Tillitonse - A Transformational Journey Together

WHERE DOES THE GIVING STOP AND RECEIVING BEGIN? ....As I flew out of Yangon, Myanmar, this question quietly whispered to me as a sense of peace matched the calm skies..... As a coach I give my presence and the wonderful people like Mathew Tiedermann and many others at PACT Myanmar give so much more to me....their openness, courage, dreams, concerns and above all trust!  What a wonderful way to meet my need for meaningful and authentic connection. GRATITUDE!

STEPPING OUT FROM OUR CREATED IMAGES A few years ago, I was pleasantly surprised to see that one of my Yoga teachers was a fellow participant in a 10 day residential program. In the opening session, we were asked to state our motivation for being there. Her response was - "I have noticed that my identity as a teacher was becoming very strong. I wanted to give other aspects of my personality to develop as well. That's why I am here as a learner. " Her response struck a chord. Over the past few months, I have immersed as a coach and trainer and felt a similar sentiment. The risk of one taking oneself too seriously was indeed high! So, starting as a student on a six month course last weekend was a liberating opportunity to shed some of the baggage and embrace a 'beginners mindset.' I have found that this is a huge challenge for the many leaders that I coach. So immersed are they, that is hard for them to be able to "take off this mask." ...

THERE ARE MANY ROADS THAT LEAD TO ROME….MINE IS NOT THE ONLY ONE Last week, as I reviewed the pictures I had taken of Sanjana’s (my daughter) dance performance, this particular one brought an ‘ A-Ha’ moment. The two major epics from India have been close companions and guides for me since my childhood. I have learnt so much from these stories that have shaped me in so many ways. A more recent important influence in my life has been yoga (including meditative practices). One of the narratives I have told myself is…. “I regret that Sanjana has little knowledge of the epics and no interest in yoga.” This regret has led to criticism. But as I paid attention to this picture…a deeper truth dawned upon me….. My desire to see her immersed in both these influences (of mine) were for three reasons: 1)    Because I wanted her to imbibe the wisdom and good practices; 2)    Because I wanted her to do something that I ...

LESSON #3:  GENUINE HAPPINESS = WHAT YOU BRING TO THE WORLD Early this morning on the way to the airport, I espied this familiar resplendent visage on posters around my home. Yes, it was lovely to see the smile of ‘Ramamurthy Mama.’ One of major insights from the five week ‘Cultivating Emotional Balance’ teacher training program that I completed earlier this year was that authentic sustained happiness comes from what we bring to the world rather than what we take from it. It is in cultivating this sense of ‘being’ that we find sustained bliss and flourishing. Ramamurthy Mama epitomized this sense of being. His presence enlivened all those around him and his open laughter and warmth continue to resound two years to the date today from when he moved on. He truly ‘brought’ to the world rather than looking to ‘take.’ I got to know him over five years in Mumbai. I wish I had taken the time to spend more time with him (and his neighbour Bharat...

CHIPPING AWAY AT THE RIGID SENSE OF SELF  The Buddhist ‘Riponche’ spoke softly…. and a sense of calm descended on the fifty of us who had gathered for the five week teacher certification at a monastery in rural Switzerland. He happened to be visiting the monastery and our trainer, Dr. Eve Ekman, requested him to interact with us – to begin this program. He spoke about the ‘view’ “The way we view ourselves and others shapes how both our individual sense of being and how we interact with the world…. The more rigid the sense of individual self, the greater the likelihood for us to experience a divide between us and others.” This got me! Upon reflection, the following emerged….. The strong drive to be someone different, to cultivate skills and communicate a strong sense of identity (unique from others) has indeed served me well. An inner confidence, a successful career, enjoyable work and many other benefits have accrued. But ...

AN UNEXPECTED LESSON ON FLOW…. On July 23, I walked out of a five-week immersion in Bern, Switzerland. It was a teacher training and certification for a program entitled “Cultivating Emotional Balance.’ This program brings together the science of emotions with the traditional practices of contemplative traditions to help us lead lives oriented towards enhancing genuine happiness. The temptation to share key lessons learnt was high. In fact, a few interested people around me nudged me to do so immediately upon my return. This is what I have normally done. But, this time around, things felt different. I felt a deep need to ‘just be’ and let the experience sink in while adopting some daily practices to nurture the key insights that have emerged. This morning I felt ready. And then I looked at the calendar. It was exactly two months ago since my ‘graduation.’ What a wonderful lesson here – Don’t rush the process. Let it flow naturally. Over the ...

How Can I Make Mondays More Like Fridays?  A powerful Insight from a leader (shared with his permission) In a coaching conversation last Friday with Shankar , the Managing Director of PSI-IPL, a social enterprise in India, an interesting observation he made led to an insightful discussion. As with the case in most authentic connects, the conversation focused on the whole person - both the professional and the family man. He noticed that his family, those around him at work and himself included typically feel a bounce/a buoyancy/ a lightness that was more pronounced on Fridays as compared to Mondays.  This was palpable at home as well. He had noticed that his teenager daughter too was more open and willing to engage in deeper discussions on a Friday evening as compared to any other week night. On other weekdays, the conversations were mainly transactional in nature - “Can do this?” “I need X” etc.  As the conversation deepened, he drew the paral...