Various activities, exercises, and techniques that aim to create a deeper connection between participants.

Connection

Directly connecting between participants using questions and relating.

  • Connection Questions
  • Focus chair: One person is the center of attention, sharing an experience or dilemma, and everyone gives positive support, empathy, clarification questions, suggestions, challenges, etc.
  • Complimenting: Giving authentic compliments
  • Gazing: Looking into each other’s eyes

Emotion

Experiencing emotions together leads to a feeling of connection.

  • Gratitude circle: Sharing what we’re grateful for
  • Celebration circle: Celebrating each other’s sharing of successes
  • Sharing circle: Sharing about our experiences and emotions in related to some topic.
  • Laughter yoga: Laughter exercises using playful techniques, e.g. faking laughter until genuine laughter occurs, imagining creating an drinking a laughter shake.

Relaxation

Experiencing relaxation together makes people feel more comfortable with each other.

  • Breathing exercises: Synchronized breathing, pranayama, or deep breathing cycles
  • Sound healing: Relaxing spa music, Tibetan singing bowls meditation
  • Chanting: Guided meditative chanting
  • Meditations: Guided meditation, silent meditation, or walking meditation in nature
  • Energy work: Reiki, chakra balancing
  • Visualization: Guided visualization exercises where we imagine channeling energy from an infinite energy source into our body, feeling how it’s “charging our battery” and infusing our body with a higher and higher level of energy.
  • Nature connection: Forest immersion, barefoot walking
  • Water connection: Visiting together a swimming pool, hot tub (jacuzzi), the beach, lake, river, hot springs.

Play and Games

Touch

Touch is a powerful way to feel connected with each other. It releases oxytocin, the “bonding hormone”, and other hormones (like serotonin and dopamine) that make us feel good.

  • “Object” exercises:
    • Middle stick: Everyone forms a circle facing inwards, and one person stands in the middle of the circle and behaves like a stiff “stick” that falls to some direction and the person there catches the “stick” and nudges it to another.
    • Catch me: In a pair, one person falls backwards and trusts the other person to catch. Doing it gradually, first a small fall, then gradually larger.
    • Lead me: In a pair, one person is blindfolded and the other person guides them to walk through a room, making sure they don’t bump into anything.
  • Holding hands
  • Circle massage: In a circle, each person sits behind the next person, and gives them a gentle shoulder massage, and gets one from the person behind them.
  • Therapeutic touch techniques:
    • Access Bars: Gently touching specific points on the head to release tension and energy blockages. Example.
    • Holistic Pulsing (“The Power of Softness”): Gently rocking the body in a specific pattern. Example.
  • Light “Fight”: Tickling, or pillow fight - causing laughter
  • Group hug: The group forms a circle, where each person puts their hands on the back or shoulder of the person next to them. Moving gently back and forth sideways. Also moving inwards and outwards.
  • Angel walk: Creating a powerful, supportive atmosphere in which one person receives pure love, affirmation, and positive attention from the group. Participants form two lines, facing each other, creating a kind of “tunnel” or pathway. One by one, each person in the group walks slowly through this “tunnel,” while the others, standing on either side, act like angels, offering:
    • Loving affirmations
    • Whispers of encouragement
    • Supportive touch (like a hand on the shoulder)

Movement and Exercise

  • Dancing: Free dancing, ecstatic dance, folk dancing, 19th century style English court group dance
  • Hiking: Outdoor in a beautiful park or nature
  • Jumping exercises: to raise heart rate and energy level
  • Partner workout: Two people leaning on each other for the exercise. Example.
  • “Second Wind” meditation: With uplifting energizing music (such as this one), you continuously jump and raise your hands in the air. When you start getting tired, other people gather around you and make movements to encourage you to continue. At some point, just after you feel exhausted and your mind thinks you must stop, you suddenly feel a burst of new energy, like a “second wind” that powers your body. It’s surprising and exhilarating.

Creativity

Creating arts and crafts together is a great way to bond, especially when working together to create a shared piece of art.

  • Decorating objects with glitter, paint, stamps Basket weaving
  • Origami
  • Collage
  • Mandala painting
  • Basket weaving
  • Large scene painting
  • Photography exercises: (e.g.: Take a picture with dramatic contrast, take a “peeking” picture through a hole in a gate/wall)
  • Preparing a special meal

Advanced

There are also further activities that are at a more advanced level. We explore these only if the group is ready. Details are shared during advanced sessions.