Heal yourself workshop

This is another get together that I had the fortune to attend; with in one month of my college GT. This time it is my Navy Technical Officers Batch of 1970. I have lost touch with most of my class mates but the Navy is a very small and close knit world. And the batch mates are one of the most precious and enduring gifts that I got from the Navy.  We all joined the Navy in July 1970 and went through the trials and tribulations of ragging, adjusting to the service life, wearing uniforms and a vast amount of training - before we could really start breathing as Naval Officers. So, a bond formed more than 40 years ago and the bond became stronger as we worked together, played together, partied together and laughed together. Then, we started getting married and thanks to the wonderful traditions of the Navy, the ladies strengthened the bond and even created new bonds and network connections. So, it is like a strong, well-knit family.
I had the good luck ( and some sense) to suggest a  GT on the occasion of our 40th commissioning anniversary and it was an instant success; thanks to the bonds and the joy of reunion. The annual GT was born out of that unforgettable event and we now recreate such opportunity every year to meet and regale in the joy of getting together with such dear friends.

 This is along introduction to a short workshop that my dear friends asked me to conduct. The venue was the beautiful Vishranti Guest House on top of the hill called Dolphin's Nose, in Vizag. The  view form the hill is just magnificent and you could get lost just looking at the pristine , cobalt blue Bay of Bengal in the glorious sun shine, breathing the ozone charged sea air with which I connected at the biological level of the memory in the cells. The pictures say it all and more.

 So, I was thrilled that my friends gave me this opportunity  to share with them. The opportunity also carried a responsibility with it as Intended to create value for them. After considerable thinking, I chose the topic of self - healing as it could be very beneficial to all my friends who already celebrated their 60th birthday and the ladies are about to so so ( I wont say when, in the best traditions of the Navy).
 This is such a simple, but powerful and magical process that could be beneficial to any one but could be very valuable to people who are above 60 in dealing with  the aches and pains that become part of growing beyond 60.

So, we had this extraordinary event (at least for me) and what a joy it is to share it with my extended family. Not just a joy, it was privilege and moments like this give make me feel so grateful for the opportunity of being the one who shared this with people who are so dear to me.

I look forward to the bigger gift of my friends practicing it and getting benefited.

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.