Center to Be
training course
1. - 10. July 2022 in Italy
We came together to be, move, play, observe, listen, share, explore, experiment, challenge ourselves,
learn from within and from each other, get to know new people & ways & attitudes,
and create this experience together.
Center to Be was an 8-day training course which aimed to introduce and explore principles of “Mindfulness” and experiment with practical and fun tools and techniques that can be readily used in daily life, creative work and in the other situations and places too. Training own awareness, acceptance and sense of presence can improve the quality of our days and the things we do. We will learn how to be present and to tune and respond properly to the needs of the diverse people and situations we are working with.
Few words from participants
In the beginning of July, I participated a 10 days Erasmus+ training course called Center To Be in Valpore, in the middle of Italien mountains. In the past, i have participated few other training courses or youth exchanges, but this one was somewhat different. The main topic of the training course Center to be, was mindfulness. This simple word might reffer to something well known, however, in the past, i haven´t met many people practicing it, and especially in nowadays fast-lifestyle, ordinary days overwhelmed by work, stress, worries and difficulties - this mindfulness training course had offered ways, how to calm down, how to feel little moments in the daily life, how to stop, and understand the surroundings using all sences, how to connect deeply with people around us, using conversation, or no words as well, being blind, having open eyes, using our hands, ears, touches, dance, voices, creativity, spirituality, opening our inner child energy, feeling freedom, feeling or listening no judgements, behaving our true perspective, soul, being naked in the woods and being apart of nature. Waking up at 4 o clock in the morning in order to climb up the hill to see and feel the sunrise. Staying in the mountains up to darkness and obserwing how all the living organizms on the planet- on the ground, under ground, on the sky, are preparing for the night. I have realized my potencial, which was hidden under my own fears, being afraid about what the other people say, or that some behavior is not common in a society. During the course, when challenging our own limits and getting far faaar behind the limits and the limits of my racional understanding as well, we have created something uncommon, which will stay in memories. One of the activities, which we enjoyed, was playfight. We have been playfighting with our buddies, connecting our boddies, expressing our current feeling, expressing our emotions, power, vulnerability, dominance, submisivity, tolerance, being close to each other, respecting each other, believing our opponent - playfighter. It was interesting to realize how fast you can connect to the other participants, creating friendship and safe place to do all the activities and feel all the emotions mentioned above...
To read the full article please continue here.
Lukas, Czech Republic
Into the woods we went,
With bulls and monkeys we played.
Into the mother womb we dived,
Trees we hugged and trees we became.
Into the deep of the forest we lost our lies,
Where our true selves came to be.
And
With others hearts we merged,
Into a dance of chopping, biting, life and fuego!
With others smiles we laughed,
Between a pincel and a mosquito.
With others eyes we saw,
Deep inside ourselves and others, love.
And
There I found a place to rest, in arms to easily fall sleep on and be hugged from,
There my belly was warm from so much love and care in the food,
There I found a center to be.
And
With a bear we climbed a tree.
A family of centered beings we become.
If wasn’t be this video I would believe all this experience was nothing but a dream, thank you beautiful beings for sharing with me this marvellous journey of ours.
Poems apart… This post is about an Erasmus+ training course that I participated in the beginning of this month and took place in Valpore, Italy. It was a training about mindfulness, where we had activities involving connection with nature, through contact with… nature. Connection with others, through body activities of a lot of kinds, from dancing to wrestling (gently, or kind of) with each other. And connection with ourselves, through just going inside and paying attention to the things that we barely pay attention to. To the smell of the food, to the feeling of every step while walking barefoot… All this to bring us to an amazing state of mindfulness that made me expand my being a thousand light years speed faster from what I would expand in my regular life, in ways that I cannot describe in an instagram post. Really, there’s way more to say, this description is just 1% from the 1% of the memories that came into my mind when I started writing, so If you want to know more, send me a message, I’ll be glad to share.
Again a big thanks for the ones who created and sustained such a magical space for us to play, discovery, expand and be, Antonio Cargnello Francesca Pirisi Gemma Paganelli
Pedro, Portugal
I’m back from Italy, participating a training course, where experimenting mindfluness through the body. Those words came to me to share with you what I lived..
A few days suspended, out of time.
Resourcing, revealing, transforming.
Full presence and embodiment.
Being in the body and feeling, again and again.
Playing, (re)becoming wild. Free. Like children.
With both lightness and depth.
Weaving human and non-human links of an incredible richness.
Feeling at home. Surrounded. Supported. Unconditionally.
10 days of being (globally) disconnected.
Being present to myself, to others, to the present moment.
This opportunity was offered by the European Union, thanks to the Erasmus+ programme and thanks to Marga Pura - A Way for Life
It's been 6 years since I left this Universe (while I worked for 2 years in Italy, participating and co-facilitating this kind of trainings). What a joy to be back in the European atmosphere, to be able to speak English, Italian and Spanish, to open my mind and my heart.
I am full of gratitude and still in the midst of infusing what I experienced there!
Claire, France
Video from the training course
More information and outcomes
For more detailed information about the day to day programm please read the DAILY REPORT
Description and instructions to all activities designed and implemented by participants in second half of the training you can find in BOOKLET
For mores visual insipiration please visit the full PHOTO ALBUM
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