Co-Owners/Instructors
Jenn Childress
I have been in education since 2002 and a mountain biking enthusiast since 2005. As a public school teacher and environmental activist, I have
longed to combine my love for the outdoors with education, not only for children but for adults as well. Enter Singletrack Mindfulness. After twelve
years of immersion in education, I started to see how all of my passions intersected. Experiential education, outdoor education, choice based
curriculum, and progression learning are not enough. I realized the missing link was yoga and mindfulness.
I began practicing yoga in 2009 and became a certified yoga teacher in 2012. With the addition of yoga and mindfulness techniques, I saw a huge
difference in my own riding and in my overall happiness. I am able to be more present and confident on my bike and, therefore, find the flow more
often, which is the real point of riding anyway. These experiences on my bike and yoga mat transferred to other realms of my life. I wanted to share
this potential with others and entered into Singletrack Mindfulness with the intentions of providing a holistic approach to yoga, biking and life in
general.
Currently, I am exploring the many avenues that people take to find happiness in their lives. I am a huge advocate of getting students and adults
outside to explore their natural environment, so they feel more connected to it and to themselves. I find that when there is some diversity in my
routine I am happier. That’s why I road ride, downhill, dirt jump, and trail ride. Happiness is also linked to community. It is easy to find community
when you build it around the activities you love and ideas you believe in. I hope that Singletrack Mindfulness can provide its participants with
strategies for finding more happiness in their lives.
Whether you are a school seeking a new approach to education or a group of friends looking for a memorable day together, I hope that at some point
we can work with you to create an experience that is all yours and possibly life changing. Until then – get outside, have fun, and don’t forget to mix it
up a bit.
Namaste and happy trails,
Jenn
Jennie Date
I started mountain biking twenty years ago in the hills outside of Missoula, Montana, seeking a way to enhance my college educational experience
and confront a winter or two without snow. I found it so satisfying that I never stopped. Over the years, this devotion to mountain biking has brought
me love, fitness, personal growth, dear friends, a burgeoning community, instructor opportunities, and an excuse to travel to wild places. If I’m lucky
enough, it will also turn into a profession borne out of a lifelong passion. I moved to Vermont in 1997, during what seemed to be the very beginning
of a push towards the creation of some of the finest singletrack in the Northeast.
Six years later, amidst challenging life changes and seeking something, I discovered the empowering and rejuvenating practice of yoga. Not only did
it provide me with a deep sense of inner calm, but it produced noticeable effects on my mountain bike as well. I found the grace of yoga transferred
powerfully into biking, enhancing my ability to find flow in the landscape and to make peace with my limitations. I’ve been lucky enough to spend
the years exploring local trails, and consequently to witness the evolution of singletrack in Vermont.
In the meantime, I’ve connected with the inspirational community here, studied astrology and herbalism, started a carpentry & painting business, led
bike tours, taught yoga, and enjoyed the beautiful outdoors of the state. I am constantly investigating new styles of riding to expand my knowledge of
the sport. I’ve continued to devote time to yoga, with great gratitude for the doors that have opened within and without. I am convinced that inner
exploration is a mandatory first step to creating a more peaceful world around us. It is my great hope that people will observe their capacity for
change, and rediscover their innate heritage of deep connection with the wild.
With peace and gratitude,
Jennie