How a Global Pandemic United Us in Compassion and Meditation
What happens when a group of Italians and Americans, plus a handful of others from around the globe, come together regularly to meditate during one of the biggest global crises of recent history?
A whole lot of good. Or, as you might say in Italian, “Molto bene.”
When It All Started…
If you rewind to early March of 2020, you might remember that COVID-19 had descended upon Italy with its full force. I watched with disbelief as I saw online images and videos of terrified Italians holed up in their apartments. At the time, I could never imagine what it would be like to be on lockdown. Of course I had no idea that one week later, we Americans would be in the same boat…but with an ocean between us.
My dear friend, Alessandro Giannandrea, reached out and asked if we could work together to support his fellow Italians. As a clinical psychologist, college professor, and mindfulness instructor in Pescara, Italy, Alessandro was well-suited to step up and soothe the suffering of his community. Of course I jumped at the chance to help. I’m a compassion facilitator and founder of the nonprofit Compassion It, and I would have done almost anything to feel something other than utterly helpless in that moment.
Our Idea
We brought Americans and Italians together for a self-compassion meditation via Zoom on Monday, March 16, 2020. I led the practice, and Alessandro translated each line into Italian. Well over 100 people from around the world joined us, and I wish I had words to explain how it felt. Somehow I could see compassion oozing out of those Zoom squares. Perhaps I saw it in the shared tears? Or the warm smiles? Or maybe I didn’t see anything, but I felt something I had never truly felt before…the undeniable interconnectedness of our world.
Alessandro and I decided on the spot to offer a meditation the following day as well, and we just kept going. That one-time practice became a daily gathering of many of the same friendly-looking squares. We led daily compassion and lovingkindness meditations in English and Italian every Monday through Friday for months. After each 30-minute practice, we guided the group in debriefing and answered questions for another 20 minutes.
Those individual Zoom squares eventually formed a strong, compassionate, connected community in the midst of extreme disconnection. We found comfort in our common humanity, and that ocean between us seemed to disappear.
Conducting Research
Alessandro and I shared the belief that these daily compassion meditation sessions tremendously benefited our participants, and we also had data. Before and after each practice, we asked participants to rate how they felt on a scale of 1-10. We also saved the comments participants wrote in the chat.
One of the regular participants, Dara Friedman-Wheeler, Ph.D., reached out to see if she could analyze the data we had been collecting. As a psychologist and researcher, she believed that by compiling the data, we could show the power of bi-lingual online compassion meditations during a global pandemic. Alessandro recruited Italian researchers Monica Martoni and Marco Mirolli to support Dara’s research efforts.
Dara compiled the data we had collected. The research, published in the Italian journal Dromo in July 2021, showed an obvious improvement in mood from the beginning of the practice to the end. Across the 20 days, mood after the meditation (7.36, on the 1-10 scale) was significantly higher than the mood before (6.33).
Monica analyzed the comments that participants wrote in the Zoom chat, and that qualitative data also supported the benefits of the meditations.
Impact on Participants
When Alessandro and I led self-compassion meditations, we included the practice of soothing touch, like placing a hand on the heart or giving oneself a hug, as a method for providing gentle comfort. Participants appreciated learning this tool for self-compassion, and one participant shared, “It has been a very good experience for me, especially when I embrace myself. I felt warmed and safe and loved.”
We led interdependence meditations and invited participants to consider how many people contributed to making their favorite meal. After one of the meditations, one participant stated, “I thought of the saffron risotto I cooked yesterday. It is the first time I have ever stopped to think about how many people contribute to our well-being…”
Participants shared that they felt “grounded and calm,” “empowered,” “centered,” and, “an inner sense of peace.”
The qualitative data also indicated that participants appreciated being a part of the community we formed. If one of the regulars didn’t make it, someone would mention it. If someone got a haircut, the community noticed! One experienced meditator wrote, “I’ve been doing this meditation for three or four months by myself, but God… doing it together with so many other people is AWESOME!!!” Another said, “I cannot miss this appointment with you, for me it is a caress to the heart.”
Saying Goodbye
At the end of every practice, everyone unmuted and said goodbye and thank you, often in the language that was not their own (“grazie a tutti”/“thank you, everyone”). One participant shared, “Thanks to the whole community. An increasingly enveloping energy is released. The feeling of receiving a big hug.”
We know in our hearts that meditating in community matters, and the research points to the same conclusion. Oceans and languages don’t need to separate us anymore, and we can embrace each other with virtual hugs (or abbracci).
Now, if only Zoom could instantly bring fresh pasta from Italy to my living room.
***Our daily sessions inspired Alessandro to create an online meditation group for Italians, Italia Mindfulness, which continues to offer free meditations and is a thriving community.