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JCS Editor • February 20, 2026ISCR 2025 Contemplative Studies Update
From November 3rd to the 6th, 2025, the International Society for Contemplative Research (ISCR) held its third academic conference. The Friday Conference Center offered a pleasant venue for a week’s worth of professional networking, stimulating lectures, and intermittent contemplative exercises. Walking through the front doors on the first day,… -
JCS Editor • October 30, 2025Fall Contemplative Conferences
ISCR & AAR 2025 Conferences
International Society For Contemplative Research (ISCR) Conference The 3rd Conference of the International Society for Contemplative Research (ISCR) will be held on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from November 3-6, 2025. The ISCR 2025 Conference is an international… -
JCS Editor • March 27, 2025Call for Submissions
ISCR Conference 2025
Abstracts and Proposals Due April 30th, 2025 The 3rd Conference of the International Society for Contemplative Research (ISCR) will be held on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from November 3-6, 2025. The ISCR 2025 Conference is… -
Ame Wren • January 9, 2025Sharath Jois
The Active Series
On November 8, 2024, the Contemplative Sciences Center hosted teacher, practitioner, and lineage holder of Ashtanga yoga, Sharath Jois, for an event revealing his new series, The Active Series, and accompanying book by the same name. The event was cohosted… -
JCS Editor • October 18, 2024Contemplative Studies Panels at AAR Conference
November 23-26, 2024
The Contemplative Studies Unit at the American Academy of Religion is sponsoring three panels at the annual conference in San Diego, CA from November 23-26, 2024: Confucian Contemplation: Historical Landscape and Contemporary Significance. Saturday, 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM. Convention… -
JCS Editor • November 16, 2023ISCR 2nd Annual Conference
The International Society for Contemplative Research is holding their 2nd annual conference in Padova, Italy from June 19 – 23, 2024. The deadline to submit abstracts is January 31, 2024. Please visit www.iscrconference.org or email admin@contemplativeresearch.org for more details. -
JCS Editor • October 26, 2023Contemplative Studies Panels at AAR Conference
November 18-21, 2023
The Contemplative Studies Unit at the American Academy of Religion is sponsoring five panels at the annual conference in San Antonio, TX from November 18-21, 2023: Spirit Medicine toward Ethical and Decolonial Psychedelic Research and Praxis. Saturday, 9:00 AM –… -
JCS Editor • May 10, 2023CONFERENCE RECAP
Generative Contemplation Symposium at University of Virginia, April 2023
The Contemplative Sciences Center (CSC) at the University of Virginia (UVA) hosted its first Generative Contemplation Symposium in Charlottesville, Virginia from April 20-21, 2023. This gathering convened religious studies scholars, philosophers, cognitive neuroscientists, artists, and Buddhist practitioners to present their… -
JCS Editor • March 16, 2023CONFERENCE RECAP
International Society for Contemplative Research (ISCR) 2023
The International Society for Contemplative Research (ISCR) held its inaugural conference in San Diego from February 2-5, 2023. The conference promoted interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration amongst diverse fields including Neuroscience, Psychological and Social Sciences, Education and Developmental Sciences, Philosophy, Religion…
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JCS Editor • February 20, 2026
ISCR 2025 Contemplative Studies Update
From November 3rd to the 6th, 2025, the International Society for Contemplative Research (ISCR) held its third academic conference. The Friday Conference Center offered a pleasant venue for a week’s worth of professional networking, stimulating lectures, and intermittent contemplative exercises. Walking through the front doors on the first day,… -
JCS Editor • February 13, 2026AAR 2025 Contemplative Studies Update
With an Honor Song ringing out, resonantly, at an AAR panel, it’s clear that contemplation as a category, as a way to collect voices, perspectives, and insights, is not just a recapitulation of tired and ingrained modes of academic pursuit. While Contemplative Studies as an organized and self-conscious field is still… -
JCS Editor • January 30, 2026Contemplation + SENSEmaking
Interview with Pir Zia
JCS: I’m so happy to have this opportunity to speak with you, Pir Zia. I’m interested in how you stumbled into the spiritual and contemplative path of your life. Was there anything in your upbringing that encouraged or facilitated this way of living? It does sound like you’ve had a pretty intercontinental life. Did that play a part at all? PZ: Yes,… -
JCS Editor • January 23, 2026Contemplation + Education
An Interview With Robert W. Roeser
JCS: Welcome! Can you tell me a bit about your background in contemplation and education? RR: I’m trained as a PhD in Developmental Science and Education, and I also hold master’s degrees in clinical social work and religion. My research… -
Noah Brown, Harvard Gazette • November 21, 2025Had a bad experience meditating? You’re not alone.
Altered states of consciousness through yoga, mindfulness more common than thought and mostly beneficial, study finds — though clinicians ill-equipped to help those who struggle
Altered states of consciousness associated with practices such as yoga, mindfulness, meditation, and breath work are far more common than expected, according to new research by a team including investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital. Although many people surveyed for the… -
JCS Editor • October 30, 2025
Fall Contemplative Conferences
ISCR & AAR 2025 Conferences
International Society For Contemplative Research (ISCR) Conference The 3rd Conference of the International Society for Contemplative Research (ISCR) will be held on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from November 3-6, 2025. The ISCR 2025 Conference is an international…