As it becomes challenging to remain balanced by tending to both mental and physical wellbeing, Duquesne students are learning to understand the relationship between mind and body—through the practice of yoga.
“We all have a tendency to get caught up in our heads,” said Dr. Michael Harrington, associate philosophy professor. “That’s especially hard to avoid if you’re a student, since you have to be planning for the next class or for the next assignment.”
A registered yoga teacher, Harrington developed the Yoga Philosophy and Practice course as a way to combine classical yoga texts and contemporary philosophy of the body. “Yoga philosophy helps us understand the relationship between the mind and body,” Harrington explained. “In the yoga studio, we engage in a practice where the mind and body support each other, rather than work against each other.”
Harrington teaches his students both traditional yoga philosophy and 20th-century philosophy of the body, then takes their knowledge to the yoga studio to put the techniques into practice.
The class meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays each week. Students learn about yoga concepts and philosophy on Tuesdays, and on Thursdays, they head to the Power Center to practice yoga and reflect on what they have learned.
“In most of my classes, we don’t get the chance to apply concepts directly like this. That’s part of what’s rewarding about teaching yoga philosophy,” said Harrington. “Yoga concepts are designed to be put into practice. We’d be missing the point if we just studied them in the classroom.”