Many thanks to Annette Sweeney, Culinary Arts Lecturer at Technological University Dublin, for this article about contemplative pedagogy in a discipline that we've not discussed on this blog before. Enjoy! My question is - does contemplative pedagogy have a role in modern culinary education? In the increasingly busy professional kitchen environments, does it have a … Continue reading Yes Chef! Contemplative pedagogy, culinary education and professional culture

I had been reflecting for several days on how to bring this series of responses to the 'The Mindfulness Conspiracy' to a close when I randomly opened a booked of poetry on 'Singapore' by Mary Oliver. I will let you read it before I explain why I thought it relevant. SingaporeMary Oliver In Singapore, in … Continue reading Waking up to suffering and the possibility of change

A response to ‘The Mindfulness Conspiracy’ from Joey Weber at the University of Bolton Manchester Mindfulness should be taught through a social and critical lens, because there is no other authentic way of doing it. Ron’s article raised important questions of how mindfulness is manipulated in contemporary society. The underlying factor when considering whether mindfulness … Continue reading Mindfulness as a prosocial movement

A response to ‘The Mindfulness Conspiracy’ from Roberta Pughe Clinical Director at  The Center for Relationship, LLC. I have been teaching mindfulness and contemplative practice since 1996 integrating techniques from psychology, theology, shamanism and mindfulness.  Let me begin by stating first that mindfulness is designed to create awareness that actually mobilizes activism and offers a … Continue reading Nurturing change through mindfulness ‘one person at a time’

A response to ‘The Mindfulness Conspiracy’ from Dr Patricia Morgan at the University of New South Wales, Sydney. For me there are two central points I think Ron Purser makes in his article “The mindfulness conspiracy” recently published in the Guardian. Firstly, that stripping the practice of mindfulness from Buddhism means it has been removed … Continue reading ‘We are all implicated’: the need for deep critical reflection in the mindfulness movement

A response to ‘The Mindfulness Conspiracy’ from Dr Karen Blakely at the University of Wincester In 1992 Fukayama wrote about the end of history.  There was no more to say - the debate had been won by capitalism, hands down.  From the vantage point of post 2008, we may laugh at this hubris but when … Continue reading Mindfulness, personal integrity and overcoming self-interest

Some very rich and important discussion has been ignited within the mindfulness community by the publication of 'The Mindfulness Conspiracy' by Ronald Purser. Although we don't focus on mindfulness specifically on this blog, it is an important component of contemplative pedagogy and some of the same issues are pertinent. When considering how to respond to … Continue reading Responses to ‘The Mindfulness Conspiracy’: exploring critical and social mindfulness in education

*Or anytime at all! I am very aware that the concepts of individual resilience and self-care are receiving considerable critique at the moment. I think that this is important and timely because the way that they are being used usually overlooks the wider social and economic context in which our struggles arise, placing the responsibility … Continue reading Contemplative self-care for the bank holiday*

Creating our Open Space agenda, Emerson College 2018 As you are probably aware, a few weeks ago we opened the booking for the 2019 Contemplative Pedagogy Symposium in September 2019 - 'Contemplative pedagogy in higher education: building confidence and community ' We know that committing to come to a four day symposium is a big … Continue reading Thoughts from last year’s Contemplative Pedagogy Symposium participants

I was pretty shocked to realise that the last blog was back in February. I hope you are all doing well. This is going to be very brief but I wanted to share with you the resources I have generated during my recent 'Applying Contemplative Pedagogy' series here at Essex. The descriptions of each workshop … Continue reading Applying contemplative pedagogy at the University of Essex