| Professional rock climbing instruction often focuses solely on the technical elements of the sport, while leaving the mental and emotional components up to chance. This thesis approaches climbing instruction from a more holistic perspective. The author has created a series of lesson plans that integrate mental training into preexisting rock climbing curriculum. These lessons were designed to offer students structured opportunities to practice mindfulness, personal awareness, and introspection. In order to create the most effective lessons, the author researched the topics of rock climbing instruction, mindfulness training, and texts that integrate the two. These lessons were then implemented in a semester-long introduction to rock climbing course at Prescott College. Through the use of a heuristic research methodology the author sought to understand the experience of mindfulness while rock climbing. He presents the data gathered through transcribed interviews, journals, narratives, and his own observations and personal experiences. |
