Swami Sivananda was one of ten participants in June’s second annual Decelerator, a course combining the teachings of the Ashram with Human Systems Theory. Directed toward professionals in the context of their working lives, it was facilitated again this year by Alicia Pace, Daniel Seguin and Dr. Don de Guerre. Swami Sivananda shares his experience.
Decelerator shifted my perspective enough to see the teachings in a renewed way and to appreciate, again, the way we apply them to our lives. I found it nourishing to join the regular regimen of a five-day workshop and to see how effective the teachings are when seen through a lens orienting these practices to people and their work.
There is an essential truth to what we do at the Ashram. The practices work because they are true to the human condition. I am seeing how emerging approaches in the business world are converging with the type of work we do here. There is a knowing that corporate success is tied in some way to human understanding.
In Decelerator we spent the mornings engaged in the Ashram teachings and in the afternoons we were introduced to a professional context with frameworks such as Appreciative Inquiry, Open Systems Theory and Design Thinking. The two approaches fit like a hand in a glove. The terminology is often different but the basic premise is the same — to understand ourselves and the world around us.
I wouldn’t want the Ashram’s practices to be relegated off to the side under some kind of umbrella called “spiritual.” I find the idea of spiritual can be a real impediment to understanding. Finding a way to make our lives worthwhile living is what’s important. That applies to our work lives as well as our personal lives, so why not use the techniques at work? Many people may not come to an ashram, but they will respond to the kinds of tools offered through these teachings.
Personally, I found it helpful to step back from my daily routine and take time to be a student. Participating in Decelerator helped me understand how the Ashram works in a larger context. It was very renewing.
The next Decelerator takes place June 19 – 24, 2018. Sign up for updates at decelerator.ca.
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