New Course at WP Teaches History and Philosophy with a Dose of Stress Reduction

While teaching one of the newest courses at William Paterson University, history professor Lucia McMahon checks the clock to ensure she’ll have enough time to lead students through a guided meditation after her lecture.

Cross-listed as both a history and philosophy course, Yoga Traditions and Practices examines the historical roots, philosophical traditions, and contemporary practices of yoga—taking students from ancient India to the United States and other western societies through a selection of classical and contemporary sources.

“Yoga has a history that is thousands of years old and travels globally. There are so many fascinating stories about how that happened, and fascinating trends and traditions that many people are not aware of,” McMahon says.

An academic course on yoga is rare, and the approach to this course makes it rarer still: There is an experiential component, where McMahon—a certified yoga instructor—spends a few minutes of each in-person session demonstrating a breath-based meditation (pranayama) or a standing pose (standing asana). 

A hybrid-style course, she posts video demonstrations of additional asanas online for students to try at home, to avoid anyone feeling uncomfortable or embarrassed in class. Students fill out practice logs on what they tried and what they thought about it, spurring discussions for the next in-person session. No previous experience with yoga is required.

McMahon underscores that while modern yoga is commonly thought of as a primarily postural process where “working out” and getting fit are the ultimate goals, her class’s experiential practice of yoga is rooted in the philosophical, spiritual, and meditative sphere in which it was created.

“Mindfulness is in great demand these days, after getting through the pandemic,” she explains. “I can’t think of a single major that would not benefit, or a single career path that would not benefit from learning ways to incorporate stress reduction and mindfulness practices into our everyday lives.”

To that point, of the 17 students enrolled in the first-ever offering of the new history/philosophy course, one is majoring in history and one is minoring in philosophy. Represented majors include criminology, public health, finance, computer science, and art, among others.

McMahon developed the course as part of a bigger-picture goal in collaboration with philosophy professor Pete Mandik and other colleagues: launching a 12-credit program at WP that leads to students earning a certificate in mindfulness and wellness. Their proposed certificate program—taking an interdisciplinary approach to mindfulness and wellness with courses in history, philosophy, psychology, and Asian Studies—has been approved by the University’s Faculty Senate and will begin accepting students this fall.

04/29/24