Self-Study and Contemplative Traditions–Students investigate what it means to live an optimal life through direct, personal inquiry and self-study, including the practices of yoga and meditation and theories of human development as they relate to themes of self-discovery, growth, and transformation.
Effective Communication–Students learn the skill base needed to practice authentic communication, create community, and effectively engage in meaningful personal and professional relationships.
Healthy Living–Students explore various perspectives on what it means to live a healthy life, including nutrition, physical practices, and integrated medicine, as they create a self-designed daily practice that nurtures body, mind, and spirit.
Meaningful Work–Students discover how skills, passions, core values, and life goals add up to meaningful work in the world, while they gain practical tools and a context for work that keeps them inspired.
Financial Awareness–Students create a life plan that reflects the monetary implications of their visions and learn strategies for financial responsibility that align with their values and lifestyle.
Additional components designed to deepen and support the learning experience include
Because such development takes practice, the Semester Intensive is residential by design. The creation of an intentional and conscious community that acts as a container for individuals to live and learn together is essential in extending the “classroom” beyond a specific time or place. Instead, the Semester Intensive classroom continues and deepens as community members sit down to lunch together, roll out their mats for afternoon yoga practice, and spend time together in evening activities. The learning community becomes a laboratory where everyone can practice, experiment, and grow together with guidance and support.
Our approach to learning requires you to be as committed to the overall health, accountability, and well-being of the group as you are to your own development. Throughout the semester, you will be asked to face yourself and your community members in times of miscommunication and misunderstanding and learn to listen and address conflict. This process will require you to partner with your classmates in learning and, through this immersion process, have the opportunity to practice showing up as your most authentic self.
The practice of yoga—both on and off the mat—weaves all course content and curriculum components together. This means that you will be asked to transfer the skills you strengthen in yoga class—non-judgment, flexibility, objectivity, equilibrium, discipline, self-trust, and compassion—into your day-to-day life, including the ways in which you relate to others, your work, and yourself. This makes the Semester Intensive a rigorous learning experience in an environment dedicated to holistic health. As such, it involves consistent and challenging physical practices, deep emotional and spiritual inquiries, and daily expectations for intentional community living. It demands a great deal of discipline and emotional maturity. The Semester Intensive is not a therapeutic or treatment-oriented program. Nor is it for those who are looking for a vacation from school, family, or other pressures. To enroll in the program, you must be of sound physical and psychological health, flexible in your expectations, and fully committed to all aspects of the practice of yoga, the experiential curriculum, and the community-living experience.