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environmental

Roots to Rise

Explore your potential growth process while in the thick of a challenge.
Roots to Rise
Instructions

Consider a challenge in your life. Using a tree metaphor, draw and explore the ecosystem of this issue.
1. Draw a tree with roots and branches.
2. Label the issue on the trunk.
3. Label the roots from which this issue stems.
4. In what context are these roots grounded? Write this content in the soil.
5. What environmental factors will help nourish the transformation of this issue? Label them in the air around the tree.
6. What fruitful solutions might blossom? Label them in the branches of your tree.
activist

Risk to Commit

Make a risky decision with confidence.
Risk to Commit
Instructions
1. Get a pen and paper.
2. Identify the commitment you want to make.
3. Write it down (i.e. "join the movement,", "go back to school").
4. List the pros and cons of making the commitment.
5. Examine your lists. The answer may be clearer than you thought.
Consider

If the pros and cons are equal, flip a coin to decide.
ritual

The Bower Bird

Using totems, create a physical to-do list to prioritize and give reverence to aspects of life that you tend to overlook.
The Bower Bird
Instructions
1. Identify valuable (but often forgotten) parts of your life and find or create physical totems to represent them.
2. Each morning, rearrange the totems in order of importance or priority. Use them as a reminder to make space in your life for what they represent.
stillness

Taste Meditation

Be present in the moment. Slow down and enjoy your food.
Taste Meditation
Instructions
1. Pick a food you like to eat.
2. Close your eyes while you eat it.
3. Use your other senses to notice the taste, smell, texture, or sound.
4. Be grateful for abundance in your life.
stillness

Sit Spot

Find a space that allows you to focus and clear your thoughts.
Sit Spot
Instructions
1. Find a space outside where you can hear both natural and man-made sounds.
2. Remain still, close your eyes, and sit comfortably.
3. Listen.
4. Reflect on the contrast of the natural and man-made sounds.
Consider

How many sounds did you hear? How many were loud? Soft? Clear? Appealing? Annoying?
environmental

Eco-sense

Experience your environment through the senses.
Eco-sense
Instructions
1. Focus on where you are using one or more sense: Taste, Touch, Hear, Smell, or Sight.
2. Explore a sensation you notice and imagine its journey.
  
  Where did the sensation come from?
  
  How did the sensation come to your awareness?
  
  Who or what may have cultivated it?
  
  What does it nurture in yourself and others?
ritual

Jar of Awesomeness

A growing visual reminder to celebrate your achievements.
Jar of Awesomeness
Instructions
1. Get a jar or other clear container.
2. Every time you accomplish something (big or small), write it on a piece of paper and drop it in your jar.
3. Once a month, open the jar and read your accomplishments.
4. Give yourself a treat!
Consider

Tracking the progress of a specific project using this method.
creativity

Save the Date

Set reminders on your calendar/phone to make space for creativity at scheduled or random times.
Save the Date
Instructions
1. Sit down with your calendar. Schedule some intentional "creativity time."
2. Vary the duration (10 seconds to several hours).
3. Work on a creative project during this time. Or try to be creative in whatever you're already doing at that time in your schedule.
4. Honor and prioritize your dates.
Consider
- Scheduling some dates randomly (i.e. September 20th at 2:22pm) and some regularly (i.e. Mondays at 8:00am).
- Include inspirational quotes, affirmations, or goals in these reminders.
movement

100 Smile Challenge

How do you feel after 100 smiles?
100 Smile Challenge
Time

60 minutes

Instructions
1. Take note of how you’re feeling now.
2. Challenge yourself to smile 100 times in the next hour.
3. Take note of how you feel after smiling 100 times. Do you feel different now?
Try Smiling At
- yourself
- a stranger
- a dog
- a plant
- the sky
Consider

Searching for physiology smile ekman or science of smiling on your favorite search engine.
movement

Story Parade

Tell a story as you move through space.
Story Parade
Time

10-30 minutes

Instructions
1. Choose a space such as a park, city block, or indoor space.
2. Form a line of three or more people.
3. Start walking forward.
4. First person says a few sentences of a story and then moves to the back of the line.
5. The next person may choose to change the direction of the walk, and then adds sentences to continue the story.
6. Repeat until everyone has had a turn. You can also finish when the story ends or when everyone is done exploring the space.
creativity

Memory Alchemy

Transform an object of personal significance into a new memory.
Memory Alchemy
Instructions
1. Choose/find an object of personal significance or attachment.
2. Transform it into a new creative expression or language (i.e. write a story, make up a dance, sing a song, or take a photograph).
Consider
- Letting the physical object go (throw it away/recycle/give it away).
- Sharing your creative expression with others.
movement

#selfiemotion

Explore a range of emotional words or scenarios to elicit a spontaneous physical expression.
#selfiemotion
Supplies

Requires camera or camera-phone

Instructions
1. Pose for a selfie or group selfie.
2. The photographer will call out an emotion or scenario (i.e. fear, happiness, or first day of work) and snap the picture.
3. Repeat three times with new emotions or scenarios.
Consider

Reading a headline from the news to elicit a response.
activist

Listen with Intent

Adapt. Change. Learn. Empathize.
Listen with Intent
Instructions
1. Turn off your cell phone.
2. Person A speaks/tells/shares a story for 3-4 minutes.
3. Person B summarizes.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 for each person present. Rotate who shares and who summarizes.
5. A week later, if you can, revisit the conversations you had with the same people.
stillness

"I" of the Storm

Find serenity in the middle of chaos.
"I" of the Storm
Instructions
1. Find a place during your day that is chaotic, loud, or distracting (i.e. work, grocery store, or subway station).
2. Stop somewhere in the midst of the noise or chaos and stand still for one minute.
3. Breathe deeply.
4. Repeat often and for increasing lengths of time. Build up to five minutes if you can.
relational

Pulse Check

Strategies to gauge your group's climate.
Pulse Check
Instructions

Employ any of these strategies to get a sense of how people are doing:
1. Fist to Five (best for 5+ people): Each person physically displays their comfort-level using their hand. Fist = Entirely Negative. Five Fingers = Entirely Positive.
2. Post-it Truths: Each person writes a brief, anonymous reflection (i.e. concerns or affirmations) on a single post-it. The notes can be posted on a wall or collected by a facilitator and read aloud.
courage

Break the Rules

Whose rules are you living by? Can you find the courage to break them?
Break the Rules
Time

5-10 minutes

Supplies

Paper and pen

Instructions
1. Spend five minutes making a list of the rules that govern your life. Consider rules that you impose on yourself and rules that others impose on you.
2. Pick one from the list to break.
3. BREAK IT.
creativity

Sing Your Day

Turn your day into a musical.
Sing Your Day
Instructions
1. Reflect on your day and identify which musical genre it would be.
2. Turn one or more of the day’s experiences into a performance (song, dance, or both).
Consider

Change the lyrics to a song to reflect your day or invent your own song (i.e. I ran for the B-U-S. I ate a yummy L-U-N-C-H).
ritual

The Lincoln Hawk

Design a transformation ritual to become empowered.
The Lincoln Hawk
Instructions
1. Choose an action, location, or a wearable accessory when you want to feel empowered. Wonder Woman twirls. Lincoln Hawk spins his hat. What's yours?
2. Anytime you need a boost, perform this behavior to become your own superhero.
Consider

Searching for over the top switch on your favorite search engine to watch a clip of the movie reference.
movement

Kinetic Poses

Use your body to interpret the pose or movement of something around you.
Kinetic Poses
Time

5-10 minutes

Instructions
1. Find an object, piece of art, or living specimen.
2. Imitate its movement or pose with your body.
3. Don’t be concerned with what others think. Assume the position and embrace the movement.
4. Once you are done, reflect on your experience.
relational

De-awkwarding Silence

Create a more expansive environment. Work with silence to promote reflection and encourage listening and speaking.
De-awkwarding Silence
Instructions
1. Sit in a circle and begin with a period of silence.
2. Reflect on your own thoughts in silence. Appreciate the tranquility and freedom of silence.
3. Take your time to speak. There is no need to rush.
4. Stand up and share your thoughts when moved to speak.
5. Honor each speaker with your full attention.
relational

Small Gestures

To keep lines of communication open, send small gestures to friends, loved ones, co-workers or acquaintances.
Small Gestures
Instructions
1. Think of a person you've lost touch with.
2. Send them a Facebook message, email, snap chat or text.
Consider

A small act with a big heart that can nurture and sustain your relationship.
courage

Be (micro) Courageous

Even the smallest risks are big, brave acts.
Be (micro) Courageous
Time

5-10 minutes

Supplies

Pen and paper

Instructions
1. Think about what frightens or intimidates you.
2. List the smallest ways you can think of to address the fear.
3. Pick one of your micro-courageous acts.
4. Try it right now!
5. Remember: it's OK to fail.
6. Reflect on how you feel. Remember this feeling of bravery in bigger, more frightening situations.
Consider

Establishing a practice of being brave in small, powerful ways.
relational

Small-Talk Buster

Move beyond "How are you" and "Fine."
Small-Talk Buster
Instructions

Design a more creative conversation greeting. Instead of "How are you?" consider asking:
- What brings you joy?
- What makes you come alive?
- What have you been dreaming about?
- What would you like more time for?
- What have you read lately?
- What has caught your eye recently?
activist

Read Like a Rebel

Start a banned book club.
Read Like a Rebel
Instructions
1. Choose a banned book that speaks to a contemporary social issue.
2. Find a group of people to read the book together.
Discuss
- the content of the book
- why the book was banned
- how the book can inspire or inform your activism
Consider

Asking each person to pass their copy on to someone new.
creativity

Eat Your Art

Make an everyday meal into art work. Don't record it; eat it and savor the experience.
Eat Your Art
Instructions
1. Start with a meal you make regularly and then turn it into something special (e.g. set a pretty table, bring out your special china, add a new ingredient, make it visually attractive, etc.).
2. Invite your friends. Be in the moment. Enjoy!
activist

Surrender

Have the courage/wisdom to pick your battles.
Surrender
Instructions
1. Pick a problem that you have.
2. Ask yourself: is this a big problem or is this a small problem?
3. If it's a big problem, take a deep breath and seek support.
4. If it's a small problem, take a deep breath and let it go.
5. Work to change your headspace.
Consider

Letting go may be an ongoing process.
relational

Graffiti This

Write out loud.
Graffiti This
Instructions
1. Leave a written conversation starter in a public space that you frequent.
2. Allow time for others to build on it.
3. Check back regularly to read what has been written.
Consider

Using an online conversation space to create stories.
creativity

Studio To Go

Claim twelve square inches of creative space.
Studio To Go
Instructions
1. Find one square foot of space in your home or office.
2. Mark it as a visible, sacred, creative space.
3. Fill it with inspirational tools and/or objects (i.e. affirmations, pens, paints, photos, guitar pick, seashells, etc.).
4. Use it to think and act creatively.
Consider

Instead of identifying a specific space, create a movable studio in a toolbox or a bag.
environmental

Power Object

Since ancient times and across cultures, power objects have guided, protected, and energized space.
Power Object
Instructions
1. Find a special object(s) that empowers you or others to fully engage with a given task.
2. Place this object in a place where you work or carry it with you.
Consider

How this object can serve, charge up, or instill confidence in a particular situation.
courage

Draw Your Monster

Confront and reclaim the fears that prevent you from actualizing your courage.
Draw Your Monster
Time

10 minutes or more

Instructions
1. Draw your fear in the form of a monster.
2. Fold the drawing and put it aside for a period of time, but no more than 2 days.
3. After the period of time has passed, take out and unfold your drawing.
4. Focus on the fear your monster represents and embrace it. Be present with your monster. Carrying it with you won't cause you harm.
Consider
- You don't have to destroy your monster, but you can.
- Start with small monsters. This is an incremental exercise.
relational

Yes, and...

Build a story together.
Yes, and...
Instructions
1. Find partner(s).
2. One person beings with a statement (i.e. Once upon a time there was a flying turtle).
3. The next person adds, "Yes, and... _____"
4. Continue taking turns until a good stopping point is reached.
Consider

How can you apply "Yes, and..." in your everyday conversations?
activist

Flip the Script

Educate yourself through multiple perspectives.
Flip the Script
Instructions
1. Pick a topic to learn more about. It may be familiar to you or totally new.
2. Explore mainstream media and personal accounts. Pay attention to vulnerable communities. Dig into the issue’s history.
3. Write out your perspective on the issue. Be careful to distinguish between fact and opinion.
4. Share your account.
activist

Fuel a Movement

Stoke the flames.
Fuel a Movement
Instructions
1. Identify a movement that you are passionate about.
2. Discover what will help fuel the movement (i.e. money, food, labor, space, etc).
3. Consider what you can contribute.
4. Start contributing to forward the movement!
Warning

Don't burn yourself out.
courage

Archive Your Courage

Record courageous acts you perform in your daily life.
Archive Your Courage
Instructions
1. Acknowledge when you're feeling scared and decide if you can push yourself through the fear.
2. If not, keep trying to find that strength.
3. If you can, write about the experience. Include the moment you realized you were afraid and how you acted courageously.
4. End your record by describing the outcome of your courage.
5. Save these entries in a box or drawer. When you need inspiration or strength, look inside your archive of courage.
Consider

Celebrate every courageous act, even the small ones.
stillness

Finding Space

Even in the smallest spaces there are ways to find more space for what you want.
Finding Space
Instructions
1. Close your eyes and imagine a beach; feel the breeze and hear the wave sounds.
2. Carefully observe the sand.
Consider
- Is there anything in between the grains of sand?
- Describe the space in between.
- What else could be in that space?
environmental

BAM!

Disrupt your environment to facilitate change.
BAM!
Instructions

Disrupt environments that need change in the following ways:
- enter a room and shout or yell
- walk into an environment and clap
- stand silently in a bustling place
- walk into an environment and disrupt space with your body by stomping, jumping, wiggling, etc.
Example

Disrupt a meeting by starting with the phrase, "We will begin this meeting with a group stretch."
activist

Make Ripples

Bring intention to small actions.
Make Ripples
Instructions
1. Get a pebble.
2. Name your pebble. This could be a cause, an issue, or a change you want to see in the world.
3. Announce your intention to the pebble.
4. Toss it into a body of water.
5. Watch the ripples expand into ever increasing circles.
6. Move from the metaphorical to the literal. Find a way to start making real ripples for change.
relational

Space Through Your Eyes

Experience your surroundings through someone else's perspective.
Space Through Your Eyes
Instructions
1. Work with a partner and select a leader and a follower.
2. Blindfold the follower (or ask them to close their eyes).
3. Hold hands. As the leader, guide the follower through the space. Use verbal descriptions to share your personal perspective on what you see.
4. Switch roles and repeat.
courage

Un-Curate Your Life

Challenge the external structures and limitations that generate a neat presentation of yourself to the outside world.
Un-Curate Your Life
Instructions
1. Spend time thinking and recording the ways and tools you use to "curate your life."
2. What parts of your life do you share publicly?
3. What factors influence this portrayal?
4. What are the benefits/disadvantages of self-curation?
5. What parts of yourself do you keep in the archives?
6. What do you want to change?
Consider

How can you create space for yourself and others to be candid and genuine?
ritual

Create and Destroy

Perform a ritual to free yourself from a negative aspect in your life.
Create and Destroy
Instructions
1. Create or find an object that embodies a negative influence you are facing.
2. Design a ritual to destroy that object.
3. Complete the ritual of destruction to rid yourself of that negative influence.
Consider
- What will you do?
- Where will you go?
- Who needs to be there?
ritual

The Pablo Neruda

Write an ode to ritualize the mundane.
The Pablo Neruda
Instructions
1. Identify an overlooked action or object in your life (i.e. brushing your teeth or a soup spoon).
2. Write an ode to the thing you choose.
3. Reflect on that ode when you next encounter the object or moment of inspiration.
Consider

Searching for odes by Pablo Neruda on your favorite search engine for examples and inspiration.
courage

See Something; Say Something

Don't let injustice pass. Ask a question. Start a conversation.
See Something; Say Something
Instructions
1. Notice oppressive or bigoted comments in your immediate surroundings (i.e. racism, sexism, classism, or homophobia).
2. Don't let it pass. Decide how to approach the situation.
3. Immediately address it.
4. Share how the comment makes you feel.
Consider

Asking a question. Or starting a conversation. Or suggesting a resource or reference that provides a positive context around the oppressive or bigoted comment.
movement

My Movement Diary

Embody the experiences of your day with a chain of movements to remember.
My Movement Diary
Instructions
1. Create a motion to represent each hour that passes throughout your day.
2. Each hour, perform the motions that represent your day so far, adding the new motion to the end of the sequence. Repeat until the end of your day. (Record if needed.)
3. Reflect on your movements of the day. What patterns do you notice? How does it make you feel?
Consider

Group Bonus: Encourage a friend to keep their own movement diary. Compare at the end of the day. Discuss similarities and differences.
stillness

Silent Solidarity

Be present with another person in communal silence.
Silent Solidarity
Instructions
1. Agree upon an activity to do with a friend (i.e. taking a walk, sitting under a tree, having a cup of tea).
2. Spend at least five minutes together in silence. Take longer if comfortable.
3. Don't be afraid of the quiet. Acknowledge non-verbal communication.
creativity

The Twenty Face Challenge

Variation through iteration.
The Twenty Face Challenge
Instructions
1. Draw 20 circles.
2. Draw a different face in each circle.
Variations
- Make 20 faces in the mirror.
- Take 20 different selfies.
- Do it with a friend.
ritual

Reflection

Retreat to a quiet space where you can reflect and record your daily experiences.
Reflection
Time

5-10 minutes once a day

Instructions
1. Find a quiet place where you won't be interrupted.
2. Spend five minutes reflecting on the day. Observe both positive and negative experiences.
3. Write down your observations, what you learned, and what you might do differently.
4. Breathe and let the day go.
courage

Get Lost

Letting go and getting lost can be a courageous way to find your path.
Get Lost
Time

Varies by adventure

Supplies

Yourself (minus GPS)

Instructions
1. Pick somewhere you've never been. It can be as far away as a foreign country or as close as your own backyard.
2. GO!
3. Engage your senses in the experience of being lost. Who knows what you'll discover?
Consider
- Journaling your experience.
- Taking a less familiar path in your daily routine.
environmental

Purge Party

Declutter your environment. Declutter your mind.
Purge Party
Instructions
1. Pick a small space - your wallet, desk, or any physical space you use regularly.
2. Set a timer for 20 minutes.
3. Get in your groove and celebrate your purge while asking yourself the following questions: Keep? Fix? Donate? Trash?
Consider

Rocking out to music as you purge.
stillness

Catch and Release

Take a mental inventory of nagging thoughts or lingering feelings. Acknowledge each without judgement, and then release and move on.
Catch and Release
Time

1 to 5 minutes

Instructions
1. Filter through the mental refuse of your day.
2. Acknowledge self-perceived mistakes, shortcomings, or negative feelings.
3. Envision throwing them out the window, flushing them down the toilet, or setting them free like a flock of doves.
Alternative

Follow a similar process with your physical self. Are you feeling tension, pain, soreness or stress? Focus on specific areas: toes, knees, shoulders, neck, etc.
ritual

Good Morning; Good Night

Mindfully convert your habits into ritual practice.
Good Morning; Good Night
Instructions
1. Observe and record your morning and evening habits for one week. For example, do you look at your phone first thing in the morning?
2. Identify one unwanted habit and replace it with a beneficial ritual.
3. Practice this new ritual for one week.
4. Reflect on this change. Is it something that you want to continue? Are there other unwanted habits you want to replace?
stillness

Zone In

Use a simple activity to refocus your mind.
Zone In
Time

15 -20 minutes

Instructions
1. Choose a puzzle (i.e. jigsaw, app, crossword, sudoku).
2. Work for 15 minutes without interruption.
3. Allow yourself the option to not finish the puzzle.
Consider

If you don't like puzzles, wash dishes, organize a drawer, or work on a craft.
environmental

Inside/Out

When you feel spacey and need to reconnect with your place on this planet, bring nature inside and take your work outside.
Inside/Out
Instructions

Create a natural ecosystem inside and reimagine it outside. Try the following:
- flowers in your office
- dirt in your hands
- rocks as paperweights
- tree as your chair
- pine cones by computer screen
- grass between your toes
- use an hour glass with sand instead of a clock
- walk in the woods
- clouds as screensaver
- meeting by a body of water
movement

Brain Break

Give your brain a break and engage your body instead.
Brain Break
Time

2 minutes or more

Instructions
1. Stop what you’re doing and step away.
2. Find or create a space to move.
3. Grab headphones or a music source and turn on music that makes you feel comfortable. Optional: Pick music that challenges you to move.
4. Move your body to the music.
5. Reflect on your break. How do you feel?
Examples
- Try your favorite yoga poses.
- Have an impromptu dance party.
- Stretch out your muscles.
environmental

Positionality

Orient yourself to different ways of knowing.
Positionality
Time

5 minutes

Instructions
1. Find a comfortable location to stand in place.
2. Choose one or more of the following suggestions to re-orient your position:
  
  Reflect on each of the four cardinal directions.
  
  Acknowledge the first peoples, plants, animals, and other beings who were stewards in this space.
  
  Ask for understanding for any destruction, ill-will, and harm that occurred in this sacred place.
  
  Ask for permission to honor, preserve, celebrate, and create in this space.
creativity

Daily Dance Move

Make an everyday, repetitive dance move into the new dance craze.
Daily Dance Move
Instructions
1. Identify a movement that you do every day.
2. Turn this movement into an awesome dance move (i.e. feed the printer, type your emails, or wash the dishes).
3. Perform it for yourself or in front of others.
Consider

Are there other ways you could make your everyday actions more artful and spirited?
movement

Au contraire!

Reroute your routine.
Au contraire!
Instructions
1. Pick one movement in your day and disrupt it by altering the way it is done. Alternatively, choose a familiar destination and follow a different path to get there.
2. On your journey, look around and observe. What do you notice when you break the routine?
Consider
- How do you get from your desk to the bathroom?
- How do you decide what route to take home?
- Search heyoka in your favorite search engine for more ideas.

Made with Kirby and ♥