Implementation Day 6
Day 6 - Tuesday 24 February
Written by 🇨🇾 & 🇦🇹
The day started with the whole group gathering and sharing about the free day prior.. Each of the participants shared with the rest a photograph they took while explaining how it connects with them on a personal level. While many participants used certain buildings, with certain architercture for it, other used cultural aspects even some used graffiti. Check out a selection of such photos below:
Mythology creatures
After the mornings' yoga session, focused on more vocal aspects and pretending to be animals, each participant then picked a paper with a drawing consisting of a mythological creature that we had to research and then recreate it in a theatre play. This activity allowed us to explore the dynamics between each of the groups and try to guess the displayed characters. The characters specifically are not real, but mythological, on purpose, because their sounds, movements and interactions with other potential creatures and not predetermined. This activity serves as a good way to interpret concepts, and categorize ourselves, which is what the entire day is based on.
The Persephone myth
After coffee break, we dived into the concept of archetypes in psychology derived from Carl Gustav Jung. Erma, our trainer read the Persephone myth while we reflected on the different types of archetypes and more specifically which one we mostly relate to. In the myth, there were three main characters: Persephone, Demetra, Zeus and Hades
Persephone - the Maiden & Queen of the Underworld, represents innocence, sensitivity, trust. She is curious, open to experiences and easily transformed.
Demetra - the Mother & Grieving Heart, is devoted, caring, and nurturing. She represents the part of us that loves deeply and wants to protect what is precious.
Lastly, Zeus - the Authority & Observer of Fate, is about order, structure, and decision-making. He is the mediator who ultimately allows Persephone to move between worlds.
Hades - Shadow archetype. Control, fear of loss, emotional isolation. When unintegrated, this energy can feel heavy or overwhelming like being stuck in darkness.
The afternoon began with understanding trauma responses, with the different coping mechanisms our nervous system uses in response to trauma. The four responses are: freeze, fight, flight, and fawn. In Freeze mode, you feel stuck or unable to move or speak when faced with a threat. In Fight mode, you respond to a threat by becoming confrontational, defensive, or aggressive. In Flight mode, you try to escape or avoid the threat as quickly as possible. In Fawn mode, you try to please or appease the threat to stay safe and avoid conflict. This lead to the main activity, understanding Ayuverda types.
A traditional Indian holistic medicine system that promotes health. We explored the different types of personalities, called Dosha in Ayuverda, their distinctive characteristics and foods that are suggested for each type to consume. The three Doshas are: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Participants, using an online quiz tested to find out which ayuverda type they are.
Aromatherapy
Our last activity of the day was about aromatherapy which essentially is the therapeutic use of essential oils extracted from plants. Essential oils can be used through a diffuser, can be simply inhaled, applied directly to the skin, or used in the bath. Each participant created their own essential oil. Participants enjoyed the process itself of making essential oils, which in it itself is a learning tool.
While not part of the project itself, participants had the opportunity to visit the center of Vienna, for the March of Ukraine right after the daily reflection session. This was led by Katya from Ukraine.
