Your inner clown and humour strategies

Pilot activity

Name: Zsófia Fischer

Contact: 1121 Hungary Gereben utca 4a.

+36 30 600 4427 fizsofi@gmail.com

Target group: business professionals, 30-50 years old

Description: Working as a coach and yoga teacher, two-three times a year I organize a yoga

retreat that has its theme related to the season. This autumn the theme of the 3-day yoga retreat

(6-8 November, 2015) was „change by letting go”.

During the retreat I led a 90-minute session using some methodology learned thoroughout the

Leipzig seminar. These were the main activities inspired by the „Your inner clown and humour

strategies” workshop.

1) „Connection” - We started off by walking around in the space, connecting to ourselves,

to the body and breath. Observing the breath and recognizing what is going on within ourselves,

in our minds, understanding our thoughts and feelings. Moving freely in the surrounding space

and gently strecthing our physical limits based on our inner needs, inspiration. Afterwords the

participants connected to each other, greeted one another in a way that felt OK for both parties.

2) „Breath” - Than we created two rows and explored our feelings through breathwork.

Walking towards each other with holding the breath in or out, created an understanding how

great effect our breath has on our emotional state of being, as well as what kind of effect we

have on others through this.

3) „Emotions” - Througout the yoga practice, participants were asked to pay special

attention to their emotions, in each asana (yoga posture). After understanding their emotion, I

asked them to somehow make it visible in the posture – using their facial expressions, hand

gestures, body. Observing how it made them feel in their body and in their mind.

4) „Letting go” - At the very end of the session, we practiced letting go through an exercise

in pairs where one participant gradually relaxes the others’s limbs and head. Through the gentle

movement of the arms and legs, the person who gets to relax can pay attention to the body and

notice points where it’s difficult to relax. The provider can bring attention to these areas

by carefully watching the reactions of the body.

Results: The participants had the possibility to explore their emotions through working with

the body and the breath. The session resulted in a better understanding of the connection of

body- mind and breath, and how consciously one is able to gain control over it.

Pros and contras concerning the used methodology: The participants truly enjoyed the

session and found it very useful.

Recommendations on the methodology: Expressing emotions through bodywork creates a

deeper understanding how emotions truly have an overall effect on our body and breath.

The „letting go” exercise was very exciting way to see the difficulties of „just being relaxed”.

How did the training in Hungary support/challenged/altered my professional approach?

It encouraged me to introduce not only coaching in my „yoga world”, but to bring body- and

breathwork more and more into my coaching practice. It gives people a more complete

understanding of their inner being and gives them a possibility to open up to new ways of being.

What did I get from the training that I can use in my work based on the pilot activity? I

will incorporate the „Emotions” exercise in my yoga classes for people to have a clearer view

their inner world as well as to learn to express it freely.

What is not fitting my work from the training based on the pilot activity? None. While the

main focus of the Leipzig seminar was finding „your inner clown”, due to the nature of the yoga

weekend it could not be incorporated. However, I learned several techniques to work with the

emotions that can be widely used in my professional life.

Copyright

Recipients are free to use all or parts of this document for personal use however are requested

to inform the author. Recipients are requested to acknowledge The artist within – Applied

eMOTION consortium and the author in any reference to the content of this document. In the

event of any further queries please consult the author.

Acknowledgements

This project was possible with the financial support from the Erasmus+ program. The

methodological resources and inspiration came from the The artist within – Applied

eMOTION long-term adult education project (www.theartistwithin.eu). The generosity from

the fund and these organisations is much appreciated.