Stress Management Workshop for GMR, Chennai

 When I agreed to do facilitate this workshop, I was not sure of the suitability of the space as is it meant for the Chennai Outer Ring Road project team. It was fortunate for me that I met Mr. Reddy, GM the earlier evening at Dinner. In fact, he was my host at the Guest House and it was great that he was willing to share some of the stress factors the team was facing. He assured me that the facilities were quite good. But, I was not expecting great facilities at the conference room at the site office and was very pleasantly surprised at the excellent conference room. The LCD screen and projection system were just great!

It was also not sure whether the two day workshop can be condensed into one day but I was willing to try because I understood that they cant have  a two day workshop due to their on-site commitments. I was glad that I willing when I understood the daily work situations they are facing.
The workshop was very interactive , very free-flowing and was one of my best experiences. I am grateful to all the participants for their cooperation in keeping the mobiles off and giving their undivided attention to the workshop.

I feel blessed to share with such willing participants. I really enjoyed the event and would like to know how they are managing their stress after some time.

Good Health Workshop at Pragthi Resort, Hyderbad

In the movie "Gandhi", Kasturba tells Mohandas (in South Africa)
"The others may follow you. But, I knew you you when you were a boy"
I relate to  this very strongly. We know provers in Hindi and Telugu which convey this ( Ghar ka murgi da bara bar; Poruginti pulla koora ruchi ...).

So, I was quite elated, excited and also apprehensive when my dear freinds DSR Raju, M Subbarao, Rama Raju and Chakram asked me to do a workshop on 18th December at Pragathi Resorts. Apart from the listening of the people who knew me as an adolescent (of not a boy), the timing was also added to my apprehension. The occasion was the annual get together of  my engineering batch of Andhra University ( named as AU Ever Green by Trinadh). The gala evening was on 17th December and the workshop is on the morning of 18th December. I suppose you get the very legitimate reason for my apprehension.

I was pleasantly surprised that everybody (or almost every body) assembled at the appointed time of 10AM and a few of the rest joined very soon. I am excited about all vents as each event is an opportunity to fulfill my vision and an opportunity for (passionate) self express. What the listeners are my college friends - my extended family- I don't know how to express my excitement that I felt. With the excitement and apprehension, I started rather slowly and haltingly, but soon the event started flowing. And what a flow it was! It is one of the most fulfilling and satisfying events that I enjoyed s much that it is difficult for me to describe it as my vocabulary limits me.
I am grateful to all my friends  for their listening, participation, time and attention. I am grateful to teh organizer organizers Rama Raju, Chakram and Veerabhadra Rao.  My thanks to  DSR Raju and M Subbaraowho organized the earlier workshop and seeded this event.
This post would be incomplete with out the very inspiring work being done by AU Ever Green. led by Trinadh, Someswara Rao, Rama Raju, Rama Rao and support from many others, a Government Elementary School has been adopted and the education and facilities there have been transformed. I am proud to belong to this group!

Well Being Workshop at Savitri Bhavan

 This is another of the foundation workshops and this time I was experimenting with two aspects.
First, reducing the number of days to 5 from seven.. This entails leaving out some of my favorite parts like introduction to inner harmony.
Secondly, exploring the lower lobby of Savitri Bhavan for this workshop. This space is great and I like the light, ventilation and the sparkling granite floor, maintained to perfection by the staff of Savitri Bhavan. This is a relatively unused space, especially at 7AM (my preferred time for this workshop) and hence scheduling is easy. My main concern was about the number of people as I would like this to be a n open workshop with out any registration and other formalities. I thought that if we run out of the lobby space, we can use the upper lobby , inner lobby and the entrance to the lecture hall. This could not be checked out in this workshop.
On both counts, this was a successful experiment. I would now offer it as 5 day workshop rather than 7 days and this space is the best space I experienced so far. I feel happy and grateful for the opportunity to offer it in this serene surroundings and unimaginably wonedrful energy.

Boost Your Personal Productivity Workshop at Pondicherry Engineering College

This a second opportunity for me to at PEC with a large group. It was an exciting event and the topic is also somewhat new for me: just the second workshop and certainly first for such a large group.
I am very happy with the framework I came up for this workshop - productivity is a function of Health Quotient, Intelligence Quotient and Emotional Quotient. Meditation is the best practice to enhance all of them to boost your personal productivity.
I wish I had chosen a less demanding meditation than  stillness. The group being large, I started feeling uncertain about the people being quiet and still and I was unaware that it became a fear to an extent that I asked two students who were talking to leave the hall.This is a huge learning for me in being present.
I liked the questions and I really enjoyed the event. I am grateful to Prof. Prithviraj for the opportunity and the faculty members for organizing it and the students for their participation. I am looking forward to a day when the curriculum in schools and colleges becomes integral and students experience the dimensions other than exams, marks, ranks and jobs.

Meditation

 Auroville is involved in many activities that are beneficial to the nearby villages. Education is one of those activities which has positively impacted the local people. Arulvazhi  provides components of integral education not provided in village schools for the children of Marthandi Village. Arulvazhi also reaches out to the people in Tamil Nadu through   intensives at Auroville focused on the tecahings of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo. Varadrajan, Syamala and the entire Arulvazhi team are dedicated to their goals and have been a source of inspiration for me in Auroville.

I am grateful for the many opportunities they have given me to share in the events they organize very regularly. One such event happened today and I had the privilege to share about mediation and conduct a meditation session. The participants are devotees of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo and it was an extraordinary opportunity for me to learn form their experience through the interactive session. I feel satisfied and grateful.
I wish Arulvazhi all the very best in their activities and look forward to more such opportunities.

Personal Growth Lab at IIMI@RAK , U.A.E

This event was so special for me that I had to allow some time to pass before I attempted to write the blog.

This is the first IIM campus outside India, set up by IIMI in partnership with GEM
This is the first batch of PGP (the two year flagship program of IIMs)
This is the first course of the first batch
And, I had the privilege to take the first course of the first batch of the first IIM campus abroad!
And, this is my first Personal Growth event  abroad.
I am grateful to all at IIMI and GEM for this opportunity.

I woke up at 2AM and left Auroville at 4AM to catch the flight at Chennai. The flight was a bit delayed and reached the campus around 2:30pm. I received a warm welcome from Swapna, Vasu and the GEM team. After grabbing a quick lunch in the delightful company of Vasu, I walked straight into the inauguration, clad in a T-shirt and chappals! Vasu invoked the grace of Lord Ganesha and chanted "Namoh Bhagavathe Sri Aravindayanamah". I marvelled ta the divinne connection!  It was an honor for me to be the first one to light the ceremonial lamp. 

 We had the first session immediately after the ceremony and I was very happy with the participation of the students. We had three more days of the course and I suggested that we hold Pranayama sessions in the morning. This needed a lot of logistics to be taken care. Transport arrangements (as the hostel was away), breakfast arrangements, buying mats and cushions(you can see them at the back in some of the pictures), changing the timings etc. I was amazed that the GEM team did all this that evening and did with such positive energy. This is the first institution that arranged the perfect logistics for paranayama sessions!

 The sessions themselves gave me great joy and a sense of delightful fulfillment, thanks to the active participation of the students with such receptivity and keen listening. They were pulling the course to their lives and this was a wonderful experience for me. I am grateful to each and every one of the participants for giving me such joy and happiness. I have no doubt that they would practice the tools and techniques and derive great benefits in their lives. I am also certain that they would set new standards of excellence in PGP and create anew culture that  would be respected and admired by  all.

The picture on the right was taken at 12:30 pm on the last day and the students got it framed and presented it to me when we finished the course at 3:45PM! What gift for me! I cherish the love, affection and goodwill behind this extraordinary gift.

I wish this PGP course and the IIMI campus at RAK, UAE all the very best. I am sure that they will blaze new trails and create new realities that would be emulated by many.

My special gratitude to Kaushik, who willingly took on the role of class representative and provided me with all the support needed to conduct the course; Swapna, Vasu, Bala and all the GEM team for their kind hospitality, support and encouragement; Prof. Ravichandran and Prof Dipayan for giving me this wonderful opportunity.

 

Inner Healing

 This workshop happened after a long time - thanks to the initiative of Harini.
I have an axiom- the basis of all healing is inner. Mother said that ultimately, it is faith that heals. Faith is inner. One may choose many pathways, based on various aspects but healing happnes due to that faith.

Then what is inner healing?
It is pathway to overcome conditioning and develop faith by tapping into inner resources.

 This is a three and a half day retreat . The main objective is to develop three dimensions.

1. Balm for physical discomfort

2. Practices for inner cleansing -  let go toxic emotions , forgiveness etc.

3. Practices to systematically improve health, well being and explore the domain of being well.

 The workshop is hed in the blessed space of Savitrui Bhavan. There is something special here. We heard the saying 'Cleanliness is Godliness'. This is what struck me  first. I gradually tuned in to the energy behind the cleanliness and connected with the devotion of the team that has built and is instantiating Savitri Bhavan. I feel grateful and blessed to have the opportunity to be in this space to share my work.                        



                                                                     This retreat was also very special for me as my niece and nephew came form Hyderabad to participate in this retreat. I really enjoyed their presence and participation. Thank you, dear Kusuma and Prakash.

I am gartfeul to the participants for giving me an opportunity to offer this retreat and share the principles that are so close to my heart.

Wellbeing workshop at Pavilion of Tibetan Culture

 This is the foundation workshop in my offerings as it introduces the basics of inner growth - harnessing the power of attention and intention. The foreground is stretch exercises based on Yoga Asanas, Pranyama practices for beginners and Deep relaxation. But, in the background, we are working with attention and intention; specifically in developing awareness, visualization, developing inner harmony and being responsible for well being.

 The venue of Pavilion of Tibetan Culture is so wonderful and well suited for this workshop that I think that this is an ideal venue.
It is rainy season in Auroville and I am delighted that the participants were so committed to their well being that the rain was never a barrier for them to be there at 6:55AM. It is a pleasure and privilge to share well being with such a grooup.

I also introduce the concept of relating to yourself as an energy field and becoming aware of the energy exchange with the Universal energy field. The dietary principles for well being are based on this aspect.


I am grateful for the privilege to share these principles and practices in this wonderful space.

Integral Development Lab 2 at Himalayas

Please see my post in the IDL blog

http://idl-2.blogspot.com/2011/10/integral-development-lab-2-at-himalayas.html

Here are a  few pics where I am seen

Boating in Naina Lake

Rapelling

With a  group  aftter river crossing

River crossing

Close up

Skit

Two Workshops in early October

I am making this post short as I am having  a pile of things to do.

On 11th Oct, I conducted a  workshop for Delhi School children of age group 12-16 and it was a very joyous experience for me. It is amazing that young children are receptive to Yoga and Pranayama. I am grateful to Lalit for the opportunity.
On 13th and 14th, I facilitated a workshop for GMR executives at Bangalore. This was huge learning experience for me as a significant percentage of the participants were not very comfortable with English, in following as well as speaking. I think I learned something and would be  able to handle such groups better in future. the most important thing is - check at the very beginning of the workshop.

Well Being Workshop

This is the corner stone ( foundation?) of my workshops and there is an ever increasing joy for me whenever I have the opportunity to offer this workshop. Nowadays, it is mainly happening in Auroville, mostly due to logistics. We need a well ventilated, sheltered space where participants not only do the stretch exercises and Pranayama but also deep relaxation. So, we need cushions for sitting and a floor suitable for lying down. 

 The room which Kalsang offered for the program at Pavilion of Tibetan Culture is the best venue so far. It is on the first floor with huge windows and wooden flooring. It is meditation room, well provided with mats and cushions. The fountain adds a soothing, natural sound.  It is a joy to offer the workshop in this venue. The pictures reflect only the two dimensional picture as it does not capture the vibrations of mediations and the sound of flowing water – not to mention the panoramic view of the room.

We had wonderful, international gathering of participants. They were very cooperative and their participation was a source of encouragement for me. May the Divine bless every one of them with extraordinary wellbeing. 
One of the interesting points I wish to share is that it rained on all the 7 days of the workshop!

Sustainable Health Management

This has become one of my favourite workshops as it combines two of my passions.  Sustainable in the context of eco-friendliness, financial aspects and the independence from a lot of pre-requisites are normally quite well understood by when we ask “What is sustainable health management?”. While it is all this, I wish to stress a couple other dimensions
1.    Sustainable also means that the practitioner finds it simple and easy to do and sustain the practice; and sustain it with joy, ease and grace.
2.    Assuming that you are in good health at age X, how do you sustain the same level of health, energy and jest for life at the age of X+10, X+20 ... years. In other words, how do you arrest or even reverse the aging process?

This was a half day session opportunity given to me by Dr. Rajagopal and Tineke in the famous 5 day residential workshop” Sustainable Development”. Dr. Rajagopal is the doyen of environmental science education and is associated with this program for a long time.  I was fortunate to be introduced to him by my good friend (late) Bhavana three years ago and a friendship has sprung between us, thanks to his warmth and affection. I got to  know Tineke  better and am amazed at the many things she participates and contributes in.
The first thing that comes to me whenever ‘short workshops’ opportunities arise is “How can compress this topic into such a short time?” But, slowly the challenge and the true meaning of opportunity prevail over this conditioned response.  My interpretation of opportunity is “ I am dealt a set of cards in a game..  I now have an opportunity to play the game, play it with joy and play it well”.
And, that’s what it turned out to be – a game that all of us enjoyed together – a win-win game. I acknowledge the group for their openness and spontaneous participation. Such participation stoked up my enthusiasm and we did have a great workshop (in my opinion). One of the participants in last year’s workshop is now an Aurovilian. I would be delighted to see the participants again and again as Aurovilians or guests or vistors.....
BTW, I left out point 2 mentioned above from the scope of the workshop.
I forgot the camera yet another time. The pictures here are taken by Ajita and I am grateful to her for sharing them.
To know a bit more about Auroville and a lot more about Sustainable Future, please see Ajita's blog

http://the-seeing-eye.blogspot.com/2011/09/sustainable-living.html

Stress Management Workshop at IIITB

This was one of the happiest events in my memory. Back to back workshops in the top two technical institutions in Bangalore (if not the whole of India). As I said earlier, workshops like this are not common in technical institutions. The technical institutions focus a lot more on (modern) science and technology with lots of equations. For me this event coming immediately after the workshop at IISC is a double celebration!
The vent was a challenge for me to compress the various things I wanted to share into the available time.  It was an exciting challenge as such events are trial balloons for my growth as well as in expanding the horizons of this work. I prepared well and what an event it turned out to be!

I really like the class rooms in IIITB. Excellent infrastructure.  I really like to work with young students as well and I was delighted with the participation and questions. I was delighted with the way they were pulling the workshop towards them. They were so engrossed and interested that most of them stayed back even after a concert started. I was particularly happy with the interactions, the interest and inquisitiveness.
I almost forgot to take pictures and just managed two towards the end of the workshop. One of the pictures is not very good but I like to share it as it gives the right-side view of the participants.
I certainly feel confident about compression after this event. But more important is how the students feel. I do hope that you would share in this blog.

Happiness Workshop: MILE Lab, IISc

Technical institutions in India are generally focused on technology. There may be some exceptions and even extraordinary oases that focus on all round development of students and staff. The Medical Intelligence and Language Engineering (MILE) Lab is such an oasis. The mission of the lab is “Create extraordinary technical leaders committed to excellence and contribution beyond technology”. http://mile.ee.iisc.ernet.in/mile/OurMotto.html
 The man behind this mission is Prof. AG Ramakrishna. I have the pleasure and privilege of knowing AGR (as he is fondly called) for more than a decade. He is a living example of excellence and holistic personal development in his own illustrious and eventful life.  To learn more about him, click on http://mile.ee.iisc.ernet.in/agr/index.htm
Earlier, AGR gave me a couple of opportunities to conduct workshops for the MILE team. 26th August 2011 was the lucky day for me to have a third such opportunity. I especially like to work with this team not only because it is well knit, young and enthusiastic team but also because it is privilege for me to share the time and space with team that gas vision, mission and goals that are very inspiring to me. I am thrilled to share tools and techniques for happiness. What more could I ask for than to contribute to the happiness of this team with such a great mission and be contributed to in this process?
There was considerable gap of more than a year from the last workshop to the one on 26th Aug. The team changed a lot- many students passed out and some project staff left to pursue career opportunities of their choice. It was great to meet some of the old friends in the MILE team and make new friends.  I particularly remember Shiva, Suresh and Deepak for their spontaneous participation and enriching the earlier workshops with their contributions. It was pleasure meeting them again. I was delighted to see Archana. She is now working in Chennai and came over to spend the week-end with her family. She decided to be at this full day workshop and i really enjoyed the gift of her presence. Meeting AGR is always a source of joy and inspiration for me and so it was this time.
The vent itself is one that I would remember for a long time. One of the things that I noticed is that people working in teams tend to be cautious in participating and sharing in workshops like this. The participation and sharing form this group is very satisfying and fulfilling to me and it was a great source for my growth. I realize that each event is like a game for me as I feel so intensely alive and focused on the conversations – being in the NOW. It was very fulfilling for me that every one of the MILE team had the courage and commitment to address real issues in their life. That made the event truly successful and useful for one and all.
 However, I was not present enough to take some pictures of this event that was so special for me. I hope to grow to be more present in the next workshop.
Please share how the event was for you and whether you are practicing.

Well Being Workshop

Well, after a long time, I am posting a blog soon after the event is completed. I realized the internal dialogue that has been preventing for doing.

What my inner dialogue is saying is “How many people see this? You have only 8 followers after nearly two years of blogging. It is not very smart to put in so much effort with such small returns.” What I realize is that my original goal of writing the blog as my self-expression and my won growth has been lost. I am amazed at the ways that the conditioning takes me over. I am happy and delighted that I am reconnected with my real purpose of writing the blog, which is connected to my passion to share personal growth.
This is the 41st Well Being Workshop I conducted. The opportunity for my personal growth in each workshop is to relate to it as a ‘new’ workshop, which it is. This is a basic practice that allows for relating to the NOW and living life in the present. I find it useful in generating each day as a ‘new’ day, which it is. This moment is new.  It is also helping me in relationships and all aspects of my work. Actually, it is a practice of mindfulness and love.
This is the first time I conducted it in the Pavilion of Tibetan culture, thanks to Kalsang. What a space it is! Excellent cross ventilation, beautiful greenery all around, the musical sound of water flowing in the fountain, the presence of Mother, Sri Aurobindo and HH  Dalai Lama, the wooden flooring and immaculate maintenance.... A part of this space is used for meditation – a better perspective is that it is a space for meditation. I was delighted that one of the earlier participants came along his son and daughter-in-law and also brought also a friend from Madurai. The daughter-in-law is expecting to have a baby soon. This was very inspiring for me and when she said that the baby likes the classes, I had an experience that I have no words to describe.
I invite people who have attended earlier workshops to join for the last two sessions and invite them to share their experience. I feel so satisfied and fulfilled when I hear about the better health they are enjoying. I am blessed to be the conduit for them to connect with the ancient practices of Yoga, Pranayama and Wellness.
Here are some pictures of the extraordinary event.

Workshops for PGP Students of IIMI

Earlier, I was teaching a course called Personal Growth Lab(PGL) to the students of 2 year Post Graduate program. Thanks to the initiative of Prof. Ramana, we are now experimenting with workshops. I facilitated two workshops of 10 sessions each - Good health and Wellbeing; Stress Management

Good Health & Wellbeing
This is based on Wellbeing workshop. I was not sure how many students would be interested in this workshop as it is scheduled at 6:30AM. This is closer to the bed time of many of the students  rather than wake up time.  I am very happy that a large number of students enrolled for this workshop despite the challenge of waking up early in the morning.  I turned to Yoga and other good health practices when my health was bad. It is inspiring to see the commitment to good health in the people who are young and enjoying reasonable health. I am fortunate to have the privilege of sharing what has been so beneficial to me. I enjoyed conducting the sessions and very much appreciate the participation and positive energy in the workshop.

Stress Management
This is based on the many workshops I conducted for corporates. I had a very ambitious plan to cover a lot of aspects that I normally do in workshops of  longer duration.  I was not sure whether the young students would be interested in topics beyond basic stress management. I was pleasantly surprised by not only the interest but the participation, openness and interaction. It was a very joyous experience for me and I am very happy and grateful for the opportunity of working with this group – so much so that I felt sad in the last session.
I think the idea of a class representative is a good one. Panda and Fiaz  helped me in many ways and such connections are very precious for me – making young friends. Tribhuvan was the only one to be in both the workshops. In fact, he did stress management purely out of interest without actually enrolling for the course and became another young friend. It was also very heartening for me that Prof. Omkar attended most of the sessions and Prof. Srinivas attended 4 sessions. It seems to me that we are making progress in the IIM campus!
The workshops were easier from my point of view as we concentrate on one topic at a time. However, by focusing on one aspect, the workshops fragment the holistic perspective that was the cornerstone of  PGL. One challenge I faced was to set question papers for the test – first of its kind.
7th July is a day I won’t forget easily. It was the first time ever that I was late for a class.  When Prof. Srnivas called me at 6:35AM for the 6:30 session, I was sleeping! I was confused and ran for the session and started it at 6:45 I had to use every technique that I have ever learned to be present and conduct the session. I would say that I passed the test in my own evaluation.
Visiting IIMI is something I like very much. A beautiful and vibrant campus that I enjoy to be in, meet old friends, meet new people and make new friends. I look forward to my next visit. The campus and the view are especially beautiful, with fresh green carpets grown by the monsoon. I feel blessed to be here and have had the opportunity to offer the workshops to young, enthusiastic students.

An interesting quarter – April, May & June of 2011

 Health, Harmony and Happiness Workshops
These are based on my insight that the key to good health is on-line management of the energy field. So, I experimented by combining the Well Being Workshop with some parts of the Being Well Workshop and tried it out as a 4daya workshop at Auroville, Savitri Bhavan . It was very well received by the participants and it encouraged me to offer it again in May.




I faciliatetd a variation of this course at IIM, Indore for Defence Service Officers as a workshop of three full days. This was a very special event as it was an opportunity to connect with my extended family roots in Defence Services.









Even more special (for me) was the Health and Harmony Workshop I offered at Hyderabad for my college mates. This happened with the initiative if my dear friend DSR Raju and was organized by him and M. Subbarao, another dear friend of the 60’s in college. It was wonderful to meet friends form the college days and share the principles of health and harmony.  I am grateful to DSR Raju, M. Subbarao and all those who came over to the workshop.  K Venkateswarlu  (like DSR) is a dear friend from 1963 onwards and it was great that he could attend the workshop. I am blessed to share tools and techniques that could be beneficial to my friends who are so dear to me.
I see “Health, Harmony and Happiness” as the direction I would like to develop myself and my work.

Follow Up Sessions
This was also the period in which I have done three follow up sessions – two at IIM and one at LEC. This is an important aspect of the work – a follow up sessions are having a major positive impact in improving the practice of the tools and techniques i.e. in actually producing beneficial results.

Individual Coaching
A major opportunity for my growth during this period was two requests for individual coaching. It was challenging to manage the time and experiment with individual coaching - first attempts for me. I am glad that I took up the challenge and managed my commitments. It was enormously fulfilling and very satisfying in the end and I learned many important differences between workshop mode and individual coaching.  It is a privilege to coach anyone individually as it creates a connection of immense quality.

Stress Management
I conducted a two day stress management workshop at GMR. This workshop has now matured into a very well rounded event that I like very much and is benefitting  the participants.

ICITI
This period was also significant for the progress in the ICITI project. I met a number of important people in Delhi and feel hopeful at the end of it. I am grateful for the opportunity to give  a talk at Indian Institute of Science on ICITI.

The blog
This post is more like a quarterly report rather than a blog intended for self expression and my personal growth. I am recommitting myself to update the blog after very event.

Health & Harmony

I have been offering various workshops on Pranayama, Wellbeing, Being Well, Freedom from physical and emotional stress…. During the summer of 2010, I conducted week-long retreats in the Kumaon region of the Himalayas, in which I combined many aspects of the earlier workshops. I had an insight that it all points to how you manage your energy field. I tried this out in a few short workshops and was ready to offer an integrated version - Managing your energy field for good health and harmony.

I experimented with a new format for the timings. This is 4 day workshop and we do Pranayama in the mornings form 7AM to 8AM. Then everyone gets a chance to do whatever they want to and reassemble after lunch form 2PM to 6:30PM. My intention was to make this workshop is an opportunity to explore, experience and internalize some holistic practices and processes for better health and inner harmony. My sense is that the intention has materialized and the workshop was very well received by the participants. I think the format also helped people to handle their other commitments.
Personally, it helped me to learn a lot – given the diversity in the culture and background of the participants. I also covered a variety of topics, practices and tools. That made the dimensions of the workshop very expansive. The discussions, questions and interactions were very lively and highly enlightening. I enjoyed it immensely and am more than satisfied with the outcomes. I hope to make this as one of my main offerings in Auroville. May be, I will increase the duration to 5 days and make the afternoon sessions a bit shorter. I look forward to folding in my leanings and make the second workshop more beneficial.

I am grateful for the wonderful space and help provided by the team of Savitri Bhavan. This is a very special venue for me and it was pleasure and privilege to offer the workshop here.

Wellbeing Workshop at Life Education Center

This is the first time I have conducted a program for the whole school. It is also the first program in which all participants were women and girls.

The Life Education Centre (LEC) is an Auroville outreach school, providing an on-going program for vocational training for semi-educated girls between the ages of 14-21 from Indian villages. I am grateful to Harini, who has been running LEC over a decade, for giving me an opportunity to offer a Wellbeing workshop at LEC. The school is very charming and the ambience is serne, exuding aspiration and sincerity. Martha, the Founder of LEC, lives in Canada. She was in Auroville this week and it was wonderful to have her participation.

What touched me and inspired me in LEC is the oneness between the teachers and the students. They are more like a family rather than an educational institution. The sessions were very well received and I am hopeful that the workshop would positively impact the wellbeing of the participants. I am particularly happy that LEC is considering practicing Pranayama everyday as a group.