Spotlight on Body Disciplines
ITP is one of the few accredited institutions in the world that offers a broad range of Masters and Ph.D. level courses in various fields related to Transpersonal Psychology. The coursework of the Institute is divided among six areas of holistic learning including the physical, or the practice of a body discipline. All residential students are required to study the art of Aikido during their first year in their respective program. The Institute also houses an ongoing Aikido club, open to both the students of the school and the general public. In the second year, students have the option to continue with Aikido, or take on another body discipline such as yoga or authentic movement.
Aikido
According to Osensei, the Founder of Aikido, the goals of Aikido are: (1) to purify ourselves so that divine energy flows freely through us; and (2) to make the world one family. In Aikido class we will practice: centering and balance under pressure, on the mat and in daily life; blending, physically and energetically; opening the heart when attacked; and basic Aikido techniques including kokyu dosa, irimi nage, ikkyo, shiho nage, ten-chi nage, kote-gaeshi, forward rolls.
Hatha Yoga
In the first quarter the principles of hatha yoga and pranayama are presented. The focus of the class work is to develop awareness of the body/mind: swadhyaya (self study) through the practice of twelve basic asanas, surya namaskar (sun salutation) and pranayama. There is a short meditation at the end of each class. There will be an introduction to the sacred texts: Bhagavagita, The Upanishads, and The Yoga Sutras and time for discussion and questions. We will go on a field trip to the Baylands for one class meeting in October to develop awareness of the five elements – both inner and outer – while taking asanas in the outdoors.
Hatha Yoga and Chakrology - the applied science of emotional healing
The goal of this course is to develop a deeper understanding of the physical body as well as the mental and subtle bodies through the practices of hatha yoga, pranayama, meditation, and using the chakra system. A brief overview of the course will be introduced in the first class. Each subsequent class will focus on a specific area of the physical and subtle bodies and the related chakra while taking asanas that will bring awareness, movement, and possibly healing to that specific part of the body. The student will learn to discriminate characteristic patterns of energy and discover how the asanas can help release or strengthen the body/mind.
Mind/Body Integration: Movement
This course will be a personal and collective experiential journey through the moving body, exploring the mind-body-spirit connection and some educational/therapeutic techniques and uses of movement. Each class will involve movement exploration, possibly occasional drawing, writing, or vocalizing as well, with time for discussion. Students will work alone, in pairs, small groups, and as a whole, having experiences as movers/dancers and witnesses. Homework will include some movement explorations, and keeping a journal in which to record experiences and responses. There may be occasional reading, which the instructor will provide, to supplement the experiential material.
Mind/Body Integration: Continuum Movement
This experiential course introduces students to the practice, theories, and methods of working with the fluid nature of the human organism. Students will learn the practice of Continuum Movement which includes the precise use of breath, sound, and movement to access more fluidity in the body. The focus is to explore intrinsic micromovements and the expression of them to increase understanding of one's own movements and the movements of others. The ability to track one's intrinsic movements enables the mover to become actually aware of inner sensations and emotions beyond habitual patterns. This practice will enhance tracking skills in seeing subtle shifts of sensate states in others. This is especially important in the therapeutic interaction to understand the emotional and physiological changes that occur in the processing phase for the client. Continuum Movement has been used in the healing process of spinal cord injuries, chronic pain, and trauma with much success.
