We think we live in reality, but most often we live in the narrative created by our internal monologue. The voice in our head provides a constant narration, complete with interpretations, judgements and self- judgements, and our emotions arise as reactions to this narration. And very often, whatever difficult situation we’re in, the voice in our head exacerbates it. That’s what we call the second arrow and, at this workshop, we teach a super effective tool to dodge it.

The present is the most important time we have and being present is a booster of all our activities. At this workshop, we talk about the harm of mind-wandering (the opposite of being present), practise mindful eating (to experience how presence enhances our experience of even simple daily actions), and discuss a tool that brings much more mindfulness into our lives and, with it, more effectiveness and peace of mind.

When facing hardships and difficult situations, we often resort to coping mechanisms such as feeling guilty, blaming others, worrying, finding excuses and complaining: they give us an illusory relief and help us cope with adversity but don’t really provide any help in freeing ourselves from them. At this workshop, we practice a simple tool that helps us find more empowering ways to reframe and unstick ourselves from those difficult situations.

Sometimes, when we go through uncertainty and adversity, we try to "think positive." At times it works, but other times it doesn't because, ultimately, we know we're forcing ourselves to ignore the negatives and we end up bouncing between positive and negative, feeling like we’re fooling ourselves. At this seminar, we practise a powerful tool, based on an old Sufi tale and modern neuroscience, that helps us navigate adversity and bounce back from bad situations more quickly.

One of the great joys of working with children is experiencing their wonder and awe as they discover the world. We know that feeling, but as adults, we don’t reach for it as often, even though it’s an immensely powerful way to recenter ourselves emotionally and tap into our inner source of joy. In this workshop, we practice noticing the awesomeness that surrounds us every day, just waiting to be recognized and lift our spirits.

Studies show that people can easily and quickly learn to generate a sustained, glowing feeling of gratitude inside, and that gratitude is consistently correlated with happiness. Gratitude is a turbocharger of our everyday emotional undertone, motivation and wellbeing. At this workshop, we learn how to go beyond thinking, to feeling gratitude on a deeper level, and how to develop a practice of gratitude that can nurture a profound sense of happiness.

The structures and stresses of modern life often push us into seeing ourselves as separate individuals who need to fight for survival; “me against the world” can become our default mode. This can happen on the surface and also on a more subtle, unconscious level, and can leave us feeling alone, alienated, anxious and unfulfilled. But what happens if we put someone else at the center? In this workshop, we explore ways to break out of me-centered mental habits and connect with others through selfless compassion.

In modern society, when we feel unmotivated or lost, we’re often told to find our passion or our purpose. But passion and a sense of purpose are not something we find “out there”; they are something we ignite inside ourselves. In this workshop, we rekindle our felt sense of purpose by understanding how everything we do is part of a great web of interconnectedness, and how our actions leave a long, impactful and wide-ranging legacy.

Our values are the most powerful lighthouse to guide our decision making. Oftentimes, we make decisions or take actions that aren’t completely aligned with our values, we blame it on the circumstances and move on. But deep inside, we’re creating a fracture, a wound that keeps haunting us. We often think we know our values, but when (too) many values are important to us, then none is a real driver. At this workshop, we reduce the list of significant values to just one or two that we profoundly identify with, which has an extremely empowering and inspirational impact on us.

We often unconsciously train ourselves to delay our happiness. We think we will be happy one day in the future, when certain conditions or goals are achieved. We treat the present moment as but a means to an end, and thus we create an ingrained habit that prevents us from feeling joy and fulfillment every step of the way. At this workshop, we break that self- limiting habit and enjoy the journey of life as it is lived, in the present moment.

In our relationships with others, we often recreate the relationship we have internally with ourselves. This is true on a very deep level, often beyond our daily awareness. A fracture within can cause instability and stress throughout our lives. At this workshop, we address self-love directly, the concept of self-image, and we follow its repercussions in our vital relationships.

Sometimes life can seem like one grand competition for high grades. As children, we are sorted by age and ability, and constantly evaluated and compared to each other. As adults, we still experience a pecking order, living in a world of measurement and trying to measure up. But deep down, we know that our purpose in this world is not to judge each other or impress. In this workshop, we explore ways to extend radical empathy and radical respect to the people in our lives, to bypass judgments and forge authentic connections.