myCSUSM
CENTER FOR CONTEMPLATIVE PRACTICES
Upcoming Events
The Caregivers Path to Wellness: Cultivating Resilience and Renewal (in partnership with the Elizabeth Hospice)
Are you a family caregiver for a loved one who is in hospice care? We invite you and your family to join us for a safe space workshop for sharing experiences, learning mindfulness stress-relief practices, receiving integrative therapies, and taking home practical coping strategies for navigating your world today, real time, real life from time honored field experts. You can join us for one session or the full series. You can join us for any of the sessions listed below at any time.
WHEN: 5:30pm to 8pm on the 2nd Wednesday of each month (April 9, May 14, June 11, July 9, August 13, September 10, October 8, November 12, December 8)
WHERE: Elizabeth Hospice Center, 800 W. Valley Parkway, Suite 100, Escondido, CA 92025
REGISTER: educationalevents@ehospice.org
Dinner will be provided.
For more information, please contact Ranjeeta Basu at rbasu@csusm.edu
These events made possible with funds generously provided by the Picerne Family Foundation: Vision Initiatives Grant.
CONTEMPLATIVE PRACTICES FOR NAVIGATING CHAOTIC TIMES: A HALF-DAY VIRTUAL CONFERENCE FOR EDUCATORS
AUGUST 14, 2025, 9AM TO 1PM PST
DESCRIPTION
We invite you to join us for a half-day international conference on how contemplative practices can help inspire and support us as we traverse the complex terrain of higher education today. The unprecedented events of the last few months have made it evident that we need to prepare ourselves and our students to be resilient in the face of constant uncertainty, to be compassionate and collaborative in our efforts to find solutions to local and global problems, and to acknowledge each other’s humanity and treat each other with respect and dignity. This conference will provide a forum for experts and novices from all fields to explore, learn and share contemplative practices that can help support the educational experience of our students and improve the wellbeing of our faculty, staff and students. Come join us for a conversation about how we can use contemplative practices to traverse the here and now. Our long-term goal is to create a global contemplative community of educators-scholars- practitioners that can nourish and sustain our teaching, research, service, and personal practice.
FORMAT/SESSION DESCRIPTION
The conference will feature three sessions. Each session will include a few 10 to 12 minute presentations focused on a theme followed by breakout room discussions and a full group sharing. We will have mindful/reflective breaks between sessions to allow for quiet contemplation. The three themes are: (i) Contemplative Pedagogy; (ii) Contemplative Practices and Our Natural World; (iii) Contemplative Resistance.
CALL FOR PROPOSALS
Students, educators, researchers, and professionals from all areas of higher education, including faculty, staff, and administrators, are invited to submit proposals for consideration. Students are especially encouraged to submit presentation proposals.
PROPOSAL GUIDELINES
- Proposals must indicate a session theme that is being addressed in the presentation. Please refer to the session description, above, for more information.
- Proposals must include a title and a 250-300 word abstract that describes the proposed offering and connects it to the themes of the conference.
- Proposals must include a brief bio for each presenter.
- The submission deadline for proposals is June 23rd, 2025, at 9pm PST.
- Proposals will be reviewed and selected by the conference’s review committee. We expect to send notifications by the end of June 2025.
Please submit proposals here.
Please register for the conference here.
If you have questions please contact Ranjeeta Basu at rbasu@csusm.edu
About Us
History & Purpose
Contemplative practices have been used for centuries in many diverse traditions including Buddhist practice, to quiet the habitual chatter of the mind, cultivate a capacity for deeper awareness and understanding of one’s purpose, and enhance feelings of connectedness and compassion. Recent research conducted by scientists in a variety of disciplines has empirically supported the value of such practices. The overall purpose of Mindful CSUSM: Center for Contemplative Practices is to provide support to all members of the campus community through contemplative practices, pedagogy and research that foster deep learning, reduced stress, increased capacity for compassionate listening and increased well-being. Our work is based on the premise, best stated by Nelson Mandela that: “If they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love”. Hence, our activities are focused on creating a more just and compassionate community. Learn more about Mindfulness
Our Mission
We wish to foster a community of awareness and appreciation for our own and other's experiences through contemplative practices, pedagogy and research. We affirm that in an increasingly interdependent world, learning to listen with kindness and curiosity generates compassion, connectedness and the ability to see the world from diverse perspectives.
Why Mindfulness?
Now more than ever before, we need to learn how to focus our attention and our energies towards meeting the local and global challenges we collectively face, such as pandemics, climate change, racial tensions, economic insecurity, and mental health crises. The unprecedented events of the last two years have made it evident that for our students to be successful we need to prepare them and ourselves to be resilient in the face of constant uncertainty. We must learn how to engage with people who have different lived experiences and worldviews with the intention of finding a shared purpose grounded in our common humanity. In short, we need to learn how to be more compassionate and how to work together toward the greater good. Having a Center for Contemplative Practices will coalesce our efforts at providing these learning opportunities in a consistent, coordinated, and time-sensitive way.
What Does the Research Say?
Research studies and our own experiences with contemplative pedagogy have demonstrated that mindfulness practices can expand our capacity to be resilient under uncertainty, to be compassionate, to be focused, and to listen to each other with kindness and curiosity. Consistent practice of contemplative techniques can literally change brain functionality and help us use our cognitive, emotional, and physical selves more effectively and foster deep learning. Research has shown that contemplative practices can help students improve readiness to learn, reduce stress and anxiety, increase focused attention, and regulate emotional reactivity. Contemplative pedagogy is now widely recognized and accepted by research and practitioner communities as an innovative and effective teaching practice. It can help create more inclusive, identity-safe student learning communities that have the courage and resilience to listen and learn from each other and together transform the world.
What We Offer
Online & In-Person Mindfulness Sessions
Come join us for a daily dose of mindfulness on a drop-in basis!
- online or in person
- no prior experience necessary
- bring a friend, a family member, or a colleague
Workshops, Retreats, & Courses
We offer 2-hour workshops, half-day retreats, four or six week or semester long courses
- all offerings are free
- no prior experience necessary
Contemplative Pedagogy Workshops
If you are an educator and want to learn more about how you can incorporate contemplative pedagogy into your classes please join us for a workshop, a summer retreat, or a year long faculty learning community.
Attend a Conference
We offer an annual conference in the summer. Please stay tuned for information about our next conference
Research Opportunities
Participate in research opportunities run by our faculty on contemplative practices and the impact of stress, compassion, civic action, and emotional well-being
Service Learning & Internships
We offer service learning and internship opportunities for students every semester.
Here's what some of our students have to say about their experience!
Partner With Us!
We are always open to the possibility of exploring new partnerships and ways of engaging with you.
Invite us to provide a Customized Session for you
We are happy to work with you to provide you or your unit/organization with customized sessions/workshops/ trainings/retreats.
Registration
If you would like to sign up for our mailing list please go to Center for Contemplative Practices Interest Form