Spring Break Awaits!

It seems like it's been months since UCSD last had a vacation! And well, it has. But not to worry, Spring Break is just a few measly days away! You hear that? DAYS I tell you! While studying for finals may be bogging everyone down at this point, the promise of a week-long break is certainly enticing...

...Especially for the Guides at Outback. This Spring Break, we are hosting
four trips - 2 road trips visiting Yosemite, Death Valley, and Big Sur, 1 Grand Canyon Backpack, and 1 Catalina Island Service trip. The demand from people at UCSD to go on these trips was so immense that we had to open up a second road trip (originally, we only had one).

Outback is looking forward to sending off our Guides and participants at the end of March and hopefully hearing good things about their adventures when they come back.

Winter Wrap-Up

The Guides had their last meeting of the winter quarter this past Monday.During this time, they discussed all of the wonderful (and not so wonderful) aspects about the trips and other happenings around Outback.

One of the most outstanding pluses of this quarter was that the number of people signing up for trips was amazing! (Keep it coming UCSD!) Out of the 20 trips we offered this past quarter, all but 2 filled up completely. This is what we like to hear about! The fuller our trips are, the more people we know we are getting out on adventures to experience new things in this wonderful place we call California.

Outback is always happy to receive compliments and suggestions as to how we can better serve our community. Please feel free to contact us if you have something to say. You can drop by the Surf Shop on Library Walk, the Rental Shop behind Pepper Canyon, or call us at (858) 534-0684.

We look forward to having a a better and fuller Spring!

Work hard, play harder!

As an intern for the UCSD Recreation marketing department during the Fall 2011 quarter, Jane Hinderson is the epitome of the adventure-seeking and hard working student/employee! Jane is an international student at Extension, and carried her love for traveling all the way to San Diego from Sweden. As a participant of the Business Essentials program at the UCSD Extension, she has enhanced her marketing skills here at recreation while experiencing the fun and excitement offered here at the department as well.

In addition to practicing her English skills, Jane has had the chance to create new friendships with other students here at UCSD by partaking in the Outback Adventures horseback riding trip in Mexico. Since she had the background of riding horse back home in Sweden, Jane was ecstatic to be able ride again. As she states, 

"I had not ridden a horse for more than two months, love riding and so was happy to find out about this trip. On arriving at the ranch, my first impression was that it was very beautiful, surrounded by hills, and when you take a deep breath into your lungs, you feel calm and free. The tours on horseback were even better. Can you imagine riding on top of a giant hill with a huge dip on your left side, just because you want to enjoy the most amazing view you've ever seen on your other side? That is when a rider and a horse become a team. You trust you horse and your horse will do anything for you to be safe on the trail."

Even when Jane was thousands of miles away from home, she able to pursue her passion in traveling, studying, and engaging in an unforgettable trip. Jane definitely learned a lot from her position in the marketing department, but even more so, from her journey to unfamiliar places and finding herself along the way, through fitness and through life.

FitLife Frenzy!

As we endure through the last two weeks of winter quarter and finals, there's a light at the end of the tunnel with spring quarter approaching! Since the sun will (hopefully) be out and shining, there's no question that many of us are starting to work hard to show off our beach bodies just in time for beach season. In that case, FitLife has got all the resources necessary to get into shape and more importantly, maintain the good habits to a healthy lifestyle. 

WELLNESS PROGRAMS 

FitLife offers FREE Personal Wellness programs for students and faculty/staff in which a selected number of participants must commit to a eight week program that focuses on creating an individualized plan to maintain personal health and wellness. The program includes an initial physical fitness assessment, entrance interviews with UCSD Recreation wellness instructors, small group fitness training, and a follow-up fitness profile. This is a perfect opportunity to evaluate yourself and see what habits you need to change or establish in order to feel good all the time!  For more information and to register, visit the FITLIFE WEBSITE.

FITFEST

Still unsure of what FitLife is all about? Come and check out what the entire program has to offer by attending one of the FitFest sessions in the beginning of spring quarter on:

Wednesday, April 4: 12noon-1:30pm -- MAIN GYM 

Thursday, April 5, 4:30-6:30pm -- RIMAC 

There's nothing better than having more FREE classes, FREE private pilates sessions, FREE chair massages, in addition to raffles and giveaways! It's definitely a good idea to take advantage of the opportunity of asking our top notch Personal Trainers and Dietitian exclusive questions and finding out more about what you can do to enhance your fitness experience here on the UCSD campus. And don't forget about the snacks and prizes...just another incentive to get up and going for a fitness-filled spring quarter!

Kundalini Yoga with Diana Bergen

      The practice of Kundalini Yoga allows one to achieve a balance by utilizing a spectrum of yoga modalities including asanas meditation, breathing, chanting and mantras.

      You can incorporate these practices into your own lifestyle right here on UCSD’s campus. From beginners to expert yoga practitioners, all students willing to embrace the methods of Kundalini will experience its benefits.

      Diana Bergen, a UCSD Kundalini instructor, encourages students and staff to prepare for the day through morning exercise.

      “The study and practice [of Kundalini Yoga] is to get up in the morning, right when the sun is coming up, because there is this magical power,”

Bergen said.

      Bergen, who is a Landscape Architect on campus, has been practicing yoga since her third year in college. Just three years ago, Bergen signed up for her first Kundalini Yoga class in an effort to build good lifestyle habits.

      “I’ve been taking yoga since I was 22, and I had never experienced yoga like this,” Bergen said.

      This class inspired Bergen to become a certified Kundalini Yoga Instructor.

      “My job is to pass on what’s already been documented by Yogi Bhajan. How else do we learn, but from others?”

      The teachings of Yogi Bhajan emphasize awareness and consciousness of oneself and one’s surroundings. According to Bergen, “Kundalini is very effective. You do certain movements for a specific outcome.” Kundalini Yoga involves the practice of pranayama, which are breathing methods, mudras, which are hand positions, asanas, which are postures, mantras, which are chanting techniques and meditation, which is the practice of visualization.  Such techniques are used to awaken and rejuvenate our central nervous system.

      “There are a lot of people who gravitate towards Kundalini Yoga because it’s the yoga of healing. It’s the yoga of awareness,” Bergen said.

      UCSD FitLife will be offering two Kundalini classes during the upcoming Spring Quarter. One will take place on Thursdays at 7am with Diana Bergen, and the other class with take place on Fridays at 8am with Sasha Briskin. For more information please visit http://recreation.ucsd.edu/fitlife or call (858)822-2313.

A Blast from the Past

Over President’s Day weekend, Outback resurrected a trip that was last run a few years ago: Black Canyon Kayak and Hot Springs. This trip took participants kayaking up and down the Colorado River: the border between Arizona and Nevada.

After a small hiccup on the road involving a dead battery in the van, the crew set off on a lengthy drive East through California and into Nevada. The difference between the geography of California and its next-door neighbor is vast – Nevada is almost completely flat and covered with nothing but dust and a smattering of palm trees. Houses stretch out for miles across the abyss and right smack in the middle of them is the Las Vegas Strip. That night the participants and guides camped out under the stars in a campground near Lake Mead.

The following day, the kayaking crew drove down to their launching point along the Colorado and set off upstream. They travelled around seven miles that day and camped at the side of the river in a canyon. This is where the fun started.

At the back of the canyon was a spring. The farther up this spring one walked, the hotter the water became. Eventually, if one walked far enough, they would reach a waterfall and a latter leading up it. Beyond this were natural hot springs pooled amidst the crags of the rocks. This is where the crew spent a majority of their time while back at camp.

The participants spent their weekend on the water, paddling during the day and visiting numerous hot springs along the way. These steaming pools and caverns riddled the canyon walls; each one hotter than the next. One particular hot spring dubbed “The Sauna Cave” was a long tunnel dug into the side of a cliff. The walls were lined with mineral buildup and the air was heavy with steam. The hot springs were definitely a reward to the participants who paddled arduously upstream in the heavy current of the Colorado.

On the last day of the trip, the crew floated back downstream to their starting point, loaded up the van, and set off for home. After a few pit stops to see the Hoover Dam, to change a busted tire, and to eat dinner at In-N-Out, the gang found themselves back in San Diego after sundown.

The Black Canyon Kayak and Hot Springs trip was definitely one to remember and hopefully Outback will be hosting another one in the near future.