Mindful Movement & Rest as Resistance
Instructor: Daniel Shaw
This class invites students to slow down, breathe, and reconnect with their bodies as a form of both wellness and quiet rebellion. Through walking meditations, mindful stretching, and accessible movement, we’ll explore how awareness can dissolve stress and restore balance in daily life. Inspired by Tricia Hersey’s Rest Is Resistance, we’ll treat rest not as escape but as liberation—an act of reclaiming our humanity in a culture that glorifies constant productivity.
Each week blends gentle activity with mindfulness and reflection. Expect to move, walk, and occasionally pause completely still. No experience is necessary; all levels are welcome. We’ll begin with foundational mindfulness practices—breath, attention, embodiment—and gradually build toward a more fluid, intuitive connection between movement and awareness. As the weather improves, we’ll take advantage of Reed’s beautiful campus for outdoor practice.
Goals: develop a consistent mindfulness and movement practice; learn tools for nervous-system regulation; experience rest as a creative, restorative, and socially conscious act; and explore autonomy, cooperation, and collective care through embodied awareness.
…… Section 1: Mondays & Wednesdays, 3:40-4:30pm
…… Section 2: Mondays & Wednesdays, 5:10-6:00pm