The World and I – Perceiving Perception
3 day workshop on 3rd, 4th, 5th, December 2010.
Venue: Sri Aurobindo Society, Beach Office, 11, St. Martin Street, Puducherry, 605001
Video: World and I - Perceiving Perception
The three-day workshop World and I - Perceiving Perception concluded on the evening of 5th December, 2010 with hugs and laughter and a twinge of nostalgia. The participants had the opportunity to explore their hearts and minds through rigorous discussions, walks, games and creative work. The activities were conducted in groups, pairs, and individually, with participants sharing their insights and questions.
Each morning began with a short mediation session as a group. Participants experienced individual explorative activities such as a silent walk where they went into the streets of Pondy to quietly observe their surroundings. They compared their individual experiences with the entire group. Participants also explored their identities by creating a symbol that represented them as individuals through painting or drawing on paper or ceramic objects.
In groups, participants were made aware of how their senses act as doors of perception through listening, smell, and touch games. One activity allowed them to explore the differences between knowledge, opinion, wisdom and fact, using newspapers and magazines. Participants had fun with interpretation by understanding the relationship between verbal language and body language in the process of communication through an activity where pairs spoke in front of the group in languages their partner didn’t understand. All individual and group activities were followed by a discussion of the implications of the similarities and differences in their experiences and perceptions.
The process of the workshop was enriched by other lively activities, such as being caught at any time by a Freeze Moment, when the participants had to freeze in their movements and thoughts and become more conscious of themselves in their current state. Wake Up activities happened after breaks and involved various movements like running, hopping, or dancing to physically engage the participants.
The Workshop included other elements, such as a display called Read the Writing on the Wall that introduced thought provoking questions, optical illusions and quotations. There was also a Mindbox, in which questions or thoughts could be deposited anonymously for discussion. Express Yourself and The Way I See It were boards where participants were free to post their personal writings for everyone to see, or simply write down a question or thought.
Magic Eye Posters were posted around the hall, and they were a huge hit with the participants. They helped them to understand perception, as the Magic Eye is a two-dimensional computerized pattern which reveals a magical three dimensional image if you can focus on it correctly.
Participants' Feedback:
“For me the workshop was immensely useful in hearing the voice that has been waiting to be heard...I was losing sight and a new vision has been reinstated. Cheers to the good work, guidance and innovation – may there be many more such events!” – Kamalini Natesan
“It offered an open space of no judgement that invited us to explore our own perceptions...There was an adaptable sensitivity to the needs of the moment in the facilitator. I look forward to taking the creative activities to the class room with students.” - Anahita Sanjana
“I have discovered that peace is within me and I just have to make an attempt to reach inside my own self and attain it. It is important for me to train my mind to reflect to be able to see things the way they are from different peoples’ viewpoints.” – Sakina Gadiwala
“I felt very relaxed as most of the activities were simple yet so meaningful...I have learnt a lot through this workshop which I will be taking with me, sharing it with people and implementing some things in my class as well.” – Aksheeta Selarka
“This workshop has created a sense of awareness in myself. This is what I came for – to get to know myself better. The exercises, the interactions, the activities have brought about a clarity...The facilitators were wonderful and made me feel much at ease with myself and others through all the well thought of and well planned activities over the last three days.” – Nandita Kamalia
“Aspects like Magic Eye, certain photographs and write-ups on the pillar are very captivating. The music chosen and played has had me moving and thinking along with its pace, which makes me feel very involved and achieve oneness with it.” – Munira Majal
“Dancing - I felt that activity made me feel like a child who always wanted to be free, or carefree. I loved to dance. I took steps which I would have never done even in front of my dearest ones.” – Jyoti Tanna
“The session where we were asked to describe ourselves/‘Who Am I?’ was a very different and unique experience to write about myself.” – Anand Deodhar
“A very intense, thought provoking workshop, yet interesting and enjoyable because of the various activites. It made me do a self introspection in a very relaxed manner, in a peaceful and non-threatening ambiance (created by the facilitator).” – Sapna Pradhan
“It was well thought out and planned. I can see a lot of work has been done behind and on the scenes.” – Veera Dastoor
“The session on the first day – “What/Who Am I?” – affected me the most. The writing came from the heart and I visited a part of me that I hadn’t looked at in a long time.” – Seema Sharma
“I realized during the walk and while thinking about it how much we miss out because the mind comes in the way, how little pure perception we do in our normal life. It was so calm to be walking at a slow pace without a ‘purpose’ – not trying to achieve anything. When deep breath joined in with the slow pace and silence – the result was much deeper. There was no thought, and deeper perception.” - Nandita Jhaveri
“[The workshop] made us aware of our layers within our inner self that need cleaning before we can actually perceive something clearly.” – Lekha Merchant
SCHEDULE
DAY 1
8.30 a.m.: REGISTRATION BEGINS
8.45 - 9.30 a.m.: Meditative silence followed by Welcome Note and Introduction by Vijay bhaiya (Shri Vijay Poddar)
9.30 - 11.00 a.m.: Dr. Alok Pandey’s talk - Understanding understanding – an introduction.
11 - 11.20 a.m.: BREAK
11.20 a.m. – 1.00 p.m.: Briefing about the workshop.
Ice-breaking and Know Thy Group activity.
‘I’-ACTIVITY: Exploring concept of self… peeling the onion...
1 – 2 p.m.: LUNCH
2 – 3.30 p.m.: Sense-perception activity.
Exploring… ‘the world’ - Group activity followed by discussion of implications.
3.30 - 3.50 p.m.: TEA-OK-BREAK!
3.50 - 5 p.m.: Discussion
DAY 2
Pin up your writing on the board as soon as you come.
9.00 a.m.: Meditative silence.
9.30 - 11.00 a.m.: Exploring Individual reality - Exercises and discussion based session.
Discussion/Sharing of awareness gained.
11 - 11.20 a.m.: BREAK
11.20 a.m. – 1.00 p.m.: Exploring… World and I
Exercise with words – fun with interpretation! (Group activity)
Discussion: Understanding interpretation.
1 – 2 p.m. – LUNCH
2 – 3.30 p.m.: Senses and perception - Group activity (sensory activities) followed by discussion of implications.
3.30 - 3.50 p.m.: TEA-OK-BREAK!
3.50 – 5.00 p.m.: Continuation of discussion or Interpretation activity.
Pin up your writing on the board as soon as you come.
9.00 a.m.: Meditative silence...
9.15 - 11.00 a.m.: I and eyes and more....
Instructions for the activity (outdoor). Exercise followed by sharing and exploring implications.
11 - 11.20 a.m.: BREAK
11.20 – 1.00 p.m.: Understanding the Matrix – emotions, reasons, beliefs...
1 – 2 p.m.: LUNCH
2 – 3.30 p.m.: Symbolically yours... Understanding communication and interpretation – CREATIVE ACTIVITY followed by discussion.
3.30 - 3.50 p.m.: TEA-OK-BREAK!
4 – 6.00 p.m.:
The participants will be asked to interpret each others’ work.
The implications will be discussed.
Individual presentations by participants. (Vijay bhaiya to join in this session.)
Feedback forms. Awarding of certificates. Au revoir!
Some features to be noted:
MIND BOX: Participants are asked to write on pieces of paper their questions, comments, observations etc., which they drop into a box (MIND BOX) kept at the venue, anonymously if they prefer. These will be opened only by the workshop facilitator. The purpose is to give a safe and anonymous platform for sharing… creating mystery!
READ THE WRITING ON THE WALL: A visible wall space where charts will be put up for the participants to scribble comments, questions, observations, riddles, etc., to stimulate and share with the whole group or inspire the group to seek answers
PAUSE MOMENTS: During the workshop there will some ‘pause moments’. This is similar to a game that some of us may have played as children called ‘statue.’ When a friend says, “statue” to you, you freeze, just freeze! Sometimes the friend may try to make you laugh but you’ve got to hold on. In the workshop, we will use this ‘game’ to deepen one’s perception of self and surroundings. The details will be explained at the workshop.
SHARING DURING THE WORKSHOP: A space where participants can share their best practices, books, websites, movies, magazines, write ups and other articles….
HOME WORK!!!: Participant are asked to do daily diary writing pertaining to insights gained with respect to the workshop. This should be written on one side of the paper so that it can be pinned up for others to read the following day.
CERTIFICATES: Certificates will be issued to participants upon completion of the workshop.
FOLLOW-UP: Exchanging contact details (those who are interested!). A soft version of these along with photographs of the workshop will be made available to the participants. The participants will have the facility of staying in touch with each other and the workshop facilitator after they have left.
· Interested participants/institutions will be informed of such sessions organised in the future.
[PLEASE NOTE: Activities/exercises are not fully explained here, as doing so may dilute the activity]
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