Matthew Harkins stretched his arms to the sky, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he opened his eyes, looked at the five people standing in a circle next to him and smiled.

“Let’s lie down on the grass,” he said, lowering his body to the damp ground, spreading his limbs and then making snow angel-like lunges. The others followed his example, some of them laughing out loud.

This group meets every Tuesday and Thursday evening at Concord’s White Park for an hour of rolling around, elephant walking, crab crawling, stretching, jumping and climbing. Harkins, their parkour and movement instructor, aims to help participants build a stronger mind-body connection through movement. The class uses little to no equipment – the park around them becomes their natural gym.

According to Harkins, who began teaching the class in late July, parkour is about overcoming obstacles and moving through the world around you. While parkour sometimes involves climbing and jumping from tall structures, the focus in this class is less on daredevil acrobatics and more on building healthy movement while restoring an element of playfulness and calm to the body. Harkins has been practicing natural movement since he was a child and now strives to encourage other adults to participate as well.

“Practicing natural movement gives our bodies the structure to withstand the forces we face,” Harkins said. “I want to emphasize the practice of parkour to inspire adults to think of the world as a playground. Every moment we have is an opportunity to move. Accumulating movement throughout the day is a recipe for long-term health.”

Still lying on the grass, he led a series of rolling exercises and then asked everyone to roll onto all fours and perform some crawling movements. Participants turned their gaze inward and focused on the cadence of their own movement. Every few minutes, giggles could be heard in the circle.

“It’s about connecting with the body and thinking about what we’re capable of,” said participant Deborah DelaCazalda. “How can we build strength where we are? This is a really safe place to do that.”

DelaCazalda is new to parkour and has attended every class since the first one on July 23rd.

“Every class is different,” DelaCazalda said. “I feel like I’m always learning more because it’s something new, fresh and fun.”

Since starting the course, she has improved her ability to move through her natural environment – not around it. The sessions are structured so that the movements build on each other and participants can improve their skills and confidence.

“When I get the opportunity to implement what I’ve learned, I do that. For example, I’ll jump over something instead of going around it or stepping over it,” DelaCazalda said. “We learned how to jump over a fence post, and I’m now confident that I can do that without falling on my face.”

Harkins expressed pride in how his students have progressed over the past few weeks. He acknowledges that parkour can seem intimidating, and clarified that his classes are more about learning healthy movements than jumping off tall structures. He wants each participant to feel encouraged to push themselves beyond their comfort zone, both in class and in their lives.

“My goal is to bridge the gap between mindfulness healing and endurance/strength training and bring them together so people feel like they can build a better relationship with their body through fitness,” Harkins said.

He turned to natural movement and parkour as a healing tool after experiencing chronic knee and back pain in college as a result of multiple sports injuries. In 2022, he graduated from the University of New England with a degree in applied exercise science. In March of this year, he founded Mindful Mortals, a Concord-based movement and longevity training company that focuses on wellness and facilitates healing processes through mindfulness and movement. He is also a certified yoga instructor and personal trainer and works primarily with adults to help them grow their movement practice and strength while strengthening their mind-body connection. This is his first time teaching the Natural Movement and Parkour course.

Tina Massmann, who spends the summer at Gilmanton Ironworks, saw a flyer for the class and decided to take part. As a former personal trainer, she has practiced natural movement for years and appreciates how it can help participants reacquaint themselves with the playfulness of movement they experienced in childhood.

“We go through different cycles in our lives, and when you do some of these movements again, like the crab walk, you feel like you’re back in childhood, but you practice them slowly and with intention,” Massmann said. “That’s where childhood comes in and this idea of ​​doing your movements intentionally and consciously.”

Harkins looks to children and their freedom of movement as models for how adults can move in their natural playground. At the end of each class, he always gives students 15 to 20 minutes to apply the movements they’ve learned in their environment, whether it’s balancing on rocks in the park, crawling under bushes or climbing a fence post.

“It also helped me apply what I learned to my personal life. I became more playful with my children and got them to play on the floor and feel comfortable in their bodies,” said DelaCazalda.

She praised Harkins for creating an environment where participants felt comfortable enough to play while also forming deeper connections with themselves and each other.

As the class progressed, the students’ movements became looser. Harkins asked everyone to stand while he bent his body to perform a new exercise. Within a minute, every student was bending over and imitating his movement.

Natural movement and parkour classes will take place in White Park on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. until October 10, whatever the weather.

“I encourage all of us to do things we wouldn’t normally do,” Harkins said. “Take a dance class, brush with your non-dominant hand, ask someone out, move your hips in a new way. Keep working on your confidence and finding your way around awkward situations.”

Rachel Wachm can be reached at [email protected].