Centering as Contemplative Inquiry and Practice: Teaching, Learning, and Living in the Anthropocene

Authors

• Jennifer L. Schneider, Oklahoma State UniversityFollow

Submission Type

General Submission

Abstract

The Anthropocene may be an inescapable trap—one unwittingly shaped by human ways of relating to self, others, and the more-than-human world. While dominant discourses surrounding this epoch often evoke fear, apocalypse, or blame, how might it also invite us, as humans, into an opportunity for more holistic and contemplative education. This paper explores “centering,” a contemplative concept and practice introduced by curriculum theorist James Macdonald (1995), as a regenerative way of engaging with the Anthropocene through lived experience. Drawing from research on a graduate-level place-based course and an arts-based, pragmatic inquiry, I explore how centering can foster attunement to place, self, and relationality. The paper argues that centering offers an alternative to disembodied and displaced educational experiences—so prevalent within the Anthropocene—by reconnecting mind, body, and environment in meaningful, situated ways.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Schneider, Jennifer L. (2026) "Centering as Contemplative Inquiry and Practice: Teaching, Learning, and Living in the Anthropocene," Journal of Contemplative and Holistic Education: Vol. 4: Iss. 1, Article 1.
Available at: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/jche/vol4/iss1/1