PSYC 10
Yoga, Mindfulness and Creativity Winter 2020

This is not the current course catalog

Class Details

The greatest obstacles to creativity are distraction and stress. The goal of this course is to unplug, refresh, and reunite with your creative, productive, true self. Exploring the correlation between yoga, mindfulness and creativity, we will practice yoga, tour the wonderful museums in our area, make individual mandalas in an art workshop, and go on a 2-night/3-day stay at the renowned yoga retreat Kripalu. In this class, focused primarily on yoga, students will meet 4 – 5 hours per week to practice open-level yoga, and explore the core asanas (yoga poses), healthy alignment, asana variations and creative sequencing, as well as other techniques to cultivate mindfulness: pranayama (breath work) and meditation. Time in the yoga studio will be complemented by visits to the Clark Art Institute, the Williams College Museum of Art, and MassMoCA. In these museums, we will be guided by museum staff and learn how their philosophies and practices relate to our focus on creativity and mindfulness. We will take ample time for mindful observation, and some of our yoga practice may take place inside these museum galleries. Throughout the course, students will be expected to journal on various open-ended prompts and occasionally discuss them. After the first two weeks we will participate in a mandala making workshop led by local artist Zoe Doucette. Whether we think of ourselves as artistic or not, this workshop will encourage us to create something visually unique and personally meaningful. The highlight of the course will come at the end, when we’ll spend two nights and three days at the world-renowned yoga retreat Kripalu, located in nearby Stockbridge, MA, where students will be free to explore a variety of classes and yoga styles, vegan food, meditation, and more. Back on campus, we will end the course in the same biometrics lab in which the course began, in order to assess how our yoga practice and breathing techniques have affected our heart rates. Final projects will consist of 1. Regular journal entries 2. Creative visual project (mandala or other) 3. 3-5-page research paper or 3-5-minute presentation on breathing techniques or guided meditation. Adjunct Instructor Bio: Mary Edgerton is a certified yoga instructor at Williams College. She also teaches throughout Berkshire County through her business NightSkyYoga.com.
The Class: Format: lecture
Limit: 15
Grading: pass/fail only
Requirements/Evaluation: journaling 3x/week and final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment Preferences: preference will be given to seniors
Materials/Lab Fee: $360 and approximately $30 for books

Class Grid

Course Catalog Archive Search

TERM/YEAR
TEACHING MODE
SUBJECT
DIVISION



DISTRIBUTION



ENROLLMENT LIMIT
COURSE TYPE
Start Time
End Time
Day(s)