contemplative practices in different religions and traditions. Contents: Introduction Swami Satyaswarupananda The Contemplative Life Swami Atmasthananda Contemplation in an Active World Swami Smaranananda The Contemplative Tradition in the Ramakrishna Order Swami Prabhananda All-inclusive View of the Vedic Seers Swami Tattwavidananda Contemplation on Om, the Gāyatrī, and the Mahāvākyas Swami Mukhyananda Contemplation in the Upanishads Swami Atmajnananda Meditation and the Way of Yoga Swami Adiswarananda Preparations for the Contemplative Life Swami Gokulananda Japa: Instrument of Love for God’s Name Swami Tathagatananda Prayer in Contemplative Life Swami Amarananda Worship and Contemplation Swami Sarvadevananda Meditation and Reflection on the Divine Play: Lilā Chintana and Lilā Dhyāna Swami Atmajnanananda Obstacles in Contemplative life Swami Brahmeshananda Fruits of Contemplation: Some Reflections Swami Bhaskarananda The Vaishnava Contemplative Tradition Swami Purnananda The Śākta Contemplative Tradition Swami Vimalatmananda Contemplative Practices in Śaivism Swami Tadananda The Jain Contemplative Tradition Acharya Mahaprajna Contemplating the Theravāda Tradition Ajahn Amaro The Heart of Mahāyāna Buddhist Practice in the West Rev. Heng Sure Knowledge, Love, and Union: A Glimpse into the Christian Contemplative Tradition Father Paul of Jesus Contemplative Spirituality in Islam Maulana Wahiduddin Khan Some Thoughts on the Contemplative Life Vimala Thakar The Contemplative Mind Prof. Somnath Bhattacharyya The Neurophysiological and Psychoneural Aspects of Meditative Practices Dr S Sulekha, Dr P N Ravindra, Dr T R Raju, and Dr Bindu Kutty The Contemplative Life and Psychopathology Dr Alan Roland

Offers a Buddhist perspective on aging well, with anecdotes of the author's experiences with illness, aging, and transformation, and guided meditations.