Awakin Kids Village Posted by Nandini Iyer, Mar 10 2019 Yesterday, we took our 2 month old newly born Savithra (and our newly-born parent selves) to our very first kids' and parents' awakin circle. After having been cooped up in our home to bond as a new family unit, the prospect of our first social outing was both exciting and daunting. Exciting to be in the space at Aunty and Uncle's home and in circle with other parents and children planting seeds of community and stillness. And daunting because of all our doubts and new-parent anxieties -- How would our baby handle being in a new environment with lots of people? Isn't it supposed to be her sleep or feed time, and are we messing with her schedule by providing, possibly, too much social stimulation by taking her out... just because we want it? Are we exposing baby to other big kiddo germs? What if baby starts crying uncontrollably -- ... Read Full Story

Parents' Special At Awakin Mumbai Posted by Nirupa Bhangar, Mar 09 2019 A new phenomenon in our Awakin Circle is children inviting their parents, not just inviting, actually coaxing reluctant parents. They come solely because they do not want to hurt or disappoint their child. Once they do come, it becomes a special experience for them and all of us. Just the fact of having parents and children together in the same sharing circle, speaking and the listening, does something. This has happened thrice over, but this Thursday evening was extra special. Sumita, a master's in psychology and trained counselor, part of the ecosystem, researched for an Awakin Circle nearer to her place and found us. She confirmed coming along with her mother. They live in a slum colony. When she agreed, Savita, the mom, had no clue of what Awakin is, but came because as she said, she did not want to spoil Sumits's mood. On the way, Sumita told her a ... Read Full Story

Raza: The Will Of God Posted by Jyoti , Mar 09 2019 In urdu, Raza means the will of God. A neighbor of almost two decades, here in California, called Mary, reminds me of my mother. At first we would meet in the shared park where she and her retired husband would walk in the evenings, as I would watch my little son play with his friends. From neighborly greetings we proceeded to learning that the retired couple were originally from Iran, and had moved to the US after the revolution. Over the years, the handsome man developed and battled with Alzheimer's, while his wife diligently cared for him, until he passed away. Now, she walks with a walker and only comes to the garden rarely. Sometimes, she will knock on my door for simple assistance, such as when she could not put her key in her house door, or her central heating was making strange noises, or once when her ipad was ... Read Full Story

Our Middle School Kindness Challenge Begins! Posted by Teresa Robinson , Mar 07 2019 As is now an annual tradition, we kicked off a 21-day Kindness Challenge with our middle school students on Monday! In addition to kindness towards each other, we reflected on kindness toward all living things, including plants. We witnessed a few intriguing experiments on it, such as this one, of plants being praised versus bullied. We are going to try out some kindness experiments in our classrooms -- and the students are super excited about them! The teachers made brownies for everyone, which the students really appreciated, too! As part of the day, all the students engaged in small reflection circles. As we wondered about best practices for holding circle with students, Anne graciously shared this beautiful conversation with John, on the Wisdom of Circles. Each day, we plan to invite students to share and reflect on kindness, and this week, we'll share this video on 22 Random Acts of Kindness as inspiration, too! Overall, our first week has been going well -- much gratitude to so many of you for the shared inspiration! Many blessings to all!

KindSpring Weekly: Spotlight On Kindness: Measuring Posted by Ameeta Martin, Mar 05 2019 Latest issue of 'KindSpring Weekly' newsletter is themed Spotlight On Kindness: Measuring Success. Most people define success in measurable external terms. Even Merriam-Webster dictionary defines success as the attainment of wealth, favor or eminence. But, as reported below, two men who have scaled the world's heights of "success" now define it differently. They feel it has nothing to do with money and everything to do with the strength of your personal relationships and connections. - Ameeta

Karma Kitchen DC Celebrates 10 Years! Posted by Krishna Desar, Mar 05 2019 We just had our 10 year anniversary of Karma Kitchen DC! It was truly a celebration of ten years of generosity, kindness, community. When we started the Karma Kitchen DC in February 2009, we had only planned for three weeks, and were not sure if we will be able to sustain beyond. But week after week, month after month, it continued to grow, and always with the same spirit. Karma Kitchen DC has grown in its own spirit. Deeply grateful to the guests and volunteers who fueled it, and Himalayan Heritage Restaurant for hosting us generously for last six years. As our veteran volunteer, Vinay, shared during closing circle on Sunday, “I have seen so many changes in my personal life, in my friends and family members' lives, but the ambiance and spirit of Karma kitchen DC is still the same as it was 10 years ago when it started." In that spirit, the ... Read Full Story

Nuggets From Mary Pipher's Call Posted by Alyssa Martin, Mar 04 2019 Last Saturday, we had the privilege of hosting Awakin Call with Mary Pipher. When Mary Pipher, author of 9 books (three New York Times bestsellers), told her friends she was next writing a book on older women “like us,” they protested, “I am not old.” What they meant, she says, was that “they didn’t act or feel like the cultural stereotypes of women their age. Old meant bossy, useless, unhappy and in the way. Our country’s ideas about old women are so toxic that almost no one ... will admit she is old.” But Mary's work is far from “old.” She continues to discern the needs of the times, presciently striking a chord in the zeitgeist. A psychologist, community organizer and activist, Mary is passionate about the importance of community and the development of healthy relationships between children and adults as each generation aims for the self-care and self-exploration needed to ... Read Full Story

❤️ LOVEly Comment Received From A ... Posted by Michaele Premet-Rosen, Mar 04 2019 ❤️ LOVEly comment received from a KindSpringer today: “There are so many opportunities to start kindness ripples. I think kindspring has started a tsunami of kindness worldwide!” I so agree 😊

Parable: A Wise Woman Who Was ... Posted by Preeta Bansal, Mar 03 2019 Parable: A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation. The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the wise woman. "I've been thinking," he said, "I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone." -- Author Unknown

Moved By Love: Walk Together, Walk Far Posted by Shaalini Srinivasan, Mar 02 2019 Latest issue of 'Moved By Love' newsletter is themed Walk Together, Walk Far. “A circle, like a river, is ever-present, never twice the same, always nourishing.” - Zilong From three people sitting in silence on a Wednesday in Santa Clara, Awakin circles have organically spread to 100+ cities and continue being co-created. This, coupled with the unique path of "walking it yourself" has created a strong context making our journey more meaningful.

From Listeners Of Parker Palmer's Awakin Call Posted by Birju Pandya, Mar 01 2019 Awakin Calls has been on a roll recently. Three weeks ago, we launched a revamped website. Two weeks ago, Alan Wallace set a record for attendance. Last weekend, Parker Palmer upped even that with 450+ RSVPs. And tomorrow's call with NY Times best-selling author, Mary Pipher, seems to be heading in that range too. For every Saturday's call, we assemble a crew of volunteers. It typically takes about 40 hours of volunteer work for each call, and last week, I got to play a small part in it. Our guest was the revered spiritual activist and community builder Parker Palmer, who first popularized “mobius strip” as referring to the integral dance between our inner and outer lives. Anna Skrzypczynska wrote the bio, Pavi hosted the call and posted the memorable "nuggets", and Preeta moderated the conversation, I did the live-streaming, Prabha managed the post-call editing (also on iTunes), and Gayathri and ... Read Full Story

London March Update: Awakins & Kindful Kids Circle On Posted by Trishna Shah, Mar 01 2019 March 2019 - London Gatherings Photos from Feb Awakin Circle in Pimlico, courtesy of Ali Souza, and a beautiful homemade cake by Remy Shah! :) We look forward to seeing you at a full month of Awakin Circles in March along with a Kindful Kids Circle in April after Easter holidays, where we plan to explore the theme "Empathy Begins at Home" with parents and children together. The last two virtual Awakin Calls with record-breaking attendance from around the world were incredibly deep conversations with wise elders -- you'll enjoy really reading these nuggets of inspiration from conversations with Alan Wallace and Parker Palmer and listening to the audio recordings if you feel moved to! Awakin Circles: Pimlico, Brighton Harrow, Mill Hill, Shoreditch Each month, you're invited to join Awakin Circles at locations around London, where we meditate for the first hour, engage in a circle of sharing based on a ... Read Full Story

India Inclusion Summit - Everyone Has Something To Give Posted by Nisha Srinivasan, Feb 28 2019 Last December, Suchitra Shenoy was invited to share at the India Inclusion Summit. The summit is a yearly gathering of people with disabilities, their families, social entrepreneurs and educational institutions. Here's her talk at the summit titled Everyone Has Something to Give

Abundance Of Less: From Cornelius To Kogan! Posted by Richard Whittaker, Feb 28 2019 [At a powerful New Story retreat recently, I was really touched Frank's flute performance, which I experienced viscerally with Shamanic overtones, as well as Cornelius's multiple performances. In a passing conversation with Cornelius, I told him about my friend, Andy Couturier, who had written a remarkable book titled 'Abundance of Less' in which he profiled a legendary flutist named Kogan Murata. And he just casually responds, "Oh Kogan? Yeah, I've played with him." Honestly, I was stunned. To give you a flavor, below is an excerpt on Kogan Murata.] "It was a complete coincidence," he tells me when I ask him now about coining to the path of playing the bamboo flute. "I had been totally inside the 'do-re-mi’ world of Western music all through my twenties. But in that house you first visited me in, one day by chance I heard the real sound of the shakuhachi on a classical ... Read Full Story

Jane Goodall On Mother Earth Posted by Bibi Ibrahim, Feb 27 2019 I came across this inspiring 6-min video of Jane Goodall describing our interconnection. Thought others may enjoy as well: "You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”

KindSpring Weekly: Spotlight On Kindness: Spreading Posted by Ameeta Martin, Feb 26 2019 Latest issue of 'KindSpring Weekly' newsletter is themed Spotlight On Kindness: Spreading Love. Our friends at the Goi Peace Foundation in Japan have, since the end of World War II, spread a universal message of living in peace, love and harmony with one another and with all life on earth. Their goal is to cultivate awareness that we each bear responsibility for building peace. Starting within our own hearts, we help spread their universal message "May Peace Prevail on Earth." - Ameeta

Moments Of Stillness At Home; Beautiful ... Posted by Neelam Mandhani, Feb 25 2019 Moments of stillness at home; Beautiful vibrations and sharing

Bayarea: Awakin Teens (+ Gandhi Today, Thousand RSVPs, Posted by ServiceSpace , Feb 25 2019 Happy end-of-February! Last month, we had an overflowing "New Story" retreat that Andy recounted as, "Tea leaves don't instantly flavor the surrounding water but do so over time. I've now been flavored by this community's generosity, love, consciousness and kindness-filled spirit at an even deeper level." One of the speakers, Brian Conroy, eloquently described our time together: Living the New Story. As we head into Spring, a few things to look forward to... March 10th is the first Awakin Teens Circle! As these things flow, three folks who carpooled to the last Banyan Grove retreat happened to all be parents of teens -- and have now teamed up to host our first teenager gathering in San Jose! If you've got a teen in the family, or just enjoy story-telling, you can learn more about Awakin Teens Circle. April Retreat: "Is Gandhi Relevant Today?" We are hosting a 2-day retreat in West Marin on April ... Read Full Story

The Ultimate Giftivist: A Story From Arun-dada Posted by Rahul Mehta, Feb 25 2019 In recent years, several of us have had the opportunity to glean stirring stories from Arun Bhatt ("Arun-dada" we lovingly call him), a remarkable elder in his eighties, who has dedicated his life to service, including walking with Vinoba Bhave (whom many recognize as Gandhi's spiritual successor) during the Land Gift (Bhoodan) Movement. Born the child of freedom fighters, Arun-dada spent parts of his childhood in jail when both his parents were incarcerated for political reasons. During that time, other freedom fighters and prisoners would play with him and bring him up. One loving elderly man used to play with little Arun. He was so loving that Arun could not help but ask him, "Why are you in jail?" The man replied that he was in for a murder charge. "But you don't look like you would have killed someone," said Arun. "I did not kill anyone, but my young nephew did, in a fit ... Read Full Story

Nuggets From Parker Palmer's Call Posted by Pavi Mehta, Feb 24 2019 This past Saturday, we had the privilege of hosting an Awakin Call with Parker Palmer. Parker J. Palmer is an American treasure -- an iconic writer, teacher, and activist who for more than 50 years has deeply addressed subjects from contemplation to community, the inner life to public life, education to social change. He encourages, embodies, and designs processes for a vulnerability and an accessing of our deeper selves in community with others that makes possible the bridging of the "tragic gap" between the inner self and the outer world -- so they merge into a "mobius strip" where the inner becomes the outer and vice versa. Founder and Senior Partner Emeritus of the Center for Courage & Renewal, Palmer in 1998 was named one of the thirty most influential senior leaders in higher education. In 2010, he received the William Rainey Harper Award, whose previous recipients include Margaret Mead and ... Read Full Story