Undergraduate Student Perspectives of Somatic Learning in Kinesiology: The Mind-Body Connection

In Physical Education and Kinesiology faculties in North America, undergraduate students study theoretical knowledge from various sub-disciplines (e.g., physiology, psychology, biomechanics and motor learning) and practice applied knowledge (coaching, playing sports and dance, program design, etc.). However, theory and practice are rarely combined in a single course where students are able to generate somatic knowledge. Subsequently, our faculty and the authors recently re-designed and taught several undergraduate “activity core” courses that combine anatomy, biomechanics and mind-body integration (use of breath, imagery and proprioception) through a somatic learning approach based on somatic practice. The purpose of this study is to understand if/how this somatic approach to learning enabled students to understand more fully the overlap between theory and practice in kinesiology. Likert scale questionnaires were sent to two cohorts of students having completed the first year course, KIN 156 (Introduction to Movement Fundamentals in Fitness). Forty-one of forty-three respondents indicated that the somatic learning approach of the course enabled them to better retain and apply knowledge. Our results indicate strongly that this somatic approach to kinesiology learning, the “doing” of mind-body components while executing movement fundamentals, was of significant value for undergraduate students.