In the boat...
Hips sway and respond to the movement of the boat through the rolling sea. In the rhythm of oars and the swirl of our wake, we find ourselves in an experience of effortless harmony. Six oars become one movement, a diversity of people come together as the fluid heartbeat of a boat, and a boat becomes more than the poetic expression of forest wood shaped for the open sea - it becomes its own being. It becomes a kindred spirit that both responds to and influences our every move as we share a voyage in the world.
Adventure Rowing engages us in the ancient joy of using our own muscles to move through the mysterious and beautiful sea. It open our minds to the vastness of primordial wisdom that continues to speak through every wind and wave. It pulls together the self-aware soul that emerges when mind, body and nature converge.
Meditation...
Rowing allows us to experience the enlivening freedom of letting ourselves go - letting go of our preconceived notions, prejudices and habits. It allows us to put aside these limitations and enter a great rhythm where the boat, the sea, the wind and the crew become a fluid whole. The microcosm in the rowing gig becomes the expression of the potentiality of a human-earth balance. Introducing a well-structured meditation practice, Dharma Voyage aims to facilitate and strengthen the insights inherent in outdoor discovery, making a lasting foundation for ongoing introspective capabilities.
Yoga...
Rowing, although repetitive, is not stagnant. It is a motion that must respond to the infinite fluctuations of a fluid environment. It is when our body is loose and our minds unstressed that we can truly experience the remarkable adaptability and freedom of the human form. Supplementing and enhancing our rowing training with the insightful mind-body practice of yoga will bring a life-long foundation of physical health and mental well-being to our participants (in addition to a long, loose and powerful pull on the oar!).
Adventure, large and small...
Most importantly, Adventure Rowing is an adventure. It is tactile. It is adaptable. We can experience a comfortable day in the sun with friends, discovering the locally remote. We can also have the experience of a great challenge. We can recollect the rugged joy of self-sufficient voyaging. We can feel the cold of night surf and the nerves arising with the rising howl of offshore winds. We can see who we are when we are tired, when we need to call up great courage in ourselves and trust in our crew. We can create a new way of being - one where we can sense the shifting of a current, read the movement of the waves, hear the story in the wind, smell even the slightest change of weather, and live with an intuitive relationship with the earth.
While retaining the time-honored benefits of open water rowing programs, Dharma Voyage has created something unique in its comprehensive curriculum and focus on mindfulness. We also aim to create a culture of exploration and adventure, using the idea of voyaging as the primary motivation of this program. We will enter a few races, but believe there is so much more that our students and this amazing boat is capable of, and wish to pursue this potential to its fullest.
WHO IS ADVENTURE ROWING FOR?
Adventure Rowing is for anyone who wishes to explore the adventure of life.
This program is available to school and youth groups per arrangement. We wish to offer an opportunity for youth adrift in the turmoil of tangled values to rise up in balanced confidence, with a heartfelt assurance of self-awareness and a passionate understanding of the pressing need to return to harmonious, sustainable human-earth relationships.
Adventure Rowing will also serve the adult community, to preserve the inner creativity and intuition that is the human birthright. Adventure Rowing is a means to cast off from the shores of an over-stressed, over-mechanized contemporary lifestyle and rediscover the enlightening thrill of simply being together on an exploratory journey of ourselves in the wild, beautiful world. Furthermore, it is our aim to advance our ongoing youth participants into roles of responsible leadership in a growing community program.
Contact Us to find a place on the crew or bring the Voyager to your group!
