Virtual Meditation on the Lawn
Virtual Meditation on the Lawn was created in October 2020, during the height of the COVID pandemic, to bring an opportunity for contemplative pause and intentional renewal each week to the UVA community and broader public. The weekly program was inspired by the 2013 in-person Meditation on the Lawn with Deepak Chopra and Arianna Huffington. Virtual Meditation on the Lawn is currently not being offered but has been replaced by the comparable Meditation from the Dell on Tuesday mornings. All of the Virtual Meditations on the Lawn were recorded and posted on YouTube. See our playlists for 2020-2021, 2021-2022 and 2022-2023.
From 2021 to 2023 when school was in session, each Monday morning, before the regular work day commenced, alumni, parents, faculty, staff and friends of UVA would gather synchronously online for a moment of reflection and resolve to begin the new day.
The weekly program was a series of short, 15-minute, drop-in guided meditation sessions led by facilitators including CSC contemplative instructors, UVA faculty and staff, and special guests. The program was hosted by CSC and our University partners Compassionate Care Initiative, Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS), FEAP, Hoos Well, Student Affairs, and UVA Clubs. Virtual Meditation on the Lawn was free online to the UVA community and anyone else interested in pausing to cultivate mindfulness, compassion, resilience, and a sense of belonging with others so inclined. Read more about Meditation on the Lawn at UVA Today.
While recordings of all Virtual Meditation on the Lawn sessions are available on CSC’s YouTube channel, they may also be listened to it on the Insight Timer mobile app. Sessions feature UVA leaders and experts, including David Germano, Dorrie Fontaine, Lili Powell, Nicole Ruzek, John Schorling, Ian Solomon, as well as special guests Roshi Joan Halifax, George Mumford, Sharon Salzberg, and more.
MEDITATION RESOURCES
Tips for beginners and general guides for practicing meditation may be found HERE. Additions or adjustments to these guidelines may apply to specific meditation practices and may be provided by individual contemplative instructors leading a particular practice.
