What are we sensing? |
What is alive for the AoH communities in Asia?
This gathering was called from a deep sense of need by some practitioners in Asia, and has been taking shape since December 2018 with the enthusiastic support from various practitioners all over the world. Apart from the individual perspectives that were heard from the start, the communities of practice in Asia have also started reflecting on their needs and the conversations that could be explored during our gathering. This inquiry will give this Learning Village its unique flavour, and it will be in constant co-creation until we get together. Some of the questions that are bubbling include:
These are just a few of the questions that are alive now. What are the conversations you would like to call? You are encouraged to gather your local community and start reflecting, and we look forward to exploring those questions and learn together. Two practitioners based in Asia would also like to share their individual perspectives, maybe you will resonate with something, or do you have your own perspective you would like to share?
- With the challenges we are facing as a society and the crises predicted for the future, how can we become useful with the mindsets and tools that we have? What is our unique collective contribution to the movements for life arising in the world?
- How can we broaden our understanding of AoH and the impact it is having internationally? Where and in what contexts it is being used?
- After having learned a lot from practitioners in Europe and the Americas, how can practitioners who share more similar cultures like Japan, Vietnam, India, China, etc. learn from each other? How can we strengthen our regional connection to develop our Asian community?
- How can we get inspirations from other countries to grow our own local community of practice?
- After "practicing the form and learning the form", how can we "let go of the form" and experience new states of consciousness and the quality of being together?
- How can we exchange practices that we don’t have yet in some of our local fields? (e.g. Systemic Constellations, Groundwork, Breath work, Choir group, drumming circle...)
- How can we create space for reflecting on tensions, conflicts and for our healing?
These are just a few of the questions that are alive now. What are the conversations you would like to call? You are encouraged to gather your local community and start reflecting, and we look forward to exploring those questions and learn together. Two practitioners based in Asia would also like to share their individual perspectives, maybe you will resonate with something, or do you have your own perspective you would like to share?
An individual Asian's perspectiveI am speaking from the place of not being certain about where I am. I feel strong connections and harmony with fellows who come with Western mindset, and find myself in them. At the same time, through that mindset, I noticed the importance of Asian values deeply rooted in me. Yet, I felt lonely coming back to Asia as a practitioner.
There are now people here and there who are in the right place, at the right time and equipped with the relevant capacity and attitude to see our world differently. We are facing choices of creating transformation everyday and the growth of social media has multiplied its effect. We live in between chaos and order, and see new opportunities beyond complex problems. The question came to those lost changemakers: “Where am I in this whole transformation? Who can I count on to work together?” We have the tendency to look to the more developed world for answers. Yet, when we look back, we find those answers already embedded in our traditions and spirituality, in the way of living and being of our grandparents and great grandparents. Despite the difference in political institutions, economic development, religions and so on, most Asian cultures value social collaboration and co-creation. Yet, we have not seen a strongly connected community of participatory leaders and practitioners across the continent. Isn’t it just about time to start building it intentionally? Trang Nguyen (Vietnam) |
An individual foreigner's perspectiveAsia is a continent of incredible diversity and ancient wisdom, where being in community of different types is still the norm in many places. It is also the birthplace of a wide range of personal practices that we use to “host ourselves”.
Still, as we work to make a living and give our contribution to the world, busyness insists to take over and become an obstacle for hosting ourselves, connecting more deeply to each other and to the ancient Asian wisdom. I long for moments where I can enjoy being in community with fellow practitioners without the pressure of work. I am eager to be in a space of conscious practice of hosting self and hosting each other. But I also long for new knowledge and skills that I haven't had the chance to explore since many trainings and gatherings for deepening the hosting practice seem to happen in other parts of the world. What if we could get together with enough time to retreat, but also to learn more from each other, being Asians, foreigners living in Asia and the global AoH community? What if we could gather to celebrate the diversity of Asia, while weaving the different communities and nationalities to find out what connects us? What if we could explore how hosting in Asia is different from hosting in other places in the world, and share that wisdom with the global community? There are so many questions and possibilities that I can barely hold my excitement. And you, what are you longing for? What questions are you holding? If spending a week in retreat and conscious practice sounds tempting, then consider joining us! Narayan Silva (Brazilian living in China) |