Month: February 2023

~Sri Bhavani, Narmadha, Poovizhi

This week Miss. Muthukumari created an opportunity for us to experience sound bowl therapy. I am grateful to join the yoga session with shifuians.

My reflection on sound bowl therapy: When I hear the sound during meditation, I feel relaxed. It improved my concentration and felt brisk after the session.

Sound Bowl:

This bowl is also called a singing bowl. Buddhist monks used this bowl during meditation practices. 

She used a bowl, sound wave takes 7secs to fade for single struck on the wall of the bowl. This sound helpful to activate 7 chakras (energy centres) in the body. Each chakra has its own frequency to activate. Sound bowl help to activate them by singing it in different note.

The length of time it takes to fade depends on many factors like size and shape of the bowl, material and the way it struck.

Because of these factors, it is pretty hard to assign accurate frequency for a singing bowl.

The 7 chakras in the human body are

Root Chakra (Muladhara): This chakra is located at the base of the spine and is associated with the colour red.

Sacral Chakra (Svadhishthana): This chakra is located in the lower abdomen and is associated with the colour orange.

Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura): This chakra is located in the upper abdomen and is associated with the colour yellow.

Heart Chakra (Anahata): This chakra is located in the center of the chest and is associated with the colour green.

Throat Chakra (Vishuddha): This chakra is located in the throat and is associated with the colour blue.

Third Eye Chakra (Ajna): This chakra is located between the eyebrows and is associated with the colour indigo.

Crown Chakra (Sahasrara): This chakra is located at the top of the head and is associated with the colour purple.

And also, we did asanas with supporting material like shawl in this week. We did back stretch and front stretch. This new method supported us to stretch beyond our comfort zone. We learned the asanas along with its benefits. There are some asanas than can help us recover from back pain and varicose nerve problems.

Gomukhasana

Dhanurasana

Bhramari Pranayama:

This is one of the pranayamas we learned in the yoga session. While doing this pranayama, we create a bee humming sound. It helps to calm our mind and helps to heal nerve system.

I learned to do the asanas with their benefits. It is good to have practice in routine life.

~Durai, Kugan

At STEMland in Udavi school, learning new games is always a fun and exciting experience. We work with the 10^th graders in their classrooms and don’t have as much of an opportunity to engage with the games at STEM Land.  However, recently, we had the chance to try out Abalone a very popular game among children at Udavi school and we had a lot of fun with it.

Before diving into the game, we took the time to understand the rules and mechanics of the game. For those who have never played Abalone before, it is a two-player strategy game where the goal is to push six of your opponent’s marbles off the board in any direction while keeping your own marbles intact. The game requires critical thinking, strategic planning, and as we were novices a bit of luck as well.

Playing Abalone at Stemland Udavi provided an opportunity to not only have fun but also use critical thinking and strategic planning. We could see how this could improve the cognitive abilities of children while enjoying the game. Having played it, it is not a surprise that Abalone has been named “Game of the Year” in several countries, including Switzerland and France, due to its unique design and engaging gameplay. The game has even sold over 4 million copies worldwide.

Overall, Stemland Udavi is a great place to try out new games and learn new skills. With its friendly and welcoming environment, it’s the perfect place for anyone who wants to have fun while expanding their horizons be it children learning Mathematics or youth coming in to learn programming/electronics/VLSI design.

~Sandhiya, Poovizhi

At C3STREAM land we have sessions of continued practice of Radical Transformational Leadership sessions every Thursday within our group as well as being open to people from outside.
Few people in our team have attended the PC training with Dr. Monica Sharma and the team. To continue the practice of delivering the tools we have planned to deliver one tool in a week on Thursday mornings. I have created an excel with the number of PCs and the tools and invited the PC’s to choose the tools for which they feel they need more practice and came up with a plan for next 5 months.
Being able to practice tools each week and being able to present tools each week creates a culture of being rigorous in our practice – understanding the tool better and deeper.
The plan includes a backup person also. Whoever is delivering the tool prepares on their own first and have a call with Sanjeev a day before to get clarity on how to deliver the tool, check if the examples are suitable.
On 02/02/2023 it was Sandhiya’s turn to take Four Profile tools and I was the resource person. We worked on “My Four Profile”. Once Sandhiya completed her presentations, I gave feedback to her and Sanjeev coached her.

Reflection on being a resource person:
My name is Sandhiya, I stand for courage, care, and happiness for myself and others. I notice that growth happens beyond my comfort zone. Though we had done the exercise many times each time it gives us an opportunity to reflect and learn about ourselves. By delivering the tool I was able notice that I was uncomfortable but when worked through it I was able

Reflection on being a backup person:
My name is Poovizhi I deeply care about equality and equity. I learnt that I have all the four profiles ( wisdom profile, social profile, personality profile and professional profile). When I work from my wisdom profile I am able to notice that the way I see at my other three profiles changes.

Participants insights:
I have been thinking that the shift in social profile is happening only now a days but during the exercise with my partner he said his parents have done inter cast marriage. I learnt that the shift has been happening from earlier also.

I learnt that wisdom profile is important

I learnt that wisdom profile is important because even if I change my profession my wisdom profile remains the same.

I thought that personality profile is not important but I learnt that all profiles are important.

~ Duraisamy, Kugan

The 10th-grade students at the Udavi School in Edaiyanchavadi are preparing for their upcoming state board annual examination. With 13 students taking the exam this year, the school has implemented a mock examination every day as a method of preparation.

One of the unique aspects of the preparation process at the Udavi School is  the freedom given to the students to study wherever they want, whether it be in the classroom, under the banyan tree, or in the portico. This freedom allows the students to choose their preferred study environment.

Not only do the students have the freedom to choose their study environment, but they are also allowed to actively engage in learning by sharing information and concepts. The students are learning by memory, discussion, and active engagement with the material. This mode of learning has been shown to increase retention and understanding, which will serve the students well in their exams.

Additionally, by dedicating each day to one or two subjects and writing a mock exam, the students are gaining crucial practice in memory retention, writing, and time management. These are all important skills for the upcoming state board exams, and the mock exams will provide a sense of what to expect on exam day.

Finally, this mode of preparation is fostering confidence in the students. They can see their progress and feel prepared for the upcoming exams. Confidence is a key factor in exam success, and the Udavi School is doing a great job in helping the 10th-grade students build their confidence.

The Udavi School’s approach to preparing for the state board exams is innovative and effective. By giving the students freedom in their study environment and encouraging active learning, they are ensuring that their students are well-prepared and confident for the exams.  It is inspiring to see how the Udavi School is helping its students succeed.

~ Sanjay

One of the most important aspect of life is it’s nature of instability and unpredictability. One can’t experience Joyous states week after week and day after day, regardless of how hard one might try to create or hold on to them.

Thus, while I count the last two years of my life at C3StreamLand the two best of my life so far, I still have weeks where mental struggle comes to the surface. I usually have no trouble meditating every day, and I rarely struggle with exercising regularly but I struggle with things like waking up early or consuming too much sugar or my energy levels. The last week was one such where I encountered exhaustion more often than I usually do. However, two experiences stand out from that last week.

The first is that in the middle of the day, I was exhausted and could not get any cognitive work done for Aura. Neither was I able to get any work done on debugging the inverter/adaptor circuit I was building for the lab. My mind would just not work. It was sluggish. It did not want to think analytically. I would look at any task that required a certain level of analytical skill and my mind would just go blank. As for my body, it was sluggish as well, not having exercised for a while and in no mood to either.

These are usually the times I use to get some other chores done such as washing clothes, cleaning my room, go shopping or do some work related to volunteering such as Vipassana course registration or SAC Finances. I usually always experience a mild sense of satisfaction and not a little pleasure from my volunteer work. However, this time, after an hour or doing some SAC Finance work, I could not believe the effect it had on my mind. It’s almost like my mind had a nice hot bath and some massage afterwards. It was suddenly sharp and refreshed and able to tackle some hard cognitive problems. In the middle of the afternoon, I was motivated enough to get some physical exercise. The rest of the day went as smooth as any of my best days.

My thoughts after experiencing this were, This is incredible. This is the sort of work that energizes and refreshes. Certainly, I have experienced this sort of thing before, but not very frequently. If there was a pill that could do this, it would be the wonder drug of the century. It is a great fortune to be able to have some activity that can do this.

~ Durai

It’s been a year now since I made the switch to an electric cycle, and I must say, it has been a wonderful experience. I used to commute from Alankuppam to Stemland at Udavi on my motorbike, but the long rides left me with chronic back pain. However, after switching to an electric cycle, my daily routine has changed for the better.

The electric cycle has been a game-changer for me, not just in terms of comfort, but also in terms of saving money and being eco-friendly. I used to spend around 1700 on petrol every month, but now I have saved all of that. I start my day with a smile, knowing I am doing my bit for the environment while saving some money.

Riding my electric cycle through the tranquil roads of Auroville has become a joy for me. It’s a great way to start the day and keeps me active and energetic. I can easily cover some good kilometers every day, and it has helped me stay fit and healthy.

switching to an electric cycle has been a life-changing decision for me. Not only have I recovered from my back pain, but I am also able to save money and contribute to the environment. It’s been a year now, and I have no regrets. If you too are looking for a comfortable, eco-friendly, and cost-effective mode of transportation, I would highly recommend you to consider an electric cycle.

~Durai

I always enjoy finding fun and educational activities to do with my 3-year-old. Recently, we discovered Dobble, a memory game that has become one of our favorite pastimes. In this blog, I’ll share my experience playing Dobble at Udavi STEMland in Edaiyanchavadi.

What is Dobble?

Dobble is a fast-paced card game where players try to find matching symbols between two cards. It’s a great game for improving memory and concentration skills and also a lot of fun. The game comes with 55 cards, each featuring eight different symbols. The objective of the game is to be the first to find the matching symbol between two cards.

Playing Dobble with Ariyavarma:

Ariyavarma and I had a blast playing Dobble at Udavi STEMland. The game is simple enough for a 3-year-old to understand, but challenging enough to keep both of us engaged. We played several rounds of Dobble, and Ariyavarma was able to improve his memory and concentration skills with each game.

The best part of playing Dobble with Ariyavarma was seeing his excitement and joy as he discovered matching symbols between the cards. It was great to see him develop his memory skills while having fun at the same time.

Playing Dobble with my son Ariyavarma was a great bonding experience for both of us. The game is simple, fun, and educational, making it a perfect activity for children and parents to do together. If you’re looking for a fun and educational activity to do with children.