Introduction

To cater to a lingering need of people who stutter (PWS) in Western India, TISA organised four weekend workshops in the month of Feb 2025, in a forested retreat, Vanvadi (www.vanvadi.in), 100 km east of Mumbai. Many participants joined from the nearby urban centres: Mumbai, Pune, Nasik, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, etc. The theme was Self-Help based on stammering modification approach.

Inspired by the Vipassana model (“Meditate now, donate later”), the workshops were offered freely. Another important feature of these workshops was digital detox amidst Nature, since the forest did not have any network connections. The venue offered basic locally produced vegetarian meals and simple communal living. It was facilitated by Dhruv and Sachin, both from the TISA core team. 

In addition, they often invited others to contribute to the overall process: Harshada, a Speech Therapist (from Pune) richly contributed to discussions, like “Does tongue twisters or shaking head actually contribute to fluency for a pws?”. Pramod, a PWS and IT professional from Bengaluru, conducted morning Yoga and meditation sessions. Seema and Deepak learned about stammering from the group and helped with facilitation. TISA thanks all the volunteers, including the support staff at Vanvadi: Suresh, Shiva, Pappu, Bhau, Datta. And all the Vanvadi members for making this wonderful experience possible.   

Why Vanvadi? Vanvadi Forest is a lush, collectively regenerated bio-diverse forest of 65 acres on gently undulating land with brimming water bodies and seasonal streams flowing from mid-June to November. Dhruv visited Vanvadi in January 2022 for the first time, and returned as a long-term volunteer in January 2023. He believes that native forests and forest-based lifestyles (still practiced by some adivasis in the region) are essential to confront the polycrisis (climate, food, water, physical & mental health). Native forests sequester carbon, are abundant sources of healthy food, replenish the groundwater table, provide immaculate air quality, and help us connect with all of life and Earth’s natural cycles (improving mental health). Learn more about Vanvadi here: https://vanvadi.in/about-vanvadi/ 

Below, we share a comprehensive report for all the four workshops, as we followed a common agenda, with some minor changes here and there, based on the needs and the opportunities.

Participants

Most participants were adults in the age group of 20-40; a small number were women. All were from urban backgrounds. Most have been in touch with TISA, through the Telegram group. About half had participated in TISA SHGs in their own cities and in TISA national conferences too. Some had participated in TOPG (TISA Online learning program).  Work profile was quite diverse: students, young professionals from MNCs, teachers, a few medical professionals, some were between jobs. Medium was English; Occasionally Hindi and other Indian languages were used to promote communication. For example, role plays based on self-disclosure scripts were done in English as well as in the mother tongue for the actors, to make sure that participants developed comfort in every language.

Content

Since self-awareness is the sheet anchor of every technique, we tried to cultivate it through twenty minute meditation sessions before the three major meals, in addition to short mindfulness breaks of 2-3 minutes in between the discussions. Some of these meditations were thematically connected to the following or preceding discussions or exercises: For example, timeline exercise brought out the fact that we have played multiple social roles since birth. But who are we beyond these finite roles? This thought led to a guided meditation session into the idea of “witness” consciousness – we being a space, rather than a point or an object. 

Furthermore, timeline exercise led to a discussion on the theory of “Role conflict” by Dr Sheehan. The upshot was: inner conflict could be less if we would embrace our role as PWS, instead of trying to fight it off. 

Journaling was used as a “calming down” activity between the sessions — also for reflection and introspection — often preceding a group discussion. For example, “Write down your reasons for joining this workshop” led to a discussion on: What is achievable and desirable under “recovery” from stammering?, etc. We frequently used Apna Hath Jagannath (V4) as a companion book.

Overall, we tried to bring out the interconnections between various activities and their relevance to stammering and recovery. Hence, there were many free ranging discussions, within and outside of the sessions.

Day 1 

Before Breakfast

• Sitting and walking meditation: short sessions
• Journalling: 3 gratitude and whom to credit.
• Walk in the forest: “54321” – the grounding technique to be used during intense stress/ panic (ie. during Job Interview, presentation etc.)

After Breakfast

• Site introduction and logistics (by Dhruv).
• The first session was meant for warm up (“thawing”) and offered a writing exercise. Prompts: 
• What is hurting you? Why are you here? (Expectations)
  • Or Write a letter/poem to your “stammering” (Share your deeper thoughts)
  • Or develop an algorithm to explain stammering intensity (think critically about stammering). 

This exercise made us engage with stammering related thoughts, we have been habitually suppressing or bypassing. Some participants wrote excellent letters and algorithms. 

• Follow up discussion: We discussed how and why miracle cures are not available on the path of recovery (“Stammering is your shadow; you can’t fight it off; whoever wins, you lose!”); Perfect fluency is neither possible nor needed; it is a media artefact. Good communication skills are achievable and are desirable too, for all human purposes. Another strand of discussion was: there may be other job related skills, which you may actually need, but confuse with need for fluency alone: For example, perhaps you need certain skill certifications to get the promotion, that you think is being denied to you just because of stammering! (Cognitive distortions: Black and white thinking; emotional reasoning etc.)

• Journaling activity: Document your avoidance behaviours in the last week or month. It made many participants sit up with surprise! In the following discussion, participants realised that Avoidance is a very insidious behaviour and it hampers us more than stammering itself. Next, participants browsed Chapter 2 of AHJ (on Acceptance). 

This journaling and browsing activity led to a discussion about what exactly we are supposed to accept, when we talk about acceptance in TISA – and how. Participants were asked to develop three scripts for self-disclosure: during a job interview; in a casual conversation with a fellow traveler; social interaction with a man/ woman (based on their gender) in a cafe.

Role plays based on the above scripts generated much fun and discussion: Is this script aiming for accommodation? Empathy? Does it sound like a confession? Is all this elaboration about stammering actually needed in an interview? What if the interviewer also is a pws? etc.

After Lunch

• Practice voluntary stammering, in a big circle; after a couple of rounds, we slowed down the block and played with the tension in the throat: How to mindfully lower the tension during the block and continue phonation, etc.
• Next, we reviewed and practiced Bouncing and Prolongation (plus Gentle onsets) techniques. Harshada contributed to discussion on how various sounds (like M, N, B, P) are produced and can be stretched.
• Pausing was discussed and practiced through the “peanuts” game. Participants had to chew and swallow before responding to a quick question. The ensuing discussion addressed some relevant questions on Pausing: Why do we speed up? Do people really object if we pause for a few seconds before replying? How can we let the audience know that we are going to say something after the pause? What all can the pause be used for, if not struggling?, etc. 
• Eye contact: cultural and contextual factors; moving gaze away, down or up- how could these be interpreted differently by the listeners. Do we notice facial features of people we talk to, and recall a few hours later?
• After Evening Tea, we went to a clear patch of the forest to practice speaking in a loud voice: even shouting and other challenges! Some days, we went to the sun-set point in the forest, just to be silent and mindful of the beauty.

Day 2

Before Breakfast

• Yoga, Meditation
• Journaling (a happy memory; what did you learn?)

After Breakfast

Timeline exercise: Participants did an exhaustive life review through this graphic exercise and deeply introspected: How have their priorities changed over the years? What have they learned from the variety of events in their lives? Is there a pattern in how they have reacted or coped with stress in their lives? Is it a healthy coping mechanism?, etc. Herein, we discussed the various roles we have played in life; we further wondered: Maybe, stammering too — sometime, is just one such role. What would it mean to accept the stammering “role” in a given moment? How could it impact our communication and the outcomes of a stressful interview? 

It was emphasised that a pws can play many roles at the same time efficiently: a good employee, excellent programmer, good son, fun loving friend, etc. And he could accept the “role of a stammerer” too, along with these other roles, when he is stammering. When he is not stammering, he can accept and enjoy his fluent role too – without worrying and anticipating “bad times” ahead. When he stammers, if he accepts the role, and stammers willingly, and with “intentionality” (in the form of some technique), he and his audience will have much less difficulties in communication. As a participant rephrased it: speaking with techniques (or light stammering) may not feel “perfect”, but it is better than speaking with tight stammering (with lots of tension). 

• Review and practice of techniques (Voluntary Stammering, Bouncing, Prolongation, Pausing, Gentle onsets)
• Block Corrections: Slow down the block, stop, breathe and repeat the word (Cancellation)
• Slow down the block (but don’t come to a standstill) and use a technique (Pullout)
• We used the above techniques on single words, then in combinations and finally in a full sentence still later, in role plays and spontaneous conversations. 

Next, participants browsed “Dealing with secondaries” in AHJ and discussed the underlying principles of becoming conscious of unconscious reflexive behaviours we have acquired over the years: stamping feet, hand movements, facial twitchings, neck movements etc.

After Lunch

• Activity: Mutual videography while talking on phone: For this we went to the nearby patch of forest where mobile signal was available. We analysed the videos for good performance as well as for noticeable secondaries, as a follow up of the preceding discussion on secondary behaviours.
• Role of Breathing: we practiced slow/box breathing and belly breathing. We also discussed how sometimes under stress, neural impulses from our brains go down the wrong channel, which leads to involuntary valsalva reflex i.e. holding the breath and straining — often to no purpose!
• We discussed the role of moving from easy to difficulty practices in a well thought out practice hierarchy. Participants developed a list of situations for trying out new behaviours and techniques. Then, they arranged them in a hierarchy of perceived fear/challenge. We emphasised that they must move from easy to difficult challenges in every dimension of their practice: selection of venue, audience and linguistic difficulties (simple words to sentences; with script to spontaneous discussion), etc.
• Stammering interviews were done in pairs. In the first workshop, we went to the nearby tribal village for this purpose, but we did not repeat it since it took too much time. Later groups did it within the group itself, as dyads.
• Random presentations as per participants choice and other social activities: socialising, exploring near abouts, etc. These “off the grid” interactions benefitted participants much, as they realised that many of them have dealt with the same problems and still created a niche for themselves at work and in the society.

Day 3

Before Breakfast

• Yoga, Meditation
• Journaling

After Breakfast

• Review of techniques
• Review of workshop activities: What activities did you like? What do you think that activity was all about? Can you replicate it in your SHG?
• This session was about analysing a group activity and finding out its relevance to stammering/communication. We also pointed out that participants can find more useful activities for their SHG online. A good activity will be interactive, participatory, touching communication or helping participants desensitise — besides being fun and meaningful.
• Plan for future: Participants were encouraged to develop their SMART goals for next six months to an year: we pushed participants to take up one of their goals and make it smart by asking themselves: How can I make it more specific? More measurable? More achievable & relevant to my needs? More time bound? How will I know that I have succeeded? We discussed the role of accountability partners.
• We explored how volunteering for a social cause or becoming proactive in their SHG etc. can achieve more than one objective in a spontaneous and organic way. 
• The group discussed how online learning can help them in so many ways. Even starting a podcast could improve their communication, motivation, knowledge of English and social connections. We shared some successful case studies from the TISA community.
• We had a group photo and the group dispersed after lunch. 

Takeaways

Compiled by Daksha Tiwari, Feb 14-16 Workshop Participant:

Workshop Takeaways: Empowering Communication and Self-Improvement: 

1. *Mindful Communication*: Practice taking a 2-3 second pause before speaking.
2. *Positive Body Language*: Start interactions with a genuine smile, adapting to the situation.
3. *Effective Communication Techniques*: Incorporate prolongation and bouncing techniques into your daily interactions.
4. *Confident Introductions*: Use the “pausing” technique: “My name is… (1-2-3b in silence) Daksha.”
5. *Active Participation*: Engage actively and consistently with TISA/SHG.
6. *Embracing New Connections*: Take challenges and risks to meet new people.
7. *Building Confidence*: Make phone calls to strangers, including newspaper ads and property sellers.
8. *Daily Practice*: Make two phone calls before breakfast, using voluntary stammering, and record calls for self-improvement.
9. *Public Awareness*: Practice acceptance in public places, acknowledging your stammer without guilt.
10. *Unity and Support*: Connect with fellow participants whenever possible, sharing experiences and supporting one another.
11. *Life-Changing Habits*: Incorporate meditation, deep breathing, physical exercise, yoga, swimming, or running into your daily routine.
12. *Self-Awareness and Affirmation*: Inform others about your stammer and practice positive affirmations during morning and bedtime routines.

Empowering Lessons From Participants: 

1. *Embracing Uncertainty*: Travel and learn to be comfortable with discomfort to broaden your horizons.
2. *Calm in Adversity*: Maintain calmness in any situation to think clearly and make wise decisions.
3. *Positive Mindset*: Avoid overthinking, as things are often not as bad as they seem.
4. *Seize Opportunities*: Take a stand and grab opportunities that come your way.
5. *Step Out of Your Comfort Zone*: Take calculated risks to challenge yourself, as growth often lies beyond your comfort zone.
6. *Self-Awareness*: Recognize your weaknesses and start working on them at an early age to overcome them.
7. *Transforming Pain into Gain*: Your greatest pain can significant change, leading to substantial growth and gain.
8. *Focus on Your Strengths*: Your skills and talents are what truly matter, regardless of any stammering or weaknesses.
9. *Empower Yourself*: No external solution, including medicine, can cure your condition; only your inner strength and determination can.
10. *Surround Yourself with Positivity*: Build relationships with supportive people who uplift and encourage you.
11. *Stay True to Yourself*: Don’t let others dictate your path or weaken your resolve; stay committed to your journey and forge your own way.

Reflections 

Facilitators have discussed and come up with following insights:

1. There’s scope for such weekend workshops in different parts of the country; perhaps one regional workshop every quarter (North, South, East, West)? Seats were full in every workshop.
2. We should actively welcome like-minded SLPs to these workshops. Their presence can help break superstitious beliefs about stammering cures and gadgets.
3. A venue which challenges our notions of comfort should be considered whenever possible, especially if it offers other advantages like natural surroundings, “digital silence”, etc. 
4. For the future, if we recruit participants early, we can encourage them to finish a brief online module (like TOPG), before arriving for the workshop. It will ensure accelerated learning. 
5. We may not be able to cover each and every thing about stammering/communication but such workshops can pave the way for further explorations. 
6. Exploration of “stammering-acceptance” through innovative hands-on activities are important: developing a disclosure script and role playing it with fellow participants in the workshop can improve the chances of it actually being used in real life. 
7. TISA should encourage more volunteer facilitators to join such workshops, learn and be certified as trainers.
8. Presence of women helps male pws desentise better (and vice versa): Voluntary stammering or using a disclosure script prepares them for real events.
9. While the workshop addressed the group needs, some pws requested 1-on-1 sessions too. As peer counselors, any pws, who has completed TOPG, can counsel and help a young pws facing difficulties, through listening with empathy. We need to recognise, nurture and promote such “peer counselors” in the community.
   

Pictures & Videos

All photos & videos: Google Photo Album (https://photos.app.goo.gl/e7qgFZZiED2ve9qS8)

 January 31 to February 2 Group Photo

February 7-9 Group Photo

February 14-16 

Song written & performed by the group: Nursery Rhyme Remix (https://youtu.be/zp6kxEJLfrk) 

Group Photo:

February 21-23 Group Photo: 

Participant Testimonials/Feedback 

“I want to express my sincere gratitude to Dhruv for selecting such a beautiful venue for the workshop. Being surrounded by nature brought a sense of peace and tranquility, making the experience even more enriching.

A heartfelt thank you to Dr. Sachin Sir for his selfless service and unwavering dedication. Every interaction with him is a source of inspiration, and I deeply appreciate the opportunity to learn from such an exceptional personality. His guidance constantly motivates me to work harder on improving my communication skills.

I am also grateful to all the participants who attended the workshop. The life experiences they shared were truly insightful, offering valuable lessons and new perspectives. It was a privilege to be part of such a thoughtful and engaging group.

Once again, thank you all for making this workshop a memorable and meaningful experience.” — Suraj, Jan 31-Feb 2 Workshop

---

Video Testimonial by Harsh, Jan 31-Feb 2 Workshop

---

“”I had been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to meet Dr. Sachin sir in person, and I’m thrilled that the workshop made it possible. The entire experience, which spanned 2-3 days, was truly wonderful. Dr. Sachin sir’s classes, held in the unique jungle classroom, were a highlight of the workshop. The lessons I learned are difficult to put into words, but they have had a profound impact on me. Staying at Nanee’s house, surrounded by nature, was a unique and refreshing experience. For three days, I felt like I was living in harmony with the natural world. I would like to extend my gratitude to Dhruv for the meticulous planning and excellent arrangements that made this experience so memorable. 🙏” — Vijay, Jan 31-Feb 2 Workshop

---

“I didn’t quite expect the Vanvadi workshop to be the revelation it ended up being in the end. Like Dhruv suggested in the beginning, it did prove to be a lovely occasion for us to digitally detox and connect in person without just burying our heads in our phones the minute the conversation turned inconvenient or not too much to our interest. And for those of us accustomed to the comforts of the city, it was a wake-up call to confront our minds. Our minds are like antennae, they pick up everything. All the subtle cues. People smirking, twitching, the inconvenient silence. The courage to confront all of that and still the mind is a superpower. That’s what Sachin sir’s meditations hoped to accomplish ig.

As for Vanvadi itself, the very place makes your question your pre-conceived notions of a minimalistic village life. A simple life lived with food cooked by Shivram and Bhau, a cot stitched up by the indigenous craftsmen, finding yourself sitting on the cowdung-encrusted circle or the living space. At first, I found the bathroom disagreeable but then I gradually realised what the experience was trying to teach me. You’re not always going to be in an environment you approve of as a stammerer. You have to learn to let go and accept. Acceptance is hard with us and that idea is so, so important and powerful. Especially in a country as diverse as India.

There was also something quite childlike and yet sage-like in Dr. Sachin’s elaboration of his background, his love life and his work with the NGOs. Again, it made you question us city-bred folks’ beliefs and customs. Forever grateful to him to give us EMPOWERED, LOVELY individuals faith in themselves. Please order his book from pothi.com if you already haven’t! A word of gratefulness to the friends I made there: we’re all going to be okay, just keep going!

PS: I was fascinated by Dhruv. ☺️The fact that he could organise 4 beautiful workshops like these is an achievement in itself. I tried to pick his brains but he had so many responsibilities that our conversations kept getting cut short lmao. I’ll miss him and Dr. Sachin a lot! It’s not often that you meet down-to-earth heroes who can laugh at themselves. And that is the goal! To laugh at ourselves and pick ourselves up all the time whatever the circumstances. Love you all. ♥️ Keep fighting!” — Ayan, Jan 31-Feb 2 Workshop

---

Video 1, Video 2: Notable videos made by Sunil, Feb 7-9 Workshop

---

“The Vanvadi communication training was a life-changing experience for me. It allowed us to deeply understand stammering, teaching us not just how to manage it, but how to embrace it. More than that, it gave us an unexpected gift of time. Being in the heart of the forest, with no network connection, we had no choice but to truly connect — with nature and with each other. There was so much to learn from Dr. Sachin, particularly how greatness can coexist with simplicity and humility. And Dhruv’s simplicity is something to be admired. Our conversations over dinner, without even glancing at our phones, were moments many could only dream of. Gaining wisdom from Dr. Sachin was a privilege in itself. After returning, I find myself reflecting on what kind of life I truly want, because in the end, all we are truly seeking is peace.” — Labani, Feb 7-9 Workshop

---

“Vanvadi communication workshop is a deep dive into your own persona. Despite of running from Stammering and its fear , here you will really know about it. Dr Sachin did dissection of stammering, where you can really study and understand it. I’m grateful that I got a chance to meet Sachin sir and all new friends across India.” — Rohit, Feb 7-9 Workshop

---

“You’ve already written excellently about what I was feeling about the Vanvadi workshop and I’d love to add some personal thoughts on top. SERIOUSLY my acceptance journey gonna be before Vanvadi and after Vanvadi, I went to Jaipur NC last year but there is something special about how Sachin sir taught about it, the location, the people, and the conversations which made me understand and rethink acceptance. 

I came to my home this afternoon since then I was openly talking about my stuttering with my family without any shame for the first time in my life. Since I was offline for a week some of my friends were calling me to check how I was. When I’m asking them, Do you know where I went to? They were like, you said it’s a meditation retreat right?? I’m like, Nahhhh! I went to a workshop with other people who stutter and then the conversations are taking different turns which was liberating to me. 

When we first went to Vanvadi sachin sir said this place is like your grandmother’s place and I got the same aching feeling you get when you leave your grandmother’s home while leaving Vanvadi. I’m thankful for people who organized it and the 16 friends I made there, I will forever cherish our moments. 

For people who came from Vanvadi, I wish you all the best with your journey and to people who are going, it’s okay to go with some expectations but its also okay to go as a blank slate because you will be writing a lot while coming back. Love you all 💝” — Pavan, Feb 7-9 Workshop

---

“The course was really amazing. I learnt alot related to stammering. Meeting Sachin sir and Dhruv sir for the first time was a great experience. Learnt alot from them. Their view about stammering and life is just remarkable.” — Sanchit, Feb 7-9 Workshop

---

“Vanvadi workshop some takeaways. 

Struggle in mind is more than the lips and thats why long blocks and facial extortions takes place and make us look more awkward. So say whatever you want to say louder without any hesitation. It will be easy for other person to understand what you say. The techniques are here will be helpful but to practice them directly in the real world will be difficult rather practice in the SHG meet. Dr. Sachin also emphasised on consistency and promised the participants that they speak better if the consistently follow the process. 

Also with stammering a person can do multiple things and the live example is Dhruv. He started his journey in USA. Worked as a climate conservationist.  then move to China. Conducted his own cooking class with stammering. Got many awards also for that. Now worked as a consultant in Carbon footprint. He conducted many sessions also wonderfully here. One biggest take away from him is that the stammering mindset is curable where stammering may not be cured completely. Secondly No amount of inconvenience erase the smile from his face.” — Tapan, Feb 14-16 Workshop

---

“I came from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, to Vanvadi in search of answers to my problem, and I found them in this Vanvadi workshop. This trip has been a success for me. I realized that my constant struggle not to stammer was actually the cause of my hard blocks and choppy speech. Through this workshop, I have learned how to stammer instead of trying to fight it. Before, I wanted to eliminate my stammering, but now, after this experience, my mind is clear—I have learned to embrace it.” — Raj, Feb 14-16 Workshop

---

“Dear all Stammers, 😇

When I reached home, I felt a deep sense of happiness and togetherness. Vanvadi feels like a *Kumbh Mela for all of us who stammer*—a place where we simply need to arrive with an open mind and take a deep dive. There, all our guilt, fear, negative thoughts, and self-doubt gradually fade away.

Under the guidance of Sachin Sir, who is like a Godfather to us all, we learn how to embrace and accept stammering. He helps us realize that stammering is not our enemy—it is our identity. God has given it to us for a reason. If we didn’t stammer, we might never have met or built such strong connections. In fact, because of it, we express ourselves in a way that makes others listen carefully, without distractions.

When I was in TOPG, we had very little time to talk with him due to the large number of participants—sometimes just **10 to 15 minutes**. But even in that short time, it felt like we were solving the biggest puzzle of stammering. From that moment, we all wished to meet him in person. And after a two-year wait, God finally listened to us! Meeting him at Vanvadi felt like a dream come true. We were lucky enough to meet someone we truly admire and love—Sachin Sir.

A huge thanks to Dhruv Ji, who cared for us like a father. From the moment we filled out the form, he kept checking on everyone—even with limited network! He ensured we all reached safely, welcomed us warmly, and made sure we had everything—hot water, food, blankets, pillows—everything. People often overlook those who stammer, but Dhru Ji made us feel like VIPs. If anyone asked for something, he remembered and made sure they got it. For me, Sachin Sir and Dhruv Ji are the most caring people.

Sandip Ji was our guiding force, helping Santosh Ji and me get to Vanvadi from Pune—booking train tickets, arranging autos, and making sure we didn’t miss this heavenly experience.

And of course, to all the 14 wonderful people who stammer—each of you taught me something valuable. Even now, I dream about our time together, how we spoke, how we asked questions, and how happy we felt when we got answers—just like kids receiving chocolates! 

This experience was truly unforgettable, and I am grateful to have been a part of it.

Much love to all! ❤️” — Nnnadkishor, Feb 14-16 Workshop

---

“The workshop was really amazing. Got chance to meet ambitious & lovely people. Also getting lots of experience talk about stammering. Sharing experiences talking to people. Getting to know each other. Mind blowing experience. Whenever I get thought of stammering in recall my self that I have some techniques for tackle it. Going ease with stammering.” — Anuraj, Feb 14-16 Workshop

---

“All the sessions were engaging and reflective, offering me new perspectives on my stammer and beyond. They helped me approach my stammer with greater empathy and compassion, not as something to overcome, but as a part of me to understand and embrace. I learned how to slow down my speech, use pauses effectively, and enjoy experimenting with techniques to ease my stammer in different situations. More importantly, I discovered the joy of communicating in a way that feels authentic to me using techniques.

Dr. Sachin’s guidance encouraged me to look inward and incorporate mindfulness and grounding techniques, not just in my speech but in various aspects of daily life. These practices have given me a sense of calm and confidence that extends far beyond speaking. My conversations with him about stammering, life, and personal growth have a profound impact on how I will approach life moving forward.

The venue was a true blessing. Though I initially had reservations about sleeping in a partially open setting, it allowed me to appreciate nature in a more authentic way, an experience I may never have again. It also helped me regain my trust in strangers, which was both meaningful and heartwarming. I would like to wholeheartedly thank Pappu and the other members who took care of us and ensured we were well-fed (my apologies for not remembering all the names).

The indigenous fruits and food were delightful. A special thanks to Deepak for sharing his profound insights on emotional intelligence and for guiding us through the forest, introducing us to the native trees. Many thanks to Dhruv for managing the entire workshop so efficiently, tending to our needs, making this experience truly memorable, and even inspiring me to explore veganism.” – Vidya, Feb 21-23 Workshop

---

Accounts

Google Sheet: TISA_Vanvadi_Workshops_Feb_2025

Questions about these workshops or this report?
This workshop report was compiled by Dr. Sachin and Dhruv. For questions, please contact either of them at satksri@gmail.com or dhruvg05@gmail.com.