At Exuberant Animal, we take a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to training, health and performance. This orientation is expressed in the mandala, an integration that includes mind, body, spirit, land, tribe and ancestry. This formulation is common in many native traditions, including Australian, African and Native American. Connections between these elements are also described by modern science. We believe that health is best served by keeping our attention on all of these elements.
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Here we refer to the world of cognition, thought and ideas. Our thoughts may be trivial or powerful, but they do not take place in isolation. They can have profound ripple effects on brain and behavior. Training in language arts, mindfulness and cognitive therapies are powerful techniques in this domain. |
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Body refers to the realm of the physical. Here we speak about sweat, muscle, movement and sensation. Clearly, physical experience and exercise are fundamental to health and total human experience. Functional outdoor training, dance, yoga, martial art and other movement forms are ideal for this purpose. |
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From the Latin spiritus ("breath"), spirit is our non-physical experience of life. Obviously, there are many forms, but all are powerfully connected across the mandala, especially to body, mind, land and tribe. Training forms include meditation, contemplation, prayer and engagement with the natural world. |
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Land is habitat and earth. This connection has been largely severed in the modern world, but for native peoples, this link was fundamental to life experience and health. Body, mind and spirit were deeply rooted in the cycles of growth and decay of plants, animals, light and weather. Obviously, preservation of land is essential to our survival: no habitat, no health. |
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Tribe is our human community. In hunter-gatherer societies, this was typically a group of 50-100 people, living together in close-knit circles throughout the lifespan. Discoveries in modern social neuroscience and interpersonal neurobiology demonstrate conclusively our hyper-social nature and the powerful connections between human minds and bodies. |
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Ancestry can have multiple meanings. For native peoples, connection with prior generations was likely a mystical experience, mediated by tribal shamans. For modern people, we think of ancestry in more biological terms. In this sense, our ancestors include all the species that have gone before us. We are part of the great tree of life. |
