Goa SHG Meet (18-Jul-2010)

This time we had a pre-decided agenda in mind. Initially it was decided that the SHG meeting would be held in Vasco, where Prakash stays, so that even he can make it for the meeting. But it didn’t work out today. So, it was I and Rahul again. We both settled on the sitting arrangement adjacent to the Swimming Pool. There was no crowd, and it was only two of us sitting right on the topmost row of the sitting arrangement. As planned, we started with 10 mins of Meditation, in the whooshing breeze. Then, we practiced belly breathing for the next 15 mins, by placing our hand on our tummy and feeling the movement as we breath in and out.  Rahul had brought a couple of “Frontline” magazines on my request to practice some slow reading. We started by reading a column each on the magazine, initially reading slowly and with slight prolongation, and then switched to our normal style of recitation. We both read a column each, and along with the practice, also discussed the issues which were mentioned in the columns.  We then read another column, and this time recorded our voices as we read on mobile. We then heard our respective voices and analyzed it. It was a good (and a bit surprising) experience to hear our own voice. I noticed that though there was no stammer when I read, the over flow seemed a bit jerky (somewhat like the sci-fi robots). I decided to work on adding some expressions while I am speaking. Rahul also heard his voice, and was pretty much happy about how it turned out to be.  Finally, we both had come prepared with a speech each, which we are going to give during our first Toastmaster’s visit. We practiced our speeches, followed by a quick feedback session from each other.  Today’s marathon 2 ½ hour meet was quite fruitful and productive, and most importantly we stuck to our plan. Though we had to shift and stop a few times because of the drizzles in between, we both had a very satisfying SHG meeting today, ahead of our first Toastmaster meet.