Cultivating a Heart Space: The Role of Eros in Facilitating Campus Group Meditation

• In Event: 43.049 - Contemplative Pedagogies and Profound Transformation of Teaching, Learning, and Being

Abstract

While many recent studies in contemplative practices focus on the personal, health-related benefits of meditation and mindfulness, a few are now also exploring the interpersonal dynamics which arise when people practice meditation together in groups. Drawing from the authors’ lived experiences of facilitating group meditation practices, this paper uses narrative inquiry to explore the qualities and approaches that group meditation facilitators provide for their participants to foster an open and caring heart space. Authors share ways in which they manage the environment to encourage contemplation, as well as an orientation of yielding and surrendering to the mystery of the present moment, which has helped them maintain a non-dogmatic approach to their own meditation practices. The emphasis in the dynamics is fostering a space where participants can be genuinely curious and discovery-minded, rather than trying to impose an interpretive framework or philosophy on the meditation practice. The authors suggest ways in which meditation group facilitators can continue their self-development, but most importantly cultivate an attitude of always beginning, never finishing their journeys, and always open to what they can learn from fellow meditation practitioners.

Authors

• Keith Anthony Brown, Governors State University

• John Miller, University of Toronto