Tag: class

U of T’s first Afro-Caribbean dance workshop: 10/10 would go again and again

This past Monday, Move U and U of T’s Black Students’ Association hosted the university’s first Afro-Caribbean dance workshop. It was one of many highlights of my four years at U of T. Seriously. A moving image generated from a clip from the workshop which shows everyone dancing hand in hand.   The hour-and-a-half long workshop was a total blast! It was led by Arsenio Andrade, who was born and trained in Cuba and has performed internationally, and accompanied by the wonderful drumming talent of Richard “Popcorn” Cumberbatch who has been playing Caribbean indigenous drums since the age of 11. There was a great turnout and every single person seemed to be having the time of their lives – I know I was.
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A doodle demonstrates alternate nostril breathing in a series of images.

A mindful moment: yoga and meditation at U of T

Let me start this off by saying I am not a yogi, nor am I a master of the subconscious – or any other level of consciousness for that matter. U of T’s new yoga and meditation programming is inclusive and inviting, and all you need in order to participate is your presence. Yoga and meditation are available across campus five days a week at a variety of times to suit our crazy schedules. It’s drop-in programming so you can go as often or as seldom as you like. If it’s Wednesday, 5:15 p.m. and you’re thinking you’re done for the day, you can pop over to the Goldring Centre and join the “Yoga and Meditation” session which runs from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. It’s flexible – in more than just the obvious sense. That’s the session I had the pleasure of attending this week. It was held in the dance studio/multi-purpose room on the top tier of the Goldring Centre’s strength and conditioning centre. I’d never been in that space before and oh how I wanted to dance! It’s so bright and open, with a wall of mirrors that I could think of many ways to exploit.
The doors to the Goldring fitness studio.
This is the site of all group fitness at the Goldring Centre, for future reference!
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Empty classroom

Arts (and/versus) Science: Tutorials

Most people at U of T (and in life) will generally label themselves as either an "arts/humanities person" or a "math/science person". Being able to pursue (or even have an interest in) both in equal measure certainly creates a lot of rewards, but it also comes with some unique challenges. As someone who's currently doing one arts major + one science major, I have learned that I definitely have to wire my brain differently for courses depending on whether they're an arts course or a science course. Things like studying, taking notes, knowing what to expect from instructor-student relations are different enough in these two areas that sometimes I get caught off guard when I'm not being mindful of when I need to switch my brain from one mode to another.
Arts & Science banner outside of Sidney Smith Hall
Pick your team? (from: news.artsci.utoronto.ca/)
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(Barely) Imparting Senior Student Wisdom

Hello new semester! Don’t you just love the buzz around campus this time of year? You know, its that time in the semester where midterms haven’t taken over life yet, the weather is still amazing and you have a whole new batch of stationary to play with. Okay, that last one only applies to me and a handful of very cool people. It’s also that time of year where I usually make tons of new goals and try extra hard to get this whole studying thing right.  
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Well, That Was a Lot Harder Than it Looked: Circus Silks @ U of T

I walked into my first circus silks class at the Athletic Centre last Friday pretty confident (largely due to the fact that I found my way from the AC change rooms to the Lower Gym in the Benson building on the first try).
Essentially the layout of the Athletic Centre and, of course, University College. Good luck. Background Source: watchervault.com
Essentially the layout of the Athletic Centre and, of course, University College. Good luck.
Background Source: watchervault.com
I wasn’t arrogant — I know I know nothing about aerial silks, but the instructor asked if I had done anything similar or notable and I mentioned that I’ve been coaching gymnastics for over five and a half years and used to do aerial yoga.
This is aerial yoga. 10/10 would recommend. Even if just for the awesome Instagram photos you’ll get out of it. Source: yearningforyoga.wordpress.com
This is aerial yoga. 10/10 would recommend. Even if just for the awesome Instagram photos you’ll get out of it.
Source: yearningforyoga.wordpress.com
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Staying Active When You Really, Truly Don’t Have Time

You know what really grinds my gears? It’s the frequent mentioning in the media, on the Internet, social networks, etc. of the importance of making time to work out. They say there's no such thing as not having enough time to do something active, get out and get moving. While I'm all for cute, inspirational, motivating messages, to me that isn't one. On the contrary, I think it could be a detrimental message.

b287f9011121b6e69d1bdaf3134c84fa
Source: x3sports.com
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