It’s nearing the end of the day and as the sun dips below the skyline, washing the glow of the late afternoon in cerulean haze, I settle down to the hum of my laptop and the whirring of cars outside; Karen’s balmy voice welcomes me back. This is a regular routine on days when I know I have contemplative practice which, in sum, is an attempt to integrate one’s somatic experience during information consumption to sharpen focus and increase retention, or in other words: navigate and conquer the whole of distractions your body is fighting against! 

I remember the Living Systems practice very well, as I found this method not only helped me remember things said during the video more than I usually would, but also heightened my emotional responses. I found myself absorbing the message in an empathetic sense. A despair settled loosely in my heart when the visualization of complex, reciprocal systems of life clashed with my seasoned and learned individualism; the mention of embedding myself in social systems especially stung, as this crisis has made it difficult to escape the immediacy of my own four-hundred square foot system. Yet, each feeling passed like a cloud in the sky, speaking to Karen’s claim that deep contemplation can help offset distress and distraction when dealing with heavy topics. I found myself dialing my mom after, maybe not entirely out of my own will.

Via Springhouse Community School

Post-exercise, I tend to engage with things- living and nonliving, distant and nearby- with more attention and care⏤ although, the speed and quality of information I tend to consume casually can quickly unravel this. I’d be open to continuing this practice regularly for myself. Something silly struck me about these exercises in early April. I was a bit too skittish, not willing to keep my eyes closed for more than 10 seconds at a time. Now I find it’s added a richness to both personal and academic aspects of my life.