Any opportunity at Aarohi is an attempt to create an experience – the trip to Mulki to experience Surfing was not only about surfing as a skill but to discover self with various processes.
The learning began with Journey preparations – consciously not suggested packing list, left to all the travelers to plan based on their own experiences – some did not bring the covering sheet for the train travel and the experience of the cold night was may be enough to revise the packing list!
All traveled as an individual in a community, while we were in a group, the responsibility of self was onto the individual. The subgroups ensured safety but the constraint of carrying your own luggage created a space to know unknown limits of self.
The constraints of no gadget brought an experience of living by myself, being in the group, exploring and grabbing every possible opportunity to explore.
The two meals brought an opportunity to understand self in the situation of hunger and know our own cages of habits.
Common snacks brought an opportunity to experience sharing, caring and understanding temptations. The constraint of homemade snacks limited us with few snacks – an opportunity to look beyond the comfort of picking up a pack of chips.
No expectation to perform allowed each one to be self, but the constraint of “learning trip” and the group energy created an environment to achieve.
Conscious decision to not to praise achievement, created a space to eradicate external dependency of self-discovery.
The constraint of only meaningful conversation pushed few to come out of their comfort zone and pushed to look for other topics of discussions.
The imposed discipline of lights off in time, afternoon rest created a space to spend time with self.
The continuation of some processes like thought club, Jaatre and documentation allowed each one of us to create a learning space within the realm of travel, group, and joy of doing!
These were just a few opportunities created, each one of us takes home different learning from the experience. Some work through rules (allowed and not allowed) and the invitation is to understand the process, Some work through self and the invitation is to understand self through the community.
Surfing documentation was not about surfing, it was about self-discovery through the experience
We pondered
Learnings about self from the waves.
Learning about self from unknown experiences – beliefs, habits, challenges, constraints, experience.
Learning from our successes and failures.
Learning from constraints.
Learning from peers
SOME EXPRESSIONS After The EXPERIENCE
Failure is so much fun
Rediscovering myself
Nothing can stop me from doing what I want to do
Keep trying
Do fail do again
It’s OK to fail…you don’t have to be perfect.
You can not get something on the first go without practicing.
High or low, is all water with a different energy.
Being determined in what I do
Keep doing what ur doing and better
I don’t want to think of my worries and just live in the moment
when you enjoy doing something at a particular level, it drags you to do more.
I enjoyed the learning things and doing what was here
How can I be fluid like the sea? In the moment just doing just being
Even the best dream can be destroyed in a second
The result is not important the journey
Imagine Aarohi that is not a restaurant, rather a kitchen.
We have no dish to offer. We do not serve our children any learning on a platter. We aren’t cooking to satisfy the children.
We’re like a kitchen: Raw material and tools (resources) of all kinds are available. Children are challenged to cook for themselves, to create own learning, to explore, experiment for own reasons, to satisfy own hunger.