Institute for Communication and Religion Hosts Guest Speaker for Meditation Workshop

As part of Seton Hall’s Contemplative Community Week, the Institute for Communication and Religion (ICR) hosted a Meditation and Mindful Breathing Workshop, featuring guest speaker Pradeep B. Deshpande, Ph.D. The workshop took place September 17 at Seton Hall’s Interprofessional Health Science Campus in Nutley. Deshpande guided students through an hour-long meditation and mindful breathing exercise, meant to encourage students to reconnect with their bodies and release stress. 

As professor emeritus in and former chair of the chemical engineering department at the University of Louisville, Deshpande serves as president of Six Sigma and Advanced Controls in Louisville, Kentucky. He has authored several books and over 100 journal articles. 

Deshpande shared his thoughts on the importance of meditation and other mindful practices. “From academics to athletics and everything in between, emotional excellence is the key to success, but for progress, the required positive changes have to come about from within,” he said

ICR Director Jon Radwan, Ph.D. participated in the session and shared his enthusiasm for Deshpande's work. “Contemplative Community Week helps us learn to connect knowledge with spiritual practice. Here at Seton Hall, all students read the Bhagavad Gita so we know ‘about’ meditation, but not everyone learns to ‘do’ meditation," Radwan said. "Watching Deshpande’s session can help us connect understanding with mindful breathing to develop mental discipline and focus.” 

A digital version of the workshop is available now on the ICR’s PodBean. 

About the Institute for Communication and Religion 
The Institute for Communication and Religion (ICR) is an affiliated unit within Seton Hall University’s College of Human Development, Culture, and Media. Religious traditions are primary drivers for social action across humanity’s full moral range, from care through violence. Launched with THRUST funding in Fall 2017, the ICR is an interdisciplinary nexus for communication and media scholarship addressing the critical intersection between religion and society. Guided by Nostra Aetate’s spirit of ecumenical and interreligious cooperation, the Institute seeks to engage in public dialogue and debate, promote academic inquiry and support religious dimensions of creativity. Our values are Seton Hall’s values: servant leadership, curricular innovation and intellectual excellence.

For more information, visit the Institute for Communication and Religion website.

Categories: Health and Medicine