Contemplative Practices in Higher Education: Powerful Methods to Transform Teaching and Learning

Praise for Contemplative Practices in Higher Education " Contemplative Practices in Higher Education represents an instant classic in a growing movement that promises to bring greater depth, resonance, and engagement to college students' learning experience. Dan Barbezat and Mirabai Bush document a stunning array of contemplative applications, revealing a robust and innovative field of pedagogy." — Daniel Goleman , author, Emotional Intelligence "In this book, Dan and Mirabai do an excellent job in demonstrating how these transformative contemplative practices can be sensitively introduced to academia. I didn't develop contemplative practices until I was middle aged. I wish I had had such practices in my college days." — Ram Dass , teacher and author, Be Here Now "An inspiring report from the frontlines of academe by two quiet revolutionaries. A must-read for anyone who cares about the future of college teaching and who seeks a vision of what it could be." — Jerome T. Murphy , research professor and dean emeritus, Harvard Graduate School of Education "This engaging and informative reflection on the uses of introspective and contemplative practices in higher education reveals a quiet revolution whose time has come. Barbezat and Bush have brought us a path-breaking book that speaks from and to mindful educators intent on helping students focus their attention and resist distractions, find more of themselves in their academic work, and bring more of themselves into the task of crafting lives of meaning, purpose, and compassion." — Diana Chapman Walsh , president emerita, Wellesley College

Foreword (Parker J. Palmer) Preface Acknowledgments The Authors Part One: Theoretical and Practical Background 1 Transformation and Renewal in Higher Education 2 Current Research on Contemplative Practice 3 Contemplative Pedagogy in Practice: Two Experiences 4 Teacher Preparation and Classroom Challenges Part Two: A Guide to Contemplative Practices Introduction to the Practices 5 Mindfulness 6 Contemplative Approaches to Writing and Reading 7 Contemplative Senses: Deep Listening and Beholding 8 Contemplative Movement 9 Compassion and Loving Kindness 10 Guest Speakers, Field Trips, and Retreats 11 Conclusion Afterword (Arthur Zajonc) References Index 

Daniel P. Barbezat is professor of economics at Amherst College and executive director of the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society. He has been a visiting professor at Northwestern University and Yale University and has taught in the summer program at Harvard University. Mirabai Bush is senior fellow and founding director of the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society, a nonprofit organization that encourages contemplative awareness in American life in order to create a more just, compassionate, and reflective society.