Meditative or Mindful Reading
Meditative or mindful reading is a subjective approach to reading that may complement more objective approaches like the technical analysis of literature.
Introduce students to the following steps and have them apply the steps to a short passage of literature. This exercise can be used as a springboard for class discussion.
1. Prepare:
- Eliminate distractions
- Clear your mind (breathing exercises)
- Calm any anxieties or thoughts
- Allow yourself to be present to the text
2. Read the text slowly and intentionally. Avoid rushing to a goal or trying to find the 鈥渕eaning鈥�. You may need to reread a passage several times.
3. Meditate - What words or phrases "pop out" at you? 鈥淩epeat the words several times. 鈥淟isten鈥� to what the words are saying to you. Let them mix with your personal experiences, memories, or emotions.
4. Contemplate 鈥� sit with the text in silence.
5. Informal Writing鈥擜fter going through the above steps, write about anything that stands out to you as significant; any personal connections to the text or any insights.
Mindful reading can help students increase concentration and focus allowing them to give their full attention to text. The increased focus can lead to deeper analysis and comprehension of the text, which can lead to better critical thinking outcomes. Reducing distractions and being fully immersed in the text can also enhance a reader鈥檚 self awareness and increase empathy with the characters thereby broadening their worldview.
Sample:
Suggested Reading:
- Gadamer, Hans-Georg. Truth and Method, translated by Joel Weinsheimer and Donald G. Marshall, Continuum.
- Haight, Robert. 鈥淭he Classroom Is a Sangha: Contemplative Education in the Community College.鈥� New Directions for Community Colleges, vol. 2010, no. 151, 2010, pp. 29鈥�38.
- Keator, Mary. Lectio Divina as Contemplative Pedagogy: Re-appropriating Monastic Practice for the Humanities. Routledge, 2019.