2. A Special Year for Cross-Generation Ripples…
In 1998, during university, I sat in my first ever circle in Santa Clara, when a few of us gathered to sit together in silence. Nearly 20 years
later, my children had an opportunity to be actively involved in their first ever full circle – an experimental Kindful Kids Circle at our home
in June 2018! Later that summer, they were also gifted a chance to be part of their first circle at the home in Santa Clara where I
experienced my first one at the Awakin Kids Circle! In December, we are heading to India for our daughters to join their first ever service-
hearted family retreat! I am deeply grateful. May the blessings keep rippling for many generations for all families in our ecosystem…
3. Insights & Inspiration from the Ecosystem
Holding
Space
Supporting
Journeys
Nurturing
The
Ripples
Holding an
Engagement
Spectrum
Tuning Into
Emergence
Embracing
Collective
Processes
Leading with
Inner
Transformation
4. Holding Space
Unconditionally with Love
"What does it mean to hold space for someone else? It means that we are willing to walk
alongside another person in whatever journey they’re on without judging them, making them feel
inadequate, trying to fix them, or trying to impact the outcome.When we hold space for other
people, we open our hearts, offer unconditional support, and let go of judgement and control.
[…] It’s virtually impossible to be a strong space holder unless we have others who will hold
space for us. Even the strongest leaders, coaches, nurses, etc., need to know that there are some
people with whom they can be vulnerable and weak without fear of being judged.”
– Heather Plett
5. Holding Space as a Practice
• Individually hold space in every interaction: in-person, with
virtual volunteers, with people who email us, etc
• Collectively hold space: circles, retreats, calls, gatherings, etc
• Values space holders cultivate: unconditional love & compassion
• Design principles: inclusivity, diversity, openness
• No outcome orientation, planting seeds of goodness and
trusting the universe will take care of the ripples.
6. Awakin
Circles
“The dialogue process has been like still water in which each of us can
look at our own selves. Connecting every week for 90 minutes over call,
has brought all participants very closer creating deep bonds and noble
friendships. Though very subtle, but this bonds hold each other in visible
as well as invisible way.”
The Regenerative Spirit of Holding Space
Awakin
Dialogues
By design, very open (simply collective silence and a bell) varied readings,
diverse community who attends, including first time meditators, seeds slow
stories, regenerative nature nourishes the space holders.
Baroda Awakin: “Core values are cultivated when we meet in this kind
of a space.We feel connected in a deeper way.We hear many people say
- we have found our tribe here.”
“You have helped to save a life today with this post. I am not suicidal but I
am in the depths of despair from which I feel I will not recover. I
am overwhelmed with grief and pain after the last two years of an on
ongoing heart condition and horrible physical health accompanied by the
betrayal, anger and chronic fear of a spouse of twenty nine years. I do not
have the words to adequately express my gratitude for your work with
Awakin' and the timeliness of Laura Delano’s message. I really needed to
revive your email today. Thank you from my heart and my soul,”
Awakin Calls
7. HHH Retreats (India): Reflections from a volunteer… "I learn few things in each and
every retreat, sometimes a few things are reminders, sometimes I see blind spots,
sometimes I see inspirations and a few other times I also see the unknown.“
Reflections from participants… “I felt heard”, “I felt welcomed home - literally”, “My
shells broke gently”, “Deeply shifted within - subtly”, “I’m moved by love”
The Regenerative Spirit of Holding Space
Retreats
Online
Communities
KindSpring: “We are constantly inspired by members, who despite serious health
challenges and losses soldier on with Random acts of kindness,”
KarmaTube/DailyGood: “I’ll be tapping into your diverse and wonderful network to
learn, because I think that the whole ServiceSpace phenomenon is a big manifestation of
how ahimsa/ nonviolence is not just kept alive in some token, theoretical, ivory-tower
sense but as a living, breathing, everyday practice. So I'm going to be learning from all of
you. I feel like I have the network of fellow travelers in this pilgrimage.’” – Alice, former
nun, peace walker, now in a wheelchair and mostly confined to her room (DG/KT fan)
Masti + T
Circle
“This call has created a very safe space for all of us to experiment and explore the space
of expression, anchoring, listening and most importantly just be ourselves. Because we
belong to the same age group, our self exploration paths cross and we are able to hold
each other better.The agendaless flow has been working great. Unlearning process is
coming up naturally and it has created open and safe space. The deepening of connection
that we sought out to start with has been working just as expected.”
8. "We rise by lifting others."
-- Robert Ingersoll
Supporting Journeys
9. Journeys Supported by the Ecosystem
Service Anchors
Service Fellows
Registered
Volunteers
ServiceSpace Members
82
44
17K
196K
10. • Supporting journeys enables us to grow our capacities to love,
serve selflessly and hold space for others unconditionally.
• Supporting journeys transforms both the ladder and the
person being laddered in a deeper way.
• Authentic laddership is humble and selfless: not guiding or
leading, simply being of service in ways one feels called to that
others are also open to.
Fostering a Culture that Inspires Laddership
11. Connect Authentically
Listen deeply without an agenda, learn about what makes people
come alive, assume value, believe in people and honour diversity
Supporting Volunteer Journeys
Co-create and Collaborate
Cultivate the Ripples & Deepen Ties
Co-create ways to serve that are aligned with inspiration
Hold space for synergy and co-creation, we know the whole
is greater than the sum of its parts
Deepen ties by supporting others to do what inspires them,
Create a culture that fosters other-oriented values;
Hold space and build community in a way that nourishes
journeys in a many to many way
Encourage collective emergence of creativity, ideas,
participation, etc. while also offering others the opportunity
to ladder other local volunteers
12. Supporting the Journeys of Local Communities
Hold Space
for Inner
Transformation
(Awakins, Reflective
Retreats)
Create Opps to
Practice Values
(Karma Kitchen, flash
mobs, Hear the
Homeless)
Design for
Many-to-Many
(Retreats,Themed
Circles)
Ladder Individual
Journeys
(How can I be of service?)
13. Awakin Calls Engaging more one-on-one and in small groups with virtual
volunteers to hold space to support their journeys going forward
Insights & Inspiration
From Supporting Journeys Virtually
KarmaTube Reflections from a mother-daughter volunteer duo:
“Just a few words to tell you... how grateful I am for having this
beautiful chance to serve with [my daughter] now and in the
future. She and I have sometimes our own way of seeing things in
life - and working together for the same project is bringing us
new perspectives for a better and deeper "daughter-mom"
connection/relationship. […] I can feel this is changing... for the
better.... and for that I am very grateful :)”
14. Pune Volunteers from Awakin Circles, Karma Meals are and Karma Kitchen
seem ready to take a deeper dive so one day retreats and local events will
help to weave them together.
Insights & Inspiration
From Supporting Journeys Locally
Burgos Retreats and inspirational events create huge waves of love that keep
vibrating and that boosts people’s intrinsic motivations and helps to
create sustainable inner conditions for service for some anchors.
Laddering people to start their own generosity projects is a big shift
for anchors, helps people to understand the broad view behind this.
Head-Heart-
Hand
Retreats
Volunteers and participants joining from cities around India, which
strengthens city anchors, projects and circles. Great cross pollination!
After the retreat, some volunteers engage in bi-monthly video calls
independently, to continue dialog over their personal practices.
Participants hold their own impromptu catch up circles to reconnect
from their acquaintance at a retreat.
15. "The idea that everything is purposeful really changes the way you live.To
think that everything that you do has a ripple effect, that every word that
you speak, every action that you make affects other people and the planet."
~Victoria Moran
Nurturing the Ripples
16. In life, we are often inspired to follow our hearts courtesy of an article or book we
received personally from someone, a meaningful conversation we shared, a
transformative story we read somewhere or a moving gathering we experienced. With
our cups of gratitude overflowing, how can we pay this inspiration forward to keep the
ripples in motion?
How can we add nutrients back into the soil of the rich field that seeded the sprouts in
our own journeys to keep the regenerative nature of inspiration alive, enabling future
seeds to sprout for others? We know the ripple never started with us, how can we be
sure that it never ends with us?
Why Nurture Ripples?
17. Nurturing Ripples: Tools & Practices
One-to-One
Community
Virtual
• Deepen Connection: deep listening & authentic sharing
• Keep Inspiration Flowing: following up personally b sharing a story,
book, song, article, a volunteer opp, etc
• Connect the Dots: connecting someone to others who could serve
their journey (individuals or organisations)
• Continuity of gatherings (Awakin, Karma Kitchen, vol opps)
• Follow-ups from gatherings both at group and personal levels
• Co-creating new gatherings to build on resonant inspiration
• Sharing learnings and inspiration beyond the gathering virtually
• Sharing insights, learnings and inspiration through the blog
• Stories as a tool for nurturing ripples and personal transformation
“The unconditional offering that a story is, that we don't write to get
people to do, say or be anything in a prescriptive sort of way -- we
share stories from the heart and offer them unconditionally, for
people to take what they would like to from the story, which serves
their own journey in some way.” -- fromThe Power of Story
18. “What comes to me now is the feeling of support I feel in community.
It feels like there is an invisible army with me wherever I go, so standing
for these values feels easy regardless of the circumstance I'm in.” -- B
What Inner Conditions Enable One
to Nurture Ripples?
“An open heart, without judgment helps me to meet people where they are on their
journeys, without imposing my journey on them. We are all unique and what works for
me may not be aligned with what could serve them. Deep listening and tuning in has
been helpful in finding ways to serve someone's journey in little or big ways.” -T
“The moment I start paying attention to my inattention, I am listening.” - P
“Everyday I’m reminded of the humility that nature carries with itself and the surrender
with which it gives and receives and holds space with such Grace :) I hold humility and
gratitude as my torch light while I navigate further - however that may be.” - M
19. Awakin Calls
Connecting speakers
with SSp ecosystem
Participant and
volunteer feedback
Post-call inspiration
nuggets on SSp blog
Monthly newsletter
to share archives, call
info
Recent Virtual Ripples
Laddership
Sharing stories for
wider inspiration
Devendra’s Gratitude
Journal for Aravind
Gratitude Challenge!
Post G3-retreat circle
deepened ties and
supported journeys
Work + T
Work experiments
rippling from
meeting requests for
followup
Sending of archives
to folks leading to
more experiments
20. Awakin Calls: Ripples of Healing & Transformation
Past Awakin Call guest Sri Shamasunder and his wife went on a special pilgrimage to Ireland,
which led us to invite Owen O'Suilleabhain onto Awakin Calls as a guest. In an exquisite series of
ripples Owen and his wife gifted Gale and Ana Stafford (the couple who lost their 14-year-old
daughter in January) a chance to join that same pilgrimage this summer (these journeys are several
thousands of dollars per person so it was not a trivial gesture). It concluded last month and the
grieving parents could not say enough about how profound and healing the whole experience
with Owen's family and the other pilgrims was.The most beautiful thing was that Owen and his
family felt similarly grateful for having had the opportunity to hold space in that way -- the line
between giver and receiver truly blurred in the way things transpired.
22. Arts & Crafts @
Orphanage
Detroit Community Ripples…
1st One-Day
Retreat
During
Nipun’s Visit!
23. London Community Ripples….
Connect with
Nature Circle
Rev Heng Sure’s
Delegation Visit
Behind the Scenes…
One-Day Retreat:
From Me to We
London Anchors!1st Kindful Kids Circle! Karma Kitchen
Nipun & Jamie Awakin
Deep Ties Circle with
Satish Kumar
24. Burgos Community Ripples!
A Heartmindfulness (R)evolution:
Commencement @ SF Waldorf Highschool
6th Grader’s Pledge of Allegiance to the
Earth Flag at kick-off of Fearless Living
Challenge (Fearless Living Journal followed!)
Kindness Circle Ripples!
Casa de Paz Burgos!
25. Blessing a Karma
Meal, Story of
receiving 2-rupees
Karma Meals
At Karma Kitchen Pune,
guests stay after to serve the
volunteers’ meal!
Toronto Community Ripples!
Karma Kitchen Picnics launched this year with city councillors, work clients and
volunteers’ moms getting involved too! Many slow stories in the making…
Pune Community Ripples!
26. Banyan Grove Ripples…
10 year old’s experiment with Smile
Deck, post mother’s retreat experience
University students begin presentation with minute
of silence and a circle after serendipitously joining a
retreat! Many ripples into workplaces too!
Head-Heart-Hands Retreat Ripples…
Blessing Circle Education +T Circle 3 Steps and a Bow
27. Keeping the Ripples in Motion…
From Owner toWaiter : Both restaurants are so into
it, they want to be part of the crew-- one owner is
gifting his hosting skills as a waiter!
Seeds Sprouting in New Spaces:The circles started at one place, and
the seeds of heart circles grew. The emergence started from a home
opening to going to different shelter homes, homes for kids with
cancer, to different spaces where people come together to dive deeper.
Paying It Forward: Making a
repository of heART work as an
idea bank and gifts for others
(printing & sharing locally)
heARTists KarmaKitchen Japan
Mumbai Heart Circles
28. What is an Engagement Spectrum?
“An engagement spectrum serves the idea
that there is something for everyone! It is
an inclusive way of looking at service and
a broad way of how one can offer
themselves. It is also way to meet service-
hearted people where they are at and go
deeper with that as the starting point,
supporting and laddering their journeys
of inner transformation and outer
action.” – Sonia
“Engagement spectrum to me means anyone I am in connection with is welcome and included
automatically in a wholesome space. If I can be present enough to see their journey as it is unfolding
and as it has unfolded, the spectrum helps me to think and feel into how it can serve them right now
and how they could be serving themselves and others into the future. The spectrum is useful to be
aware of the level of my connection with different people (or not) and what connections and
activities they can benefit from.” -- Nisha
29. Doorways of Engagement
text
"For each of us, then, the challenge and opportunity is to cherish all life as the
gift it is, envision it whole, seek to know it truly, and undertake-with our
minds, hearts and hands-to restore its abundance." -- Carl Safina
Head:
Hands:
Heart:
31. Virtual vs. Local Engagement Spectrums
Virtual -
Awakin Calls:
Inner & Outer
Change
Local
Community:
Coimbatore
ServiceSpace Ecosystem
32. What is the Inner Ecology that Enables one to
Hold a Diverse Engagement Spectrum?
“Sitting in diverse circles and serving with thousands of different volunteers in various projects
and contexts over the past 20 years has been my main practice of holding a diverse engagement
spectrum in my own heart. Each circle brings with it a unique garden of journeys with different
contexts, backgrounds, and even values, offering me a chance to broaden my lens and deepen
my capacity to hold the divergence in my own heart, just a little more with each circle. Every
opportunity to engage with a new volunteer offers a chance to deepen my listening, expand the
boundaries of my heart just a little bit more, and learn to meet them where they are at in their
service journey so that I can cultivate the capacity to serve them more authentically.” --Trishna
“Tuning in and understanding the gift of a person, let him be the engine while
being the bogey behind him, constant support for him whenever he looks back, and
holding space for emergence I think is the way that has worked for me. Beyond one
point you have to take everything very lightly irrespective of an outcome. So in a
nutshell--Everything matters and Nothing matters.” -- Parag
“This year my intention is to tune in to the emergence and cultivate the inner
engineering to be able to see 'behind the wall' whether in the community spaces,
retreats, awakins or laddership.“ -- Meghna
Reflections from Community Anchors Circle…
33. Blossoming Engagement Spectrum: Online
Awakin
Calls
Deepen
Engagement
Video circles
with past
speakers on a
panel by themes
Invite past
speakers to
moderate calls
with new
speakers
Invite speakers
to offline
gatherings
Conversations
Awakin
Readings
KarmaTube
Design Meaningful Opps
Develop guidelines for a
proof-reading/editing team
to improve quality of reading
experience
"Transcription and editing
put us in a much more
intimate relationship with the
inspiring content generated
for SSp projects.This close
reading brings the material a
step closer to life in one’s own
experience. A very real shift
takes place and is a reward
that’s hard to imagine without
having experienced it over and
over."
Expand
Engagement
Volunteers
organically
offered to
translate
readings
Developed a
team 25
volunteers who
translate
readings every
week!
Fluid Spectrum
Volunteers feel
confident about
stepping away to
deal with life
changes or serve
in other ways.
They are
comfortable with
the team and
know they can
return to serve at
any time
34. Blossoming Engagement Spectrum:
Offline Communities
Inclusive Engagement in India: One regular member who is not able to
come to Awakin for 3-4 circles; she sits at her home in silence at the same
time with us, reads the passage and shares her reflection on WhatsApp.
Redefining Awakin Circles to Broaden Engagement in Baroda:
•Pre & Post Reflection circle with volunteers: Pre circle to settle down
energies and presence intentions. Post circle reflections on hosting nuances,
what worked, learnings, what needs attention, any ripples.
•Kids mindfulness and storytelling circle after the adult sharing is over.
•Engaging with new people, listening to their story and gradually
introducing them the ecosystem
Expanding HHH Engagement in Burgos: – At huebras (common gathering
in old villages in Spain) people come together to do something for the
neighbour or for the common good. We are creating a service oriented net
where head-heart-hands huebras can happen :)
35. How Can we Design for Mobiosity?
Cultivating Inner Ecology: Who do we have to be to support a diverse spectrum of journeys?
Tolerance, patience, equanimity, holding paradoxes and multiplicity of views? The wider the
breadth of diversity that we can engage, the broader the spectrum, otherwise, we limit ourselves
to only being able to hold space with like-hearted friends.
Holding a Spectrum: How do we increase mobiosity for inter-operability? With two groups, it's
easy -- but with many to many, this is *far* more complex.What does it require of the space
holder? Skilfulness, untiring mind, working with emergence?
Practicing Mobiosity: Many-to-Many circles are agenda-less gatherings designed to bring forth
individual journeys to deepen the collective. Giving and receiving happens simultaneously, as does
teaching and learning. Everyone selflessly serves the collective, no inside and outside group.
36. SSp Spain, Manav
Sadhna, SSp London
& Museum of
Happiness!
Kai’s visit to London
from Japan
Ewa from London
with MovedByLove
Symphony of Peace Prayers Burgos
Baroda Maitri Circle
timed to sync with
prayers at Mt. Fuji!
Mobiosity & Cross-Pollination
Surat @ Baroda Prayer Circle
Pavi visits Nilam
Aunty’s Family in
Michigan
Nipun &Thu in
Detroit for Nilam
Aunty’s one-day retreat
37. "Eyes see only light, ears hear only sound, but a
listening heart perceives meaning."
-- David Steindl-Rast
Tuning Into Emergence
38. Emergence of Collective Intelligence
“Emergence always results in a powerful system that has many more capacities than
could ever be predicted by analyzing the individual parts.We see this in the behavior of
hive insects such as bees and termites. Individual ants possess none of the intelligence
or skills that are in the hive. No matter how intently scientists study the behavior of
individual ants, they can never see the behavior of the hive.Yet once the hive forms,
each ant acts with the intelligence and skillfulness of the whole.” – MargaretWheatley
39. How Can we Tune Into Emergence?
“Think of it as Imagination 2.0. Whereas imagination allows you
to select from your database of stored knowledge and experience to
create new expressions, Emergination allows you to tap into the
field of unprecedented ideas seeking to emerge, ideas beyond your
experience, beyond all experience. […]
“Emergination is an inside-out process that transforms you into the
person you must be to handle the next phase of evolution with
ease, grace and integrity. […] It is more readily activated when the
mind stops, something else opens up, and you have a flash of
insight. The key to activating this faculty is developing a more
observant, receptive and reflective mind. Another key is a
willingness to stay in a creative, non-judgemental and childlike
space – a sacred inner environment where the editor, critic and
analyst aren’t allowed.”
-- Derek Rydall, from Emergence: 7 Steps for Radical Life Change
Tapping into Our Emergination
40. What’s Emerging in…
Themed Circles with Biz Leaders,
Doctors,Youth, G3 Retreat
Participants, and Educators to
connect people, to support and
serve those who wish to lead with
inner transformation.
Laddership Circles
Laddership 2.0 for alumni of first
two years to deepen engagement
with alumni engagement and
support their journeys.
A wiki article on Laddership! Time
for reflection and articulation on
design principles as we evolve.
Laddership circle for NGO leaders,
longer format, multiple-day NGO
retreat, invite NGO leaders to
engage with Awakin Dialogues
NGO Circles Mumbai
ServiceSpace feed in Spanish will
help many as Awakin Circles pop
up throughout Spain and service
spaces appearing in different cities.
Spain Community
Coimbatore Community
Some parents have taken Natural
Learning Circles to the next level.
Mothers rented a space where their
kids and six others learn together
through every day life activities and
play. Mothers are present as guides
and the space and services are gifted.
Kindful Kids
First-ever Kindful Families Retreat
in Sughad in December with 45
parents and children!
41. "When performed with love, action becomes its own reward.When
action is performed without ulterior motives, when it is spontaneous,
joyful and pure, our attention is present in the here and the now."
--Vinoba Bhave in conversation with Satish Kumar
42. The Wisdom of Collective Processes
Collective
Processes
Reflect
Learn
Practice
Share
Inspire
Initiate
Collective processes nourish us personally,
nurture the ecosystem and support us to
deepen as anchors
Sometimes we are contributing,
sometimes we are absorbing and
sometimes we are simply holding space --
balance between these energies keeps the
regenerative spirit of this process alive
Humility underpins collective processes:
honour what we don't know, listen to
others with an open-heart and freely share
reflections and learnings to contribute to
the collective narrative
43. Circles Are
a Way of
Being & Doing
Awakin Circles
Awakin Kids/
Kindful Kids Circles
Volunteers Circle Pune Community Anchors Circle
Stitch-A-Heart Circles heART Circles
Prayer Circles
44. Collaboration & Sharing Learnings
between Projects & Communities
Developing
Cross-Functional
Teams
Collaborating
Between
Platforms
Cross-Featuring
Content
After recruiting, training and building out a new team of
Writers for DailyGood, Pavi shared learnings to build out
WritersTeam for KarmaTube and Awakin Calls, which has
strengthened their volunteer base.
KarmaTube team enjoyed the collective process of timing the
film release of Teach MeTo BeWild on KarmaTube with
Anne and Rajesh's Awakin Call.
DailyGood and Awakin Calls have collaborated extensively
this year to feature stories on upcoming call guests and invite
readers to join the call.
KindSpring team loves highlighting KarmaTube videos and
DailyGood articles in their new newsletter.
DailyGood regularly features Awakin Call write-ups and
Conversations.org archives.
Kindful Kids features personal stories by parents on the blog,
which are readers’ favourites!
45. Inspiring Each Other Through a
Practice of Reflecting & Sharing
Laddership
Circles
Annual
Update
Process
Write-Ups Following
Local Circles / Events
Blogs: Personal
Stories / Reflections
Regular Video
Calls with Teams
Annual
Retreats
46. Lead with Inner Transformation
“When our eyes see our hands doing the work of our hearts,
the circle of creation is completed inside us, the doors of our
souls fly open, and love steps forth to heal everything in sight.”
– Michael Bridge
47. Being the Change, Changes the Being
Balance Being and Doing: the quality of our outer service is a reflection of
our inner ecology
Maintain personal practices to balance inner work & external service.
Regenerative Spirit of Service: Engage in transformative service, which
makes you come alive and nourishes your journey, to prevent burnout.
Circle of Noble Friends: Surround yourself with a community of noble
friends and deep ties to share vulnerabilities, learn together and hold space
for each other to increase resilience
48. “If you want to go fast, go alone.
If you want to go far, go together.”
- African Proverb
