Good morning,
And welcome to this Monday's Meditation on the Lawn,
Offered by the University of Virginia.
My name is Devin Donovan.
I'm an associate professor on the general faculty in UVA's Writing and Rhetoric Program,
Where I teach courses that pair contemplative pedagogy with writing and critical inquiry.
This morning,
I invite you to join me in a practice I'm using as the core concept and topic of one of my writing classes,
The contemplative pause.
This activity is adapted from the work of a dear colleague,
Professor Carolyn Conane of the Contemplative Sciences Center.
The goal is to practice creating a space between a stimulus and our reaction to it.
We will seek to widen the gap between reflex and response as we make room for reflection and curiosity.
My hope for us today is to add a practice to our toolkit that can help us create more options for ourselves in terms of how we respond to the stimuli of the world,
Our others,
And ourselves.
If we can identify our initial quick or automatic response,
Explore its origins,
And recognize it as a choice,
We can create other choices that might better serve our goals and values.
While I will use the word stimulus,
I invite you to think of this in a range of ways,
Anything from something as gentle as a tap on the shoulder to something as forceful as a hurricane wind ripping through your heart.
Every object and utterance,
Every interaction and thought can be seen as a stimulus,
A part of the music of existence that we move with and through.
As we get started,
I invite you to sit comfortably and if you feel comfortable doing so,
Close your eyes or lower your gaze.
Feel free to let your hands rest at your sides or in your lap or place them over your heart.
There will be three rounds of this practice.
We'll start with a neutral stimulus,
Something that at first doesn't seem to cause much of a reaction.
Then we'll move to a sharp stimulus,
Keeping in mind what we need this morning for our own safety and well-being.
Then we'll move to a joyful stimulus,
To see that contemplation is not just about resilience in the face of adversity,
But can also be a tool to occupy our joy more fully.
As part of each prompt,
I'll ask you to imagine alternatives to your initial responses,
To move beyond reactions that do not serve you and deeper into those that do.
First,
I invite you to think of a stimulus toward which you feel at first rather neutral.
It could be a phrase like,
The sky is blue or the ocean is deep.
You might choose to bring your attention to a piece of art hanging on your wall or an object sitting on your desk that has become so familiar it is almost invisible.
Even the chair you are sitting in could be considered a stimulus,
Encouraging you to respond to its presence in a familiar way.
Once you have the neutral stimulus you'd like to focus your attention on,
I ask you to bring some curiosity to its impact on you.
After each of the next three questions,
I'll pause for 30 seconds or so to give you time to articulate and explore your response in silent thought.
What,
If anything,
Does this neutral stimulus make you feel?
Where do you think this feeling comes from?
Without denying the reality of the present moment,
How might you enable yourself to feel differently?
Take a moment to recognize and name your ability to bring creativity to feelings of neutrality.
Next,
I'll ask you to look at a sharp stimulus,
Something that provokes a quick and recognizable feeling for you.
I'll reiterate that as you choose this stimulus,
Be sure to protect yourself.
You need not seek out anything that causes you pain.
Instead,
The word might be challenge.
You might focus on a time a stranger was less than kind,
An interaction you wish had gone differently,
A bumper sticker or news article headline that changed your mood.
Once you have the sharp stimulus you'd like to focus your attention on,
I ask you to bring curiosity and patience to your exploration of its impact on you.
I'll ask the same three questions and pause after each.
What name would you give the feeling this sharp stimulus brings up for you?
Where do you think this feeling comes from?
Without denying the reality of the present moment,
How might you enable yourself to feel differently?
Take a moment to recognize and name your ability to move differently through adversity.
Finally,
I'll ask you to look at a stimulus that causes you joy or contentment.
You might choose some kind words received from a loved one,
The sound of a friend laughing,
A mental snapshot of a prized memory,
The feeling of the sun on your face or a heart made full by gratitude.
Again,
I'll ask you three questions with a pause after each.
And for the third,
Know that in seeking difference,
I'm not asking you to move away from joy,
But deeper into it.
If you are looking at the pool,
How might you swim around in it?
What name would you give the feeling this joyful stimulus brings up for you?
Where do you think this feeling comes from?
Without denying the reality of the present moment,
How might you enable yourself to feel this joy more fully?
Take a moment to recognize and name your ability to turn more fully toward joy.
As we conclude,
I invite you to take a deep breath in and breathe out,
Another deep breath in and let it go.
Notice the state of your mind and how you feel after our practice together.
With your eyes still closed or your gaze lowered,
Take a moment to check in with yourself.
Take a moment to celebrate your ability to seek out,
Create,
And choose responses that best serve you.
When you're ready,
I invite you to open your eyes.
Thank you to UVA's Contemplative Sciences Center for having me.
Thank you again to Carolyn Knaan.
Thank you to all our sponsors.
Thank all of you for attending and sharing in this practice with me.
I wish you all a good day,
A good start to your week,
And hope to see you at the next meditation on the lawn.
