Quality is a high-level value for me when it comes to professional development. I put in significant attention to the quality of my learning and of sharing what I have integrated.
2019 has been a satisfying year for me in his context. I kickstarted this year with Amy Bell’s Heart Rate Variability training and got my first glimpse of how to use biofeedback to build resilience. And as it happened, I am ending the year returning to this important area of knowledge.
In February, I took the fabulously creative NLP Training by the firebrand Sue Knight along with Ramesh Prasad in Cherai, Kerala. To observe how Sue, someone who has been in this field for three decades or more, dynamically design experiences for her participants and leads them into core of NLP way of thinking, returned me back to a child-like curiosity.
This was followed in March with a Social Panorama Consultant training with NLP Award winner Dr Lucas Derks. Dr Lucas trains differently. He embodies curiosity and through that has made a brilliant study of how people think of other people. From why we cry to how we learn to why the past haunts us, he has uncovered the unconscious spatial map for most of the everyday things we take for granted. What makes his training amazing is he teaches all this with such ease and humour, participants own the approach in no time.
I was also lucky because I organized the training for him, to spend more time around him, soaking his wisdom. Along with him, my therapist Jacqueline Heemskerk as well as Gert Arts also came to India. Jacqueline has an experience of more than 25 years of learning and working with Lucas. You can observe how subtle her calibration is, how effective her ability to study structure of any event and design an intervention. She is gentle and yet so firmly aligned.
Sue and Ramesh’s training had provoked a deep desire to learn both Clean Coaching as well as Feldenkrais. I started with learning from Penny Tompkins and James Lawley’s book on Symbolic Modelling, poring hours on their Clean Language UK website. And soon enough, I got an opportunity to learn from them directly through a 4-part group coaching series titled “Inside Clean” organized by Anemieke of Holland. This returned me back to study of metaphors—I returned to George Lakoff, Andrew Austin and Charles Faulkner.
It also helped me go deeper into Clean Space that Dr Lucas had introduced—how Mental Space, Clean Coaching, Metaphors interact. I spent many hours experimenting with Clean Space processes in different locations with different people. I have come to an interesting new understanding of our Model of the World. That it is not a concept but our every moment experience—that there is a metaphoric interaction with all that we do everyday.
Eventually, I found the Clean Community and participated in a world-wide Unconference of the Clean Community, titled “Metaphorum.” Organised by Judy Rees, this Unconference had participants from 16 countries and had about 20 sessions though a 12-hour learning/discussing marathon. I was delighted to coach and receive feedback from brilliant coaches like Marian Way and Wendy Sullivan, not to mention experience training from Caitlin Walker, James and Penny, and James Tripp.
Through this period, I was fortunate enough to have Neuron Code developer Michael Perez as my mentor, to learn NLP Step 0 from him experientially for different situations. I learnt how to use implicit modelling, working on states by changing physiology, and the fabulous art of storytelling. Besides understanding NLP origins in a whole different way.
In September, I organized Feldenkrais training in Hyderabad. I consider to be a significant milestone in my journey. When we talk about mind-body connection, I had so far dwelt more on the mind aspects of things. Now I was accessing the wisdom of the body. Stewart Hamblin came to India from UK to teach. As usual, my learning went beyond the workshops to all the time I spent around, observing him. How he climbed stairs or lifted suitcase or moved a cup of coffee. He exemplifies Feldenkrais and one can learn a lot on how to organize a movement just through observing him.
In November, I had the opportunity to speak at the first-ever NLP Conference India about the “Where question in NLP.” I was thrilled to share my learnings about the spatial nature of how we organize our experiences. And I realized I had received a bonus. I could now experience sessions with many other trainers like Nishith Shah and Angela Wells along with Sue Knight, Michael Perez, Judith Lowe, and Ramesh Prasad. The sessions were packed and I wish I could have attended some of the other trainings. I am waiting for some of the session videos to glean insights from the many lovely trainers who had shared their learnings in the conference.
In between, my session at the Conference received wonderful feedback. A common theme in the feedback was—It was Powerful.
I am not surprised. I have been around fabulous world-class trainers and coaches all year long. I have picked up my strategies from the best, invested time, energy and money to learn from the most passionate people in this field on earth.
I am not done yet. Astounded by how Damon Cart, a mentee of late Steve Andreas manages to teach, train and coach online, I joined one of his global group coaching programs and observed him at work live. And yes, experienced his coaching style first-hand.
In December, I decided to fly to Bangalore to learn from Judith Lowe. With her, learning came a full cycle. Judith has learnt and worked directly with the founders and early NLP Developers. What I had learnt through the year slowly fell in place.
That this year had been the year of learning the wisdom of body and space, of creativity, passion and mindfulness, of slowdown and alignment.
And most importantly, owning my purpose in this world.
When the year 2019 started, I used a word phrase “Forge Ahead” as my anchor phrase. 2020 anchor phrase is Leap Forward.
I am grateful and I am ready.
Bhavana,
The experience I had within this year of your super learning, is that you are an excellent organizer, and this meant a lot to me (us). Beside that you are compassionate and engaged in helping the world get a bit nicer. So I look forward to february, when we will continue our life cooperation in India again.
Lucas Derks
Bhavana,
As a co-learner, I want to share that your grit and determination is worth modeling. And I am inspired by your model of excellence. I look forward to your “Leap Forward Year 2020 with equal curiosity and interest!!!
Shantanu Das Sharma
You have become a friend for life. In 2019 you gave us fantastic guidance in India and I look forward to returning in 2020 to assist with Lucas’s training and now also to give my own training. Thank you for your excellent organization! I think you are a fantastic teacher and with your wonderful stories you make Mental Space Psychology more and more famous.