Description
For thousands of years, contemplative practitioners have discovered that sitting in stillness and presence does something unexpected: it generates creative expression of unusual depth and beauty in the form of poetry.

From the dohas of medieval North India to the enlightenment songs of Tibetan masters, from the verse of Chinese monk-poets to the death poems of Zen teachers, this connection runs through the heart of every major contemplative tradition. The poem emerges from within the meditation rather than being added to it.

What all of these traditions share is a realization that the practice of meditation opens up a quality of perception, a kind of attention, and a relationship to language distinct from ordinary consciousness.

Drawing on a lifetime of Buddhist contemplative study, the neuroscience of stillness, and direct experience of the practice, Polly Ryan and Robert Thomas  will explore sitting as a fundamental human creative act, one with deep centuries-old roots, urgent contemporary relevance, and the capacity to generate meaning, connection, and beauty in an increasingly fragmented world.

This presentation introduces a contemporary practice of sitting together and collective poetry, a living experiment in how pausing intimately together with others creates the conditions for shared expressive emergence.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Describe the relationship between meditation practice and poetic expression in contemplative traditions.

2. Describe the psychological and physiological benefits of stillness and mindful presence for both helping professionals and clients.

3. Explain neuroscientific findings that support creativity emerging from contemplative stillness.

4. Apply the practice of sitting together and collective poetry in clinical or group settings.