<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>Warrior&#039;s Path Archives - Syngrity Transformation Solutions</title>
	<atom:link href="https://www.syngrity.com/category/warriors-path/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>https://www.syngrity.com/category/warriors-path/</link>
	<description></description>
	<lastBuildDate>Thu, 17 Oct 2024 11:31:44 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en-US</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>
	hourly	</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>
	1	</sy:updateFrequency>
	<generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4</generator>
	<item>
		<title>&#8216;In the present, in the now&#8217;: My attempt at climbing Kili</title>
		<link>https://www.syngrity.com/in-the-present-in-the-now-my-attempt-at-climbing-kili/</link>
					<comments>https://www.syngrity.com/in-the-present-in-the-now-my-attempt-at-climbing-kili/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[The Syngrity Team]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 28 Feb 2024 08:24:56 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Experiential Learning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Warrior's Path]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.syngrity.com/?p=4399</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>This blog is not about winning or losing, success and failure, leadership or otherwise. This blog is quite simply</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.syngrity.com/in-the-present-in-the-now-my-attempt-at-climbing-kili/">&#8216;In the present, in the now&#8217;: My attempt at climbing Kili</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.syngrity.com">Syngrity Transformation Solutions</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="wpb-content-wrapper"><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper">
	<div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element  vc_custom_1709091141097" >
		<div class="wpb_wrapper">
			<h2 style="font-weight: 400;">&#8216;In the present, in the now&#8217;: My attempt at climbing Kili</h2>
<p align="justify">This blog is not about winning or losing, success and failure, leadership or otherwise. This blog is quite simply about showing up and being present. More specifically, this blog is about my experience and learnings from my attempt at climbing Kilimanjaro; the highest mountain in Africa at 5965 meters above sea level and the only free-standing mountain in the world.</p>

		</div>
	</div>
</div></div></div></div><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper">
	<div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element  vc_custom_1709091184702" >
		<div class="wpb_wrapper">
			<p><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4403" src="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-2.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="675" srcset="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-2.jpg 1200w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-2-300x169.jpg 300w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-2-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-2-768x432.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p>
<p align="justify">As a practitioner of martial systems and other body arts, I have learned one lesson &#8211; <b>‘Don’t rely on motivation, rely on discipline’</b>. There have been instances when I have relied on motivation, only for it to dissipate extremely fast. Motivation is like a spike of excitement, much like the Gu Energy Gel &#8211; a high concentration of sugar and carbs. It gives you a frenzied energy boost before you crash. Discipline, on the other hand, is consistent and allows you to function in a self-aware state. As soon as I decided that I wanted to climb Kilimanjaro, one thing was certain – the attempt would be futile if I did not train and prepare myself through discipline.</p>
<p align="justify">Whilst I was training for the climb, one of the things that I needed to keep in mind was consumption &#8211; what I was eating, thinking, and feeling (thinking and feeling are important because determination is fuelled by your thoughts and the heart). From a physical stance, I started with walking &#8211; trying to get to 10.30 mts/km, with 15 kgs of weight on my back; training with kettlebells (40 kgs) squatting; martial arts to work on agility, balance, and endurance. I also needed to train my spirit to eliminate noise and noisy people from my ecosystem. Over a period, I was able to get rid of as much noise as I could. I also watched what I ate and how much I ate. I have been fasting as a practice for over 4 years now, so it was not too tough. But I needed to cut my intake of carbohydrates and I love my rice and chapattis. I struggled but managed to cultivate portion control habits. Carbs are fuel for the body. A lesson I learned quite painfully as I struggled with carbs during the climb.</p>
<p align="justify">The summit day at Kilimanjaro is an 18-hour journey. You start at midnight, walking with one foot in front of the other and not stopping. It takes six hours from Kibo Hut to Gillman’s point, then another two hours to Stella Point and then one hour to Uhuru Peak. Gillman’s point, Stella and Uhuru are the three peaks that make Kilimanjaro. And then starts the most underestimated yet most important aspect of a journey &#8211; the descent. Long story short, you need to train if you want to go and test yourself in the outdoors. You need to be there, in the moment, in the present, ‘Pole Pole’ (‘Slowly Slowly’ in Swahili).</p>

		</div>
	</div>
</div></div></div></div><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper">
	<div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element  vc_custom_1709129665987" >
		<div class="wpb_wrapper">
			<p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4407" src="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-3.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="675" srcset="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-3.jpg 1200w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-3-300x169.jpg 300w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-3-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-3-768x432.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p>
<p align="justify">On Feb 2nd, I flew to Tanzania to Kilimanjaro airport to start my journey. I chose to travel with a group led by Vaibhav Kala &#8211; founder of <a href="https://aquaterra.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Aquaterra Adventures</a>, an India-based adventure company with 30 years of experience. I could not have been in safer hands. Also on this trip were Richard (Richie and I met on a river trip a few years back and got along like a house on fire), his 14-year-old daughter Maya, and Ravi or “Counsel” as we call him (this was Ravi’s maiden trekking trip and he summited Kili without trekking poles!). I’ll introduce the characters of this story as they appear.</p>
<p align="justify">Counsel, Vaibhav and I flew from Delhi to Addis Ababa to Kilimanjaro. Richie and Maya flew in from Dubai. We had a day to relax in Moshi, the town around Kilimanjaro. The other town is Arusha. Some of you may remember the iconic 1962 John Wayne film, Hatari, that was shot in and around Arusha National Park. The Hatari lodge is located inside the park, and I had an opportunity to have lunch with the wonderful lodge owners as their guest, while looking at giraffes, zebras and wild boars (who were looking at me as well). The owners welcomed me, despite me landing up without a reservation, and helped fulfill a childhood dream for my friend <a href="https://www.instagram.com/whitewingedjourneys/?hl=en">Trimon</a>, a wildlife expert and my travel buddy based out of Assam, and me.</p>

		</div>
	</div>
</div></div></div></div><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper">
	<div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element  vc_custom_1709179680973" >
		<div class="wpb_wrapper">
			<p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4408" src="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-4.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="675" srcset="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-4.jpg 1200w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-4-300x169.jpg 300w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-4-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-4-768x432.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i>(Marlies &amp; Joerg &#8211; Owners of Hatari Lodge &#8211; and Me)</i></p>

		</div>
	</div>
</div></div></div></div><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-6"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper">
	<div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element  vc_custom_1709091695428" >
		<div class="wpb_wrapper">
			<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4409" src="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-5.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="675" srcset="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-5.jpg 1200w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-5-300x169.jpg 300w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-5-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-5-768x432.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p>

		</div>
	</div>
</div></div></div><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-6"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper">
	<div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element  vc_custom_1709091716650" >
		<div class="wpb_wrapper">
			<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4410" src="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-6.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="675" srcset="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-6.jpg 1200w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-6-300x169.jpg 300w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-6-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-6-768x432.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p>

		</div>
	</div>
</div></div></div></div><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper">
	<div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element  vc_custom_1709129572721" >
		<div class="wpb_wrapper">
			<p align="justify">The next day, the rest of the group came in, some from Delhi, some from Mumbai, some from Jaipur and one from Hyderabad. All except one. Valerie or Valeria as we teased her, much to her disdain, had misplaced her passport at Addis Ababa. She couldn’t board the flight to Kilimanjaro. It was a harrowing experience for her, but she managed to get to Kilimanjaro on Feb 4th, early in the morning.</p>
<p align="justify">We were 12 in total; some with tons of experience in climbing mountains and some, not. But everyone was there, in the flesh, and that is what mattered. Everyone got there despite their circumstances. Kubbra, from Bombay, initially cancelled and then rejoined the trip. My mother landed up in hospital the day I arrived in Tanzania. Everyone had their obstacles but found ways to deal with/overcome them to make it to Kili.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4414" src="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-7.jpg" alt="" width="736" height="800" srcset="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-7.jpg 736w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-7-276x300.jpg 276w" sizes="(max-width: 736px) 100vw, 736px" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i>(The gang)</i></p>

		</div>
	</div>
</div></div></div></div><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper">
	<div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element  vc_custom_1709092358559" >
		<div class="wpb_wrapper">
			<p align="justify">Mountain climbs are intense trips. They are not easy in any way for the person who embarks on such journeys. There is always a fear of something not going right. There are days when you may remain disconnected from your family; some of whom are ill. There is much preparation that is required which is time-consuming. Furthermore, these trips are expensive. The clothing you require for high altitude temperatures are an investment. When you are descending, and your feet are still comfortable and not getting bruised, do you realise the value of a branded shoe compared to the cheaper alternative. When you are in the outdoors, one thing that you do not want is for your equipment to give up, or for you to freeze. I had the right clothing and gear. I was going to be fine.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4417" src="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-8.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="1067" srcset="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-8.jpg 600w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-8-169x300.jpg 169w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-8-576x1024.jpg 576w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>
<p align="justify">Just before we left for the Lemosho Gate, where our trek started, I realised that I was not carrying a hand sanitiser. This was a mistake. I should have insisted on stopping enroute to get one. Another mistake I made was to forget the seal lock of the 3-litre camel back water bag that I would have used for drinking while walking. This was an important lesson from this trip: <b>Always pay attention to detail.</b></p>
<p align="justify">My stomach wasn’t the best when we started the hike. I thought it was a little anxiety tummy as a friend who summited Kilimanjaro two weeks earlier mentioned that they lost a person in their group due to AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness). By the time I reached the first camp, three hours later, walking through lush tropical forests, riddled with stinging nettle, with Blue Monkeys and the rather noisy Black and White Colobuses Monkeys keeping us entertained, my heart was pumping and feeling a little overwhelmed as was my stomach. I had picked up a bug and this was just the beginning.</p>

		</div>
	</div>
</div></div></div></div><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper">
	<div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element  vc_custom_1709092617739" >
		<div class="wpb_wrapper">
			<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4419" src="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-9.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="800" srcset="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-9.jpg 800w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-9-300x300.jpg 300w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-9-150x150.jpg 150w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-9-768x768.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i>(Black and White Colobuses Monkey)</i></p>
<p align="justify">Vaibhav would take SpO2 levels (Oxygen Saturation Levels) of the entire group, every morning and evening. SpO2 levels are expected to dip during climbs, sometimes to the 60s. You always corroborate with the physical symptoms of the climbers. I was at 92 by the end of Day 1; the lowest in the group, but then years of smoking would not have helped <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/1f609.png" alt="😉" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>
<p align="justify">This is where I pay my respect, with folded hands, towards the crew that made this experience and climb possible. Our portage included 60 people. These young men and women would pack up behind us after we left for the day, overtake us, set up the next campsite, including the toilet tents, and prepare food in time to feed us at fixed timings. On top of that, they had the energy to sing and dance and also keep cheering every passerby by gently telling them ‘pole, pole’.</p>

		</div>
	</div>
</div></div></div></div><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-3"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper"></div></div></div><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-6"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper">
	<div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
		<div class="wpb_wrapper">
			<p><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Hr3SgqtJbDY" width="100%" height="450" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>

		</div>
	</div>
</div></div></div><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-3"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper"></div></div></div></div><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper">
	<div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element  vc_custom_1709095158715" >
		<div class="wpb_wrapper">
			<p align="justify">One of the most vivid memories I have of this trip is camping above the clouds. Within 48 hours of our trek, our tents were above the clouds that covered Kenya. At night, the clouds would clear up and you could see the lights of Kenya. At dawn, the clouds would hide the lights from our eyes.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4422" src="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-10.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="675" srcset="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-10.jpg 1200w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-10-300x169.jpg 300w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-10-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-10-768x432.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p>
<p align="justify">I always find myself walking alone whenever I’m in the mountains. This is the time I need for myself. This is not the space for me to be all chirpy or chatty. I need my solace. I don’t contemplate when I am walking. I am just walking. Hats off to Kubbra and Vasuki, another of my teammates, who had the energy to walk and talk all at the same time! Kubbra can have two people sit in front of her whilst she bursts into a monologue. It was so funny to watch her.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4423" src="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-11.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="675" srcset="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-11.jpg 1200w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-11-300x169.jpg 300w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-11-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-11-768x432.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i>(RLo, Kubbra &amp; Vasuki during our last night at Moshi)</i></p>
<p align="justify">Vaibhav walked with me one day for a few hours, Hari &#8211; a quiet and sturdy teammate from Hyderabad &#8211; walked with me for another couple of hours. Kannika and I walked together for a short while. Vaibhav kept telling me that Kannika had the summit pace. Kannika and I met while rafting the Siang in Arunachal Pradesh. She is inspiring. Busta &#8211; the Head Guide walked with me for a few hours on a particular day.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4424" src="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-12.jpg" alt="" width="753" height="800" srcset="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-12.jpg 753w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-12-282x300.jpg 282w" sizes="(max-width: 753px) 100vw, 753px" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i>(Busta- Our Chief Guide)</i></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><b>Fun Fact: Busta has summited Mt Kilimanjaro over 180 times. Let that sink in.</b></p>
<p align="justify">Although there was no compulsion to talk all the time, there was a need to remain together in pace. I always joked that I was trained to be the last guy. And I was. Walking ‘Pole-Pole’, one step after another, ensuring that I don’t run out of breath. If you are out of breath, you are walking fast. If you are out of breath, you will tire yourself out. This is not a competition. It is about being there, showing up, and just being present in that action.</p>

		</div>
	</div>
</div></div></div></div><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper">
	<div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element  vc_custom_1709093934037" >
		<div class="wpb_wrapper">
			<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4425" src="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-13.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="800" srcset="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-13.jpg 600w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-13-225x300.jpg 225w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i>(Hari, our Guide &amp; Me)</i></p>
<p align="justify">My stomach was violently upset by Day 3, and I started a dose of Imodium to plug it. I had it for 2 days and it did not work. Then Hari suggested I start a dose of a probiotic infection-killer medicine. That did not work either. I knew that I was going into a downward spiral soon. Because of my stomach infection, I had not eaten any carbs for four days: the fuel needed to walk for hours. I was eating nuts and chocolate for energy, but I could not hold anything down. I was losing fluids, which I was replenishing through ORS, but it was running right through me breaking the ‘3B43’ rule that Vaibhav has discovered after guiding trips on mountains and rivers for 30 years.</p>
<p align="justify"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/vaibhavkala/?img_index=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The 3B43 rule</a>: Have 2 litres of water and one litre of ORS before 3 PM. Then taper the fluid intake down. Have a cup of soup and tea and that is it. It ensures uninterrupted sleep. You do not want to wake up 2-3 times to relieve yourself at night as it is an exhausting process. If you consume 3 litres before 3 pm and then taper the fluids down, you will not need to wake up. Uninterrupted sleep means more energy to walk in the thinning air.</p>
<p align="justify">Yet, the downward spiral had started. By Day 5, I had no energy left. I took Garlic Pills and Coca Q (Homeopathic) to help me with the acclimatization, and help they did. While I had no breathing difficulty and was not on Diamox &#8211; a medicine that helps in acclimatization &#8211; I was dehydrated. For the record, Diamox is not a sure shot answer to acclimatization. Despite no breathing difficulties, my SpO2 levels were fluctuating between 78-81. I would not have been able to ascend to 5000 meters and then summit. I worked backwards and then I had an aha moment &#8211; ‘descend asap’. I came into the main tent and announced my decision. I was calm and determined. It was the right thing to do. Vaibhav has two roles in my life, as the trip leader who was taking us to the top and as a friend. As a trip leader, you get your team to the summit and back, in one piece. It also means someone who will gauge your physical condition and decide if you are fit to climb or not. He did a brilliant job in accepting my decision gracefully. I was determined to walk down the next day and even more determined to attempt the climb again soon.</p>
<p align="justify">I was smiling to myself. I was having flashbacks of my trips to Africa in the past. The first time was in 2016 to raft the Zambezi River. I tore a ligament and stretched another muscle in my left arm, on two consecutive days. The second time was to raft the Nile in 2023 and I broke my nose cartilage on a Grade 5 rapid. This time, in 2024, was to summit Mt Kilimanjaro and I was here, deciding to come back soon because I could not go further in the present. My body was shuddering like how the submarine cranks and shouts as it descends further into the depths of the ocean. My body &#8211; my submarine &#8211; was crumbling as it was ascending. Mama Africa was embracing me. And I could feel her warmth. Maternal and strong &#8211; much like my mother. The decision to descend was well thought over, sans any sentimentalities and over the top emotions. And I had Kili’s blessing to descend.</p>
<p align="justify">My emergency contact is my sister. I look at her as one of my pillars of strength. As caregivers to our mother, my sister and I have also developed a certain sense of response to adversity or a “situation”. When I am on my travels, some crazy ones, I keep in touch with people who give me strength. Geetika is one of them. I was not in touch with too many people when I was climbing. Just 4-5 people who gave me strength, hope and courage. I am most grateful to them because they all responded to me in their unique way. Someone forbade me to die, someone told me to not do anything stupid, someone told me to hold my breath. I received a message from my friend Lionel asking if I was alive or whether he could inherit my drums! Everyone was worried and concerned. They expressed it differently.</p>
<p align="justify">In the meantime, Arti, a 55-year-old teammate from Bombay was breathless. Her SpO2 levels fell to 66 and she needed to descend. She was uncomfortable, panicky, and decided to go down. She spoke to her husband who immediately left from Bombay for Kilimanjaro.</p>
<p align="justify">Day 6 &#8211; early morning, before others woke up, Vaibhav asked me if I had changed my decision to descend. I had not. Vaibhav told me, “In that case, you must descend soon as Arti had a tough night”. I did not bat an eyelid, packed up quickly and started to walk down at 7 AM after quick byes to the rest of the team. Arti had a guide who was carrying her day pack which had her replenishments. Two porters carried ours and their luggage down, on their backs. Arti was uncomfortable and my stomach would not stop running. We were still above the clouds, but they were coming nearer. We were lowering ourselves into the clouds, ‘pole-pole’. And then at some point, we were hitting the tree line, which meant the O2 levels in the air were increasing. At this point Arti’s breathing troubles ceased as her lungs started taking in the clean oxygenated air. She was pinking up.</p>
<p align="justify">It was a surreal experience of descending from above the clouds. You could see Kenya in the distance. Everything was a distance away, including the Rongai Gate &#8211; we were still 4-5 hours away. It was a long exhausting descent. And never-ending. It seemed like that because I had zero energy. I needed a distraction from myself. I needed something that gave me happiness. And it was not food that cut it for me. It was butterflies; thousands of them resting and then flying off as one walked past them. I was thanking the butterflies for making the descent bearable. The knees and the thighs were taking a beating. But then, it was about being there, in totality, in flesh and blood. I was there. Dwindling, but I was there.</p>

		</div>
	</div>
</div></div></div></div><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-3"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper"></div></div></div><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-6"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper">
	<div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
		<div class="wpb_wrapper">
			<p><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/paExB5oAVhU" width="100%" height="450" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>

		</div>
	</div>
</div></div></div><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-3"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper"></div></div></div></div><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper">
	<div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element  vc_custom_1709129788417" >
		<div class="wpb_wrapper">
			<p align="justify">At some point, we stopped to take a break and a snack, and we managed to speak to our respective families. I spoke to my sister who told me that she was proud of me for taking the right decision. The summit did not matter. What mattered was the strength to say that this was it. I needed to hear it. Then I spoke with my mother who was at the dialysis centre at that time. Dialysis is a tough process on the body and leaves the patient quite drained. But as soon as I told my mother that I was planning to come back and finish what I could not during this attempt, she forgot the dialysis fatigue and quickly switched from English to Punjabi to let me know the power of ‘chittars’. English could have driven the message loud and clear but when it comes down to the mother tongue, the message goes down well and properly.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4426" src="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-14.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="675" srcset="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-14.jpg 1200w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-14-300x169.jpg 300w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-14-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-14-768x432.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i>(Arti, our guide, and me on the descend)</i></p>
<p align="justify">Arti managed to speak with her children. They thanked me for helping their mother descend. I was not sure who was to be thanked. We both needed each other’s company and each other’s moral support. We needed to be there for each other. We hardly spoke for the 8.5 hours of descent from 4000 meters to the base. There was more about relationships that I learned in those 8.5 hours than I have learned living in the city. There was more about relationships that I learned on the 5 days on the mountain than most self-help books. You just need to show up, determined. Life’s climb isn’t about reaching the summit, it’s about showing up, step by step.</p>
<p align="justify">RLo also thanked me later after he summited (RLo, Arti &amp; Rashmi are related and fellow climbers). He told me that he knew Arti would have been in safe hands with me. I responded with a smile and a nod. To express his gratitude, upon their return after summiting, RLo decided to destroy my 24-year-old memory of a beautiful pole dancer in the US, while he gyrated against a wooden beam of the bar at the hotel on our last night. Now I have nightmares.</p>
<p align="justify">Finally, we reached the Rongai Gate where we were welcomed by Halima and Michael, who drove us two hours back to Moshi. Both Arti and I had an epiphany moment of gratitude when we could sit on a comfortable car seat. I kissed the car seat in gratitude as we drove at 50 km/h to Moshi. Kilimanjaro is a 50 kmph speed zone. Try going above it and you will be stopped by cops at every corner. Thankfully, the power of slipping currency notes into cops&#8217; hands works there too.</p>
<p align="justify">Arti’s husband was waiting at the hotel when we reached. It was a tender moment to witness. Full of love, affection, and gratitude. We said our goodbyes. I had requested Halima to get me some yogurt. All I wanted was a shower and my bed. I was knackered, happy to be back on flat ground and energetically finished. The only thing that kept crossing my mind was that I did not bat an eyelid making the right decision to come down. I was present throughout, in my steps and in my decisions. I had my shower. It was a blessing to be clean after days, spoke to my family and a friend. I was experiencing FOMO as I lay wondering about all the people who were at Kibo Hut by now. I was sending messages on our WhatsApp group checking in on everyone, sending photos of the mountain at specific hours letting them know that I was around, with everyone, in spirit, if not in flesh.</p>
<p align="justify">The rest of the group summited Mount Kilimanjaro at 5965 meters 48 hours later after a gruelling 18-hour hike to the top and back.</p>
<p align="justify">I had given my extras like the hand and foot warmers to Vasuki, wet wipes to Counsel and battery pack to Richard. They were of no use to me as I had decided to descend. I gave my <a href="https://www.syngrity.com/imagine-x/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Imagine X</a> and <a href="https://www.syngrity.com/forestunplugged/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Forest Unplugged</a> banners to Council to take to the summit. He did. And then something beautiful happened. Maya Smith, my friend Richard’s 14-year-old daughter, took the banners and displayed them at Uhuru Peak – the highest point in Africa.</p>

		</div>
	</div>
</div></div></div></div><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-6"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper">
	<div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
		<div class="wpb_wrapper">
			<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4427" src="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-15.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="800" srcset="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-15.jpg 600w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-15-225x300.jpg 225w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i>(Maya with the Forest Unplugged Banner)</i></p>

		</div>
	</div>
</div></div></div><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-6"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper">
	<div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
		<div class="wpb_wrapper">
			<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4428" src="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-16.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="800" srcset="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-16.jpg 600w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-16-225x300.jpg 225w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i>(Maya with the Imagine X Banner)</i></p>

		</div>
	</div>
</div></div></div></div><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper">
	<div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
		<div class="wpb_wrapper">
			<p align="justify">Having her do that was special for me. It gave me a sense of pride that someone from Gen Z raised the Syngrity flag, carving the path for the adult in me. She is my lucky mascot, and I am most grateful for her presence.</p>
<p align="justify">While the group was headed to the summit, I was recovering back in Moshi. Vaibhav had ensured that I was comfortable. I rested for 24 hours in the hotel, found a nice African BBQ place, walked to it and my tummy was fine after some good BBQ pork. No one would have believed that I was “dying” 24 hours back. My stomach just relaxed being on flat ground and what it needed after 5 days of not eating was food.</p>
<p align="justify">I ended up spending the entire following day at Arusha National Park, in the forest. I walked into the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/343976755691022/hatari-lodge/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hatari Lodge</a> and was invited for a lovely meal with Marlies and Joerg, clicked a photo at the John Wayne Bar and left smiling with a happy tummy and heart. I had spent the day in the forest; my healing had started.</p>
<p align="justify">The next day the group landed. As expected, they were exhausted and elated, happy and silent; everything was happening at the same time. By the time we got back to the hotel (I had gone to receive them), everyone was looking forward to just being clean. Once bathed and clothed, I proactively ordered some BBQ pork and fried plantain for the group. We danced, celebrated, laughed, ate; it was a perfect end to a wonderful trip, where we all showed up.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4429" src="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-17.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="800" srcset="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-17.jpg 720w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/climbing-Kili-17-270x300.jpg 270w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></p>

		</div>
	</div>
</div></div></div></div><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper"><div class="vc_empty_space"   style="height: 35px"><span class="vc_empty_space_inner"></span></div></div></div></div></div><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper">
	<div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
		<div class="wpb_wrapper">
			<p align="justify"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-5022" style="border-radius: 100%; margin-top: 5px;" src="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Vikram-img-2.jpg" alt="" width="100" height="100" srcset="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Vikram-img-2.jpg 216w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Vikram-img-2-150x150.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 100px) 100vw, 100px" /><b><i>Vikram Badhwar, CEO, <a href="https://www.syngrity.com/">Syngrity</a>, is a communications coach, an experiential educator, and an artist trying to bridge the gap between the creative and the analytical side of our brain. He consults individuals and teams in the space of learning &amp; development to enable transformations at a personal, professional and organizational level.</i></b></p>

		</div>
	</div>
</div></div></div></div>
</div><p>The post <a href="https://www.syngrity.com/in-the-present-in-the-now-my-attempt-at-climbing-kili/">&#8216;In the present, in the now&#8217;: My attempt at climbing Kili</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.syngrity.com">Syngrity Transformation Solutions</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.syngrity.com/in-the-present-in-the-now-my-attempt-at-climbing-kili/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Like soil to a plant &#8211; exploring the digital space for mentoring: E-Mentors</title>
		<link>https://www.syngrity.com/like-soil-to-a-plant-exploring-the-digital-space-for-mentoring-e-mentors/</link>
					<comments>https://www.syngrity.com/like-soil-to-a-plant-exploring-the-digital-space-for-mentoring-e-mentors/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Vipin Kumar Tanwar]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 23 Jan 2019 03:36:29 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Warrior's Path]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[annapurnabasecamp]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[aquaterra]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ementors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[syngrity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tanjamatheis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[warriorspath]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.syngrity.com/new/?p=2226</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Tanja Matheis, our researcher on the Warrior‘s Path team, documents the implementation of Syngrity’s exciting new experiential intervention.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.syngrity.com/like-soil-to-a-plant-exploring-the-digital-space-for-mentoring-e-mentors/">Like soil to a plant &#8211; exploring the digital space for mentoring: E-Mentors</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.syngrity.com">Syngrity Transformation Solutions</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>#Warrior’s Path Research Bits – No. 2/2</p>
<p><i>Tanja Matheis, our researcher on the Warrior‘s Path team, documents the implementation of Syngrity’s exciting new experiential intervention. Rumor has it that she is intertwined with her laptop, but she actually loves spending time walking and trekking, in good company, with cheese snacks and a camera. In this series, she talks about her research on the Warrior’s Path strategy of adopting e-mentors to fuel the RIGHT consumption for the participants. Stay tuned for more tidbits.</i></p>
<p>In September 2018, eight people set out to Annapurna Basecamp (ABC), an arduous trek which most of them had never done before: the Warrior’s Path. A 10-day-trek like this one requires physical training, but the preparation inevitably also leads to deep reflections and emotions about one’s own decisions.</p>
<h4>How do you prepare for this adventure, and how can mentors be of help?</h4>
<p>The Warrior’s Path doesn’t start with the actual trek, but three to five months before, when participants sign up. The purpose is to create a space of inclusion, exchange and learning early on, that is, a space of mentoring. Soon after participants committed to the program, they have the opportunity to ask questions and interact with the team online, over the phone and on WhatsApp. </p>
<p>However, the idea of mentoring goes far beyond team-participant interactions, making the Warrior’s Path a unique approach in the outbound education space.</p>
<p>A mentor is a person who supports you by sharing her or his rich expertise and wisdom. A mentor creates an environment for the learner to think, question and grow, very much like healthy soil nurturing a plant. </p>
<p>Syngrity realised that a person’s consumption, while training for an arduous task, will determine their readiness for it. Different forms of consumption  could be classified as  Physical, Emotional and Mental. Syngrity envisaged the thought process and skills required for this trek, and chose experts and teachers from their network to create an inclusive, circular way of sharing experience. Each of these experts mainly focused on  either  physical, mental or emotional consumption. This information, passed on from the experts to the participants, would help them streamline their focus towards their training. Syngrity reached out to different experts in their respective fields, as diverse as sports physiotherapy, stand-up comedy and martial arts.</p>
<h4>The beauty of accessing many minds to share experience.</h4>
<p>Experts prepared short talks or practice videos, which were shared with the Warrior Path’s participants during the trek preparation between June and September 2018. The group subsequently watched and discussed the experts’ contributions on a private youtube channel. Participants reflected on how the insights could become part of their individual preparation for the trek. Since all of this happened online, bridging geographies and time zones, the experts are referred to as e-mentors.</p>
<p>One of the e-mentors was a teacher of Tai Chi, Pak Wa Chuan and Praying Mantis in Dubai. He talked about “second wind”, the moment in which an exhausted athlete regains breath and strength to reach her full potential with less exertion. Then he shared an exercise from the Praying Mantis which helps activate the second wind.  </p>
<p>A sports physiotherapist gave us tips on the muscles and joints that we needed to keep exercising and relaxing before, during and after the trek. The physical aspects were complemented by a senior theatre and dance performer, a head of a learning and development organization and a renowned stand-up comedian and motivational speaker. These mentors emphasized the emotional challenges involved in conquering one’s internal mountain, and the importance of joy and humor throughout the process.</p>
<p>An internationally renowned spiritual teacher shared practical wisdom for happiness and enlightenment in a joyful and transformational way. He showed us how to get past the inner noise and eventually achieve a space of stillness and silence.  </p>
<p>These diverse insights have given participants food for thought and leverage points to deepen their knowledge and practice of awareness. Participants found it easier to tackle steep inclines, merciless weather and mental exhaustion on the trek, because they had already heard of different practices from the mentors. The leverage points that the mentors provided through their talks also serve as an inspiration beyond the trek, e.g. for previously unresolved issues at work or in relationships.</p>
<p>While the network of e-mentors cannot replace intimate and face-to-face relationships with friends, family, colleagues, supervisors or teachers, they do represent a resource to keep in mind and to draw on. For the new rounds of the Warrior’s Path in 2019 and beyond, Syngrity is working towards a broader network, with more opportunities to engage for participants. Stay tuned!</p>
<p><b><i>Tanja is a research consultant and holds a master’s degree in development economics, focusing on quantitative and qualitative research techniques. She has documented the work of development professionals and small-scale entrepreneurs in West Africa and India. Her field visit insights became part of a publication series by the German Development Cooperation Agency GIZ based in New-Delhi, which she conceptualized and edited.</i></b></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.syngrity.com/like-soil-to-a-plant-exploring-the-digital-space-for-mentoring-e-mentors/">Like soil to a plant &#8211; exploring the digital space for mentoring: E-Mentors</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.syngrity.com">Syngrity Transformation Solutions</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.syngrity.com/like-soil-to-a-plant-exploring-the-digital-space-for-mentoring-e-mentors/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Recycling yourself – birth and death</title>
		<link>https://www.syngrity.com/recycling-yourself-birth-and-death/</link>
					<comments>https://www.syngrity.com/recycling-yourself-birth-and-death/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Vipin Kumar Tanwar]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 27 Nov 2018 05:04:41 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Warrior's Path]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[breath]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[conversations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[death]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[syngrity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[warriorspath]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.syngrity.com/new/?p=2220</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Sleep is a short death. Death is a long sleep. When I read these lines which had mysteriously appeared on the picture of a deceased relative, they seemed to ring a bell.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.syngrity.com/recycling-yourself-birth-and-death/">Recycling yourself – birth and death</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.syngrity.com">Syngrity Transformation Solutions</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><i>Sleep is a short death.</i> Death is a long sleep. When I read these lines which had mysteriously appeared on the picture of a deceased relative, they seemed to ring a bell. A bell because the truth lies in these two simple lines. There has been a strange fascination with the process of dying that has kept me in wonder for as long as I remember. I was 4 when I attended the cremation of my grand father and remember very distinctly standing next to my father while he poured ghee over the pyre. And I kept looking, not understanding completely, as to what was happening. But what I did realize that my grand father was on fire and he wasn’t moving. He was dead. My first experience with death; it was!</p>
<p>Always hearing the elders in the family teaching us that every one that is born must die also stayed with me in my head. It still does; today with a slightly better understanding. Every time, I have visited the Lodhi road crematorium in Delhi, there is on the walls, all around, verses from the Bhagwad Gita where Lord Krishna is explaining the principle to Arjun just before he was getting ready to go on a rampage. <i>He explains the principle of life and death and reiterates on the fact that the body is just an outer cover for the soul and one should not mourn when the covering is gone.</i> Very simple yet not very easy to pragmatically put to use. If the soul is all inclusive and eternal then the physical body is the mask that it adorns. So what do we cry about? Are we crying for the soul? If yes, then we are wasting our time because it isn’t going any where. It has been released from the grip of the human flesh and unified with the universe all ready to choose for itself a new body and a new shape. So do we cry for the body? Do we cry every time we open a gift and rip apart the wrapping paper? No. Then when do we shed tears when the body goes. Are we crying for the attachment we have towards the deceased? I guess so. I was sitting with a learned man who shared an insight about people crying because of expectations that they have/had from the dead. They are crying because they are thinking, “Now what?”, and trying to unsuccessfully deal with their own inability to survive minus the presence of the person who went away. My teacher has another opinion. He told me, “whats the point of coming and mourning when someone died when you didn’t have the time for the person when he/she was alive?”. Rather piercing but also has a lot of truth in it.</p>
<p>I told my father a few years back that I don’t want to cry when he passes over. He looked at me strangely but I think he understood the space from where the statement was coming. I don’t want to cry because I don’t want to have any knots where he is concerned. And I ensured I didn’t cry at his pyre. The break down happened a few months later. It was liberating. Not knotting.</p>
<p>Hopefully, my loved ones will go when they want to and when their time is over. They will know for sure when their time is right to pass over to the other world where they can stand in queue to be recycled and reborn depending on all their deeds in this life. I think everyone knows when the moment is there. Even the ones who have an “untimely” death. The reason why I put ‘untimely” in quotes because there is nothing which is untimely. If a person passes over at 3, it is not untimely; if one goes at 73, it isn’t untimely either. We call passing over at 3 untimely because the person wasn’t “old” in flesh and age. We forget the “old soul” part. You could be 3 but still be an old soul. But the point is not to criticize the short comings of human understanding. I think there are enough people who enjoy doing that job. I remember myself saying in one of my lectures a while back that “ there are some people who come into your life for a purpose. When that purpose is fulfilled, they go their own way. And we must allow them to leave. If we resist the departure, it causes pain to both the individuals. This example was given for a living person who was wanting to step out of a relationship. There was temporary death in the moment of the break in relationship. But somewhere it holds good for the dead”.</p>
<p>Why is death looked at when the body gives up? I have found death to be in every moment. Not only death but also birth. In every breath lies a moment of birth and death. More specifically, when the lungs inhale as much air as they can consume, there is moment of pause, of death, and birth happens, as the exhalation starts till all the breath is released to a state of near emptiness. And then death happens and rebirth as the inhalation starts.</p>
<p>The start of a day and its end explains the process of death and birth and death and rebirth. Bathing is the death of the old skin and birth of a deeper cover. Sleep itself is the birth and death. A friend, as I was writing these lines, called and said. <i>“Death is simply a passage into the next body. The sooner one realises it, the less fearful one becomes.”</i> Interesting! In many cultures in India and around the world, death has been celebrated rather than mourned. There was music and dance to celebrate the passing over especially if the deceased had lived a full life. But every life is full! Full to the extent that you allow it to be.</p>
<p>One thing that also fascinates me is to get an insight into the dying persons mind. What is going on in the head of the dying? Denial, acceptance, sadness, happiness or what? I would love to sit next to a person who is on his way up or down, depending on how you want to look at it, and have the person share what the creations of a dying brain and heart have to say. If one has to look at it scientifically, because the body is in a state of release, a lot of hormonal and chemical changes would be taking place in the body and the brain which would make the person see, hear, hallucinate. The same thing to look at metaphysically could be messages from the masters and the angels who are waiting for the bucket to be kicked to guide you to the gates to register your entry. What are these messages? Dr. Brian Weiss in his book, Many lives &#038; Many masters, has documented extremely potent insights into the mind of his subject in this life as well as the many lives the subject lived in the past. A beautiful book, it is. It is a book which has been written without a bias because Dr Weiss was trained to look at everything very logically and scientifically and these insights about death and reincarnation was like washing away all the knowledge he had obtained in his formal training.</p>
<h3>Something I experienced in Dec of ’07.</h3>
<p>I had a wonderful experience a week and a half back and somewhere I feel that it adds to the journey of the art of dying. I was in meditation and just before I reached the state of “ding”, I had a thought that translated to emotive pain. The pain was beautiful as it made me aware of my journey as a peaceful warrior – as I see myself. I must thank Dan Millman and Paulo Coelho for this awareness besides a lot of individuals I have met in person who have ignited the spark of higher consciousness in me. This pain also made me aware of being alone yet not lonely. Alone on my journey. Being alone is one of the best ways to be able to cultivate. Being alone gives you the opportunity to be benevolent to yourself and the souls around you. And it gives you the space to be you – in touch with your essence, away from the persona. A thought of a hundred percent embrace came to my mind – something. What a wonderful feeling it would be to be able to embrace a person with a 100% surrender. I even attempted to understand what that meant.</p>
<p>We have 4 layers of muscle. the first two are the ones we can control and move our limbs with. The 3rd layer is what one needs to work at and the last one is something that we have no control over because they control the internals. If that layer gives up, so does our body. Anyway, with that thought in my mind, I very slowly entered ding. As I was aware of my main consciousness being present with me, I was also aware of what I was doing. Yet, after staying in the state for more than 10 minutes, which appeared like a year, something started happening. I had a feeling that my muscles were relaxing. A very good feeling, for sure. The third layer relaxed slowly putting my mind in alpha almost instantly. I remember being aware of this transition and was in a state of blissfulness. Then something else happened. I died. It lasted 2-3 seconds and I must confess, I was scared beyond my guts. The fourth layer of muscle relaxed. And while that happened or was happening, I felt a certain suction effect that took place. My brain immediately switched off and am pretty certain, my heart stopped. I resisted because I wasn’t too sure if I would have come back. But I did. I opened my eyes gently and found my organs coming back to their usual synchronized dance in a short while. I experienced death. And I was conscious of it.</p>
<p><b>If we need to live well, we need to be aware of what role Death plays in every breath we take. Then its an intimate tango.</b></p>
<p><i><b>Note:</b> These are my thoughts based on my experiences and journeys. The intention is to just share and not be antagonistic to any approach or system.</i></p>
<p style="margin-top: 35px;"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-5022" style="border-radius: 100%; margin-top: 5px;" src="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Vikram-img-2.jpg" alt="" width="100" height="100" srcset="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Vikram-img-2.jpg 216w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Vikram-img-2-150x150.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 100px) 100vw, 100px" /><b><i>Vikram Badhwar, CEO, <a href="https://www.syngrity.com/">Syngrity</a>, is a communications coach, an experiential educator, and an artist trying to bridge the gap between the creative and the analytical side of our brain. He consults individuals and teams in the space of learning &#038; development to enable transformations at a personal, professional and organizational level.</i></b></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.syngrity.com/recycling-yourself-birth-and-death/">Recycling yourself – birth and death</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.syngrity.com">Syngrity Transformation Solutions</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.syngrity.com/recycling-yourself-birth-and-death/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Dreams come true…when you work at them!</title>
		<link>https://www.syngrity.com/dreams-come-true-when-you-work-at-them/</link>
					<comments>https://www.syngrity.com/dreams-come-true-when-you-work-at-them/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Vipin Kumar Tanwar]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 27 Nov 2018 04:39:16 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Warrior's Path]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[conversations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dreams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[perseverance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[syngrity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[warriorsjourney]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.syngrity.com/new/?p=2214</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>A few years back, as a relationship was changing course, on being asked my plans, I said, “I want to raft the top ten rivers of the world”</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.syngrity.com/dreams-come-true-when-you-work-at-them/">Dreams come true…when you work at them!</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.syngrity.com">Syngrity Transformation Solutions</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A few years back, as a relationship was changing course, on being asked my plans, I said, “I want to raft the top ten rivers of the world”. And then the journey started. I had rafted quite a bit from 2001 to 2005 and then switched off. Whether it was a distraction from my relationship or otherwise, suddenly, I felt that all my decisions were being made keeping my vision in mind. This is what I wanted to do. Be on rivers. Be the river rat.</p>
<p>While I was sitting at the banks of the Tons river in 2003, while working with a bunch of kids, I was looking at the eddy line and suddenly it dawned on me that the human mind can be compared to the hydrology of the river. The way the Rapids are formed, the boils, whirlpools; the human mind has it all. This little piece of wisdom has fascinated me time and time again.</p>
<p>Then I saw the Nyami Nyami locket around a friends neck. I love collecting these little lockets etc. So I asked him how I can own one. I was told that the only way a person deserves to wear the Nyami Nyami locket is to earn it. My next question was obviously asking what I had to do to earn the locket. “Raft the Zambezi”, is what I was told. “Done” is what I said. I had never seen a single video of the Zambezi at that time. I didn’t know about the crocs, the hippos, the crazy rapids…nothing. It was a larger than me commitment.</p>
<p>And once I saw what the mighty Zambezi was all about, my knees weakened. You couldn’t raft the Zambezi as a novice. You needed to know and you needed not to know. You had to have a few rivers under your belt before you decided to hop on to a raft and sing your way down the rapids.</p>
<p>So thats what I have been doing. Rafting on various rivers in India and Nepal. Its not enough but after I survived being sucked in a rapid on the Trisuli river in Nepal, and after I questioned my PLAN, and requestioned it, I felt I was ready to go earn my Nyami Nyami.</p>
<p>The Zambezi will be the precursor to the mighty Siang/ Brahmaputra (India) and Colorado (USA) and Futa (Chile) and Zanskar (Ladakh) and many more.</p>
<p>A lesson I learned which was a life saver, “Irrespective of whether people accompany you or not, you must go ahead and do your thing”. A lot of us are looking for company, sometimes to fill the void within ourselves. I realised that void will only get filled when you keep walking. I did the Sun kosi alone, Trisuli and Marsyandgi alone. The pleasure of meeting wonderful people on the river from various cultures is immense and a learning. No one shows their degrees, their certificates, their achievements. Its about adrenaline and responsibility. Its about safety and the rush that engulfs your body. Its about humility and strength.</p>
<p>But this time, two friends have decided to join me in this crazy adventure to earn the Nyami Nyami. With a couple of days at the National Parks to 3 days on the river, it will be a trip to remember…..</p>
<p>Thank you to all those who inspired me to do this…. for myself. My endeavour is to put to use the Hero’s Journey- a monomyth written by Joseph Campbell in the 30’s. He spoke of a 12 step transformational process which bridges the gap between the ordinary and the special world. I adopted the monomyth for one of my river programs called Current. Now to undertake my own Hero’s Journey…yet again.</p>
<p>One of the lessons that I have learned while persevering towards this dream is NEVER STOP DREAMING. The day we stop to dream and stop visioning our life the way WE want it to be, we would rather be dead.</p>
<p><iframe width="100%" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sWH4bexKUV0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p style="margin-top: 35px;"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-5022" style="border-radius: 100%; margin-top: 5px;" src="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Vikram-img-2.jpg" alt="" width="100" height="100" srcset="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Vikram-img-2.jpg 216w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Vikram-img-2-150x150.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 100px) 100vw, 100px" /><b><i>Vikram Badhwar, CEO, <a href="https://www.syngrity.com/">Syngrity</a>, is a communications coach, an experiential educator, and an artist trying to bridge the gap between the creative and the analytical side of our brain. He consults individuals and teams in the space of learning &#038; development to enable transformations at a personal, professional and organizational level.</i></b></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.syngrity.com/dreams-come-true-when-you-work-at-them/">Dreams come true…when you work at them!</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.syngrity.com">Syngrity Transformation Solutions</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.syngrity.com/dreams-come-true-when-you-work-at-them/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Are you ready for change? Insights from the Warrior’s Path 2018</title>
		<link>https://www.syngrity.com/are-you-ready-for-change-insights-from-the-warriors-path-2018/</link>
					<comments>https://www.syngrity.com/are-you-ready-for-change-insights-from-the-warriors-path-2018/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Vipin Kumar Tanwar]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 05 Nov 2018 04:13:04 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Warrior's Path]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[annapurnabasecamp]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[syngrity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tanjamatheis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[warriorspath]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.syngrity.com/new/?p=2202</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Tanja Matheis, our researcher on the Warrior‘s Path team, documents the implementation of Syngrity’s exciting new experiential intervention.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.syngrity.com/are-you-ready-for-change-insights-from-the-warriors-path-2018/">Are you ready for change? Insights from the Warrior’s Path 2018</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.syngrity.com">Syngrity Transformation Solutions</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>#Warrior’s Path Research Bits &#8211; No. 1/2</p>
<p><i>Tanja Matheis, our researcher on the Warrior‘s Path team, documents the implementation of Syngrity’s exciting new experiential intervention. Rumor has it that she is intertwined with her laptop, but she actually loves spending time walking and trekking, in good company, with cheese snacks and a camera. In this series, she talks about her research on the Warrior’s Path concept development and outdoor experiences. Stay tuned for more insights!</i></p>
<p><i>One of the many facets of a warrior is the way she or he responds to a sudden change in the environment. As the group of participants set out for the first round of the Warrior’s Path, they were confronted with a fundamental turn in the program. Were they ready for change?</i></p>
<p>The first Warrior’s Path to Annapurna Base Camp was successfully completed this September, a promising prelude to the upcoming new programs offered by Syngrity Transformation Solutions in 2019. But wait…wasn’t it EBC, the Everest Base Camp? How on earth did the E become an A, i.e. Annapurna?</p>
<p>Since spring 2018, the team, consisting of Syngrity, Natural Adventure Foundation (NAF) and Go Magic Trails (GMT), eagerly promoted the Warrior’s Path to the Everest Base Camp in Nepal. Choosing the Everest Base Camp as a destination is obvious, given the spirit of the program.</p>
<p>The Warrior’s Path is a metaphor for awareness of the mind, body, heart, and spirit. The program is a culmination of the study of the human body via martial practices and alternative thought processes. Trekking to the base camp of the world’s highest peak requires preparation at the physical, mental and emotional level, and endurance and awareness along the way. The destination has the power to inspire people deeply, as it allows a glimpse at the journeys of pioneering mountaineers, including Edmund Hillary, Junko Tabei, or Reinhold Messner. Hence, the motivation to walk this particular path forms an excellent basis on which personal thoughts, emotions and conditioning can be explored and questioned.</p>
<p>In fact, the destination “EBC” became an allegory of commitment for the team members as well as for the participants, who signed up with a thrill of anticipation. Over the course of several months, the participants trained, delved into tales of Everest ascents, and pondered their potential responses to cold temperatures, high altitude and group dynamics.</p>
<p>But then everything changed. When the warriors cheerfully reached the Kathmandu Domestic Airport in the morning of September 13 to take a flight to Lukla, they learnt that for the past 4 days, there had been no flights due to fog and strong winds. Lukla does have a dangerous airport, with an extremely short runway nestled in the mountains. That same morning, the weather did not look too good either. Still optimistic, the participants made themselves comfortable in the airport waiting area, sipping chai and cracking jokes about each other’s “heavy-duty” luggage. Everyone hoped that the weather would clear up eventually, and that they could get on a different flight in the late morning.</p>
<p>The guides kept checking with the airline. “Still no confirmed flight,” was the recurring message that would dash the group’s expectations. As the weather did not improve, the group started considering a previously unthinkable and more expensive solution: hiring a chopper to reach a landing spot below Lukla, which is not accessible by road. That would add 2 additional hours of trekking to the initial plan, but the participants agreed that this would be valid option. Hence, many calls were made and old contacts were reactivated to engage the service of a chopper.</p>
<p>Since even the choppers were stuck and couldn’t take off, neither from Kathmandu nor from near Lukla, it dawned on the team and participants that EBC might not happen at all. Some participants were discontented and yet stayed upbeat on the surface, whereas others remained silent. The whole group was disappointed.</p>
<p><b>What happens when the main driver of a project suddenly disintegrates?</b> How do people respond to this sudden change? Well, there are different possible responses.</p>
<p>One is <b>resistance</b>. Sometimes, the desire to achieve a certain goal can become all-consuming, and any alternative seems unworthy to pursue. Behind the reluctance to accept change often stands a strong preference for stability and a fear of change and its consequences. Resistance may be a dead end, with little or no space for solutions.</p>
<p>Another response could be <b>passive acceptance</b>. Not resisting a change can be a convenient way to fit in with a team without having to take responsibility for decision-making. Passive acceptance can also be a reflection of being in the moment, and simply absorbing what emerges.</p>
<p>You can also actively <b>embrace change</b>, and become a shaper of the new workings. This includes the ability to accept change in the first place, as well as the mindset to develop something from the new point of departure. Therefore, embracing change can be a great learning space. An indication of this is when quick decisions are taken.</p>
<p>And this is exactly what happened. Deepak, the head of the tour operating agency, sat everyone down and calmly presented the facts. “You could go back to the hotel, spend another night there and then come back in the morning to see whether flights take off tomorrow,” he explained. Given the prolonged bad weather forecast, another proposition suddenly seemed more tempting. Due to the participants’ flights back to Delhi in 13 days, the group could not afford to waste time, but the hopes to trek to EBC were still profound.</p>
<p><b>“How about we change the “E” in “EBC” to an “A”, and go to the Annapurna Base Camp instead?”</b></p>
<p>Choosing this option would mean that the group can leave the same day and start from a trailhead that is accessible by car, in the worst case scenario. The trek to Annapurna Base Camp offers tropical and alpine terrain, and can be completed within 10 days. The base camp offers an almost 360 degree mountain panorama view. It just isn’t Everest Base Camp.</p>
<p>Participants’ responses were instant and surprising given their strong commitment to EBC. “But I told everyone at home I have bragging rights for at least 6 months after I have completed the EBC trek” soon turned into “well, sure, let’s start with the alphabet’s first letter”. One person said, “actually I haven’t been to the Annapurna Base Camp yet either, so let’s do it!” Within half an hour of discussing in a circle outside the airport building, everyone was on the same page, realizing that changing plans quickly would give the group the best room to maneuver.</p>
<p>Hence, Annapurna Base Camp it was! The mountains, and their unpredictable weather, taught everyone a lesson of humility, right at the beginning. There are things you cannot change, but you can adjust certain parameters if you consider your options thoroughly, timely and intuitively. EBC or ABC, the journey is the destination.</p>
<p><b><i>Tanja is a research consultant and holds a master’s degree in development economics, focusing on quantitative and qualitative research techniques. She has documented the work of development professionals and small-scale entrepreneurs in West Africa and India. Her field visit insights became part of a publication series by the German Development Cooperation Agency GIZ based in New-Delhi, which she conceptualized and edited.</i></b></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.syngrity.com/are-you-ready-for-change-insights-from-the-warriors-path-2018/">Are you ready for change? Insights from the Warrior’s Path 2018</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.syngrity.com">Syngrity Transformation Solutions</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.syngrity.com/are-you-ready-for-change-insights-from-the-warriors-path-2018/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Warriors Cloud </title>
		<link>https://www.syngrity.com/the-warriors-cloud/</link>
					<comments>https://www.syngrity.com/the-warriors-cloud/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Vipin Kumar Tanwar]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 15 Sep 2017 06:34:41 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Warrior's Path]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.syngrity.com/new/?p=2149</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>One of the lessons that were emphasized again and again, whilst I studied the Alexander Technique and martial arts was how to stand</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.syngrity.com/the-warriors-cloud/">The Warriors Cloud </a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.syngrity.com">Syngrity Transformation Solutions</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>One of the lessons that were emphasized again and again, whilst I studied the Alexander Technique and martial arts was how to stand in a comfortable way that ensured that your spine and neck were not compressed.</p>
<p>When the neck and spine is compressed, it puts immense pressure on the body and especially the torso. The body becomes heavy and difficult to move. The torso slumps and if not checked over a period of time, people could develop a hunch.</p>
<p>People’s perception changes when they see a slumped body or a compressed torso. It gives out the wrong signals to the other person. A lot of self confidence issues come up in people.</p>
<p>The warriors cloud is a simple visualisation exercise which allows you to stand and move upright keep the centre of gravity balanced in the body.</p>
<h2>How to do it?</h2>
<p>Stand with your feet as broad as your shoulders. You must be careful that the feet aren’t too wide. We usually think our shoulders are broader than they actually are. So be carefully.</p>
<p>Keep the back straight. In one of the previous entries, I did describe how to ensure a neutral spine. Now visualize that a cloud is touching the top of your head (your crown). Get to know the cloud. I tell the participants in my workshops to name the cloud and develop a relationship with the cloud. So please name your cloud. You have to ensure that the crown of your head is ALWAYS touching the cloud. If there is a gap between the head and the cloud, you may be compressing your spine. Keep this AWARENESS at all times.</p>
<p>When the spine is neutral and your back straight, you will find yourself in a more comfortable posture and stance. You will be more confident – all ingredients of a Warrior.</p>
<p>#warriorsjourney, #syngrity, #conversations</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.syngrity.com/the-warriors-cloud/">The Warriors Cloud </a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.syngrity.com">Syngrity Transformation Solutions</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.syngrity.com/the-warriors-cloud/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Intra Leadership</title>
		<link>https://www.syngrity.com/intra-leadership/</link>
					<comments>https://www.syngrity.com/intra-leadership/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Vipin Kumar Tanwar]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 08 Sep 2017 11:27:52 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Warrior's Path]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[conversations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[syngrity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[warriorsjourney]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.syngrity.com/new/?p=1986</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>In today’s multicultural an dynamic environment which gives the “never before” opportunity to people to grow at an unfathomable pace,</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.syngrity.com/intra-leadership/">Intra Leadership</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.syngrity.com">Syngrity Transformation Solutions</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="wpb-content-wrapper"><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper">
	<div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
		<div class="wpb_wrapper">
			<p><img decoding="async" class="alignright size-full wp-image-1990" src="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Intra-leadership.jpg" alt="" width="225" srcset="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Intra-leadership.jpg 1000w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Intra-leadership-225x300.jpg 225w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Intra-leadership-768x1024.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" />In today’s multicultural an dynamic environment which gives the “never before” opportunity to people to grow at an unfathomable pace, it is important to be leaders much before your designation says so. Leadership is the ability to lead successfully, a group or groups of people towards a common vision. While there are many schools of leadership which address leadership to enable smooth workings in a team, they all constitute the space of Inter Leadership.</p>

		</div>
	</div>
</div></div></div></div><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper">
	<div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
		<div class="wpb_wrapper">
			<h2>What is it?</h2>
<p>Intra-leadership is about a journey of reintroductions. Intra-leadership is leadership of the inner self. In the fast-paced life that we lead, we tend to forget the very essence of what makes us uniquely “us”. Our minds are clouded by thoughts like “what to do”, “how do I earn more”, “why does he have more” etc. When the mind is clouded with this inner banter, the subconscious mind starts short-circuiting. The subconscious mind is not used to processing negative information. It functions best when there are positive affirmations and thinking.</p>

		</div>
	</div>
</div></div></div></div><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper">
	<div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
		<div class="wpb_wrapper">
			<h2>Why is it important?</h2>
<p>The human body is a very complex design of interconnected patterns, which may be physical or emotional. Both states are so intrinsically connected that a change in one will cause an effect on the other. For example, when you are feeling angry, bring your awareness to your thumbs. What is happening to them? They are tightening. When the thumbs tighten, so do your wrists, elbow, collar, scapula and the lower back. It’s like a domino effect. When you are experiencing the emotion of anger, your body automatically starts behaving in this way. If you do not change the physical state, the anger will not dissipate. As soon as you start relaxing the thumbs, the rest of the body will also start relaxing. By the time your lower back relaxes, the emotion, which was gripping you so hard, almost literally, also relaxes. This is the interconnectedness power of the human body.</p>
<p>Persian poet, mystic and theologian Jalaludin Rumi said, “If you want to change the way you think, change your posture”. He was right. As our bodies succumb to habitual patterns, the ability to think also starts aligning with them. Notice yourself when you are at home and work. Notice the way you walk, sit, stand, or lie down. Notice the way you hold the spoon and fork. It is usually never different from the previous time. All these are habits that a person forms over a period of time. If you start walking differently (at a different pace, for example), notice the shift in your thinking pattern. If you start walking faster, the brain activity increases, there is excitement; it is not your normal state of being. Notice yourself at that pace how and what you are thinking. If you slow down to half your natural pace and rhythm, notice how your body starts behaving. Notice how your mind starts playing games on you. Add to that the fact that because we live in a fast-paced world, our bodies and minds are not used to slowing down. We have moved away from stillness and silence. As you walk slower and slower, your mind will start sending SOS signals to the body asking it to get its act together and to increase the pace. If you give in to the struggle between the mind and the body, the mind wins. If you want to give the mind a taste of its own medicine, don’t increase your pace. After some emotive struggle, you will begin to realize how peaceful life can be at a slower pace and the clarity that this pace brings you.<br />
Likewise change your posture while you are sitting and writing something or eating a meal and feel. Do not analyze. Just feel.</p>

		</div>
	</div>
</div></div></div></div><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper">
	<div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
		<div class="wpb_wrapper">
			<h2>How?</h2>
<p>One can work with the synchronicity of the mind and the body via body emotive sciences based on, among other things, the Alexander Technique and martial studies, music sciences, like guided imagery and music, and holistic studies. Alexander Technique is a theatrical concept created by a Tasmanian actor called F.M. Alexander, which realigns breathing with the muscles. Alexander studied the body in depth and realized that due to habits formed since childhood, the body tends to fall into patterns which restricts smooth flow of the breath leading to restricted and constricted muscle movement. Through one-on-one and slow interventions, the Alexander technique teacher will help you to become aware of these habitual patterns and create a learning space to correct them hence taking away unwanted physical stress.</p>
<p>Also the use of music helps a lot in finding the inner rhythm and also the rhythm within groups of people working together. Drum circles are a great way of understanding that discipline and creative freedom are both important to be able to create magic. When 20 or 200 people fall in sync with each other, playing one rhythm, it creates magic.</p>

		</div>
	</div>
</div></div></div></div><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper">
	<div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
		<div class="wpb_wrapper">
			<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>These activities are all a part of body emotive sciences that are entirely experiential in nature. The activity is processed in silence and inferences drawn out. They complete the whole process of learning. While techniques and skills can be learned through cognitive interventions, experiential techniques make the learning whole and complete. A full circle.</p>

		</div>
	</div>
</div></div></div></div>
</div><p>The post <a href="https://www.syngrity.com/intra-leadership/">Intra Leadership</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.syngrity.com">Syngrity Transformation Solutions</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.syngrity.com/intra-leadership/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Leadership, travel and the inner world</title>
		<link>https://www.syngrity.com/leadership-travel-and-the-inner-world/</link>
					<comments>https://www.syngrity.com/leadership-travel-and-the-inner-world/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Vipin Kumar Tanwar]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 07 Sep 2017 11:23:57 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Warrior's Path]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[conversations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[syngrity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[warriorsjourney]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.syngrity.com/new/?p=1983</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>The last few years have been very exciting; with all the travel and adventure and experiences. </p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.syngrity.com/leadership-travel-and-the-inner-world/">Leadership, travel and the inner world</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.syngrity.com">Syngrity Transformation Solutions</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The last few years have been very exciting; with all the travel and adventure and experiences. Whether it was rafting various rivers across India, Nepal, Zimbabwe or Austria or going on a 5000 kms drive through the silk route in Central Asia; each journey or trip has been an eye opener and a heart awakener. It has made me re-realize the enormity of what we call nature, the power that land and water and air have and how it is important and almost inevitable to be humble when you head out in the extremes. Another deep learning has been to understand how teams should be.</p>
<p>I like to travel into the wild to spend time with myself and also to regain my focus on things that are important, personally and also work wise. One of the “side-effects” of following the Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey is that the difference between the “ordinary world” and the “special world” diminishes or dulls. Every time I have returned from the wild, my mind has been full of ideas to execute. Whilst I was following Campbell’s 12-step monomyth, it also has a lot to do with being in isolated places where very few human beings have been. The quiet and the stillness amongst the raging waters, while rafting rivers, or the expansive desolate spaces in Central Asia pushes your mind to settle and your heart to awaken. The ego is slowly pushed out, the demarcation between the person and the persona increases and perspectives become clearer and it leaves a sense of stillness and silence – both, the highest forms of movement and communication, respectively.</p>
<p>As an experiential educator and leadership facilitator I have had the privilege of addressing and sitting through countless trainings that talk about teamwork. A lot of them have been very valid and give a deeper understanding of the group dynamics whilst others have been a lot of jibber jabber.</p>
<p>One of the basic rules of adventure travel is to trust the people you are travelling with. There is no “I”, only “Us”. Your team members are the ones who come to your rescue if you fall into a rapid on one of the fiercest rivers in the world, or tear your shoulder and forearm ligament in 24 hours, in Africa, or if your legs stop moving and you cant breathe due to Altitude Mountain Sickness (AMS) at 14000 ft. above sea level in an extremely inhospitable terrain in Central Asia. They don’t desert you. They are the ones who take care of you. While I was in Central Asia in the middle of the Pamir mountains, I fell sick. I couldn’t move and I couldn’t breathe. I had forgotten to eat the medicine for AMS before I left. My team massaged my legs to get the blood running again after giving me emergency medicine. While I was rafting the Zambezi river in Zimbabwe, I tore my first shoulder ligament in the first 20 minutes of being on the river. My team members helped me manage the pain. When I tore the second ligament on day 2, my team members were there again. I wouldn’t have managed to complete the whole rafting section without them.</p>
<p>Another learning that has been engrained is to “Trust your leader, your guide, your expedition head”. Without them, your experience will be rudely cut short. They are the experts at what they do and putting your trust in them will only make the journey and the adventure worth its while. They are the guides for a particular reason. I have noticed something about the many guides I have travelled or worked with. They don’t show off. They don’t dominate their team. They don’t shout. They allow you spaces where the experience is manifested into beautiful memories. They are calm. They don’t panic. They are your pillars. They inspire.</p>
<p>There is no space for ego in the wilderness. As soon as ego starts playing havoc in the head, you will falter and when you are in the outdoors, every fault could be fatal. When the ego disappears or fades away, it gives clarity; clarity to say NO. I have seen a lot of macho men and women who, because they cant say a no, end up suffering and hurting themselves. As a traveller, you need to know your boundaries, your fitness levels, your commitment and your abilities. And sometimes it is wiser to say No and back out.</p>
<p>Talking about inspiration, I attended a talk a couple of years back called Leadership – the Shackleton way. Ernest Shackelton was an Irish sailor who made three trips to Antarctica. In 1914, his third trip was on a ship called “Endurance” planning to cross Antarctica via the South Pole. Early in 1915, ‘Endurance’ became trapped in the ice, and ten months later sank. Shackleton’s crew had already abandoned the ship to live on the floating ice. In April 1916, they set off in three small boats, eventually reaching Elephant Island. Taking five crew members, Shackleton went to find help. In a small boat, the six men spent 16 days crossing 1,300 km of ocean to reach South Georgia and then trekked across the island to a whaling station. The remaining men from the ‘Endurance’ were rescued in August 1916. Not one member of the expedition died.</p>
<p>When I attended this talk, I got intrigued and inspired. Also the speaker, in his late 60’s or early 70’s had returned from Antarctica. I was thrilled. Plus all the questions: You don’t want to be stranded in Antarctica. Especially in 1915 when the facilities to remain warm were far lesser than what we have now. How did he manage it? Why did his team trust him? Did the six crew members desert the others? All these questions have been answered in “South” – an account of Shackleton’s Endurance expedition. This story motivated me start planning my own Antarctica trip, hopefully in 2019. It is an expensive affair and requires a lot of preparation. I guess, we all need to find the Shackleton within ourselves. And we push our boundaries to find our own inner Hero, all over again.</p>
<p>&nbsp;<br />
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" style="border-radius: 100%; margin-top: 5px;" src="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Vikram-img-2.jpg" alt="" width="100" height="100" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-5022" srcset="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Vikram-img-2.jpg 216w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Vikram-img-2-150x150.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 100px) 100vw, 100px" /><b><i>Vikram Badhwar, CEO, <a href="https://www.syngrity.com/">Syngrity</a>, is a communications coach, an experiential educator, and an artist trying to bridge the gap between the creative and the analytical side of our brain. He consults global teams in the space of learning behavioural patterns and implementing new techniques to reach Max Q potential.</i></b></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.syngrity.com/leadership-travel-and-the-inner-world/">Leadership, travel and the inner world</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.syngrity.com">Syngrity Transformation Solutions</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.syngrity.com/leadership-travel-and-the-inner-world/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Posture – Own your space</title>
		<link>https://www.syngrity.com/posture-own-your-space/</link>
					<comments>https://www.syngrity.com/posture-own-your-space/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Vipin Kumar Tanwar]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 05 Sep 2017 11:16:31 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Warrior's Path]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[conversations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[syngrity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[warriorsjourney]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.syngrity.com/new/?p=1979</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>As a part of my work, we end up working with senior management in the space of executive and leadership presence. I would skip my reservations in the usage of this verbiage</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.syngrity.com/posture-own-your-space/">Posture – Own your space</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.syngrity.com">Syngrity Transformation Solutions</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="wpb-content-wrapper"><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper"><div class="standard-arrow bullet-top"><p>As a part of my work, we end up working with senior management in the space of executive and leadership presence. I would skip my reservations in the usage of this verbiage but the following are the various aspects that I end up demonstrating and speaking on:</p>
<ul>
<li>Posture</li>
<li>Suspension of the spine</li>
<li>Not leading with the chin</li>
</ul>
</div><div class="vc_empty_space"   style="height: 20px"><span class="vc_empty_space_inner"></span></div></div></div></div></div><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper">
	<div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
		<div class="wpb_wrapper">
			<p>A lot of people feel that thrusting their chest out and throwing their shoulders back is “straight” or “confident”. A lot of people, mostly without even realising, feel in power or in a position of authority, when their chin is raised.</p>
<p>These are detrimental to your health and well being.</p>

		</div>
	</div>
</div></div></div></div><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper">
	<div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
		<div class="wpb_wrapper">
			<p><b>1.</b> A good posture involves having a relaxed appearance and a relaxed/ neutral spine. A good way to determine your posture is to stand with your feet not too wide but as wide as your shoulders. Allow your arms to rest comfortably by your side. For some, it may feel that having the arms rest comfortably on the side appears as slouching. Remember your body is not slouching till it is slouching. You have to notice the three natural curves: a small hollow curve at the base of the neck, a small rounded-ness in the middle of the back and a small hollow curve at the base of the back. This is the neutral spine. Another good exercise to align your posture is to stand with your feet together, an inch away from a wall. Slowly move your back closer to the wall. If your shoulders or your buttocks are touching the wall together, your posture is aligned. If it is not, you would need to make adjustments. Use a mirror to observe yourself. Remember, the human body has memories besides the one in the brain. You should start talking to your body. The body listens, always!</p>

		</div>
	</div>
</div></div></div></div><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper">
	<div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
		<div class="wpb_wrapper">
			<p><b>2.</b> Leading with the chin looks stupid. It looks like someone is pulling you by the chin and giving you a false sense of power. A lot of people, especially, in the corporate sector, as they start growing, automatically start pushing their chin up. They may want to show authority, power, flaunt their designation but all it does is make you look like a twisted and contorted wannabe. A good way of correcting this anomaly is to stand and putting your hand on the bridge of the nose, creating a 90 degree right angle. Your chin is straight and aligned when you are able to look up 45 degrees without moving your neck. This bifurcation of the right angle is important. If you need to look further up is when you move your neck. But always come back to the bifurcated angle to realign your vision. You may feel, when you practice this, that you are looking down. You aren’t. Practice this for 3 days and it should get into your muscle memory.</p>

		</div>
	</div>
</div></div></div></div><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper">
	<div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
		<div class="wpb_wrapper">
			<p><b>3.</b> Suspension of the spine: You may not notice it always but a lot of us end up contracting our torso. It could be because of physical, mental or emotional fatigue. Over a period of time, the torso contracts and doesn’t understand straightening up. Besides the horrible physical symptoms that a contorted torso brings, it also kills your presence. A lot of confidence issues creep in, as I have noticed, over an extended period of time. Peoples responses to you may deteriorate, your communication may seem ineffective. Whilst your verbal communication is dependent on what you are saying, there is a lot happening by the way you present yourself. 12 years back as I was doing a course in the Alexander technique, my teacher told me to walk as if the clouds are touching my crown (top of the head). As I practiced that day in and day out, i realized that i suddenly started appearing LARGER, to myself. My presence was becoming larger, peoples responses to me became more inviting. This largeness was not intimidating, neither for me nor my audience or the people i was interacting with.</p>

		</div>
	</div>
</div></div></div></div><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper">
	<div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
		<div class="wpb_wrapper">
			<p>You will need to practice, practice and practice. There are no short cuts. There are no tricks and techniques. Knowledge needs to percolate into the body for it to become a reality. This finding is corroborated by Miyamoto Musashi’s “Book of Five Rings” – each principle is followed by the advice to “investigate this thoroughly” through practice rather than trying to learn by merely reading.</p>

		</div>
	</div>
</div></div></div></div><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper">
	<div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element  vc_custom_1729156682214" >
		<div class="wpb_wrapper">
			<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-5022" style="border-radius: 100%; margin-top: 5px;" src="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Vikram-img-2.jpg" alt="" width="100" height="100" srcset="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Vikram-img-2.jpg 216w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Vikram-img-2-150x150.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 100px) 100vw, 100px" /><b><i>Vikram Badhwar, CEO, <a href="https://www.syngrity.com/">Syngrity</a>, is a communications coach, an experiential educator, and an artist trying to bridge the gap between the creative and the analytical side of our brain. He consults individuals and teams in the space of learning &amp; development to enable transformations at a personal, professional and organizational level.</i></b></p>

		</div>
	</div>
</div></div></div></div>
</div><p>The post <a href="https://www.syngrity.com/posture-own-your-space/">Posture – Own your space</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.syngrity.com">Syngrity Transformation Solutions</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.syngrity.com/posture-own-your-space/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Awareness &#8211; Warrior’s best friend</title>
		<link>https://www.syngrity.com/awareness-warriors-best-friend/</link>
					<comments>https://www.syngrity.com/awareness-warriors-best-friend/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Vipin Kumar Tanwar]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 03 Sep 2017 10:46:43 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Warrior's Path]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[conversations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[syngrity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[warriorsjourney]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.syngrity.com/new/?p=1969</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Awareness is one of the continuous tasks that a warrior commits to. Awareness is to be conscious of a situation or a fact.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.syngrity.com/awareness-warriors-best-friend/">Awareness &#8211; Warrior’s best friend</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.syngrity.com">Syngrity Transformation Solutions</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Awareness is one of the continuous tasks that a warrior commits to. Awareness is to be conscious of a situation or a fact. It is about being perceptive or conscious of how you are, how you feel, how you move; all in the NOW. It is the space of knowing, not necessarily doing.</p>
<p>A lot of times, people commit to being in auto pilot. It’s like taking the same route to work everyday. Once you know the route inside out, the common thing to do is to put the mind into auto pilot. It’s a comfort space.</p>
<p>By being in auto pilot, we also enter the space of complacency because ‘it works’. The space to reflect and improve is no longer an open space. Unless we break out of the auto pilot mode and work on being aware, it may be difficult to get out of the constructs of our own mind. Lack of awareness makes patterns that much more difficult to change later.</p>
<p>Awareness of how you are breathing, how equally your weight is displaced on your feet and how is your spine is, are examples of body awareness or body schema.</p>
<p>Being aware of yourself In a given space is spatial awareness. It is an organised knowledge of objects in relation to yourself in a given space, moving or not.</p>
<p>Being aware of how you are feeling and how it is affecting your muscle movement is body-emotive awareness.</p>
<p>These are a few examples.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 35px;"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-5022" style="border-radius: 100%; margin-top: 5px;" src="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Vikram-img-2.jpg" alt="" width="100" height="100" srcset="https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Vikram-img-2.jpg 216w, https://www.syngrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Vikram-img-2-150x150.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 100px) 100vw, 100px" /><b><i>Vikram Badhwar, CEO, <a href="https://www.syngrity.com/">Syngrity</a>, is a communications coach, an experiential educator, and an artist trying to bridge the gap between the creative and the analytical side of our brain. He consults individuals and teams in the space of learning &#038; development to enable transformations at a personal, professional and organizational level.</i></b></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.syngrity.com/awareness-warriors-best-friend/">Awareness &#8211; Warrior’s best friend</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.syngrity.com">Syngrity Transformation Solutions</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.syngrity.com/awareness-warriors-best-friend/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
	</channel>
</rss>
