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| resilients:naikan_as_resilient_practice [2013-03-19 05:35] – created alkan | resilients:naikan_as_resilient_practice [2013-03-19 06:08] (current) – alkan |
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| Perhaps most significantly, participants experienced an increased sense of connection, communication, openness and trust between one another that developed over the retreat and persisted for some time afterwards. Some felt they could be “way more open and there was way more open laughter” after the retreat; they addressed some difficult topics with collaborators that had been previously avoided, and became “more outspoken and felt more connected to people who also sat in the Naikan.” One participant noted that “after pushing the reset button [in Naikan], things look much more manageable than before. I can also share my concerns or the workload with other people at FoAM.” Another summarised that “I looked at a few difficult relationships and found peace with my actions, which was very important. It was inspiring to spend a week in the FoAM space, I feel like I want to make it reflect my inspiration. After the Naikan it was interesting to observe the relationships with people who participated. There was much more trust, intuitive confidence and flow in collaborations.” | Perhaps most significantly, participants experienced an increased sense of connection, communication, openness and trust between one another that developed over the retreat and persisted for some time afterwards. Some felt they could be “way more open and there was way more open laughter” after the retreat; they addressed some difficult topics with collaborators that had been previously avoided, and became “more outspoken and felt more connected to people who also sat in the Naikan.” One participant noted that “after pushing the reset button [in Naikan], things look much more manageable than before. I can also share my concerns or the workload with other people at FoAM.” Another summarised that “I looked at a few difficult relationships and found peace with my actions, which was very important. It was inspiring to spend a week in the FoAM space, I feel like I want to make it reflect my inspiration. After the Naikan it was interesting to observe the relationships with people who participated. There was much more trust, intuitive confidence and flow in collaborations.” |
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| Many of us consequently felt that we could be more frank and honest with each other as co-workers -- that “techniques like Naikan can help to drop the mask that we are all wearing, and be frank.” One participant said that as co-workers they were “in competition sometimes, instead of being colleagues. After the Naikan, I feel I can be more in the team.” The practice of reflective contemplation fostered this sense of increased self-awareness and honesty. By becoming more aware of our positions in the world and our lives, it helped many of us become more psychologically and emotionally resilient when dealing with difficult situations in our lives. One participant reflected: “Naikan helps me to see clearly patterns of my character and strategies that I apply in life. In a way it cuts through illusions that I have of how things should be or how society thinks things should be. It makes me more aware of my environment, objects, people and vibes that surround me and helps me to be more patient and understanding.” Another observed that “by reflecting on my life and my actions in relationship with others I am more aware of behavioural patterns, so that I can be more open and honest in my communication, relationships and collaborations. By practicing Naikan in daily life, I am able to detach myself from very afflictive emotions and look at a situation from multiple perspectives before acting rashly.” | Many of us consequently felt that we could be more frank and honest with each other as co-workers -- that “techniques like Naikan can help to drop the mask that we are all wearing, and be frank.” One participant said that as co-workers we were “in competition sometimes, instead of being colleagues. After the Naikan, I feel I can be more in the team.” The practice of reflective contemplation fostered this sense of increased self-awareness and honesty. By becoming more aware of our positions in the world and our lives, it helped many of us become more psychologically and emotionally resilient when dealing with difficult situations in our lives. One participant reflected: “Naikan helps me to see clearly patterns of my character and strategies that I apply in life. In a way it cuts through illusions that I have of how things should be or how society thinks things should be. It makes me more aware of my environment, objects, people and vibes that surround me and helps me to be more patient and understanding.” Another observed that “by reflecting on my life and my actions in relationship with others I am more aware of behavioural patterns, so that I can be more open and honest in my communication, relationships and collaborations. By practicing Naikan in daily life, I am able to detach myself from very afflictive emotions and look at a situation from multiple perspectives before acting rashly.” |
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| In the first moments after the Naikan retreat at FoAM, the glow of a luminous shared experience was very visible. People wanted to stay together to share and exchange experiences. Naikan had cleared our vision to see the world in a different light -- as abundant, curious and joyful. All of us had gone through a similarly confronting process and to share this with one another reinforced mutual trust and respect. However, this energy seemed to disperse and fade in the following months. The speed and relentless pace of everyday life clouded the insights and subtle changes we experienced in the retreat, and they slowly ebbed away. Most participants agreed that we didn’t allocate sufficient time for integrating the insights and new techniques we encountered in Naikan before going back to business as usual. (The day after the retreat we hosted a large workshop for twenty people -- and were bombarded with all the issues of production, facilitation and management that such an event demands.) | In the first moments after the Naikan retreat at FoAM, the glow of a luminous shared experience was very visible. People wanted to stay together to share and exchange experiences. Naikan had cleared our vision to see the world in a different light -- as abundant, curious and joyful. All of us had gone through a similarly confronting process and to share this with one another reinforced mutual trust and respect. However, this energy seemed to disperse and fade in the following months. The speed and relentless pace of everyday life clouded the insights and subtle changes we experienced in the retreat, and they slowly ebbed away. Most participants agreed that we didn’t allocate sufficient time for integrating the insights and new techniques we encountered in Naikan before going back to business as usual. (The day after the retreat we hosted a large workshop for twenty people -- and were bombarded with all the issues of production, facilitation and management that such an event demands.) |
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| It became apparent that any contemplative technique -- be it Naikan, writing a diary or any other form of mental detoxification -- needs to be actively pursued in repeated and regular practice in order for the technique to unfold its full potential. To integrate a contemplative practice on a regular basis is a conscious choice that needs to be pursued with tenacity in the beginning, until the practitioners become accustomed to it and it is integrated into their daily life as part of their “culture.” Like any “culture,” Naikan has to be acculturated, has to be lived and nurtured if it can have a lasting effect. The integration of our Naikan experiences at work on a daily basis is an ongoing endeavour. It is not about completing a task and ticking it off the to-do list, but rather about maintaining a regular practice which is rewarding in its own right as well as contributing to a better lifestyle. | It became apparent that any contemplative technique -- be it Naikan, writing a diary or any other form of mental detoxification -- needs to be actively pursued in repeated and regular practice in order for the technique to unfold its full potential. To integrate a contemplative practice on a regular basis is a conscious choice that needs to be pursued with tenacity in the beginning, until the practitioners become accustomed to it and it is integrated into their daily life as part of their “culture.” Like any “culture,” Naikan has to be acculturated, has to be lived and nurtured if it can have a lasting effect. The integration of our Naikan experiences at work on a daily basis is an ongoing endeavour. It is not about completing a task and ticking it off the to-do list, but rather about maintaining a regular practice which is rewarding in its own right as well as contributing to a better lifestyle. |
alkan