Begins May 2024!
Live and train with your fellow Peaceful Warriors for three months living in the woods amidst the breathtaking beauty of Wisconsin’s Driftless Region. Your teachers will be the towering oaks, the eternity of sparkling night skies, and the elusive creatures of the forest, as well as Kenton Whitman, Founder of ReWild University.
The vow of a Peaceful Warrior:
Today, I will build my body stronger and my mind more resilient.
Today, I will act to bring peace to every discord I encounter.
Today, I will meet every situation with strength born of love.
Today, I will serve to enrich the world in my every word, my every thought, my every action.
You’ll live in a tent or natural-made shelter as you learn the ways of the forest, practice the Peaceful Warrior Martial Way, explore meditation, awareness, and come to a new relationship with your emotions. Becoming a Peaceful Warrior is a journey deep into Self — a strengthening of body, mind, and emotions, and the cultivation of a new relationship with the world. If you have wished to live more peacefully, and to gain a confidence that you can share with those in need, then the Peaceful Warrior path may be for you.
Your Guide
Kenton Whitman shares his extensive knowledge of martial arts, primal fitness, wilderness skills, meditation, nature awareness, and the cultivation of inner peace.
Kenton is a gentle, loving, yet challenging guide who excels at helping others venture into their deepest evolution, and who is genuinely passionate about helping you to grow as fully as possible while you are here.
The Teachings
Each training session consists of training in the Peaceful Warrior Martial Way, learning skills of movement and martial techniques designed to render someone harmless so that situations can be mitigated without bloodshed. Our martial training will be complimented by mental/emotional training that includes meditation, awareness skills, and overcoming personal challenges. In addition, we’ll develop a new relationship with the forest through tracking, foraging, and ancestral skills.
–Martial Arts —
Our martial skills are derived from Brazilian and Japanese Jiu-Jitsu, catch wrestling, and chin na. Conceptually, our aim is to develop a skillset that allows us to deal with violent situations using submissions and holds that restrain an assailant and give us time to talk with them, but that also can be used to take more decisive actions if necessary.
– Awareness –
Awareness of our environment and awareness of our mental/emotional state combines to bring us into deeper connection with the world and our selves. We will learn tools to bring awareness to our mental and emotional states, as well as the resonance of the people and the environment around us.
–Mental Peace –
Without a peaceful mind, we cannot be a force for peace. Indeed, if our mind is in turmoil, we actually contribute to the conflict of the world. This is the greatest challenge and the deepest focus of Peaceful Warrior Martial training.
Participants live technology-free, on-site in a primitive encampment. Owls or coyotes will sing you to sleep, squirrels and chickadees will watch you from trees, and playful movements of wind, stars, and rain will bring you into rhythm with the woodlands. Nature presents challenges as well, from ticks and mosquitoes (who can be among our best teachers) to the fears that many of us harbor when we are confronted by elements of nature such as strange sounds in the night. Yet in the end, our environment is seen to nurture us in beautiful ways, giving us every-moment opportunities to transform ourselves into a sense of Being, rather than Doing.
Your home may be any of a variety of shelters, depending on your desires and what structures are available, but in all cases you will be living very simply, without running water or electricity. Each day is an unfolding of opportunities for growth and evolution. The program is primarily a skill-sharing environment, where your guide, Kenton, other students, and nature will share philosophies, challenges, and new ways to encounter life’s “problems”. Many days will have no structure at all, allowing you to be present in nature and to experience life with your fellow students. This spaciousness can either be tremendously boring or tremendously enriching, depending on your level of motivation to “go deep”.
Note that our campus is not in pristine wilderness. There are humans dwelling nearby, and thus you will also have the sounds of human habitation, such as tractors, dogs, and cars. The proximity of these elements remind us of how precious nature is, and give us new insight into the impact humans have upon their environment.
Class Structure
Four days of the week are “Guide” days, where you’ll have time with Kenton that is spent in focused training. The other three days are “Training” days, where you will have the opportunity to put into practice the skills you’ve been learning.
You’ll also face challenges over the three months that Kenton will craft with and for you. By gently exploring the places where you might be harboring your greatest fears or emotional blocks, we’ll co-create personal challenges that will give you a “rite of passage” experience that will forever change the way you encounter life, moving you from fear-based living to joy-based living.
After Your Training
We take great care in helping people develop “re-integration” skills so that culture shock is minimized when you return to civilization. What if you don’t want to return to civilization? You’ll have skills that will allow you to open many new doors in life — doors that might have seemed too improbable (or even impossible) to open before. We are also looking at possibilities for people who want to stay on as long-term Peaceful Warriors at a reduced tuition rate after they complete their three month training.
Applications
We use an application process that begins with you filling out some questions. We’ll use phone conversations or video calls to further get to know each other. We want everybody involved to feel like this is the right thing for everyone. Most participants feel like they “know” Kenton before they even arrive. Make sure to also watch some of Kenton’s videos at youtube.com/rewilduniversity to get a feel for his teaching style.
Tuition
Tuition for the three-month resident program is $9,500. If these tuition prices are impossible for you, feel free to connect with Kenton and discuss your situation. We have operated for years on the basis of trusting that people will contribute as much as they can, with more financially able people helping support the ability of less financially able people to attend.
To Learn More
To learn more about the Peaceful Warrior Martial Way program, contact Kenton for a copy of the Peaceful Warrior Handbook. If you read the handbook and still feel this program is for you, contact Kenton at rewilduniversity@gmail.com to apply. He is happy to answer any questions you might have and take you through the next steps of the application process!
