A Serene Segue: Examining College Student’s Perceptions of Starting Classes with Micro-Meditations

Abstract

College students are directly immersed in the Age of Distraction brought on by advances in technology and information overload. During the COVID-19 pandemic, students also reported unprecedented stress and anxiety. In this research, I studied the experiences of 61 undergraduate and graduate students at a private college by starting classes with a brief meditation using a Tibetan Singing Bowl as an “attention bridge” to transition from outside life to classroom instruction. Findings suggest that students believe the pre-class meditation produced states of calmness, helped reset their minds, and created a more supportive learning environment, though a smaller number experienced difficulty with the practice or reported no benefit.

Keywords:

• Contemplative pedagogy
• higher education teaching
• meditation
• Tibetan singing bowl