Date: Apr 10 - Apr 13, 2025 Location: Society House A spiritual Retreat was organised by Seth M.R. Jaipuria School, Lucknow for 21 people, comprising teachers, principals and a management person, from 10th April 2025 to 13th April 2025 in Puducherry in order to deepen the understanding and experience of Integral Education (IE) and its focus on Psychic Education. Shivakumar and Priti of SAFIER, the Integral Education initiative of Sri Aurobindo Society, helped the management of the school to hold sessions by varied facilitators, connected to the topic, in the premises of Society house, Sri Aurobindo Society and also facilitated a 3-hour session titled ‘Connecting with the Psychic and staying rooted in the Psychic’ on the 13th of April 2025. Shivakumar, with the help of powerful quotes from Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, shared some insights on the Psychic Being, by starting with its relevance to IE. He also further discussed ‘What is not the Psychic’ in order to enable more mental clarity on the topic.  The participants enthusiastically participated in the discussions and were eager to know more about the Psychic being and its effect on our lives. Priti joined in the interaction by sharing a few internal and external methods mentioned by the Mother to get in touch with the Psychic and act from there. With the help of one of the methods ‘engaging in an activity of higher vibration — mantra chanting’, she facilitated the importance of the Universal and Eternal Sound ‘OM’ through anecdotes and quotes by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother and led the participants into an experiential journey of getting connected with their Psychic Being with the help of the chants and a written & colourful expression of OM. The participants were grateful for the learnings during the three days and went back doubly enriched, touched by the soulful experience of the quietude and sanctity of the Ashram atmosphere in Puducherry and also the deep dive into the depth of Integral Education in the form of interactions, discussions, activities and soulful talks.

Date: Mar 23 - Mar 26, 2025 Location: Seth MR Jaipuria School, Bhiwadi, Rajasthan A four-day residential spiritual retreat at Seth MR Jaipuria School, Bhiwadi, Rajasthan, held from 23rd March to 26th March 2025. It was a transformative experience for around 60 students from classes 6th to 9th. Centred around the profound teachings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, the retreat focused on the four Soul Forces: Wisdom, Strength, Harmony, and Perfection.  Rahul, Palak and Neel on behalf of SAFIER, the integral education initiative of Sri Aurobindo Society, along with the Team from Seth MR Jaipuria School, facilitated the Retreat. Through an immersive journey of self-exploration and collective learning, students engaged in activities designed to deepen their understanding and experience of these inner forces. Day 1: Aspiration – Igniting the Inner Flame: The retreat commenced with the theme of Aspiration, symbolized by Agni—the inner flame of yearning for higher consciousness. Through guided meditations, reflective discussions, and creative expression, students were encouraged to kindle their inner fire and set personal intentions for the retreat. This day laid the foundation for an inward journey, inspiring students to aspire towards their highest potential. The day also included cooperative fun-filled outdoor games, fostering teamwork and camaraderie among the students. Day 2: Self-Enquiry – Exploring Wisdom and Strength: The second day was dedicated to Self-Enquiry, a deep dive into the soul forces of Wisdom and Strength. The day began with an invigorating yogasana session, helping students cultivate awareness and inner balance. Activities included contemplative exercises, storytelling, and interactive workshops that encouraged students to question, reflect, and recognize their inner Wisdom. Then, Strength, at the level of physical, vital and mental, was explored through dynamic group exercises, emphasizing resilience, courage, and determination. The students learned that true wisdom arises from self-awareness and that strength is not just about power but about endurance and the ability to uphold truth. Cooperative fun outdoor games were also organized, further reinforcing the spirit of teamwork and joyful learning. Day 3: Synthesis – Discovering Harmony and Perfection: The third day was devoted to Synthesis, focusing on the forces of Harmony and Perfection. The morning began with a yoga session, encouraging mindfulness and inner harmony. This day highlighted the importance of balance—within oneself and in relationship with others. Through group discussions, team-building exercises, and artistic endeavors, students explored how harmony fosters unity, and perfection is not about flawlessness but about continuous progress. The idea that life itself is a field for perfection in action deeply resonated with the participants. Day 4: Aspiration and Hope – Culmination with Deeply Moving Presentations: The final day was a culmination of aspiration and hope, where students reflected on their journey and integrated their learnings. The retreat concluded with a heartfelt presentation by the students, in the presence of their parents, showcasing their experiences and insights gained over the four days. This soulful presentation, filled with expressions of gratitude, personal stories, and creative performances, deeply touched everyone present, marking a meaningful closure to the retreat. This spiritual retreat was an enriching experience that left a lasting impact on the students. By engaging with the four soul forces—Wisdom, Strength, Harmony, and Perfection—the participants not only explored their inner selves but also built a deeper connection with their peers and mentors. The retreat served as a stepping stone for their ongoing spiritual growth and self-discovery, instilling in them a sense of purpose and aspiration that will continue to guide them in their journey ahead.

Date: Mar 23 - Mar 27, 2025 Location: Neevam The School, Amravati, Maharashtra A 3-day Integral Education workshop was held for the teachers of Neevam–The School, from the 24th to 26th of March 2025. It took place at the beautiful consciously designed premises of Neevam The School, Amravati, Maharashtra. 23 teachers, and the school board members participated in the workshop which was facilitated by Shivakumar, Director of Sri Aurobindo Foundation for Integral Education and Research (SAFIER) and Priti (SAFIER). SAFIER is the Integral Education vertical of the Sri Aurobindo Society, Puducherry. This workshop is a part of the series of annual training held by the school for the teachers to help them have a more solid grounding of Integral Education practices. On 23rd of March, the school management hosted a two-hour interactive workshop led by the SAFIER facilitators for the Parents titled "Integral Insights: Empowering Parents, Enriching Children". This event was designed to educate and motivate parents on the significance of their influence on their children's development. In the past years, a general introduction was given with reference to principles, practices and approaches of Integral Education to all the teachers at the ‘Neevam—the School’ through annual workshops by the SAFIER team. The participants have been introduced to Sri Aurobindo and the Mother as the founders of Integral Education and also the basic vocabulary of Integral Education (IE). Psychic education has also been introduced with several experiential activities. In a workshop held in 2022 a brief preview was given to the practices of Physical Education, through interactions and discussions and the approach was introduced through awareness games and activities. A Project assignment was given which was designed to help the teachers assimilate the learnings of the workshop and build some practices in their every-day life. In February 2024, an introduction was given to Vital Education beginning with Sense Development games as sense development is the doorway to building a robust Vital Education. Activities such as awareness games, painting in nature and writing poetry, and an introduction to Value Education through the first four values of the Mother’s Symbol were taken up. This helped the participants to start becoming aware of and refine their Vital nature. They also learnt many activities which they could start introducing in the classrooms. The current workshop held from 24th-26th March 2025 revolved around deepening and strengthening the understanding of the basic aspects of IE and deepening the importance and implementation of Vital Education in one’s life and in the classroom through experiential activities, body-awareness games and interactive discussions. The Integral Education workshop commenced with the most beautiful aspiration that the Mother, the Founder of IE, has put before us: "We are not here to do (only a little better) what the others do. We are here to do what the others cannot do because they do not have the idea that it can be done. We are here to open the way of the Future to children who belong to the Future." - The Mother This aspiration was followed with experiential sessions that helped the participants to explore deeper into Vital Education: Day 1 1. Knowing oneself through a poem and knowing each other too in a deeper way. 2. A recap of the Approach to IE which was shared in the previous workshops: The need to know the different Parts of the Being and discover the Genius Within - the ‘Andar ka Dost’ through ‘The Science of Living’ for a teacher. This was done through a skit. The need to understand the Growth of a child as we want to help the children follow their natural growth cycle. Laying the Approach of IE in order to help the children develop their Physical, Vital and the Mental and to discover their Soul, the teacher has to shift the focus on herself first, the Mother says: "The first thing to do, in order to be able to educate a child, is to educate oneself, to become conscious and master of oneself …." 3. The importance of Physical Education in a teacher’s life was again stressed upon with the help of an Awareness game and a revision of the 4-point programme and the necessity of making it a part of one’s life. 4. Vital Education was re-introduced with its two principal aspects: The development of the sense organs Progressing awareness and control of the character leading to its transformation 5. A sense development activity which would help in transitioning into the world of emotions was taken up with the help of clay. This concluded with a powerful quote which helped in understanding the need of a rich Sense-development programme in the school: "A methodical and enlightened cultivation of the senses can, little by little, eliminate from the child whatever is by contagion vulgar, commonplace and crude. This education will have very happy effects even on his character. For one who has developed a truly refined taste will, because of this very refinement, feel incapable of acting in a crude, brutal or vulgar manner."- The Mother 6. The day concluded with an understanding of the 5 characteristics of the Vital nature with the help of a game. A home assignment was given to the teachers to read on the ‘Vital’ from the chapter ‘The Science of Living’ from the book ‘On Education’. Day 2 The day commenced with a chanting of OM, along with the participants understanding the significance of the universal mantra. Chanting mantras is a psychic practice which helped in setting the tone for the day towards peace, harmony and for a day of introspection. An introduction to Value Based Education was given stressing on the importance of the teacher possessing the values she wants the students to acquire. Also, when values deepen, they give a great joy as soul-values - they are a means to reach our Soul! An interactive discussion was taken up to understand that Negative values are nothing but a reverse side of a Positive quality. This point was further explained through a very interesting story of how ‘Love’ turns into ‘Hate’. 3. The Value ‘Courage’ which is a value so essential to develop in each one’s life was taken up as a further exploration. The teachers were inspired to reflect on their own experiences and share stories of courage, demonstrating how this essential value can be seamlessly integrated into teaching practices. Methods to overcome ‘Fear’ were also taken up and a home assignment was given to the teachers to work on their fears. 4. For further refinement of the Vital, A beautiful quote by Mother centering around ‘Beauty as the constant ideal’ was taken up with the help of a song and then a beautiful quote by Sri Aurobindo was taken up where he stresses upon Poetry, Art and Music to be the True Education of the Soul. Following this a poem by Sri Aurobindo was taken up for an in-depth exploration.  This helped the teachers experience the delight when the emotions are raised and uplifted to a higher consciousness.  Day 3 The Day began with a collective chant of ‘OM’ and doing an experiential activity connected with it, so that one can experience the atmosphere of peace created within and without when being with the mantra for more than 45 minutes. Peace is a necessary requirement to get connected with one’s ‘Inner Friend’. The home assignments were discussed and this was followed by a reading on the ‘Vital’ from the chapter ‘the Science of Living. There was an open session where teachers clarified a lot of doubts with reference to IE practices. The workshop ended with a brief meditation which activated the Flame of Aspiration within each teacher. A quote from the Mother was read out Where the Mother says, “There are people who love adventure. It is these I call, and I tell them this: “I invite you to the great adventure.” A prayer — ‘Hero Warrior’ was also read out to leave the teachers with a renewed enthusiasm of a hero warrior and a renewed sense of purpose and a deeper understanding of Integral Education. The teachers were happy to experience a new awareness enveloping them and their outlook towards education got completely reawakened with the shaking out of old ideas about education and the emergence of a new understanding with the help of Integral Education. Many small practices such as playing cooperative games, sense awareness games and creating a psychic atmosphere in the classrooms have already been started in the school.

Date:11-Mar-2025 Location: Society House The Integral Education initiative of the Sri Aurobindo Society—SAFIER—conducted a one-day Facilitator Workshop on 11th March at the Puducherry premises of the Sri Aurobindo Society. This was the second in the series of workshops to facilitate understanding and deepening into the core principles and approaches of Integral Education. The workshop was to facilitate the seven facilitators from the Sri Aurobindo Society Chennai branch, who were joined by the Tamil Nadu State committee chairman, Shri Sivakumar, to conduct programs for ‘Auro Kids’ on how to engage children, how to identify their aspirations, and how to make them future-ready. The workshop not only talked about the struggles of ‘Auro kids' but also awakened the facilitators with the help of Integral Education (IE) practices in the light of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. This will further aid the facilitators to live an Integral life and facilitate an Integral atmosphere in their children corner activities. Key Highlights:  Facilitators' Growth: The workshop emphasized that the facilitators must evolve to be future-ready alongside the children they guide. Beyond Conventional Education: Auro Kids aims to create a unique approach to learning that others may not have imagined. From a child-centred to a soul-centred approach. Self-Discovery as a Foundation: Education begins with mastering oneself, as advocated by The Mother in ‘The Science of Living’. Poetry, Art, and Music as Tools: These creative mediums were explored as effective ways to connect with higher emotions and thus connect with the Inner Friend. Engaging Activities: Awareness games heightened self-observation and perception, while Kolam as an art form demonstrated harmony and stillness. Integral Learning Approach: The workshop seamlessly integrated the mental, emotional and physical with the spiritual dimension, ensuring an integral experience. Practical Takeaways: Facilitators were encouraged to incorporate nature walks, simple songs, and collaborative teaching strategies to enhance engagement. Closing Reflection: The workshop ended on a deeply unifying note with a Tamil song, reinforcing the spirit of Beauty and harmony in each aspect of one’s life . Reflections From Participants Understood the essence of "Science of Living" as mastering oneself — being conscious, aware, and aspirational. Expressed emotions freely while enacting the poem, discovering different shades of themselves in the process. Became more aware of their body, senses and surroundings during the blindfold activities — heightened alertness, balance, and trust. Acknowledged the need to practice patience, cooperation, and humility through the recommended team facilitation method. Realised how beauty in action, thought, and sentiment can become a constant ideal, guiding both personal and professional lives. Summary: The Auro Kids workshop was a transformative experience for the facilitators, challenging them to grow alongside the future-ready children they teach. Through self-mastery, creative expression, engaging activities, and integral learning, facilitators explored new ways to enrich their lives and those of their students. The session underscored the importance of beauty, aspiration, and consciousness in education, leaving participants inspired and equipped with practical tools for fostering a nurturing learning environment.

Date: 10-Mar-2025 Location: Society House On March 10, 2025, SAIFER, the Integral Education initiative of Sri Aurobindo Society, facilitated a 90-minute interactive session for 7 students and one accompanying faculty member of Auro University, Surat. The session commenced with Shivakumar and Priti of SAFIER, asking reflective questions to the students on the ideal of Beauty — What does a beautiful place, object, moment, emotion, thought, sensation do to you? This discussion was taken up as an exploration and with the help of sharing from the participants of their personal experiences, the first part of the interaction concluded with the following insights from Sri Aurobindo and the Mother: “... without perfect love there cannot be perfect beauty, and without perfect beauty there cannot be perfect delight.” - Sri Aurobindo “Let beauty be your constant ideal. The beauty of the soul The beauty of sentiments The beauty of thoughts The beauty of the action The beauty in the work so that nothing comes out of your hands which is not an expression of pure and harmonious beauty. And the Divine Help shall always be with you.” -The Mother As a finishing note the students were asked to keep ‘Beauty as their constant ideal’ and see how they can make their outer and inner atmosphere beautiful and note — What were the few practices that they would start in order to experience the ‘Delight of Beauty’. The interaction concluded with an ending thought put forth to the students — on Finding the Source of Delight within, for which the ‘The Science of Living’ by The Mother is the path.    The students were happy to express their views and experiences and found the discussion and interaction very engaging. They enthusiastically shared the practices that they will take up in order to make Auro University, their homes and their Inner-Selves a place of Beauty and Delight.

Date: Jan 28- Feb 01, 2025 Location: Bejon Desai Foundation, Nashik, Maharashtra SAFIER, the Integral Education initiative of Sri Aurobindo Society, has been collaborating with Bejon Desai Foundation (BDF), Nashik since 2015. To further strengthen this collaborative work, a 5-day Integral Capacity Building Retreat was held from January 28 to February 1, 2025. The first two days took place at Grape County Resort, Nashik, followed by sessions and school visits at Bejon Desai Foundation. Facilitated by Shivakumar and Priti from SAFIER, the retreat engaged eight people, directors and facilitators from Bejon Desai Foundation in immersive sessions on Integral Education (IE). School Visits (Jan 30–31) Shivakumar and Priti visited schools associated with Bejon Desai Foundation: Silver Bells English Medium School : 23 teachers shared their experiences from the year-long IE intervention done by the BDF team and clarified their queries on IE. Anubhuti Alumni Interaction : 45 Participants from five batches of the ‘Anubhuti – teach by being it!’ course engaged in a two-hour insightful sharing by Shivakumar and Priti. Aseema Foundation School, Igatpuri : Primary and Secondary level teachers involved in IE programs being conducted by BDF team, interacted deeply with the facilitators on topics based on Integral Education. Shining Star Academy, Nashik - This school is aspiring to implement Integral Education practices. 80 teachers who have undergone a year-long school intervention program in Integral Education carried out by BDF participated in a session where they deepened their understanding of IE. The facilitators also paid a visit to the school’s Science Exhibition. Day 1: Setting the Vision The retreat opened with Dr. Bhardwaj, CEO of BDF, presenting the Foundation’s work over the past three years. Shivakumar and Priti offered feedback on the Anubhuti course and future directions. Priti led a session on mantra chanting, explaining its psychic significance. Shivakumar emphasized the transformative aim of IE, quoting from on of the founders of IE: “We are not here to do (only a little better) what the others do. We are here to do what the others it  cannot do  because they do not have the idea that it can be done. We are here to open the way of the Future to children who belong to the Future. Anything else is not worth the trouble and not worthy of Sri Aurobindo’s help.” The Mother He highlighted the double shift IE demands—from syllabus-centered to child-centered, and from child-centered to soul-centered education. The session concluded with reflections on the goal of IE and experiences from Namakkal School, Tamil Nadu. Day 2: Refining the Being The day began with a meditative Om chanting session led by Priti, followed by practices for IE facilitators to deepen their individual and collective journeys. To further this, approaches and practices to master different parts of the being was taken up. Mastering the Physical Being Shivakumar introduced a four-point lifestyle program to cultivate physical awareness and efficiency. Experiential games reinforced these habits. Refining the Vital Being Participants translated Sri Aurobindo’s poem “One Day” into Marathi, Hindi, and Gujarati, deepening emotional resonance. Later, a nature-inspired art activity helped participants express inner stillness through drawing. A guiding quote by one of the founders of IE framed the day’s theme: Poetry raises the emotions and gives each its separate delight. Art stills the emotions and teaches them the delight of a restrained and limited satisfaction …. Music deepens the emotions and harmonises them with each other. Between them music, art and poetry are a perfect education for the soul; they make and keep its movements purified, self-controlled, deep and harmonious.  Sri Aurobindo Evening Surya Namaskars were facilitated by Priti for both the days along with informal post-dinner sharing which added rhythm and reflection. Day 3: Training the Mental Being Shivakumar emphasized the need to train key mental faculties necessary for mental development within the Integral Education framework: Observation Memory (via comparison and differentiation) Judgement and Logic Imagination Mental Silence leading to Intuition He also explained that the mental faculties should first be exercised on things, afterwards on words and ideas. In order to further a deepening into the development of the mind, Shivakumar introduced the thesis–antithesis–synthesis model of argumentation, where opposing ideas evolve into a higher, integrated understanding. To illustrate this, Priti divided participants into two groups and assigned a topic, enabling them to experientially grasp how the mind can expand and engage with deeper perspectives. Shiva Kumar and Priti concluded the Retreat at Grape County with a beautiful thought that our job is to create inspired teachers with a psychic touch. Day 4: Integrating IE into Practice The final day focused on lesson planning and Project-Based Learning, anchored in the three principles of True Teaching. The final discussions were then centred on relooking at IE goals: Individual Goal : Harmonizing outer life with inner genius Collective Goal : Mastery through Love, Knowledge, Power, and Beauty A quote from one of the founders of IE illuminated this aspiration: When we reach this degree of perfection which is our goal, we shall perceive that the truth we seek is made up of four major aspects: Love, Knowledge, Power and Beauty. These four attributes of the Truth will express themselves spontaneously in our being. The psychic will be the vehicle of true and pure love, the mind will be the vehicle of infallible knowledge, the vital will manifest an invincible power and strength and the body will be the expression of a perfect beauty and harmony. The Mother Facilitators reflected on key questions needed for self-alignment as an IE facilitator: Is my inner environment in harmony with my ideal? Are my daily practices aligned with my highest aspiration? Am I consciously integrating my Physical, Vital, and Mental beings with the Psychic? The Integral Capacity Building Retreat finally concluded with a silent offering of gratitude to the founders of IE, the Mother and Sri Aurobindo.

Date: 27 Sep - 02 Oct-2024 Location: Sharanam Community Centre Sourcing Our Oneness aspires to nurture a living spirit of unity and harmony among the organisations inspired by the vision of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. It seeks to create spaces where hearts and minds meet in collective aspiration, collaboration, and inner growth. In this spirit, the Annual Sourcing Our Oneness (SOO) Camp was held at the serene and eco-conscious setting of Sharanam Community Centre, from 27th September to 2nd October 2024. The camp brought together individuals and representatives from the Sri Aurobindo Society, Auroville, and the Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branch, in a shared journey of discovery, learning, and inner work. The theme for this year’s camp was:  “Embracing Harmony as the Means – Embracing Harmony as the End.” In alignment with this theme, the camp invited participants to explore harmony not only as a goal of our collective evolution but also as a living, conscious practice in each moment. It focused on deepening our engagement with the integral vision of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother — through reflection, embodied practices, creative expression, and collaborative learning. The program was thoughtfully curated to foster a sense of inner & outer harmony, and collective growth. Participants were immersed in a rhythm of meditative silence, physical awareness, thematic explorations, nature connect, and artistic offerings. Each day unfolded as a journey into deeper consciousness, rooted in the values and dreams offered by Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. Through sharing spaces and insights, the camp served as a reminder of the potential for oneness that lies within each of us and in the communities we nurture. The daily schedule included early morning sessions with activities like Awareness Through the Body (ATB) by Jayanthy of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Delhi branch, Yoga Asanas taken up by Shweta Rajurkar and walks with gratitude, conducted by Anju Khanna of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Delhi branch and Jaya of Auroville. Every day, post breakfast, Shramdaan was embraced as an expression of Karma Yoga, taken up wholeheartedly by the participants in a spirit of harmony and as a joyful offering to the Mother. Each session began with Mantra chanting, setting a positive and uplifting tone for the rest of the day. Day 1 Welcome and Introduction The camp began with a warm welcome and a brief introduction by the core organising team. Participants were familiarised with the daily schedule and activities. This was followed by an engaging narration by Shiva Kumar of Sri Aurobindo Society, about the story behind the Sharanam Community Centre—the serene and inspiring space that would serve as home for the participants throughout the camp. Introduction to the Deeper Me The session began with participants gathering in a quiet, reflective space to begin the inner journey towards discovering the ‘Deeper Me’. As a gentle opening, lights of aspiration were shared, allowing each individual to express a personal longing or intention from the heart. Priti of Sri Aurobindo Society then guided the group through a deep, insightful session that invited self-exploration and sharing. The day ended with Meditation with the Mother’s Music and journal writing. Day 2 Five Dreams of Sri Aurobindo With both zeal and clarity, Dr..Arati of Sri Aurobindo Society engaged the participants in Sri Aurobindo's Five Dreams, offering a comprehensive and easily understandable explanation of their significance in today’s world. Implementing the 5th Dream of Sri Aurobindo Following a short juice break, the learning continued with Anju Khanna leading a session on Implementing the 5th Dream—the dream of human unity. Jayanthy’s flute music enhanced a meditation on oneness. Participants in groups silently crafted a mandala from baskets of flowers, each group contributing a floral pattern. Lighted candles illuminated the mandala, fostering a meditative silence, symbolising human unity and collective aspiration. Sunlit Ways Participants engaged in introspective exercises, reflecting on fulfilled aspirations and sharing their experiences led by Uttama of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Puducherry. Sri Aurobindo's poem "A God's Labour" sparked a creative activity where they drew rainbows, symbolizing their hopes and dreams. Centering Within Jayanthy facilitated an activity which helped the participants to centre oneself and to observe the different parts of one’s being to lead a life founded on unshakable faith. Sunset walk to the Ashram Mainland Following tea, the group set out on a sunset walk to the Ashram Mainland, lovingly guided by Shivakumar of Sri Aurobindo Society. The walk was a contemplative activity allowing participants to connect with nature, the land, and their inner silence. Introduction to the 12 Qualities of the Mother's Symbol The evening resumed with a session led by Jaya, providing a beautiful entry into Introduction to the 12 qualities of the Mother’s symbol. This group activity deepened participant’s understanding of 12 qualities of mother’s symbol - Sincerity, Humility, Gratitude, Perseverance, Aspiration, Receptivity, Progress, Courage, Goodness, Generosity, Equality and Peace. Singing Bhajans After dinner, the group gathered once again, this time to learn bhajan with Arjita. The music brought joy, devotion, and togetherness to the close of the day. As the clock approached 10:00 PM, participants wound down and retired for the night, holding within the rich experiences of the day—a step deeper into harmony, within and without. Day 3 Exploring Symbols of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother A profound session was conducted on Exploring Symbols of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother – guided by Priti and Shivakumar. Participants began to understand the deeper meanings and significance of the symbols. Mother’s Four Powers After a refreshing juice break, the exploration continued with Priti, who gently guided the group further into the realm of the Mother’s Four Powers, deepening the understanding of Maheshwari, Mahakali, Mahalakshmi, and Mahasaraswati, and how these aspects manifest within and around us. Individual Perfection through the lens of the 12 Qualities of the Mother .Post-lunch, Jaya led a contemplative session on Individual Perfection through the lens of the 12 Qualities of the Mother. Participants reflected on their own inner journey and aspirations, and how the cultivation of these qualities could guide their path towards harmony and transformation. Walk to Matri-Udyanam With hearts open and bodies rested, the group enjoyed some tea before embarking on a beautiful and fragrant journey in the late afternoon. Guided by Krishna of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Puducherry, and Rathi of Sri Aurobindo Society, participants explored the Significance of Flowers given by Mother and took a deeply enriching walk to Matri-Udyanam, a sacred garden space where flowers spoke silently of spiritual truths and divine qualities. The evening eased into melody and devotion with bhajan learning by Arjita, echoing the joy of shared music and collective voice. The Divine Worker Poem by Sri Aurobindo Dinner was followed by an evocative session where Gayatri of Sri Aurobindo Society introduced Sri Aurobindo’s poem ‘The Divine Worker’, allowing everyone to reflect on the spirit of karma yoga and the ideal of selfless action offered to the Divine. As night settled, participants embraced rest and silence, carrying with them the fragrance of flowers, the resonance of chants, and the aspiration for a deeper inner harmony. Day 4 Day 4 began a little differently—without the usual early morning session—allowing participants to rest and prepare for a special visit to Auroville, the universal township envisioned by the Mother. At 7:45 am, the group set off with quiet anticipation, and soon reached the Unity Pavilion, where a wholesome breakfast was shared in the peaceful surroundings of Auroville. Introduction to Auroville The day formally began with an insightful introduction to Auroville by Lakshay, an Aurovillian, setting the context of Auroville as a living experiment in human unity, built on the spiritual foundation of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother’s vision. His sharing helped participants understand the essence and aspiration behind the township. Matrimandir Gardens Walk After a short juice break, the group made their way to the Matrimandir Gardens. Led by Ramanan, an Aurovillian participant, the walk through the sacred gardens was a quiet, reflective experience, inviting each one to tune in to the symbolic significance of each space and deepen their inner connection to the soul of Auroville. A nourishing lunch awaited at the Solar Kitchen, offering both physical replenishment and a taste of Auroville’s collective spirit. Yoga Nidra Post-lunch, a calming Yoga Nidra session led by Jaya gently helped participants rest, renew and reconnect with their inner stillness. Perfect Society through the Lens of the 12 Qualities After a refreshing tea break, Jaya offered another session, this time on “Perfect Society through the Lens of the 12 Qualities”. Through rich discussions and inner reflections, participants were invited to imagine a society where the Mother's twelve soul-qualities guided collective life, relationships, and actions. As the sun began to set, the group traveled to the Beach Office of Sri Aurobindo Society, and then onward for a serene and soul-touching experience of Collective Meditation at the Ashram Samadhi. In the profound silence of the space sanctified by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, participants offered themselves inwardly in stillness and gratitude. The day concluded with a few moments of chanting, sealing the experiences of the day in a spirit of peace and collective aspiration leading to harmony. As the participants traveled back to Sharanam, hearts were full—of beauty, quiet joy, and the subtle presence of the Divine. Day 5 Resolving Polarity After the physical activity, breakfast, shramadan and mantra chanting, day opened with a deeply insightful session on "Resolving Polarity" by Jaya, where participants explored the inner conflicts that divide us and how one can harmonize opposites to arrive at a space of balance and wholeness. Connecting with the Mother’s Symbol through the Psychic Being After a juice break, the journey turned inward once again with Shivakumar and Priti’s session on “Connecting with the Mother’s Symbol through the Psychic Being.” Through  meditative reflections and guided exploration, participants were gently led to connect with the soul’s presence within, and the deeper significance of the Mother’s symbol. Towards the end of the day, participants were preparing themselves for Musical Offering-Poetry Recitation & Musical Offering with the help of Arjita and Jayanthy. Music and poetry groups practiced, and later offered a beautiful Musical and Poetry Recitation led by Arjita and Jayanthy—a confluence of voices, rhythm, and spirit. As the participants prepared for sleep, there was a quiet glow in the air… the sense of something deeply touched, awakened, and remembered. Day 6 The morning of October 2nd brought a bittersweet moment as participants were about to say their goodbyes. But before that, it was a time to reflect upon the experience of camp. After breakfast everyone reassembled for feedback sharing, facilitated by Priti. Participants spoke from their hearts, expressing how the camp had moved them, awakened new insights, and planted seeds of aspiration. The morning was filled with creativity and soulful celebration. It culminated in a quiet, luminous offering — “Flame of Aspiration” by Jayanthy & Anju. It was a collective gesture, symbolizing the Inner Fire lit during the days spent together—a Fire to carry forward. Participants parted ways, the sense of unity remained, knowing that their shared experiences had  created a lasting connection. There were no formal promises, but the unspoken wish to meet again felt genuine, knowing their hearts had already connected on a deeper level.

Date: 30-Jul-2024 Location: Sri Aurobindo Society, Chennai Branch The Integral Education initiative of Sri Aurobindo Society – SAFIER, conducted a one-day Facilitator Workshop on 30th July at the Sri Aurobindo Society Branch at Ashok Nagar, Chennai, in their new premises. There were 8 aspiring Auro Kids participant-facilitators from the Chennai and Chengalpattu branches who were joined by the Tamil Nadu State committee Chairman of Sri Aurobindo Society, Shri Sivakumar. The workshop included an experiential introduction to Integral Education with the help of an awareness game, an activity based on flowers and storytelling. All the activities were based on the chapters/articles by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother from the book, ‘Sri Aurobindo and The Mother on Education’. These also were the basic course material for the workshop. The workshop concluded with a discussion on the content of Children’s’ corners for the next two months with a lot of tips and guidance of how to be with children. A lot of resource materials which would be helpful in conducting the Children corner sessions were also introduced to the group.  The group participated very enthusiastically and were happy to gather a lot of principles, processes and tools needed for organising and enriching the Auro Kids corner which has now started in the Chennai Ashok Nagar branch. The Chengalpattu branch already has a flourishing Children's Corner at their premises.

Date: 27-Mar to 01-Apr , 2024 Location: Sri Aurobindo Centre of New Education (SACNE), Jodhpur Course Facilitators: The facilitators of the workshop were Shivakumar and Priti, from SAFIER, Sri Aurobindo Society, Puducherry. Day 1: Workshop began with meditation and introductions by Shivakumar and Priti, followed by a unique self-introduction exercise where participants shared an inner quality alongside their names. Further, Shivakumar and Priti discussed modern day educational issues, highlighting two key problems: Utilitarianism and the Industrial mindset, two diseases that treat students like factory products rather than unique individuals and overshadowing the need for holistic development. In contrast with this, they emphasised the importance of inspired teachers for nurturing inspired students. Participants reflected on qualities of their favourite teachers and watched videos illustrating inspiration's source and its role in education. Continuing with this, the teachers explored integral education through activities like watching an animation film on the co-founder of Integral Education, Sri Aurobindo. Following this, there was an enactment of the "Magic Mirror" skit to understand the body, emotions, and mind's relationship with the psychic/soul. The teachers then engaged in experiential activities to understand the roles of the physical, vital/emotional, mental, and psychic/soul aspects in various situations. The facilitators concluded with a home assignment focusing on self-reflection. Day 2: The second day of the session started with the chanting of a 'Shanti Mantra', emphasising the importance of proper pronunciation, technique, and notation. The harmonious vibrations of the chanting created a sense of activation and energy within the space. Following the mantra chanting, Priti guided the teachers on a meditative journey to explore the ‘fourth house’ – the ‘Psychic Centre’ where resides the Psychic Being, our ‘Inner Friend’. The session delved deeper into methods for connecting with one's Inner Self. Priti then presented the concept of connecting beauty with happiness. To illustrate this, she gave each participant a flower, inviting them to connect with its essence. She reinforced the Mother's philosophy of embracing beauty as a constant ideal. The session concluded with the exploration of psychic consciousness through a reading from "Sri Aurobindo and the Mother on Education." Teachers adjourned, inspired to continue their journey of self-discovery. Day 3: The workshop began with the Vedic mantra chant led by Priti, followed by an explanation of its meaning and the benefits of chanting. Shivakumar and Priti then introduced the concept of physical, vital, and mental aspects in our daily lives, emphasising the importance of the ‘Psychic Being/Inner Friend’ as the guiding and leading force. Participants were divided into groups and given a project theme "Me and My World". They explored the above theme through various activities facilitated to help them dive deeper into the topic: Physical: Exploring physical energy with yogic exercises, breathing exercises, and guided meditation on body awareness. Vital: Examining the vital nature through a story and reflection activity, learning ways of overcoming irritation/anger and changing them into opportunities for growth and appreciating beauty. Mental: A bean bag activity highlighted the importance of physical awareness, mental judgement, alertness and concentration. A group project allowed participants to assimilate their learnings of the whole session and present them creatively through skits, plays, and poems. The focus then shifted to self-reflection, with guided exercises to help teachers become more aware of their inner selves and light their ‘Flame of Aspiration’. The workshop concluded with a guided meditation, through which the teachers could get connected to their highest aspiration and find one or two action points which they would take up immediately after the workshop, in order to live a beautiful life while being connected to their Inner Core. Day 4: One-day Workshop with Senior Teachers of SACNE It was a brief, introductory and interactive session with 29 senior teachers. The major attention was on initiating the importance of Integral Education as compared to the current education system which is in the clutches of the modern-day approaches, ‘industrial mindset’ and ‘utilitarianism’, which are two diseases deadlier than corona and plague. The other important discussion highlighted the concept of ‘law of averages’ which when at work does not allow the academic curriculum to be developed with respect to individual progress or individual genius and thus creates only ‘average students’. The ultimate aim of education is not to create average students, but inspiring ones. And it is only ‘an inspired teacher who can create an inspired student’. In order to find where do Inspired people get their Inspiration from, video clippings on A. R. Rahman and the Indian mathematical genius Ramanujan were shown, where two heart touching revelations reflected on the ‘Source of Inspiration’ or the ‘Source of Genius’. Then methods were discussed on how to connect to this Source in our everyday life. Sri Aurobindo and the Mother call this source ‘the Psychic Being’ which is the spark of the Divine that is present in all of us. In a simpler tone, we can call the Psychic as our ‘Inner Friend’, the true friend, who can help us live an inspired life. The techniques of chanting mantras, the methods on connecting to one’s psychic, the awareness activity were also effective discussions & activities of the day. The sessions ended with a collective meditation with reflections on the day’s events. A 2-Hour Session with the Games Team Though the duration of the discussion with the games team was quite short, the session was meaningful. The body awareness activity by Shivakumar was insightful and practical. The rhythmic movement of hands in the opposite direction was enjoyable, interesting and challenging. Only a few teachers were able to do it. Then the discussion led to the importance of warm-up exercises before playing any games and also introducing minor games/cooperative games for primary students in order to bring out the sportsman-spirit were the tips given to the team. Priti took up ‘Code of Sportsmanship’ given by the Mother from the booklet ‘Ideal Child’. She focussed on the importance of developing the qualities such as courteousness, modesty, generosity, obedience and being fair and game towards all, on the field, in school and in life itself. The session concluded with a visit to the indoor gymnastic room and the team explaining their regular activities with students. Feedback and Expression of the management and participants: “The workshop with ShivKumarji and Priti was inspirational, motivational and goal oriented.” Meera Singh, Director, Sri Aurobindo School, Jodhpur “First of all, I would like to thank SACNE for giving me the opportunity to attend the IE workshop. The workshop was very interesting, informative, enlightening and gave us a chance of learning about many aspects of integral education. The deliberations were centred on: 1. Integral education 2. Inspired Teachers=Inspired Students. 3. Psychic education 4. Methods of connecting with the inner friend. 5. Physical, Mental and Vital I learnt better ways to meditate and the detailed discussions helped me to understand the nuances of our psychic being. The highpoint of the workshop was the immense passion and effort on the part of the facilitators, Shivakumar Bhaiya and Priti Didi! They made it an unforgettable experience!!!” Nandita Srivastava, Primary school teacher, Sri Aurobindo School, Jodhpur Day 5: The Parents Orientation on 31 March 2024 A New Education for New Humanity (एक नवीन शिक्षा – एक नवीन मानवता) It was an opportunity for the parents to know about the activities of the school and to create a bond with the management as the school is a second home for their children. Meera Didi welcomed and introduced Shivakumar & Priti, Integral Education facilitators from Puducherry and Shally Nab, consultant for phonetics from Australia. Shivakumar and Priti briefed parents on how to nurture their children with the 3 types of food: physical nurturing, love, and good thoughts, and thus provide a healthy environment to the child. SACNE is making its efforts to do this, the parents have to make similar efforts at home to bring out the best potential of the child. But in order to give wings to the children with their roots firmly nurtured, in order to create inspired children, heart-touching revelations by some famous inspired people were shown through video clips and a discussion ensued on the source of inspiration. To help the children connect to the source of Inspiration and live an inspired life is one of the primary goals of Integral Education, and also of the school. An experiential reflective activity with flowers was taken up by Priti to get in touch with this source of Inspiration which is there in each one of us too. Parents gained insights into how the school nurtures these aspects of integral education and performs a leading role for the overall well-being of a child. Day 6: Screening of the Animation film ‘Sri Aurobindo: A New Dawn’ at IIT campus, Jodhpur, on 1 April 2024 Shivakumar welcomed the audience and introduced Sri Aurobindo Society’s vision towards making of the Film which portrayed the life of Sri Aurobindo in the style of a visual poetry as that gives a deeper mode of viewing and experiencing the life of visionary, a yogi and a rishi. After the screening of the film he precisely answered questions raised by the audience which gave more clarity to the audience as regards the making of the film and its essence. He also briefed the hardships incurred in the making of the film owing to the difficulties of the pandemic time. The audience expressed their gratitude towards the dedicated work of the team. Priti shared a make-alike of ‘Bande Mataram’ a newspaper which had awakened the nation during 1906-08 with its fiery articles written by Sri Aurobindo. This make-alike journal had all the information about the film and was distributed to the audience. Seeing the enthusiasm and interest of the audience, she also requested their support for the upcoming movie based on the ‘Five Dreams of Sri Aurobindo’, which was a call Sri Aurobindo made to ‘Young and Free India’ on the eve of Independence through a radio broadcast. Meera Didi, director of SACNE expressed her gratitude towards the viewers and the organisers who provided a promising platform for the presentation.

Date: 29-Jan-2024 Location: Society House Nallore Vattam, a Circle Of Good People or Circle Of Sajjan Shakti, is an organisation/movement for the people and society at large, formed in 2001 by Shri Balasubramaian (aka) Balu Ayya. The goals of the Nallore Vattam is to create an honest and just society as envisioned by Swami Vivekananda, Sri Aurobindo, Rabindranath Tagore and poet Bharati. Building a New India is the need of the hour and 18 representatives from Nallore Vattam visited Sri Aurobindo Society to help them in deepening their approach in order to fulfil their vision. Prof. G. Palanithurai was instrumental in bringing this group for the exposure visit. Shivakumar and Priti from the Integral Education Initiative (SAFIER) of Sri Aurobindo Society had a one-day interaction with the receptive participants so that they become well-versed with the vision of Sri Aurobindo Society and its integral approach towards work. The day started with an introduction which helped know the vision and mission of Nallore Vattam more clearly through the lives of its 18 inspired representatives. Shivakumar led the representatives through the varied activities of Sri Aurobindo Society (SAS) through a presentation where the vision of SAS seeking to bring a dynamic spirituality into material life and all its activities, so that the global problems can find a true solution and India can emerge into a New and Dynamic country. This was further enunciated by stories from ancient India. The story of the Founder of Integral Yoga (‘Poorana Yogam’ in Tamil), Sri Aurobindo, was shared through a screening of the recently released animation film by SAS. After viewing the film, the representatives of Nallore Vattam were very moved and understood the depth of the life of Sri Aurobindo and felt close to his Vision and Mission of working for a New Bharat. In the afternoon, Shivakumar and Priti introduced the framework and approach of the Educational and Youth work which came under the common vision of Integral Education (Poorana Kalvi). An awareness game was played, facilitated by Priti, which helped the participants to know & connect with each other and at the same time become conscious of their own actions. This led to a discussion by Shivakumar where he raised some questions which helped the participants to go deeper within the inner layers of their personality and engage in an enquiry about their deeper personality, the Inner genius, the “Inner Nanban” or the Psychic Being as coined by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, who is always present as a guide to each and every one universally. The participants were further led by Priti into a guided meditation where they observed their Inner Weather and expressed with colours their journey of Going Within. Shivakumar concluded the day with an explanation of how leading a conscious life helps an Integral facilitator impart the same consciousness to the student. Thus the approach to Integral Education which was initially presented through experiential activities and explorations was summed up by Shivakumar to create further clarity about the vast and deep subject of ‘Integral Education’. The day concluded with Senthil Kumar making a presentation of activities of SARVAM. The next day, the participants visited and interacted with the people engaged in the village development activities of SARVAM. All the representatives of Nallore Vattam were touched by the depth and vastness of Integral Education and its approach towards uplifting oneself and through it, our country. Some of them shared that it had opened up a new world to them and they were now as if awakened to a new way of being and operating in the world. They felt that the spiritual Power residing deep within the heart of everyone and ready to guide and be our constant Friend if we chose to turn towards It, was truly inspiring & motivating. Feedback by the Participants: Prof. G. Palanithurai, Gandhigram Rural Institute – Deemed to be University:“Presentations made … were highly professional and emotional which touched everyone’s heart and soul. They [the Nallore Vattam group] enjoyed the field work through interacting with the village women who are working in the SARVAM service villages. It was an eye opener for them.” Muthukrishnan, Nallore Vattam:“Last two days, the group of coordinators of Nallore Vattam were blessed to have a vision of Integral Education, Sri Aurobindo Society’s activities, Integral Yoga, and all the dedicated activities for village development and it strengthened the belief that Almighty God will use us as a tool to build an ideal society.”

Date: Jan 14 - Feb 18, 2024 Location: Society House An Introductory workshop was held on 28th Nov where 17 participants participated joyfully to understand the significance of Kolam with reference to Integral Yoga Practice. Kolam is a traditional art form practised primarily in South India and is slowly disappearing in the urban areas. This beautiful art form which has an ephemeral nature helps in harmonising the body-heart and mind around the Psychic Centre by first refining these instruments in the light of offering the Kolam to the Divine. Thus, it is not only meditative but also helps in refining the emotions, improving the concentration and mathematical faculty of the mind and helping the body to find its alignment and build its strength. The participants learnt to draw the sacred Hridaya kolam which had a specific mathematical code to it. Interested participants joined the Foundation Course which is six-month programme consisting of 12 sessions of 3 hours each. Foundation Course in Kolam-Yoga Session 1 - Date: 14th Jan 2024 8 enthusiastic learners gathered around Grace to start the course. The quality that was taken up was Equanimity from the Mother’s Symbol. After a brief sharing on the quality, it was discussed how this becomes a necessary quality to practise Kolam, to remain steady and still in spite of challenges. The Paamba Kolam, was taken up as this is one of the most ancient forms of Kolam. Paamba is snake in Tamil and the movement of the snake with its highs and lows, the waves, the mountains and the valley movement became the highlight of the day. Becoming aware of the breath and the sensations within the body, one’s emotions and thoughts also was stressed upon. Variations of Paamba kolam were taken up and all the participants enjoyed the challenging Paamba kolam. Assignments were given and a document shared with notes on the lesson too. A video was also shared by the facilitator. Session 2 - Date: 28th Jan 2024 Receptivity was the quality that was taken up in the second session. In order to take up the Kolam practice, along with Equanimity, the quality of being Receptive to the flow of creativity, to the inspiration was very important. The Shaivite Paddi kolam was displayed graciously by Grace and participants explored this Kolam form with enthusiasm, constructing Temples with varying Gopurams, beginning with 4 concentric squares and then with the help of the magic square (9 squares), and then each participant stood in their created temple with a lot of joy. Session 3 - Date: 4th Feb 2024 Peace was the quality that was taken up along with the Vaishnavite Paddi Kolam which was the Kolam learning of the day. The Vaishnavite kolam has a dynamic expansive format with curvy lines and more motifs from nature as elements in the Kolam style. The ashtakonam being the centre as a symbol of Lakshmi and then spreading harmoniously around the centre with lotuses, birds and other flowers as its embellishment, doing the Vaishnavite kolam was a very powerful and expansive experience. Session 4 - Date: 18th Feb 2024 Aspiration was the quality that was taken up with the Brahma’s knot style of Kolam learning. The earlier three qualities were under the domain of the Maheshwari Power force of the Divine Mother, while the quality of Aspiration fell under the transition stage of entering into Mahakali’s Power force. Brahma’s knot style is called the Paddi Sun Symbol - Swastika & Suvastika. The Swastika (its form originating from the cross) sets the cosmic cycle in Motion, the bend in the arms symbolise the change and pause in the cosmic cycle and when the arms fold back inwards the Swastika is turned into a never-ending magical Knot. The participants explored and experienced the joys of creating knots and several forms emerged from this exploration, like Sita’s braid, the flight of a bird etc. The foundation course will now progress towards the second module which will be conducted in the months of April and May 2024.

Date: Jan 14 - Apr 24, 2024 Location: Society House SAFIER, the Integral Education initiative of Sri Aurobindo Society, invited Grace Gitadelila from Auroville to conduct a course in getting initiated to Kolam through the approach of Integral Yoga and integrating it with one’s self-development. All the sessions of the course were conducted in the Society House, the main office building of Sri Aurobindo Society, Puducherry, except the last session which happened in the house of the facilitator. A group of six eager learners took up the 6-month ‘Integral Basic Kolam Yoga Learning Course’ starting on 14th January 2024, to experience the deep symbolism behind the patterns of the Kolam, making it a practice for development of the body, heart and mind with the soul as the guiding element and carrying forward as Kolam Yoga practitioners and integrating the Kolam Yoga into the syllabus in schools. There were 12 sessions that were grouped into 3 modules of 4 sessions each spread over a period of 6 months. Kolam Yoga is an ancient traditional practice for the body, mind, emotions and soul. It is considered an ‘Ephemeral Art form’ that is made up of powdered grids of dots and lines. The body is actively involved in manifesting its rhythm and the pendulum-like dance movement helps in laying down the pattern in symmetry and gives a measure and balance to the form of the Kolam. The emotions get involved and refined by the joys emanating from the beauty, harmony and stories that emerge from doing the Kolam practice. The mind gets involved with the sacred geometry, the mystical codes, the concentration and alignment that is necessary for Kolam practice. The soul energy is uplifted and helps harmonise and anchor the body-heart-mind to a deeper presence, as the Kolam practice done with concentration and quietude, gives a deeper insight to the symbol that emerges and makes one closer to the story behind the Kolam. Each session had one quality from the ’Mother’s symbol’, which anchored the topic of the session and gave it a deeper significance. Here is a brief review of the 12 sessions taken: 1. The quality that was taken up was Equanimity from the Mother’s Symbol. After a brief sharing on the quality, it was discussed how this becomes a necessary quality to practise Kolam, to remain steady and still, in spite of challenges. The Paambu Kolam, was taken up, as this is one of the most ancient forms of Kolam. Paambu is snake in Tamil and the movement of the snake with its highs and lows, the curves, the mountains-and-the-valley movement became the highlight of the Kolam. Becoming aware of the breath and the sensations within one’s own body, emotions and thoughts was stressed upon. 2. Receptivity was the quality that was taken up. How to take up the Kolam practice, with equanimity along with being receptive to the flow of creativity, to the inspiration is very important. The Shaivite Padi Kolam was displayed graciously by Grace, and the participants explored this Kolam form with enthusiasm, constructing Temples with varying Gopurams, beginning with 4 concentric squares and proceeding with the help of the magic grids (made of 9 squares), and finally stood in their temple with great joy. 3. Peace was the quality that was taken up along with the Vaishnavite Padi Kolam which was the Kolam learning of the day. The Vaishnavite kolam has a dynamic expansive format with curvy lines and more motifs from nature as elements in the Kolam style. The ashta-konam being at the centre as the symbol of Lakshmi and then spreading harmoniously around the centre with lotuses, birds and other flowers as its embellishment, doing the Vaishanvite kolam was a very powerful and expansive experience. 4. Aspiration was the quality that was taken up with the Brahma’s knot style of Kolam learning. The earlier three qualities were under the domain of the Maheshwari Power force of the Divine Mother, while the quality of Aspiration fell under the transition stage of entering into Mahakali’s Power force. Brahma’s knot style is called the Paddi Sun Symbol - Swastika & Suvastika was taken up as the topic of the day. The participants explored and experienced the joys of creating knots and several forms emerged from these explorations, like Sita’s braid, the flight of a bird etc. 5. Courage was the quality that was taken up as a necessary quality to explore the Ner Pulli Kodu Kolam - Part I, which means making dots which are in straight lines and joining the dots with lines, so that mirrored images are made, which are also in perfect symmetry. Discovering symmetry in forms enables stability, balance and alignment and helps in the culturing and refinement needed in our self-growth - an education by itself! The eight star symbol was explored which forms the motif for embroideries in many folk forms in India and European countries especially the Balkan nations. In this session, fishes, butterflies and lotuses came alive! 6. Sincerity was the quality that anchored the session where the ‘Ner Pulli Kodu Kolam - Part II’ was further explored with respect to animal forms and other aspects of nature such as elephants, peacocks and flowers. The participants were grouped in pairs and made large Ner Pulli structures of 7x7 or 7x5 dots. What emerged were beautiful patterns which were good lessons in mirrored symmetrical images, along with the joy of working quietly in silence and discovering their stability through symmetry. 7. Goodness was the quality that helped us go into the next theme which revolved around ‘Water and its quality of dissolving boundaries’. The participants were facilitated to do body movements to open up and feel the movement of water and its fluidity. The ‘Idukku Pulli Kodu Kolam’ was taught with an added aspect of rotational symmetry. This was challenging but helped in getting more familiar with the relation in the movement of water and the movement of the lines in the kolam. 8. Gratitude was the quality that we landed on the day we explored the ‘Idukku Pulli Kodu Kolam’ with respect to Nature’s Forms & Shapes and the Sacred Shat-kona (the six pointed star, in the Indian symbolic imagery, stands for the union between Purusha and Prakriti, or Shiva and Shakti) or the 6 line star symbolising the 6 facets of Shanmuga. These Yantra kolams are not meant to be threshold kolams but are powerful sacred symbols used for protection and prosperity and made in sacred spaces. 9. Generosity was the quality that anchored the session which was the first session on Sikku Ner Pulli Kolam - with Weaving & Braiding patterns. Sikku kolams are kolams where the pullis (dots) are looped around and we started with the simplest which is the square of 3x3 which becomes a part of Krishna’s anklet, a very common Sikku Kolam motif. In this session we learnt the difference between a Kolam and a Rangoli design and also that Kolam is not merely a folk art but a Script, a real language, and can be elevated to the level of yoga, as the Kolam Yoga. 10. Humility was the quality that was meditated upon, mainly ‘Humility in Action’ and the Sikku Ner Pulli Kolam was further explored where Grace helped the participants to understand Kolam like a Beeja mantra where the Pullis are the silent pauses. The participants attempted making a jumbo-sized kolam on the floor and joyously danced on it, in rhythmic steps, forming a continuous rhythm. 11. Perseverance was the quality that was taken up as the anchor for the session on ‘Sikku Idukku Pulli Kolam’. In Tamil, Idukku Pulli is also called Sandhu Pulli where dots are placed alternately and most importantly they are all joined in a single continuous circuit. The participants placed a central line of 9 dots and went up to a line of 5 dots, placed alternately, and created a pattern of the heart looped 6 faced stars all entwined into a single circuit which resembled the rising Kundalini. 12. Progress is the quality that helped us make a nice summary of all our learning over the past 11 sessions. We need to keep the remembrance of always progressing ahead with all our learnings, which will help us be the guardians of this ancient script. Grace facilitated the ‘Sarasvati Yantra Kolam’ and the ‘Pu’ kolam in the ‘Sikku Idukku Pulli’ (knotty) style. The last session happened at the residence and centre of Kolam Yoga and it ended with a lot of happy participation of making the complex pattern of joining the two types of kolams, amidst a heavy downpour of rain! Our energies, efforts, joy and the rain – all mingled together in a happy communion! The Integral Basic Kolam Yoga Learning Course concluded on 23rd June 2023 with distribution of certificates and an aspiration to include the learnings of the course into one’s daily life by way of practice, exploring further the art-form as a Script and taking the mystical codes to schools (and all students of Life) so as to keep the Kolam Yoga alive.