Nutrition, exercise, and spiritual exploration are the focus of La Salle’s next Academic Enrichment Day.

Wellness Wednesday is going to the goats.

Cute, furry, and friendly goats will visit La Salle University’s campus Wednesday, March 10 as part of a Wellness Wednesday-themed Academic Enrichment Day. Wellness Wednesday is a fixture in La Salle’s event calendar, with weekly programming conceived and delivered through the Paul A. Stanton Department of Student Wellness Services.

This Wellness Wednesday, however, will be slightly different; rather than an hourlong presentation, a day of activities and programming will anchor the second of three Academic Enrichment Days offered this semester. Academic Enrichment Days are designed to provide members of the La Salle community an opportunity to step away from classes, Zoom meetings, and other academic and professional commitments and step toward mindfulness and self-reflection.

The semester’s first Academic Enrichment Day, held in February, invited participants to use rest as a form of resistance against racism.

“Breaks are such positive moments,” said Laura Cilia, La Salle’s Coordinator for Sexual Misconduct Advocacy & Education, and one of the organizers for the Wellness Wednesday Academic Enrichment Day. “Breaks function both proactively and reactively, as prevention and intervention. It is important to give our bodies and minds space to take breaks in order to return to focus when we need to, but also to infuse our daily lives with joy and time to play.”

Various aspects of wellness, including nutrition, exercise, and spiritual exploration, will be the focus of this Academic Enrichment Day through a mix of in-person and virtual activities.

Here are several ways to participate:

Health and wellness to go (11 a.m. – 3 p.m.)

Grab-and-go snack packs and wellness care packages will be available for pick up in the Union lobby.

Walking meditation (11 a.m. – 3 p.m.)

Viewed as a metaphor for life’s journey, the Labyrinth is a walking meditation to assist people to find peace and clarity, manage stress, make decisions, and heal physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The Labyrinth has a single path winding toward the center, which is visible anywhere from the circuit’s perimeter. There is one continuous path that leads to the center and then back out again, so there are no decisions to make and you simply follow the path—unlike a maze, which has dead ends and requires decisions about which path to follow. (Those who have experienced the Labyrinth report that it may quiet the mind, soothe the soul, and mend the heart.)

A large canvas Labyrinth will be available for walking in the De La Salle Chapel. You may also use a Finger Labyrinth, which you can “walk” from anywhere by tracing the path with your finger. You can print a finger Labyrinth to be colored or traced anywhere you find yourself.

Make some noise

Wherever you are at 12 noon, members of the La Salle community are invited to take part in a primal scream. Just walk outside and yell!

Healing through arts

The weekly Wellness Wednesday Facebook and Instagram streams will focus on creative arts therapy, with Cilia facilitating from the Dan Rodden Theatre. Limited in-person attendance will be available. Log on at 12:30 p.m.

Hang with the goats (2:30 – 4 p.m.)

Philly Goat Project will bring its adorable goats back to campus for members of our community to visit and play with on the Hansen Quad. Just several weeks ago, the furry friends made their way to 20th and Olney as part of Welcome Week.

Get physical (6 p.m.)

You can get physical with a Zumba class offered both virtually and in-person in the Union Ballroom. (The in-person session will have limited capacity.) The class will be live-streamed and recorded, allowing for opportunities to view them at a later date.

Let the E-games begin (8 – 10 p.m.)

Gaming enthusiasts are invited to participate in an E-Sports online tournament, either online or in-person, with limited capacity in the Union and Founders’ Hall lobbies. Students can reserve a spot to play on Presence.

—Patrick Berkery