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CONTEMPLATIVE SCIENCES CENTER

Combining contemplation, connection, and research to enhance flourishing

WELCOME!

The mission of the University of Virginia's Contemplative Sciences Center is to fuse contemplation, connection, and research to enhance flourishing. Situated within the new Contemplative Commons, the center creates opportunities that center mind-body practices for well-being, insight, and compassion in all aspects of life—social, emotional, physical, and professional. An innovator in multidisciplinary collaboration, the center's CIRCL lab conducts research on initiatives that combine contemplative and experiential learning to generate novel solutions to a wide range of personal and global challenges. Learn More 

Contemplative Commons

403 Emmet Street S.
Charlottesville, VA 22903
phone: 434-982-6057
email: csc@virginia.edu

Contemplative Sciences Center at the Contemplative Commons
The Contemplative Commons
Your space for joy, rest, growth, exploration, and learning
Contemplative Commons Golden Light Brown College
Group of CCSAs
Ninfeo installation room with blue and green lighted blocks and person
Aerial view of the Contemplative Commons
Looking down into the Courtyard of the Commons
The Contemplative Commons under the moon from across the bridge
CIRCL
Man planing guitar at soft opening of Contemplative Commons
Brain Symposium Lecture in the Convergence Hall.
People seated in group at a salon on the topic of Contemplation
People embracing during Research Open House
Contemplative Commons Evening
Group of Citizen Leader Fellows
Contemplative Commons from over the Dell looking toward UVA Grounds
People talking at Research Open House

Featured
at the Commons

Meditation from the Dell
An image of trees behind the dell pond. the trees are various shades of green and orange.
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays
12 - 12:30pm
Join us for a short, guided meditation at the Contemplative Commons. Enjoy the pause, helping to set the tone for the rest of your day.
Learn More

All Events

Upcoming
Events
at the Commons

Students practice Ashtanga Yoga, reaching their arms up towards the ceiling in a room with wooden floors
Drop-in

Ashtanga Yoga: Mysore-Style Sessions (Mon-Thu) - Spring 2025

Starts Jan 8, 2025
Mondays to Thursdays
5:30 - 8:30am
Yoga class touching toes
Drop-in

Ashtanga Yoga: Sanskrit-Counted Led Primary Series

Starts Jan 10, 2025
Fridays
6:30 - 8am
Stock photo of a cup of chai with pods of star anise and cardamom
Drop-in

Chai & Chats: Yoga Q&A

Starts Jan 10, 2025
Fridays
8 - 9am
A group of students practicing yoga. They sit with their legs straight and reach towards their toes.
Drop-in

Open Practice Studio

Starts Jan 13, 2025
Mondays to Fridays
6 - 8am
yoga class yoga pose hands above head
Drop-in

Beginner Ashtanga Yoga

Starts Jan 14, 2025
Mondays to Thursdays
8 - 9am

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Research

Researchers at the CIRCL Lab

CIRCL

CIRCL is a dynamic experimental space and a transdisciplinary research collaborative of faculty at UVA and beyond invested in humanistic, scientific, and creative understandings and applications of contemplation. Read about our studies. Learn More 

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Journal of Contemplative Studies

To support the dissemination of contemplative knowledge, CSC publishes the Journal of Contemplative Studies—a peer-reviewed, open-access journal that publishes original research and scholarship on topics related to contemplative practices. Learn More

A woman giving a lecture with a projected piece of art in the background

SALON

We convene monthly curated transdisciplinary public dialogues on topics related to contemplative research in the Contemplative Commons. Scholars, scientists, artists, and specialists from diverse perspectives are invited to share their work in the format of a facilitated dialogue to generate, leverage, and advance collective knowledge. Learn More