Movement and Mindfulness

Description

What can we do to achieve healthy bodies, minds, and spirits, sometimes referred to as being in the “flow”? In this intensive two-quarter program, students will broaden their ability to recognize healthy behaviors that integrate body, mind, and spirit as we develop our connection to the natural world.

During fall quarter we will study kinesiology, exercise physiology, and Pilates while developing a regular practice of yoga and meditation. We will study a variety of topics that give us clues about how our bodies’ healing processes work, from science and medicine to meditation, consciousness-studies, and wisdom literature. Through physical activity, writing, journaling, and critical reflection, we will learn how the body moves, how to maximize various physiological processes, and how to integrate our interior lives and imaginative processes with outer experience, healthy practices, and our relationships to the natural world.

During winter quarter we will develop our understanding of our body’s health, fitness, and nutrition as we begin to train ourselves as athletes, develop basic wilderness skills, and study sustainability, environmental literature, and practices of meditation, pilgrimage, and engagement with the natural world. We will add strength training to our practice of yoga, meditation, pilates, and outdoor education. As we continue to develop an understanding of sports nutrition and to appreciate the delicate balance of our body’s internal environment, we will explore food as fuel, as well as its historic and symbolic roles. We'll investigate where food comes from, ethno-botany, various practices and rituals around food gathering and preparation, and food for backpacking. We will accommodate different fitness levels as we test and track our progress. Field-work will include day trips to the Olympics or Mt. Rainier for winter hiking or snowshoeing.