Torrey Baldwin
Field Guide
Joined Open Sky: January 2009
In Wilderness Therapy since: 2009
Interview with Torrey
October 2009
Q. Why do you work in wilderness therapy?
I enjoy living, working, and playing in a community that is committed to exploration – of who we are, how we relate to one another, and our potential for living fully. I get to teach yoga on the top of a cliff on a crisp morning, looking out over Anasazi ruins and snaking canyons. I get to help students communicate with one another about their triggers and fears, and help them move through a conflict into a place of understanding and connection. I get excited about developing new ideas and perspectives along with students and staff, as we share viewpoints and histories. I work in wilderness therapy because it allows me to connect deeply with others in the beauty of the natural world.
Q. Why do you think wilderness therapy works?
When students come into the field, they leave behind their jeans, iPods, social circles, makeup, and junk food habits – the external pieces of their identity. They are left with the opportunity to explore what is left – the core self, exposed to the raw nature and close community around them. As these students are confronted with the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual challenges that wilderness therapy presents, they are supported in moving through those struggles and coming out the other side. They learn by doing – not just working through past events with their therapist, but also receiving support to work through challenges in a healthy way, in the very moment they arise. In doing so, they develop a deeper understanding of who they are and how they operate, and learn tools with which to address future difficulties and experience life more fully.
Q. What do you think Open Sky students need?
I think Open Sky students need the same things all of us do. I think we all need a chance to experience life without distractions - to experience the beauty of the earth, ourselves, and our connections with others. All of these seem to suddenly open up to us with the removal of TV, drugs, and indoor plumbing. I also think we need mirrors - people around us who can be radically honest about how we affect them. This honesty helps us get a better perspective of our impact on the world - so we can choose which impact we'd like to have.
Q. If you were able to meet anyone (living or dead), who would it be and why?
I would love to meet the Dalai Llama for a conversation on the intersection of scientific and spiritual thought, fulfillment, and emotional intelligence. I would be tremendously intimidated, but I think I would learn a lot.
Q. What are a few of the defining moments in your life and why?
Leaving my job as an urban charter school math teacher to live and work at Kripalu yoga center for 16 months. I had spent 25 years trying to live my life the way I was "supposed" to live it, up to some elusive standard, and burned myself out as a result. I came to Kripalu as a reaction, and stepped into a more sustainable way of living - one that valued physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual wellness, both in myself and others. I learned to relax my analytical brain and listen to intelligences within me that run from a deeper place. Working at Open Sky has been a continuation of that path.
Q. Who has been your greatest inspiration and why?
I can't choose between three. One - Mary Poppins. Her balance of firm structure, heartfelt care and love, and nonsense often serves as a model for me when working with students. And she has a cool talking parrot on her umbrella. Two - Derrick Jensen's work as a writer and educator inspires me to encourage students to question authority and think for themselves. Three - Stephen Cope, who I worked under at Kripalu Center. His commitment to finding and following his unique path inspires me to do the same. And his exploration of yoga, meditation, and spirituality rubs off on those around him - I feel like a better version of myself in his presence. The energy he spreads to others inspires me to continue working to find balance in my life and explore my own spiritual side.
Q. What are your unique gifts and/or experiences that help our students?
I enjoy working with others to connect the dots of their own experience - my mind has fun working with abstract concepts and making them concrete through action, ceremony, communication, etc. I am a yoga teacher and like to explore relevant concepts in a concrete, physical way during our morning yoga practice in the field, which we can then weave into the rest of the day. As a former teacher, I have experience with implementing (and removing!) structure, and using my own passion for ideas to help my students connect with their own motivation. And my own constant efforts to balance and investigate my mind, body, heart, and soul help me to support students in their own self-exploration and efforts to find balance.
Q. What do you like to do for fun when you aren’t working in the field?
I like to invent destinations to ride my bike to and from, explore the reaches of yoga practice and philosophy, randomly break into song and dance, and experiment with new passions - jujitsu being the most recent. I like playing on mountains, especially when they have crisp mountain streams, wildflowers, and scree. And near the very top of the list is a day that combines a coffeeshop, a comfy leather couch, close friends and/or my partner, and a good book.
Q. Anything else you want to tell us about yourself?
I like my job. And buffalo sausages with guacamole and cheese. With a side of tea.
Professional Experience
Moore Center for Eating Disorders
Education Specialist
Eastside Learning Community
Yoga Teacher
The Berkshire Center
Residential Staff
Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health
Intern
Institute for Extraordinary Living
Research Coordinator
City on a Hill Charter High School
Mathematics Teacher, Summer School Teacher
Wediko Children's Services
Therapeutic Instructor
Education
BA, Psychology
Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts
M.A., Teaching
Simmons College, Boston, Massachusetts
Urban Teaching Fellowship
City on a Hill Charter School, Roxbury, Massachusetts
Rocky Mountain Educator Course
National Outdoor Leadership School
Yoga Ed. 9 - 12 Instructor Training & Yoga 200-hour Teacher Training
Kripalu
Wilderness First Responder (WFR)
