Kindful Kids Circle: Empathy Begins At Home Posted by Trishna Shah, May 12 2019 “Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another and feeling with the heart of another.” -- Alfred Adler Following our first two Kindful Kids Circles last year on kindness and gratitude, we recently hosted our third Kindful Kids Circle in London on Sunday, April 28th, when around 30 parents and children came together to explore the theme "Empathy Begins at Home". It was an amazing experience to collaborate with two mothers, Ankita and Sonal, who have come to previous circles, as we put our hearts together to design this entire circle completely from scratch including each activity, which was a very involved process :) The ripples of this true labour of love spirit were seen in how beautifully the circle unfolded and the depth of reflections shared and also to hear about how it was such a meaningful the experience for each family who participated ... Read Full Story

Nuggets From Ashima Goyal's Call Posted by LuAnn Cooley, May 11 2019 Saturday, I had the joy and privilege of hosting the Awakin Call with Ashima Goyal with Christ Johnnidis moderating and Pavi Mehta livestreaming. Ashima Goyal is an "ordinary" heroine who channels her talents and wide-ranging training to serve extra-ordinarily in small and large ways. A writer, an editor, a socio-emotional learning educator, an artist, a community-builder (and visionary behind Romania's first Karma Kitchen), a cook, food blogger, and a spirited volunteer, her service has spanned from online space-holding, to hands-on direct disaster aid in grassroots villages after serious floods. As an engineer, and later as a social policy graduate, Ashima had the idea to change the world. "Luckily," she says, "I came in contact with people who helped me see that all I can do is change myself." For the past 7 years, all her work has been towards transforming her environment by first transforming herself through small acts of service. ... Read Full Story

Ripples Of Birju's Minute Of Silence Posted by Jyoti , May 07 2019 I have borrowed the practice of taking a minute of silence, from Birju that I use at the start of all classes I teach. Many students have appreciated it. Some make it their own. As I was reading the midterm reflections of the current batch of working adults in my class, here is a quote from one of them. "I have been applying the outside exercises to my daily routine. Specifically, prior to starting my day or some big task at work or at home, I will take a moment of silence to just breathe and relax and center myself so that I can focus on the task at hand and not on other distracting issues. This has been extremely helpful as it reduces the build-up of stress and allows for a more focused and deeper concentration than just performing one task after another without taking a moment for myself." Another student ... Read Full Story

KindSpring Weekly: Spotlight On Kindness: Real Life Posted by Ameeta Martin, May 07 2019 Latest issue of 'KindSpring Weekly' newsletter is themed Spotlight On Kindness: Real Life Superheroes. This week's newsletter sheds light on the spirit of kindness that is so present in many young children. From 5th graders who come together to do blanket drive for babies in need in Ridgefield, to a boy who decides to make a sacrifice for his classmates, to children from the extremely underprivileged communities in India who travel the globe sharing a message of peace with the world. --Guri

Our Last Awakin Circle In Romania! Posted by Ashima Goyal, May 05 2019 As we head out on our way to the airport, to move to Houston, here's a pic of our last Awakin circle! And I am so excited with all the things happening in Romania, including the ongoing Karma Kitchens with kids, a local laddership circle (wow!) coming soon, and an educators retreat during Nipun's visit in October, and more. I'll miss Romania, but am looking forward to starting Awakin Circles in Houston!

Meeting Rachel Posted by Smita Navare, May 03 2019 Don't know ask me how, but I got to meet one of my heroes -- Rachel Naomi Remen. A whole bunch of us spent 4 hours today, in rapt attention, listening to an "angel on earth" share profound medicine stories. If you don't know about her, read this interview with Krista Tippett. It all started because I had emailed few of you this video about her grandfather that touched me deeply ... And I suppose, what you appreciate, appreciates -- and sometimes comes back to you. :) I bow to all of you in ServiceSpace that make such dreams come to life.

What Gives You Hope? A Lottery Ticket? A Prayer? A Posted by Joao Perre, May 03 2019 Dear Pilgrim*, A long time ago I heard about a museum with a very peculiar approach. At the entrance, the visitor was invited to hold a rope and be sure not to let it go at any time until reaching the exit door. The walk inside the museum was done in total darkness, but with a twist. It was an audio museum. The information was given by spoken word and stories. Without the rope, you wouldn’t be able to understand much of the reality unfolding in front of you. The cord in your hand would also help you get out of the building safely. The exercise was pretty sophisticated. You would need to use your feet and hands to sense your way forward. Your hearing capacity to absorb the content and finally, your imagination would assist you to picture and create forms out of the sounds — an incredible trip to say ... Read Full Story

For Her Birthday ... Posted by Pankaj Shah, May 02 2019 I gotta admit it — I am full of pride to see this on my daughter's Instagram. (Some of you might remember her as a ServiceSpace intern a couple of years ago!) As many of you may know, I try to give back to my community in some way every birthday. This year, I decided to try to inspire more random acts of kindness within my school’s student body. I took 200 clothespins and wrote uplifting messages on each of them, with a little “pass it on!” on the back. The idea was that students could clip something positive onto each other’s backpacks, and if you found a clothespin on yours, you could pass it along to someone else; paying the kindness forward. Hopefully those at CHS enjoyed it and those who witnessed it on social media were inspired. :) I was super nervous about how it would go, but was overwhelmed by the support I received! Thank you to everyone who reached out, helped spread the word, and participated!

Gratitude For Mark! Posted by Sister Lucy, May 02 2019 Thank you, ServiceSpace, for sending such a noble person like Mark Peters to Maher in Pune. Yesterday we had a beautiful ceremony at Vadu for launching the webpage for the interfaith association for the service to humanity and nature.

Small Acts Connections Posted by Jyoti , May 02 2019 There is a story about a forest on fire from where all animals are running away, except for one bird carrying water in her beak flying towards it, to help put the fire out. When asked how her tiny beak's worth of water will help with the large forest fire, she simply says, atleast I will be remembered for trying to save my home, rather than abandoning it. I have several small acts I practice routinely as my own way of saving the planet from the path of destruction it seems to be on due to human activity. Most times I feel like the little bird carrying the tiny drop of water towards a forest fire. I know that me turning off the water faucet when I brush, or lights when I leave a room or drying my clothes on the line in the sun instead of the dryer, or buying ... Read Full Story

Moved By Love: A Life Long Pilgrimage Posted by Shaalini Srinivasan, May 02 2019 Latest issue of 'Moved By Love' newsletter is themed A Life Long Pilgrimage. How do we balance inner transformation and external service? This is the essence of the learnings of my life -- if you serve others, you will be taken care of. - says Arun Dada. Meghna reflects on how continuous inner cleansing allows her to be a purer instrument of service. Soak in the wisdom!

Waves From Gandhi Retreat Posted by Colin Johnson, May 01 2019 Few weeks ago, we held a powerful "Gandhi in Today's World" retreat at Banyan Grove, with some insightful luminaries. And while a more detailed blog is forthcoming, I just wanted to share gratitude for all the ripples that are continuing to build and multiply ever since our time together. Just witnessing it is a thing of beauty, and gives one faith in that old adage: "Nature doesn't hurry, and yet everything gets accomplished."

April Karma Kitchen DC Smiles! :) Posted by Krishna Desar, May 01 2019 So grateful for our monthly Karma Kitchens in DC!

KindSpring Weekly: Spotlight On Kindness: Kinder Than Posted by Ameeta Martin, Apr 30 2019 Latest issue of 'KindSpring Weekly' newsletter is themed Spotlight On Kindness: Kinder Than Necessary. It's human nature to try to reciprocate the kindness we receive from others. Naturally, no one wants to be the "bad guy." However, there are those among us that go above and beyond what society expects of them. They often make us pause and consider, "Why didn't I think of that?" These are the trailblazers of kindness. By being kinder than necessary, they raise the bar for all of us. -Guri

London May 2019 Update: Awakins, Service Day, Jai Jagat Posted by Trishna Shah, Apr 29 2019 May 2019 - London Gatherings Last Sunday, 30 parents and children gathered to explore how we can be more empathetic towards each other at home, at school and everywhere we go. The highlight of the afternoon was developing our own empathy skits with a twist -- in order to truly experience walking in someone else's shoes, the kids acted as the parents and the parents acted as the kids! Stay tuned for more stories and photos from this gathering next time and even a few videos of the amazingly empathetic skit performances! :) We look forward to seeing you at Awakin Circles this month and wanted to share with you about an upcoming service opportunity for the entire community to get involved with, alongside Nimo's 17 children from India who are coming to London in June! Awakin Circles: Harrow, Pimlico, Mill Hill, Shoreditch Each month, you're invited to join Awakin Circles at locations around ... Read Full Story

Conversation Between Nipun And Martin Posted by Alma Gall, Apr 28 2019 I recently watched the interview Nipun had with Martin (right after his BOKU talk) -- that was published for the Pioneers of Change Online Summit, for which many people signed up. I am sure so many hearts were touched with it - thank you so much for supporting the spread of these values in the world! Very much looking forward to a May visit! ️

Nuggets From James Fox's Call Posted by Pavi Mehta, Apr 28 2019 This week's riveting Awakin Call was beautifully moderated by past Awakin Call guest and co-creator of Buddhas on Death Row, Maria Jain. We'll post the audio of the call soon, but for now we've posted our extended notes that will give you a flavor of the stories and insights. By way of brief intro to James Fox: he is the founder and director of the Prison Yoga Project, an organization dedicated to establishing yoga and mindfulness programs in prisons and rehabilitation centers worldwide. Since 2002, he has been teaching yoga and meditation to prisoners at San Quentin Prison as well as other California State prisons. His book, Yoga: A Path for Healing and Recovery (2010), has been requested by and sent free of charge to over 30,000 prisoners. He has trained more than 2,000 teachers and his program has been replicated in more than 350 jails, prisons and rehabilitation facilities in 28 ... Read Full Story

I Am Waiting For A Friend Posted by Joao Perre, Apr 27 2019 I once heard that when you need a friend to support you during a challenging moment in life, the fingers you have in one hand might be too many. Every time I think about such a sentence, I end up looking down and feeling shocked by the number of possibilities, not more than five. Did you ever think about how many friends you can really count in life? Forget social media and party attendants. To me, a friend is someone always happy to see you and looking for an opportunity to be with you, no matter what. Let me reinforce, no matter what. Over time, you will notice that some people you might consider to be close to you, always have a default reply; “I don’t have the time.” Which almost always means, “this is not a priority.” or “you are not a priority to me.” If you stop for a moment and think ... Read Full Story

KindSpring Weekly: Spotlight On Kindness: Earth Family Posted by Ameeta Martin, Apr 23 2019 Latest issue of 'KindSpring Weekly' newsletter is themed Spotlight On Kindness: Earth Family. On Earth Day, I'm reminded of the stunning beauty of our planet. Where else can towering redwoods, winding rivers, active volcanoes, and the aurora borealis exist under one sky? The diversity of life on the planet leaves me awestruck. There is so much at stake if we don't make a conscious effect to protect and nurture it. May we all make wiser choices in the years to come. -Guri

Experiences From Love Heals Cancer’s Healing Posted by Dimple Parmar, Apr 22 2019 Experiences from Love Heals Cancer’s Healing Circle of Caregivers in Gurugram, India: Healing circles are safe havens that help us step out of ordinary time into a safe and accepting environment in which we can explore our healing. With open minds, we work together to discover the best ways to remove obstacles to healing, alleviate suffering, and deepen our capacity to heal. With open hearts, we access our own inner guidance to understand where the greatest healing — in body, emotions, mind, and spirit — can occur. Read more about Healing Circles on the website — https://lovehealscancer.org/about-healing-circles Participants — Aviral, Dimple, Shyam, Rahul, Gautam(Left to Right) The theme of the circle was around the caregiving experiences of the participants and the challenges they faced during their journey. Ripples of the Circle: The group decided to talk piece to be a printed emoji sticker(😎) with a message “Be Happy Now” signifying a confident, cool and smiling attitude of the speaker. This sticker was given to ... Read Full Story