Health and Wellness   

Earth, Wind, Fire & You: Discovering Ayurveda introduces the foundational principles of a 5,000-year-old holistic science of well-being originating in India. At its core, Ayurveda examines how the five natural elements shape our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health. By understanding these elemental qualities, participants will gain deeper insight into their own unique tendencies, habits, and daily experiences. This five-week course blends rich educational content with engaging, experiential activities designed to spark curiosity and self-awareness. Through group discussions, reflective exercises, and introductory self-assessments, learners will discover prakriti—the Ayurvedic concept of an individual's natural constitution—and look at how this ancient tradition interprets balance and imbalance in modern life. Ultimately, the course empowers participants to apply these timeless concepts to their everyday routines, supporting more thoughtful, personalized choices regarding nutrition, movement, media consumption, and relationships.

We will start by learning basic football concepts and terms. The class will then examine and discuss the pros and cons of allowing young people to play full-contact football. Finally, we will examine the current state of the game at the elementary school, high school, college, and professional levels.

Play isn't frivolous. It's foundational. Backed by decades of neuroscience research, this course explores how play shapes the human brain, builds character, and serves us in a world grappling with loneliness, polarization, and the rise of AI. Across three sessions, you'll ground yourself in the science of play and discover how it cultivates the three fundamental character strengths: resilience, curiosity, and courage. This isn't a course about having more fun. It's about becoming more human.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to: Explain the neuroscience of play and its role in building resilience, curiosity, and courage as foundations of character; Identify their personal play style and understand how it shapes the way they engage, connect, and grow;. Articulate their core personal values and recognize how play activates those values in everyday behavior; Apply practical frameworks for play and character development to their personal and professional lives.

Required Course Material: https://playstyles.nifplay.org (7 min survey to discover your play style)

Optional Course Material (small purchase fee associated): The Live Playfully Journal, https://store.nifplay.org/products/play-journal

Around the mid-seventies, a quiet question often arrives: Am I spending this last stage of life the best way I can? This class examines what 37 cultural and philosophical traditions have said about living well in the final arc. Insights gathered across recorded history are presented as findings to explore together, not doctrine to accept. No religious belief is required or assumed; the tools work without any metaphysical system. Together we'll work through five frameworks - each a practical tool - and close with the Annual Lighthouse Review: a structured five-part reflection you can use every year on your own. No background in philosophy is needed; personal experience counts as much as academic study. If that question sounds familiar, this course is for you.

Readings:

• A Quiet Reckoning - Ancient Tools for a Life Well Lived and Why It’s Never Too Late (Required reading)
• What Is a Life Well Lived? A Global Cross-Cultural Historical Synthesis (for reference if/as needed)
• Both no charge, provided as e-books (pdf and epub formats)

Around the mid-seventies, a quiet question often arrives: Am I spending this last stage of life the best way I can? This class examines what 37 cultural and philosophical traditions have said about living well in the final arc. Insights gathered across recorded history are presented as findings to explore together, not doctrine to accept. No religious belief is required or assumed; the tools work without any metaphysical system. Together we'll work through five frameworks - each a practical tool - and close with the Annual Lighthouse Review: a structured five-part reflection you can use every year on your own. No background in philosophy is needed; personal experience counts as much as academic study. If that question sounds familiar, this course is for you.

Readings:

• A Quiet Reckoning - Ancient Tools for a Life Well Lived and Why It’s Never Too Late (Required reading)
• What Is a Life Well Lived? A Global Cross-Cultural Historical Synthesis (for reference if/as needed)
• Both no charge, provided as e-books (pdf and epub formats)