NUNM Community | Practice self-care and cultivate habits for individual and community healing.
At the National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM), we understand that supporting the health of others begins with cultivating our own physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. To truly listen, see, and hold space for individuals and our broader communities, we first need to nurture those values within ourselves.
In honor of National Wellness Month this August, we’re highlighting the communal spaces in and around NUNM that can foster wellness habits in our daily lives and help us to embody our shared mission to heal.
This is a time to align ourselves with the practices we learn as students and practitioners—taking time to calm our nervous system, maintain self-care routines, and refocus our efforts on what truly matters.
At NUNM, prioritizing our own health isn’t optional—it’s foundational to the work we feel called to do in natural medicine.
National Wellness Month | NUNM Spaces to Inspire Healing
Academic Library
Following our library’s renovation and the pandemic, the NUNM library has become a multi-functional space that can promote self-reflection as well as communal growth and connection.
Feeling overwhelmed? Sometimes the best remedy is getting lost in a good story. Cozy up in a reading nook in the back library space or step into another world in the solace of the rare book room.
While the quiet section of the library can be a calming space to brush up on the literature and build inspiration around our own personal and professional goals throughout our education, students can also find it provides a welcome break from the oftentimes isolating experience of studying alone.
It’s a space where students can gather at long communal tables to connect over coursework, share insights, explore ongoing library art projects between classes, or simply visit the herb library to take in the abundant aroma of healing botanicals.
Group Study Room
Think: student lounge meets office space. Break out into group study rooms to commiserate over challenging coursework, share insights, support one another, and break free from the academic grind.
Whether you’re tackling tough concepts or looking for motivation, these spaces can be great for brainstorming and problem-solving sessions that help recharge you as you collectively move through your studies.
Reflections Room & Tea Space
Inside the Student Lounge, you’ll find the Reflections Room & Tea Space, often serving as a sanctuary for students to retreat from the feeling of being in an academic space. The room’s closed-door privacy creates a refuge from the busy pace of campus life.
Remove your shoes, settle onto a floor pillow, and embrace the warm, softly lit atmosphere designed to encourage mindfulness and inner exploration. Chinese lanterns hang above a low tea table, inviting students to engage in calming rituals. Brew a cup of herbal tea for yourself or bring your friends to join in on a traditional tea ritual.
Student Lounge
The Student Lounge can be more than just a place to snag a bite to eat—it can also be a space to come together with friends and fellow students.
Whether you’re sharing a homemade lunch at a communal table or sinking into one of the cozy couches for a moment away from the academic hallways, spending time together in a shared environment can offer meaningful support
Meditation Room & Qiqong Room
The Meditation and Qigong Room is a dedicated space for both silent time and mindful movement. Designed to support both silence and motion, it’s a space where students can release tension, restore balance, and cultivate inner awareness.
Seek stillness through seated meditation or come back into yourself through physical movement to help recenter your body and mind against sweeping views of downtown Portland. Somatic movement practices and Qigong can keep your energy flowing gently as you align yourself to the breath and present moment.
Outdoor Patio & Benches
Healing often happens outdoors, where the fresh air, sunlight, and natural world can inspire us. Around the NUNM Academic Building, you can find back patios and benches to retreat into the greenery and find peace to slow the pace from the everyday bustle.
When school or life begins to feel too demanding, these natural retreats can be valuable reminders of your larger purpose. They can motivate and call to mind the reasons you’re here at NUNM—your deeper mission and the things that help ground you in your journey.