Marc Brackett examines his own challenges dealing with emotions, explains the latest science of emotion regulation, and provides a set of practical, evidence-based strategies to help us use our feelings wisely to nurture healthy relationships, achieve ambitious goals, and experience greater well-being. At the heart of his message is acceptance: There are no bad emotions—only emotions we don't understand or know how to direct in positive, intentional ways. This event is free.
Past CSC Events
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Join us for this talk with Asa Jackson, multidisciplinary artist, curator, and director or the McColl Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Jackson will discuss his work on display in the lobby of the Contemplative Commons. Titled Daybreak (Dawn of Consciousness 2), the work—composed of fabrics cut and sewn together—explores the cross section of textiles from various countries, time periods, and personal histories, transforming fabric into visual narratives.
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Metaphor – using a more concrete example to express a more abstract idea or experience – is a fundamental feature of literature and language. The study of metaphor as a feature of language has long been central to literary studies. The study of Buddhist literature has given some attention to metaphor, drawing primarily from literary studies. In this workshop we week to identify features of metaphorical expression that are often a work in Buddhist contemplative literature. For UVA Graduate Students and Faculty.
Join us for this special event with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche of Serenity Ridge; founder and spiritual director of Ligmincha International; and teacher and meditation master in the Bön Buddhist tradition of Tibet. Renowned for his ability to translate ancient Tibetan practices and traditions to practical steps for us to effectively manage the stress and pressures of our times. With a fascination for the use of modern technology to deepen our contemplative practices and wellbeing, and the father of a college-age adult, Rinpoche will share his thoughts and invite conversation for how to find serenity within ourselves and support it in each other.
Unlock your AI Edge at this pizza and info session to learn more about the CARELab™ Mayor's Challenge for Community Change - 2026.
Artificial intelligence is being celebrated by techno-optimists as setting humanity on a glidepath into utopian futures of frictionless choice. Techno-pessimists warn that AI poses an existential threat to humanity and may curtail our abilities to choose our own futures. Distinguishing between AI tools and intelligent technology, this talk by Peter Hershock (University of Hawaii) will take a coevolutionary, "middle path" approach to understanding and responding to developments along the agential frontiers of human-AI interdependence to realize more humane futures for all.
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS! Theme: “Nature and the Built Environment.” The Contemplative Sciences Center's Student Art Showcase invites UVA students to explore the relationship between the natural world and human-made design. How do architecture, landscapes, and everyday structures coexist with, or stand apart from, nature? Where do we find beauty, tension, or harmony in this intersection? Artists are encouraged to reflect on how environments, both organic and constructed, shape our experiences, identities, and ways of seeing the world. Artists are encouraged to interpret this theme in their own way.
Whether you'd like to learn American Mahjong or you already love the game and want to sharpen your skills, join us for a variety of curated sessions March 24-27, 2026. (National Mah Jongg League Rules.) Sessions will be led by a certified teacher. All levels encouraged to participate. Free and open to all.
Are you feeling guilty, overwhelmed, or anxious about climate change and ecological loss? Do you hold grief or feel numb? Come express, explore, and receive support for your climate distress at the Climate Confession Booth with visiting Ecological Minister, Adam Lobel. The process can be just a few minutes. All are welcome.
This discussion treats ‘nature’ as both a lived reference point for contemplative practice and a charged, historically overdetermined term—less a stable object “out there” than a scene of negotiation where bodies, concepts, and the more-than-human co-compose what counts as real. Holding this tension, the workshop explores practices of contemplative naturalness in the early Tibetan Dzogchen and Chinese Chan traditions—noncoercive awareness and effortless cultivation alongside the modern need to meet climate grief, guilt, anxiety, and responsibility as weather moving through the nervous system and the elements. Inspired by contemporary eco-poetics and decolonial critique, we follow the genealogies of physis, natura, rang byung, and ziran while foregrounding the claim that the modern distinction between nature and culture sits at the heart of colonial modernity and its enduring ethical, ecological, and technological consequences.
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As the days grow longer and the earth begins to soften, we’re invited to do the same. Emerging Light is a four-week meditation series designed to gently guide you from winter’s stillness into spring’s quiet awakening. Together we’ll clear what feels heavy, reconnect with breath and energy, tend to what is beginning to grow, and step forward with renewed clarity and intention.
The CSC programming team will be hosting a peer led yoga nidra session to help introduce students to new types of practice and to provide a restful space for students to engage in restorative practice. Yoga nidra, often called “yogic sleep,” is a guided meditation practice that leads you into a state of conscious deep relaxation — somewhere between waking and sleep.
The Mahjong Club at UVA, in collaboration with the Contemplative Sciences Center, will be hosting a Lucky Lunar Mahjong night! Whether you are new to the game or an experienced player, enjoy some friendly competition with friends. The event will take place at the Contemplative Sciences Center, Studio 3B from 5:30 - 7:30 PM. Food from Got Dumplings (Opens in new window) will be provided!
Spontaneous forms of thought such as mind-wandering foster creativity and exploration. But digital technologies may be crowding out spontaneity: In the past, during idle times such as waiting for a bus, our minds were more accustomed to wandering. Now we are stuck on our phones. How can we make room for spontaneity in a digital world?
Come relax, enjoy a refreshing drink, and write a note to someone special!
Join the Contemplative Sciences Center for some casual crafting and Valentine's Day candy grams! All materials will be provided.
Join fellow students for an Acoustic Jam Session on Monday, February 9, 2026 from 5:00 - 7:00 pm in the Contemplative Commons Studio 1B! Bring instruments to play or simply come to enjoy the music & community. Refreshments will be provided!
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The Active Series was developed by Sharath Jois and derived from a traditional Ashtanga Yoga practice. It retains all the benefits of the traditional method keeping the linking of movement with breath but includes new more accessible postures for a wider range of students in a modern age and setting. Students from all levels will be able to participate in a non-intimidating inclusive setting.
For Students: Join fellow students for a facilitated retreat on cultivating happiness despite being surrounded by relentless pressure, pace, and uncertainty. Facilitated by and in collaboration with Student Health & Wellness and the Contemplative Sciences Center. Free, registration required. THIS EVENT IS FULL.
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The Active Series was developed by Sharath Jois and derived from a traditional Ashtanga Yoga practice. It retains all the benefits of the traditional method keeping the linking of movement with breath but includes new more accessible postures for a wider range of students in a modern age and setting. Students from all levels will be able to participate in a non-intimidating inclusive setting. Classes are open to all.