I’d like to take a moment to talk about the power of slowing down. I’ve learned that pausing isn’t just about taking a break – it’s a way to notice the assumptions, biases, and stories that shape how we think and act. In corporate settings, this is invaluable. When we slow down, we’re better able to respond thoughtfully in meetings, make decisions without jumping to conclusions, and navigate complex conversations with clarity rather than reacting impulsively.

I’ve found that even discomfort and anger have something to reveal when we take the time to observe them. For those of us who ‘never get angry’ or squash down feelings of discomfort, here’s a thought: moving past these feelings too quickly often means missing the clarity they offer! In the workplace, this awareness allows us to understand our own reactions during conflicts or high-stakes discussions, and to then respond in a constructive, authentic way that strengthens collaboration and trust.

Slowing down also strengthens emotional intelligence and leadership. Taking the time to notice subtle cues – tone of voice, body language, or even hesitation in others – helps leaders understand team dynamics more clearly. This awareness allows for more effective coaching, mediation of tensions and thoughtful guidance, which in turn fosters trust and stronger, more resilient teams.

Then there is the physical dimension. In a personal example, I’ve managed a long-standing tennis elbow issue simply by slowing down, paying attention to pain and movement, and adjusting accordingly. This type of awareness helps maintain optimal physical function, which naturally supports better performance and sustained energy at work.

Another crucial aspect is the breath. Slowing down the breath activates the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing stress and releasing tension in the chest, neck, and jaw. For anyone who communicates frequently – presentations, client calls, or team discussions – this practice improves projection, clarity, and confidence. Speaking from a relaxed, centered place makes communication not just easier, but more persuasive and impactful.

Importantly, slowing down doesn’t mean being sluggish. It expands time and space, giving us the calm focus needed to act with precision and agility. It’s not about doing less – it’s about doing more, smarter, and with greater clarity. In every aspect of work, from decision-making to communication to physical awareness, slowing down is a skill set that allows us to operate at our best.

Reach out to us at syngrity@syngrity.com to know how we can empower your Leaders with the skills required to slow down, be mindful and in the present.

Shena Gamat is a theatre practitioner, voice artist, and trainer with over two decades of experience in performance and facilitation. Her background spans film, international theatre tours, and voice work for Discovery Channel India, audiobooks, ad films and corporate films. She has trained senior leadership teams at Standard Chartered (UK), conducted movement-based workshops across India, and run communication and presence training for both corporate and grassroots groups. Her sessions combine theatre tools, voice work, movement, and story structure to help participants connect to their own presence and communicate with clarity and confidence. Shena co-founded Barefoot, a company focussing on original theatre, and has directed several performances supported by India Foundation for the Arts. Most recently, she is the founder of It’s All Good, a platform that curates immersive micro-festivals and workshops focused on joy, well-being, and creative community engagement. She is currently associated as a Master Facilitator with Syngrity.

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In today’s fast-paced world, our modern lifestyle often conflicts with how our bodies are designed to function. Historically, the human body is designed for survival in extreme conditions with the innate ability to heal itself from within. The body is meant for movement; leaping over boulders, climbing trees, running away from predators, running after prey and so on. Modern living is not compatible with the proper functioning of the body as intended by nature. We are most definitely not designed to sit on a chair for long periods of time, ingest vast amounts of processed sugars and additives, have our eyes be impaired through the constant usage of screens and blue light etc.

To address this conflicting state of being, I designed Internal Alchemy – a holistic wellness intervention program based on an amalgamation of very ancient healing methodologies with modern scientific assumptions that the very core foundations of Nature are defined through variations of energy, vibration and frequency. The objective of Internal Alchemy is to break the bad habits that your body has accumulated over a period of time and remold you back to your natural state of balance and wellness.

About Internal Alchemy

At the heart of the Internal Alchemy Program lies the understanding that energy, vibration, and frequency are the foundational building blocks of nature. These principles form the core of ancient healing practices and align with the belief that our bodies have an innate ability to heal itself. The program should be seen as a journey that helps you reconnect with your body’s natural rhythms, alleviate stress, and boost mental clarity—all essential for thriving in today’s demanding workplace.

The program draws from centuries-old practices like Tai Chi, Bagua Zhang, and Hsing Yi Chuan to help you harness the 8 levels of internal energy (Chi, Prana, or Bio-Electricity) in your body and restore balance to the five elements that constitute the body – Fire, Water, Earth, Wood and Metal.

Focus Areas

The program targets and addresses your Body’s vital energy system known to Medical Science as the “Primo-Vascular” System. The training will teach you to firstly stop the dissipation of this vital energy that occurs due to various factors like stress and bad living and to eventually be able to harness 8 levels of internal energy and realign the 5 elements that make up the physical constituents of the body – Metal, Water, Wood, Fire & Earth.

Key benefits of the program include:

• Boosting your immune system
• Enhancing overall flexibility and body coordination
• Reducing stress and anxiety
• Improving concentration, memory, and willpower
• Rejuvenating your body, mind, and spirit
• Optimizing heart and brain functions
• Improving sleep quality

The program is divided into four parts, and the methods used are the best (once secret) very ancient practices from China’s Wudan Shan Mountains which are the home of Taoism and are directly derived from Tai Chi Chuan, Bagua Zhang, Hsing Yi Chuan and Bamboo Forest Temple Praying Mantis.

1) The Physical

The following exercises will be taught, all of which engage in the massage of the internal organs and work the Body’s Energy Primo-Vascular (‘Chi’) system:

• Hiding the Flower under the Leaf: This is a unique method from Bagua (also sometimes referred to as Taoist Yoga) and works directly on massaging the internal organs in the body’s trunk area and engages the spine.
• Serving Teacups: This is another unique method from Bagua that works directly on the spine.
• Grasp Sparrows Tail: This method is from Tai Chi and works on removing stagnations in the flow of energy.
• Wave Hands in Clouds: This method is from Tai Chi and works on the energetics of the organs that are around the midsection of the body.
• “Baat Sik”: This is a method from the Praying Mantis system and works on regulating the body’s energy flow and essentially ‘squeezes’ stagnant energy out.
• 5 Elements play: This method is derived from Hsing-Yi Chuan and realigns the 5 constituent elements found our bodies, these being Metal (connected to and enhances the Lungs), Water (connected to and enhances the Kidneys), Wood (connected to and enhances the Liver), Fire (connected to and enhances the Heart) and Earth (connected to and enhances the Spleen). A very simple physiological analogy of the elements would be Bile/ stomach acid (Fire), the Iron and Zinc in the body (Metal), the carbon present in the body (Earth) and so on.

Even if you remember just two of the above and work on them, you will garner immense benefit as these are the core methods found in the Chinese Internal Arts.

2) Emotional Intelligence

The program will also enhance and unify certain emotional criteria as appropriate to a Corporate Environment. The usage of Animal based archetypes will be presented, these being the Tiger, The Crane and The Monkey. The animal archetypes have a direct correlation to various emotive states and work in regulating and controlling them.

3) Mindfulness and Meditation

You will also learn to take your mind to an Alpha state which changes the energetic frequency of a human to a resonance of 7.83 HZ (which is the vibration frequency of the Earth’s Magnetic field, known as the Schumann Resonance).

• Handling the Monkey Mind: This meditation will teach you to have a razor-sharp focus.
• Happiness Meditation: This will teach you to create goals and to achieve them to fruition.
• Memory Palace: This will teach you to enhance and recall material at a moment’s notice.
• “Drumming”: This is a unique method of accessing the subconscious mind directly through the Triune Brain (the Brain Stem) by direct manipulation of certain acupuncture points. The method will help you to imprint knowledge directly into your subconscious mind and also the way of retrieving it.

4) Cathartic release

Here you will learn to release stress and anxieties that you may be currently experiencing and this will be accomplished by the sharing of a few self-healing methods through the manipulation of various Acupuncture points

The Internal Alchemy Program thus teaches you how to move your body in ways that stimulate your internal organs, release stagnant energy, and enhance mindfulness. Whether you are looking to increase emotional intelligence, sharpen your focus, or improve your physical well-being, this program addresses multiple layers of personal development. The exercises are easy to incorporate into your daily routine, can be practiced by anyone at any age and help you achieve long-term wellness even amidst your busy schedule.

Remember, prioritizing your wellness isn’t just a personal responsibility—it’s essential for your professional success. When you feel good physically and mentally you are more productive, creative, and capable of handling the pressures of the workplace.

Reach out to us to transform you / your team’s approach to well-being and create a more balanced, harmonious work life by harnessing your natural energy, boosting productivity, and cultivating resilience.

Your wellness is worth it. Let’s start the journey together! To know more visit our webpage at https://www.syngrity.com/internal-alchemy/

Yasser started his journey in martial arts in the Korean system of Tae Kwon Do almost 43 years ago at the age of 10. In the ensuing years he has travelled extensively to Hong Kong, Singapore, U.K. and India to study under the tutelage of many top Masters. He holds Black Belts in Tae Kwon Do and Hakko Ryu Jujitsu and has studied two of the “Three Crown Jewels” of Internal Chinese Kung Fu: Old Frame Yang Taiji and Bagua to a high level.He also holds the 6th Generation direct lineage in a version of Hakka Southern Praying Mantis Kung Fu called “K.S. Hsiung Thong Long Quet Tsot” and is an 8th Generation practitioner of Lam Hung Pak Mei (White Eyebrow)Kung Fu.A senior level Compliance and Risk professional in the Field of Banking and Finance for the past 27 years, Yasser has been instrumental in driving the business strategy and the inception of key business areas throughout his career as a “C” level executive. He is the Founder and CEO of a Tech Software Firm that digitizes key elements of the Islamic and Conventional Banking industry using Gen AI.

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Anger is a signal worth listening to.
Anger can motivate one to say no to the ways in which one is being defined by others and yes to the dictates of the inner self.
Anger is neither legitimate or illegitimate, meaningful, or pointless!
Anger simply is!
If feeling angry signals a problem, venting anger does not solve it.
Venting anger may serve to maintain, and even rigidify, the old rules and patterns in a relationship, thus ensuring that change does not occur.
The nice syndrome is to avoid anger and conflict at all costs.
The bad syndrome is to get angry with ease, but to participate in ineffective fighting, complaining, and blaming others that lead to no constructive solution.
Learn to tune in to the true source of anger and clarify where one stands.
Learn communication skills
Learn to observe and interrupt unproductive patterns of interaction.
Learn to anticipate and deal with countermoves or change back reactions from others.
Learn response-ability.

ANGER KEYS

Fighting and blaming is sometimes a way both to protest and to protect the status-quo when we are not ready to make a move in one direction or another.
Our job is to keep clear about our own position in the face of a countermove – not to prevent it from happening or to tell the other person that he or she should not be reacting that way.
“Nothing wrong with wanting to change someone else. The problem is that it usually never works!”
Independence means that we clearly define ourselves on emotionally/ other important issues, but it does not mean emotional distance or cutting off.
It is not just anger or fighting that we learn to fear, we avoid asking precise questions and making clear statements when we unconsciously suspect that doing so would expose our differences, make the other person/s feel uncomfortable, and leave us standing alone.
When we do not put our primary emotional energy into solving our own problems, we take on other people’s problems as our own.

TRIANGLES OR MORE

We reduce anxiety in one relationship by focusing on a third party or more, who/ whom we unconsciously pull into the situation to lower the emotional intensity in the original pair.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Begin to observe your characteristic style of managing anger.
The following can be used as a general guide:

1) PURSUERS

• React to anxiety by seeking greater togetherness in a situation.
• Place a high value on talking things out and expressing feelings, and believe others should do the same.
• Feel rejected, hurt, and take it personally when someone close to them wants more time and space alone in coming to terms with the problem/ situation.
• Tend to pursue harder and then coldly withdraw when an important person seeks distance.
• Negatively label themselves as too dependent or too demanding.
• Tend to label others as those who cannot handle feelings and closeness.

2) DISTANCERS

• Seek emotional distance or physical space when stress is high.
• Consider themselves to be self-reliant and not need help types.
• Have difficulty in showing their needy, vulnerable, and dependent sides.
• Manage anxiety in personal relationships by intensifying work-related projects.
• May cut off an interaction totally when things get out of hand rather than seeing the possibilities in it for resolution.
• Open up more freely when they feel they are not pushed or pursued.

3) UNDERFUNCTIONERS

• Tend to have several areas where they just cannot get organized.
• Become less competent under stress, thus inviting others to take over.
• Tend to develop physical or emotional symptoms when stress is high in either the personal or the work front.
• Have difficulty in showing their strong, competent side to others.

4) OVERFUNCTIONERS

• Know what is best not only for themselves but for others as well.
• Move in quickly to advise, rescue, and take over when stress hits.
• Have difficulty staying out and allowing others to struggle with their problems.
• Avoid worrying about their own personal goals and problems by focusing on others.
• Have difficulty in sharing their own vulnerable, under functioning side.

5) BLAMERS

• Respond to anxiety with emotional intensity and fighting.
• Have a short fuse.
• Expend high levels of energy trying to change someone who does not want to change.
• Engage in repetitive cycles of fighting that relieve tension but perpetuate the old pattern.
• Hold the other responsible for one’s own feelings and actions.
• See others as the sole obstacle for making changes.

DEALING WITH ANGER

Do speak up when an issue is important to you.
Do not strike while the iron is hot.

Do take time out to think about the problem and to clarify your position.
Do not use below the belt tactics.

Do speak in terms of “I”.
Do not make vague requests.

Do try and appreciate the fact that people are different.
Do not participate in ineffectual arguments that go nowhere.

Do recognize that each person is responsible for his or her own behavior.
Do not tell another person what she or he thinks or feels or should think or feel.

Do try to avoid speaking through a third party.
Do not expect change to come about from ‘hot- and- run’ confrontations.

Do tell the person you are angry with.
Do not try to play games of telling secrets or gossip.

Do tell the hierarchy about your anger, while going through the proper channels, and being open about it.
Do not become the third party in someone else’s triangle.

Rashid Ansari is a practitioner and teacher of performing arts, martial arts and various mind-body Wellness integrated disciplines for over 45 years. He is an international master instructor in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean martial arts as well as a contemporary and modern dance instructor and choreographer and has delved deeply into Physical Theatre and Theatre Movement. Rashid is associated with Syngrity as a Master Facilitator and conducts our signature wellness program for stress management – Kokoro

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Source for AQI: https://app.cpcbccr.com/AQI_India/

The air is cleaner, for sure.

I was walking my dogs on a 50 meter stretch of road just outside my house, at night, two days back. There is a tree just next to a street light at the end of the lane. For the last 4-5 years, I have observed these tiny particles in the air that become visible with the street light. Sometimes these particulate matter is so dense that the leaves of the tree appeared hazy. Not any more. In Delhi, the AQI levels are ranging from 70 – 120 past these days. As I write this, the AQI is 67. Living in Delhi, these numbers almost sound unreal. We are used to the range of 250 – 999. Plus there is no construction and there is less/no traffic.

Birds in my neighbourhood.

I wake up to the constant chattering of the birds.

From my balcony, you can observe various species of birds like the Black Drongo, Pigeons, Common Mynahs, Pariah Kites, tones of Rose Ringed Parrots, Indian Rollers, Laughing Doves, Koels and an occasional Shikra. It’s such a pleasure to wake up to this chitter chatter. With all the infrasouds in the atmosphere and human involvement, one hardly gets to hear a cacophony of birds, any more. Try identifying the bird calls that you can hear.

Dolphins in Mumbai. Photo Courtesy: The internet

The animals are out.

Whilst my two beagles can’t get over the fact that I am at home, all the time, the dolphins have returned in Mumbai waters, the swans returned in Italy, the Neelgai is seen in Noida; sometimes I feel that they are thanking us for remaining inside so they can roam around freely. The waters are cleaner for the fish to swim. There is lesser pollution everywhere and animals are just rejoicing. They seem the happiest. The cats are a different story.

5 stages of grief during a pandemic. Photo Courtesy: Syngrity

David Kessler, author of The sixth stage of grief, adds another stage of grief; finding meaning in all the grief. He also explains anticipatory grief.

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