Blake Hestir
Blake Hestir (he/him) is interested in our shared lived experiences, how we think about and engage with nature, and what it means to live authentically and flourish. His current focus is on how inner sustainability may be cultivated through philosophical and scientific inquiry combined with embodiment practices to deepen understanding of interdependence and promote collective flourishing.
Blake works as Professor of Philosophy and Associate Director of CALM Studies at TCU in Fort Worth, Texas. He is Director and Co-founder of The Mind Body Ecology Institute and a member of the Flourishing Academic Network.
His teaching and scholarship focus on ancient Greek philosophy, philosophy of mind, and existential phenomenology, as well as ecology and contemplative studies. He currently teaches the introductory courses Mind Consciousness Self, The Art and Science of Human Flourishing, and Mindfulness and Modern Life. He offers the upper-level courses Mind Body Ecology and Self and Selflessness.
These “experiential philosophy” courses weave discussions of theory, worldviews, and the lived experiences of individuals with exploration of evidence-based practices like mindfulness meditation and mindful movement, along with storytelling and journaling. The intersection of these elements help students understand and think impactfully about the conceptual, cultural, and structural waters within which we swim.
He is presently working on a book, Are We Experiencing? Climate Change, Sustainability, and Flourishing, which draws perspectives and insights from the world of enactivism, phenomenology, the Native American traditions, ancient Greek philosophy, Buddhist philosophy, and contemplative research. He is also author of Plato on the Metaphysical Foundation of Meaning and Truth (Cambridge, 2016).
He enjoys nature wandering, guiding eco retreats, meditation, camping, playing his Catalan guitar, storytelling, and dancing, and has journeyed throughout North America, Japan, South Korea, Europe, and Central America. He is a certified RYT-200 yoga instructor and a certified Koru Mindfulness Meditation teacher with additional training in Koru Trauma-Informed Mindfulness and training at the Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat Center through their Inner/Outer Nature Ecodharma training and meditation retreat led by Johann Robbins, David Loy, and Lin Wang Gordon.
