Cooperative Games for a Cooperative World

What others are saying about Cooperative Games for a Cooperative World

“Cooperative games can change our future. You can read the entire book for an overview or simply select a particular game and try it. Dada masterfully presents safe ways to explore cooperation, to experiment, to create new learning pathways. These games change institutional practices within organiza- tions and lead to collective and personal insights that shift the present, so that a new future can be created. A powerful book by a powerful teacher.” — Sohail Inayatullah, UNESCO Chair in Futures Studies, USIM. Professor, Graduate Institute of Futures Studies, Tamkang University; Associate, Melbourne Business School, the University of Melbourne. Co-director: Metafuture.org: Mooloolaba.

“Recent research clearly shows that play is as essential to human development as sleep and nutrition. Play, in all its forms, offers fun and engaging ways to develop interpersonal skills, such as communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking; and cooperative games do this by the truck-load.” — Mark Collard, experiential trainer and author of No Props (www.playmeo.com)

“Dada...Well Done! When I see a book like this it makes being retired seem less attractive.” — Karl Rohnke, pioneer of adventure education, founder of Project Adventure, author of Quicksilver: Adventure Games, Initiative Problems, Trust Activities and a Guide to Effective Leadership

“Theater is a collective effort, and it is necessary to develop a unity of focus and purpose. Actors must learn to serve each other to make the whole performance great. I use many of the cooperative games in this book both in training actors and in developing a tight ensemble for productions. I measure the success by the level of rich belly laughter provoked during the play.” — Ole Brekke, founder and director of The Commedia School, Copenhagen, Denmark

“The world—now more than ever—needs strategies for engaging and connecting with each other to build both cooperation and resilience within local communities. This book provides concrete tools to that end with themes that allow facilitators to maximize their impact working with groups.” — Mallory McDuff, PhD. Professor of Environmental Studies and Outdoor Leadership Studies, Warren Wilson College, and author of Conservation Education and Outreach Techniques.

“Cooperative Games for a Cooperative World has brought together a powerful set of play-way tools for exploring possibility. They allow us to take risks and learn to trust creative process as we reflect, co-create, dream and problem solve our way into richer and more livable futures.” — Dr Marcus Bussey, Senior Lecturer in History and Futures Studies, University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia

“We never, never outgrow our need to play, to have fun and to engage with a larger community. Here is a compendium of games that connect us to each other rather than separate us. The reward from playing these games is not a gold medal or a trophy. Rather, one gains more focus, joy and wisdom.” — Grandmaster Marilyn Cooper, www.pushingforpeace.org Cooperative Games for a Cooperative World

Dada Maheshvarananda Also by the Author

After Capitalism: Economic Democracy in Action Cooperative Games for a Cooperative World

Facilitating Trust, Communication and Spiritual Connection

Dada Maheshvarananda

InnerWorld Publications San Germán, Puerto Rico www.innerworldpublications.com dada maheshvarananda

www.cooperativegamesworld.com

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017903025

Cover Design © Devashish Donald Acosta Cover photo: Dada Pranadiiptananda

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy- ing, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

ISBN 9781881717584

Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data

Names: Maheshvarananda, Dada, author. Title: Cooperative games for a cooperative world : facilitating trust , communication , and spiritual connection / Dada Maheshvarananda. Description: Includes bibliographical references. | San Germán, Puerto Rico: InnerWorld Publications, 2017. Identifiers: ISBN 9781881717584 | LCCN 2017903025 Subjects: LCSH Group games. | Games. | Sports. | Cooperation. | Creative activities and seat work. | Group relations training. | BISAC GAMES & ACTIVITIES / General Classification: LCC GV1203 .M34 2017 | DDC 796.1/4--dc23

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For Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar, who devoted his life to “the good and happiness of all,” and who also continues to give me more love and support than I ever dreamed possible.

vii Contents

FOREWORD by Bill Ayers 1

INTRODUCTION WHY COOPERATIVE GAMES FOR A COOPERATIVE WORLD? 6

CONCEPTS AND THEMES 9

FACILITATING COOPERATIVE GAMES 20 At the beginning 20 Sequencing activities 21 Trust 22 Communication 24 Cooperation 24 Creative thinking 25 Fun 25 Practical Techniques 27 How many can play? 27 What ages? 27 How to present the games 27 Planning and timing 28 Participating 29 Enforcing rules 29 Gender and cultural issues 29 Leading Large Groups 30 Making yourself heard 30 Placing yourself strategically 31 Training assistants 31 Official greeter 31 Activities in pairs or small groups 32 Some Cool Equipment 32 SAFE BOUNDARIES AND DEBRIEFING 35 Full Value Contract 35 Debriefing Tips 35 Three Parts of a Debrief: 36 The Whip 37 Thumbs Up 37 Headliners 38 Large Groups 38 Paired-Shares 38 Back to Back 38 Small Groups 39 General Guidelines 39 Feeling Cards 40 GETTING TO KNOW ONE ANOTHER GAMES 41 Interviews 41 Name Chain 43 Blanket Game 45 The Invisible Knowledge of the Universe 47 Making Contact 49 Two Truths and a Lie 51 Comfort Zone 53 GENERAL COOPERATIVE GAMES 55 The Cross and the Circle 55 Gotcha! 57 Clumps 59 Human Spring 60 Cooperative Competition 61 Support Your Partner 63 Martian Hypnosis 69 Mirroring 71 Balanced Unbalance 73 Dancing Sticks 75 Galloping Hands 77 Walking Tag 80 Pairs Squared 81 Tusker 82 Tank 84 Catch the Falling Animals 86 Group Juggle 88 Moon Walk 90 Stone Face 92 Telephone Game 94 Collective Back Massage 96 The Lap Sit or Lap Circle 99 The God Dance 103 Leadership Game or Ouroboros 104 Letting Go 106 The Human Machine 108 Moonball 109 Yurt Rope 111 REFLECTION GAMES 113 Namaskar Game 113 Questions 117 Running Your Dreams 120 Twenty Things I Love to Do 122 Life Map 126 Good Grief 128 The Friend Game 131 INITIATIVE TESTS 133 Cooperative Musical Chairs 133 Quick Lineup 136 Welded Ankles 137 The Human Knot 140 Mergers 142 Flip Side 144 Balloon Frantic 146 Balloon Trolleys 148 Balloon Samadhi 151 The Nine Dots Problem 153 NASA Exercise: Survival on the Moon 156 TRUST ACTIVITIES 159 Car-car 159 Confidence Walk 162 Trust Wave 165 Trust Standing Circle 168 Trust Sitting Circle 170 Levitation 172 Trust Fall 176 GAMES OF YOGA AND SPIRITUAL CONNECTION 182 Deep Breathing 182 Yoga in Pairs 185 Sound Adventure 192 Moving in Om 194 Coiling and Uncoiling of the Kundalinii 196 Kiirtan Heart Circle 198 GAMES ABOUT VALUES AND ECONOMIC DEMOCRACY 204 The Values Game 204 Neohumanist Identities and Ho’oponopono 207 Moral Dilemmas 212 How Much Money is Enough? 214 Putdowns and Praise 217 What Do You Need? 219 Prejudice 221 Barter Game 223 The Sarkar Game 227 When Will Hunger, Poverty and War End? 232 Coming Back from the Future 234 INTUITION GAMES 236 The Sense of Being Stared At 237 The Walk of Intuition 240 What Am I Thinking? 243 Will 245 What to Ask the Universe? 247 MIND OVER MATTER GAMES 249 Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board 249 Deeply Rooted 251 Move Faster by Thinking Differently 255 Finger Ring 257 Unbendable Arm 258 Kokyu Dosa 260 CLOSINGS 262 Two Strokes and a Wish 262 Web of Appreciation 263 Sundowner 265 All Good Things 266 APPENDIX A Answers to NASA Exercise: Survival on the Moon 269

APPENDIX B The Ten Ethical Principles of Yama and Niyama 271

APPENDIX C The Progressive Utilization Theory (Prout) 274

ALPHABETICAL LIST OF GAMES 279

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 283

BIBLIOGRAPHY 286

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 288 Dancing Sticks in Visão Futuro, São Paulo, Brazil FOREWORD by Bill Ayers

ada Maheshvarananda is an activist with a D poet’s mind, a dreamer and a doer, a love warrior. At our first encounter years ago, I felt myself in the pres- ence of someone who was both fierce and gentle, ecstatic and burdened, transcendent and unremarkably material. In other words, I saw a person a lot like you and me—a three-dimensional being with a mind and a heart, a body and a spirit, living his life smack in the middle of things, a mass of human contradictions, tensions, ambiguities, and incompleteness. He lives simply and yet seems determined to squeeze the most out of every moment, and he clearly chooses to live with one foot firmly planted in the mud and muck of the world as it is, while the other foot is stretched toward a world that could be, but is not yet—a place of harmony, peace, joy, and justice. In Cooperative Games for a Cooperative World, Dada Maheshvarananda offers an accessible, hands-on practice to reach toward that possible world. It’s an easy book to plunge into head first, and it’s a book that allows each and all of us to prepare for that more harmonious place. Think of it as a book of cooperative calisthenics, little exercises to prepare us for the huge changes that are essential to our survival on this earth. What does it mean to be human today? Where are we on the clock of the universe? What does this political and social moment demand of us? How shall we live? dada maheshvarananda

These are the substantial questions that are illuminated through the small activities and joyful games on display here. Dada Maheshvarananda does not run from the big issues facing us; rather, he engages them every day. His is the view from a grain of sand, the universe illuminated in a single moment of a child’s laughter. He simply shows up and begins, and it becomes quickly and dazzlingly clear that we belong together, that we are one another’s bounty, and we are one another’s responsibility. Dada Maheshvarananda invites readers to play games, but these games unlock the magnitude: we begin to imagine the future we would like for the generations to come; we unleash our spiritual and social imaginations. We are playing games, and so we turn to the children and grandchildren, and we think of the grandchildren’s grandchildren. We note that a co-invented and dramatically extended family, at its evolving best, can be a small-scale model of a mini-society driven by norms of equality and reciprocity, a sense of shared community in which people care about and for one another. Mutual respect, recognition of differences, including distinct capacities and interests and needs, shared wealth, cooperation, attempts to account for and correct all chance/accidental disadvantages, and so on—from each according to what he or she is capable of, and to each according to need. Everybody in, nobody out. In our pursuit of a world powered by love and reaching toward joy and justice, we find that imagination is our most formidable and unyielding ally—our common asset, an endowment to each one of us and the indispensable weapon of the powerless. Yes, the powerful—the casino capitalists and the predatory financiers, the banksters and their hedge-fund homies—control the massive military-in- dustrial complex, the sophisticated surveillance systems,

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the prison cells, and the organized propaganda. These are on constant display as if to remind us every minute that there is no hope of a world without the instruments of death and oppression, while we have only our minds, our desires, our dreams—and one another. And, yes, in a traditional conflict we are finished before we start. But it’s also true that there’s no power on earth stronger than the imagination unleashed and the collective human soul on fire. Imagination is indispensable because it “ignites the slow fuse of possibility,” as Emily Dickinson wrote. More process than product, more stance than conclusion, engaging the imagination involves the dynamic work of igniting that fuse, mapping the world as it really is, and then purposely stepping outside and leaning toward a possible world. In an irregular struggle that pits our free imaginations against the stillborn and stunted imaginations of the war-makers and the mercenaries, we can win. When we choose life, we leap into the whirlwind with courage and hope. Hope is a choice, after all—our collective antidote to cynicism and despair. It’s the capacity to notice or invent alternatives, and then to do something about it, to get busy in projects of repair. Choosing hopefulness is holding out the possibility of change. Hope is never a matter of sitting down and waiting patiently; hope is nourished in action, and it assumes that we are—each and all of us—incomplete as human beings. We have things to do, mountains to climb, problems to solve, injuries to heal. We can choose to see life as infused with the capacity to cherish happiness, to respect evidence and argument and reason, to uphold integrity, to share and cooperate, and to imagine a world more loving, more peaceful, more joyous, and more just than the one we were given—and we should. Of course we live in dark times, and some of us inhabit

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even darker places, and, yes, we act mostly in the dark. But we are never freer than when we shake ourselves and refuse to see the situation or the world before us as the absolute end of the matter. We must announce through our lives and our work and our play that a new world is in the making. We can create a community of agitators and transform this corner of the world into a place that we want to inhabit. We can identify ourselves as citizens of a country that does not yet exist and has no map, and become that new nation’s pioneers and cartographers—and through our cooperative actions bring a more assertive and vibrant public into being. Turn out all the lights and ignite a small candle in any corner of the room. That little light held aloft anywhere challenges the darkness everywhere. One candle. We can always do something, and something is where we begin. The tools are everywhere—humor and art, games and stories, protest and spectacle, the quiet, patient intervention and the angry, urgent thrust—and the rhythm is always the same: we open our eyes and look unblinkingly at the immense and dynamic world we find before us; we allow ourselves to be astonished by the beauty and horrified at the suffering all around us; we organize ourselves, link hands with others, dive in, speak up, and act out. We doubt that our efforts have made the important difference we’d hoped for, and so we rethink, recalibrate, look again, and dive in once more. Start playing cooperative games!

Bill Ayers is a social justice organizer and activist, a teacher and former Distinguished Professor of Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is the author or editor of 30 books about teaching, social justice, urban school

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reform, and children in trouble with the law. He has pub- lished two memoirs, Fugitive Days and Public Enemy, and his most recent book is Demand the Impossible! A Radical Manifesto.

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INTRODUCTION WHY COOPERATIVE GAMES FOR A COOPERATIVE WORLD?

“You can learn more about an individual during an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” — Plato

cientists tell us that there are enough resources S on Planet Earth for everyone to have a high quality of life—if we share. A very powerful way to demonstrate this is by playing Cooperative Musical Chairs. Just like in the children’s party game, chairs keep disappearing from the circle. However, the group is told that no one is out; everyone has to somehow sit on the remaining chairs. Never tell them how to do it—it’s their problem. At the end, when the entire group of 15 or 20 adults triumphantly sits on only one chair, their genuine sense of achievement is tremendous. Every participant has discovered the power of cooperation and of sharing in an unforgettable way. My life’s work is to raise consciousness. I want to empower people to change the world. Yet many people find it hard to imagine this possibility, because they’re conditioned to believe that the way things are today is the way they will always be. Sadly, I also meet people who believe that human beings are fundamentally individualistic, selfish and competitive, driven to get ahead by any means necessary. That’s a pretty logical conclusion if one watches TV or visits modern

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shopping malls. Winning at all costs seems to be the name of the game in sports, politics, and economics. Still another painful tragedy that I frequently encounter in conferences, lectures, and seminars of all types is death by boredom in which masses of people sit silently, passively listening for hours while someone talks to them. When I’m given the microphone, within a few minutes I ask everyone to stand and start playing Car-car. In pairs, one person closes their eyes and is gently guided from behind by their partner with open eyes. Dozens or even hundreds of pairs slowly walk, weaving their way among all the other pairs, trusting and gliding in intricate choreography. After three minutes I shout, “Stop! Everyone open your eyes and switch positions!” Spontaneous laughter erupts, with still a hint of nervousness. Seeing their smiles when they play, and their animated faces as they share their experiences in both roles with their partners at the end, makes my heart sing—they’re alive! We need a new cooperative paradigm in our lives that promotes kindness, honesty, trust, and teamwork. We need to develop cooperative ways of learning, working, and creating a better world together. Many adults and even young people don’t play games anymore because of negative experiences they had with physical education classes in school and with competitive sports. They feel left out, not good enough, like losers. Yet play, laughter, and friendship are therapeutic for everyone. When doing group activities, it’s normal to feel a bit of fear of being judged by others. However, it is possible to overcome one’s fears—of failure, of change, of looking bad. When participants feel safe working together for a common goal, and see that ‘we’re all in the same boat’, this anxiety lessens. If people can find the courage to try new

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games in a supportive group, they can consider trying new activities and adventures in their lives. In the process, they learn to lighten up, have fun, and realize that the best things in life are not for sale. Cooperative games can often be a powerful experience that opens up new ways of imagining different possibilities. The activities are designed to build self-respect, teach teamwork, and foster community. The 102 cooperative games plus 41 variations in this book can be played at home, in the classroom, before professional meetings, at parties, picnics, or any social gathering. These games bring joy and laughter to any event and provide greater meaning to our lives. They are particularly invaluable for teachers, trainers, instructors, and community organizers, because they immediately engage and capture or recapture the attention of a group. The games can quickly turn strangers into friends. They can be used to dramatically illustrate many valuable lessons. While having fun, the participants also gain self confidence, improve communication skills, and develop a genuine love for their community. Not all the games make people laugh, though. Reflection games, for example, are opportunities to explore our inner nature to gain new insights. Some of the team-building initiative tests can be quite frustrating at times, as well. In games about values and economic democracy, participants are challenged to question the world as it is and to consider alternative futures. Cooperative games are revolutionary in their potential to create a better world. If we want to build strong people with moral values and a love for humanity, we can take a step in that direction, with laughter and charm, by playing these games.

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CONCEPTS AND THEMES

he cooperative games in this book can be used to T explore 52 different concepts and themes. The themes are arranged alphabetically, and range from common wisdom to universal principles of values, ethics, yoga, and meditation. Teachers, parents, community organizers, team coordinators, yoga instructors, and anyone else in a leadership role can use this list to choose appropriate activities to expand individual and group consciousness and one’s sense of belonging. They are designed to open spaces for teachable moments.

These activities can be used as ice-breakers to begin meetings, or to emphasize a point at the end. Given more time,

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three or four games can be linked together in sequence for team building, to convey a new idea with impact, or to develop specific knowledge and skills required by the group. Facilitators can also guide people through a range of cooperative games that can take an entire weekend or more. Below each concept or theme is first defined, and then the games are listed that can be used to demonstrate it. As you think, so you become — what is in one’s mind will reflect in one’s words, which manifest as actions, which then form habits, and finally one’s character: Running Your Dreams, The Friend Game, Kiirtan Heart Circle, The Values Game, Neohumanist Identities and Ho’oponopono, Put-downs and Praise, What Do You Need?, Prejudice, When Will Hunger, Poverty and War End?, and Coming Back from the Future Barter trade — the direct exchange of goods or services without using money: Barter Game Be careful what you wish for — think carefully about the changes you would like in life, because it might just happen and not make you any happier: Life Map, How Much Money is Enough?, and What Do You Need? Communication — using words, sounds, signs, or behaviors to exchange information and to express your thoughts and feelings to others: The Invisible Knowledge of the Universe, Two Truths and a Lie, Tank, Telephone Game, Questions, Neohumanist Identities and Ho’oponopono, and Prejudice Compassion — deep sympathy for the suffering of another accompanied by the wish to relieve it:

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Interviews, Comfort Zone, Collective Back Massage, Namaskar Game, The Friend Game, Kiirtan Heart Circle, Neohumanist Identities and Ho’oponopono, Put-downs and Praise, and Prejudice Concentration— learning how to focus the mind is essential for intellectual development, psychological well-being, and success in meditation: Name Chain, The Cross and the Circle, Group Juggle, Stone Face, Deep Breathing, The Walk of Intuition, Light as a Feather Stiff as a Board, Deeply Rooted, Move Faster by Thinking Differently, Finger Ring, and Unbendable Arm Consciousness raising — increasing of concerned awareness about social or political issues: Nine Dots Problem, Neohumanist Identities and Ho’oponopono, How Much Money is Enough?, Prejudice, Barter Game, and The Sarkar Game Cooperative leadership - leading and facilitating joint actions and thinking towards a common goal based on an ethic of inclusion and ecological sustainability: The God Dance, Leadership Game, Welded Ankles, Balloon Frantic, Balloon Trolleys, Trust Standing Circle, and Trust Sitting Circle Coordinated cooperation — occurs between free human beings, each with equal rights and mutual respect for each other, and each working for the welfare of the other: Name Chain, Making Contact, Support Your Partner, Balanced Unbalance, Dancing Sticks, Tusker, Group Juggle, Stone Face, Lap Sit, The Human Machine, Moonball, Yurt Rope, Quick Lineup, Cooperative Musical Chairs, Welded Ankles, Human Knot, Mergers, Flip Side, Balloon Frantic, Balloon Trolleys, NASA Exercise: Survival on the Moon,

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Trust Wave, Levitation, Trust Fall, Yoga in Pairs, Coiling and Uncoiling of the Kundalinii, and Barter Game Creative thinking — to look at problems or situations from a fresh perspective that suggests original, diverse, and unorthodox solutions: The God Dance, Leadership Game, The Human Machine, Welded Ankles, and Nine Dots Problem Diversity — the inclusion, acceptance and respect of individuals representing different national origins, colors, reli- gions, etc.: Neohumanist Identities and Ho’oponopono and Prejudice Dynamic equilibrium (prama) — the inter-connected web of living systems and organisms in nature in which everything is changing and moving, in a fluctuating state of balance: Cooperative Competition, Support Your Partner, Balanced Unbalance, Yurt Rope, and Yoga in Pairs Effective listening — the key to all communication: The Invisible Knowledge of the Universe, Making Contact, Two Truths and a Lie, Telephone Game, Questions, Neohumanist Identities and Ho’oponopono, Moral Dilemmas, and Prejudice Ethics (Yama and Niyama) — moral principles for liberation, not suppression, that are universal in nature (see Appendix B): The Values Game and Moral Dilemmas Five Fundamental Principles of Prout (the Progressive Utilization Theory, explained in Appendix C) — these five universal statements direct how resources should be ratio- nally distributed for the welfare of all:

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Cooperative Musical Chairs, Mergers, and How Much Money is Enough? Forgiveness — a conscious, deliberate decision to release feelings of resentment or vengeance, to pardon and wish the offender well: Namaskar Game, Kiirtan Heart Circle, and Neohumanist Identities and Ho’oponopono Fun — an experience and a feeling, to laugh and enjoy, that is contagious and inviting to others to relax and join in: Blanket Game, The Cross and the Circle, Gotcha!, Human Spring, Walking Tag, Pairs Squared, Tank, Tusker, Group Juggle, Moon Walk, Stone Face, Moonball, Running Your Dreams, Balloon Frantic, and Balloon Samadhi Futures thinking — to consider and prepare for different possible long-term scenarios, and to envision a desired future and strategize how to make it happen: Good Grief, How Much Money is Enough?, The Sarkar Game, When Will Hunger, Poverty and War End?, and Coming Back from the Future Going with the flow rasa( ) — to “surf” the life force of the universe, intuitively listening to and responding to cues from the ocean of cosmic intelligence: Clumps, Human Spring, Martian Hypnosis, Mirroring, Dancing Sticks, Group Juggle, Moon Walk, The Human Machine, Yurt Rope, Balloon Frantic, Sound Adventure, Moving in Om, and Coiling and Uncoiling of the Kundalinii Good and bad are in everyone — we possess both positive and negative tendencies; we should see the bright side in others and recognize our own weaknesses in order to control them:

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Namaskar Game, The Friend Game, The Values Game, Neohumanist Identities and Ho’oponopono, Put-downs and Praise, Prejudice, and The Sarkar Game Hope — an optimistic expectation, to cherish a desire with confident anticipation: Running Your Dreams, When Will Hunger, Poverty and War End?, and Coming Back from the Future Icebreaker — a game to facilitate people getting to know one another and to begin building trust and teamwork: Interviews, Blanket Game, The Invisible Knowledge of the Universe, Two Truths and a Lie, Support Your Partner, Martian Hypnosis, Walking Tag, Pairs Squared, Catch the Falling Animals, Moonball, and Questions Imagination — the ability of the mind to be creative or resourceful, forming new ideas, images, or concepts: Moon Walk, The God Dance, Leadership Game, The Human Machine, Welded Ankles, Nine Dots Problem, When Will Hunger, Poverty and War End?, and Coming Back from the Future Initiative — willingness to energetically try bold new alternatives to solve a problem: Quick Lineup, Welded Ankles, Flip Side, Nine Dots Problem, and The Walk of Intuition Intuition — knowing something due to an ‘inner voice’ or ‘gut feeling’ without analytic reasoning, bridging the gap between the conscious and unconscious; an awareness beyond instinct, sentiment, and rationality, a connection to the wisdom of the universe: Mirroring, Dancing Sticks, Sound Adventure, Moving in Om, The Sense of Being Stared At, The Walk of Intuition, Will, and What Am I Thinking?

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Living in the present — to be fully aware of what is happening here and now, and not dwelling on the past or worrying about the future: Walking Tag, Pairs Squared, and Twenty Things I Love to Do Many minds are smarter than one — groups are remarkably intelligent due to diversity, cooperation, and decentralization, and are usually smarter than the smartest people in them: Welded Ankles and NASA Exercise: Survival on the Moon Mantra — a sound or collection of sounds which, when meditated upon, will lead to spiritual liberation: Moving in Om, Kiirtan Heart Circle, and Deeply Rooted Maximum utilization of people — emphasizes the value of both individual and collective well-being, respecting human diversity, and encouraging individuals to realize their full potential and achieve their dreams and goals: Prejudice, Barter Game, and The Sarkar Game Maximum utilization of resources — to make the best use of the planet’s resources, with maximum economic and mechanical efficiency, while protecting the natural environment: Cooperative Musical Chairs, Mergers, and Barter Game Non-attachment — the realization that everything is the manifestation of the Supreme, which is unchangeable, true and absolute, and which is hidden within all the changing forms of the universe: Letting Go, Good Grief, and What Do You Need?

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Non-judgmental observation — to be aware, taking in information without forming an opinion, opening ourselves to new ways of thinking about people and the world: Interviews, The Invisible Knowledge of the Universe, Two Truths and a Lie, Namaskar Game, Questions, Life Map, The Friend Game, Neohumanist Identities and Ho’oponopono, and All Good Things Overcoming fear by facing it — confronting your fear instead of backing down brings about a sense of accomplishment and empowerment: Comfort Zone, Catch the Falling Animals, The God Dance, Leadership Game, Good Grief, Confidence Walk, The Trust Fall, and The Walk of Intuition Patience — to endure discomfort with self-control, humility, and generosity: Name Chain and Human Knot Positive and negative competition — negative competition is “winner-takes-all”; when team members work collectively toward a common goal, “everyone wins”: Cooperative Competition, Galloping Hands, Moonball, and Balloon Frantic Rational incentives — surplus wealth should be distributed as an incentive to motivate people to develop their skills and increase their capacity to render greater service to society: How Much Money is Enough? Relative truth and absolute truth — everything in the world is in movement and changing, and hence relative truth; that which is infinite, all-powerful and all-knowing is absolute truth: What to Ask the Universe?

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Responsibility — trustworthiness, to assume the duty of taking care of something or someone; able to be trusted to do what is right: Cooperative Competition, Car-car, Confidence Walk, Trust Wave, Levitation, Trust Fall, and Neohumanist Identities and Ho’oponopono Samskaras (Law of Karma, mental reactions) — the mental reaction of our actions in potential forms, a distortion of the mind-stuff waiting for expression: Comfort Zone, Life Map, and Neohumanist Identities and Ho’oponopono Service — altruism or selflessness (seva) is the traditional virtue of practicing concern for the welfare of others without any expectation of result or reward: Support Your Partner, Collective Back Massage, Levitation, Trust Fall, and Put-downs and Praise Social classes (varnas) — Prout’s perspective on social classes, archetypes based on how humans relate to their environment: The Sarkar Game Spiritual company (satsaunga) — the uplifting company of virtuous people who support and inspire one’s spiritual development: The Friend Game, Sound Adventure, Moving in Om, and Kiirtan Heart Circle Surrender — to let go of fear and live each moment as it comes: Car-car, Confidence Walk, Trust Wave, Trust Standing Circle, Trust Sitting Circle, Levitation, Trust Fall, and What to Ask the Universe?

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Surrendering ego — to give up one’s will and ego and accept the guidance of a Higher Power: Catch the Falling Animals, The God Dance, Leadership Game, Letting Go, The Friend Game, and NASA Exercise: Survival on the Moon The power of positive thinking — an optimistic mental and emotional attitude or world view that focuses on the bright side of life and expects positive results: Running Your Dreams, Neohumanist Identities and Ho’oponopono, Put-downs and Praise, Light as a Feather Stiff as a Board, Deeply Rooted, Move Faster by Thinking Differently, Finger Ring, and Unbendable Arm Together nothing is impossible — we can literally change the world if we unite: Lap Sit, Cooperative Musical Chairs, Mergers, Levitation, and Trust Fall True happiness comes from within — it is not external things and temporary pleasures, but love, service, and connection that give us bliss: Stone Face, Twenty Things I Love to Do, Kiirtan Heart Circle, and What Do You Need? Trust — feeling safe with, confident in, and supported by the group: Cooperative Competition, Tank, Catch the Falling Animals, Car-car, Confidence Walk, Trust Wave, Trust Standing Circle, Trust Sitting Circle, Levitation, and Trust Fall Unconditional love — caring about the happiness of another person without any thought for what we might get for ourselves, an unlimited way of being and forgiving:

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Namaskar Game, The Friend Game, Kiirtan Heart Circle, Neohumanist Identities and Ho’oponopono, and All Good Things Vital energy (prana) — breath, considered as the life-giving force which permeates the body and connects it to all cosmic energy, according to yoga philosophy, Indian medicine and martial arts: Deep Breathing, Light as a Feather Stiff as a Board, and Deeply Rooted You are connected to everyone and everything - we are part of “a universal consciousness” which is the binding force of all life: Collective Back Massage, Lap Sit, The Friend Game, Sound Adventure, Moving in Om, Coiling and Uncoiling of the Kundalinii, Kiirtan Heart Circle, and Neohumanist Identities and Ho’oponopono You have physical, mental and spiritual potential — our body, emotions, mind, and soul together form a healthy, whole person with more potential than you can imagine: Namaskar Game, The Sarkar Game, The Sense of Being Stared At, Will, What Am I Thinking?, What to Ask the Universe?, and All Good Things

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FACILITATING COOPERATIVE GAMES

s facilitator, your role is to invite participants Ato leave their comfort zone. Humor and surprises can help achieve this. By introducing non-competitive games that no one has ever heard of, which require physical movements and mental solutions that no one has ever tried, we make every participant an equal novice. And we encourage cooperation, teamwork, communication, trust, decision-making, and creative problem-solving. Instead of imparting knowledge, the goal is to empower participants to learn from one another. At the beginning

Don’t be surprised if you have difficulty getting things rolling. People may straggle in late, talking on their cell- phones or with each other, showing no interest in whatever you have to offer. Sometimes I pass out small stuffed animals to everyone when they arrive. Remember, until the games begin, you are the focus of everyone’s attention. Many participants will feel nervous at first, in part because they don’t know what to expect, and in part because they may have painful memories from physical education classes (competition, with many losers for every winner). You want the people to trust you—this is especially challenging if you’re dressed in a bright orange monk’s uniform like I wear! Some light

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conversation, light jokes about yourself, or a story that happened to you are all ways to get people to see you as someone they can trust. Sequencing activities

You want to get people participating and laughing as soon as possible. You also want the participants to feel comfortable with one another. If the members of the group do not already know one another, learning everyone’s name and something about one another is a great way for newcomers to feel involved. You also want to start with easy, non-threatening games you have done before, so you’re very confident introducing them. As the group develops and participants feel more secure, your role will change. For example, initiative tests challenge the group to find a solution, usually after trying various possibilities. In those activities, the focus of the group will gradually change from seeing you as the facilitator to learning from one another, then taking responsibility for everyone’s wellbeing. Several factors determine how much challenge a group can handle. One is the age of the participants, for example, whether they are elementary or high school students, adults, or senior citizens. Another factor is the length of the program, because the more time you have together, the more you can achieve. A third factor is the maturity of the group. After leading hundreds of workshops, I have learned that leading and facilitating small groups is both a science and an art. Each group of people is unique, and some are ready for some activities, while other games are more appropriate for other groups. Some activities are very funny, while others are silent and moving.

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It is natural to want the group to succeed in every task. However, giving suggestions and hints on how to solve a problem will often disempower the group, making them feel that they didn’t solve the problem themselves. It is better to observe the group as it struggles with frustration and then ask insightful questions during the debrief so they can understand what happened. You need to listen to your intuition to know which games are appropriate at any moment for your group. If you move too slowly, people get bored and lose interest; move too fast or unexpectedly and they get anxious and withdrawn. Observe the group for signs of what it needs. Are the participants tired and needing a rest? Are they nervous and need to feel more comfortable? Are they cold or wet and need to warm up or dry off? Watch the group and listen during the debriefs, so that you can choose the most appropriate next activity from your games list. Trust

People need to feel safe in the group. They need to feel that they won’t be laughed at, criticized, or ignored if they share their feelings or try new things and fail. They need to feel that the group will support them physically, emotionally, and spiritually. As the facilitator, you help build that trust from the very beginning by your openness, encouragement, and sensitivity. You should participate in most of the initial games; by setting an example of playing and not being afraid to look silly, others will be willing to take a risk, too. This book contains several games that involve closed eyes because these activities help develop trust and overcome fear. I prefer asking players to close their eyes rather than providing blindfolds, partly because it’s less trouble for me, but in large

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part because it follows an important theme created by Project Adventure: “Challenge by choice.” Rather than forcing participants to do an activity, “Challenge by choice” invites and encourages them to try it without pressure. If participants choose not to do any activity, that’s fine. But at the beginning choose the least threatening games that are clearly a lot of fun, to get everyone laughing and to gradually build the group’s trust. Before starting any activities involving trust, you need to get the group to agree that they will strive to build up the level of trust, and avoid words or actions that break it. This includes joking about dropping someone or commenting about someone’s weight. If you hear such a comment, stop the activity and ask everyone to sit down and come to agreement again. Make sure that everyone understands that this is your condition as the facilitator for continuing.

Car-car at Neohumanist Education Conference, Porto Alegre, Brazil

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Communication

Mixer-type games are a great way to get people listening to others and sharing something about themselves. During initiative problems, observe the communication and determine whether all suggestions are being heard, mentioning this during the debrief. Before each game starts, take the time to ask if there are any questions. Cooperation

The dominant message in the mass media, advertising, and the educational system is individualistic and competitive: “First get an education, then get a job and make as much money as you can.” These institutions rarely convey a message of responsibility toward others in our human family. This materialistic attitude extends to sports, too, where the goal usually is “I win, you lose,” or sometimes, “I win, and it doesn’t matter to me what happens to you.” Such uncaring, selfish attitudes lead to the breakdown of our families, our communities, and our planet. There are always many losers for every winner in a competition. In contrast, a goal of cooperative games is for everyone to feel they are winners. You can inspire the group to compete against itself, by beating its own previous best time, for example. Dr. P. Read Montague, professor of neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine explains why cooperation is so important to us: Social bonding, social interaction, cooperation is programmed to be physically rewarding to humans. That’s how we inhibit our self-interests in order to do something with someone. Otherwise you wouldn’t cooperate, you’d

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be totally self-interested. We do not behave that way. We’re social creatures. Interestingly enough, when you put people in a social exchange, and they’re given the opportunity to cooperate or compete, they will generally cooperate with one another; that cooperation elicits dopamine signals that you can measure. Just like you were squirting juice or cocaine into them. In other words, the act of cooperating with another human can, in the right circumstances, feel just as good as taking a drug that affects your nervous system. (from the documentary “Happy”, 2011) Remember, though, that cooperation is not always easy, and some people don’t like to do it. Expect some frustration. Be patient and encouraging. Successful teams, performers, and artists spend countless hours developing their collective skills. Creative thinking

Albert Einstein said, “Problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them.” Creative thinking is a way of looking at problems or situations from a fresh perspective that suggests unorthodox, “out of the box” solutions, even though they may seem uncomfortable at first. This requires an open state of mind to allow brainstorming and to consider “crazy” ideas. The initiative problems presented, like being stranded on the moon, are hopefully so different from anything the participants have ever experienced that they are forced to come up with creative solutions. Fun

The role of teachers and mentors is to challenge people with new ideas so they can learn and grow. Cooperative

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game facilitators have the same challenge, yet they do it in a fun and dynamic way. Most adults consider fun and play to be amusing and entertaining, without lasting value, and not educational. However fun can be very important, because when people are happy, they are more focused and motivated. In addition to being a goal in itself, fun can also be a powerful means for people to learn and grow. When groups become nervous, bored, or uninterested, introduce a fun game that elicits laughter and action. All people love to laugh. Fun is contagious, making others want to join in. If a game is fun, people will risk looking silly or close their eyes and trust their partner. Even the struggles of teamwork and frustrations of problem solving can be eased by recalling in a debriefing some of the fun the group had. If the fun disappears, people’s enthusiasm and energy often do, too.

Gotcha! in Los Angeles, USA (photo Abraham Heisler)

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Practical Techniques How many can play?

Eight to twenty people is an ideal number for trying out these games and for you to gain confidence as a facilitator. In groups that size you can learn everyone’s name, you can help everyone to feel included, and you can monitor people’s reactions. Bigger groups can be exciting and fun, but they are harder to lead and it’s better if you have some experience before offering to lead them. See the section below on leading large groups to understand the extra factors you’ll need to master. What ages?

The games in this book are appropriate for adults and teenagers. Some are fun for people of all ages, but younger kids quickly get bored whenever the running stops and talking begins. It is possible to lead a combined workshop for adults and kids, but careful selection and planning are required to choose appropriate games. Patient adults who are good with kids are needed, too. How to present the games

First, describe the game and explain the rules as clearly and simply as possible. Some instructions for the games are in quotation marks, modeling one way they might be presented. Second, demonstrate, because “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Third, ask if there are any questions. Fourth, play the game. Usually the rules become

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clear during the actual play. However, if you see confusion on several people’s faces, you should probably stop and explain it all again. Finally, watch the level of enthusiasm. If it is low, you could either try to adapt the rules, or else skip on to the next game. If a game does not seem to be fun, the group will forgive you if you officially declare it to be a dud, as long as you can immediately start another game. With this book and the other resources at the end, you will always have another game to play. Planning and timing

Before each program, you as the facilitator need to make a plan. This is tough for several reasons. You need to know how much time you have (for example, a two-hour workshop, or a 10-minute break in a conference program); you need to know the area that you’ll use (for example, an empty hall, a gymnasium, an auditorium with seats bolted to the floor, or a sports field); and you need to know the number and ages of the participants. Keep in mind the weather may force you to change an outdoor program, or that the group may be significantly different in number or maturity than you planned for. It’s very difficult to know how long each game will take. It may go quite fast with a small number of players, whereas a large number of people will take more than twice as long. It may also take additional time in the game debrief to resolve issues that have arisen, in a positive manner. So be sure to plan more activities than you would expect the time to allow, so that you can skip some and switch to others if the group needs it.

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Participating

By joining in and playing the games with the group, you set an example of enthusiasm, support, listening, and a willingness to look silly sometimes. Even if you choose not to play a game, stay involved by interacting, supporting, and encouraging. Enforcing rules

One challenge as a leader is to decide how strictly to enforce rules when they are stretched or broken. Another challenge is what to do when two participants disagree or start arguing about the rules. The answer is that it depends. It can be frustrating for a group to be told to start over again because they broke a rule when they are struggling with an initiative problem, but it may serve to strengthen them. Sometimes you may discover that a game is more fun to play with one fewer rule. Listen to your intuition. Gender and cultural issues

Cultural expressions of people are quite different in different parts of the world. In some countries it is unacceptable for men and women who are not related to touch one another or to look into each other’s eyes. Kids and adolescents of different ages also frequently feel uncomfortable with this. If this is the case, before a game that involves touching begins, announce that you want all the males on one side, and all the females on the other, and then the two groups can play the same game in the same hall, but separately.

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Leading Large Groups

Lap Sit in a high school in Guimarães, Portugal Making yourself heard

Raising your voice is a very poor way to be heard in a crowd of people. You will quickly lose your voice, and people will get used to you screaming at them and may even start talking louder among themselves. You can try a wireless microphone and a sound system, but the best is if all participants are silent when you speak. This is true if you’re speaking to 15 people or 150. Drinking a lot of water all during the program, beginning 30 minutes before it starts, is very important in saving your voice even if you’re not shouting. How to get everyone to stop talking? Simple—don’t say a word if anyone else is talking. You could raise your hand and ask others to do the same as a call for silence until every hand is raised. Another technique is to talk quietly until the listeners manage to quiet their neighbors. But

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the simplest and easiest way is to simply smile and wait in silence until everyone else becomes silent. Placing yourself strategically

Standing as part of a circle is good so everyone can see and hear you, while also seeing the other participants. But if the group exceeds 70, even standing shoulder-to-shoulder, you’ll have trouble being heard. On a windy day, position yourself so the wind carries your voice to the group. Try lowering your voice, and invite the group to come close as if you had a secret to share. They’ll bunch in near to you, and you won’t have to shout. Placement for sight is also important. Stand so you are looking into the sun or toward a bright, back-lit background, allowing everyone else to comfortably look at you. Face the most interesting part of the room or a corridor where people are passing, to decrease the distractions for others. Training assistants

You’ll need helpers who know the plan to help you lead, control the crowd, answer questions, distribute and gather things, etc. You’ll also need more equipment for large groups. Official greeter

If you are in a situation where participants might arrive late or in a public place where passersby might be attracted to your games, it is best at the beginning to ask for a volunteer to be the “official greeter.” He or she should agree to

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get up and greet anyone who comes at any time. A smile, a very short explanation of the program, and a request to the newcomers to please wait and observe quietly until the current game ends is usually all that is required. If you are not willing to accept anyone else, then the greeter should politely convey that message instead. Activities in pairs or small groups

These are great because everyone plays, everyone talks and hopefully everyone laughs, too. These are also effective for getting to know people. Unfortunately, telling a new group that doesn’t know each other to “pick a partner” often results in many people feeling nervous about being left out. A much better way to divide people into small groups the first time is to play Clumps for a minute or two, ending with everyone in pairs or threes or whatever number you want. Some Cool Equipment

The majority of games in this book need no equipment; they can be played anywhere, at any time. For a game in which something is required, a section called Equipment at the beginning gives the details. Many times it is only paper and pen for the participants or optional music. However, there are some props that are so fun, so light, and so cheap that I include them. Soft throwables: These are things that can safely be thrown at one another and can’t hurt even if they hit your face. A clean pair of socks tucked into a ball works. I visit thrift stores (like Goodwill or Salvation Army stores in the USA)

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and go to the section of old children’s toys. I’m looking for small stuffed animals about the size of my two fists held together. I avoid big teddy bears and seek out small exotic animals that don’t have any hard plastic parts on them. I usually find about 10 or 20 in a store that meet my criteria, and when I bring them to the counter, I am usually charged only 50 cents to a dollar for each one. At home I use scissors to cut off all the “Made in China” tags, company logos and decorative clothing.

Soft Throwables Soft throwables are very light and easy to stuff in a plastic bag. I often start a games workshop by ceremoniously handing one funny-looking stuffed animal to each participant and then teach them Catch the Falling Animals. Soft throwables are also used for Letting Go, Tank, and Group Juggling. It is great to pass one around the circle when you want each person to speak and everyone else to listen in a sharing game like Questions or during a debrief. Whenever I find myself with small kids, I can bring out my bag of soft throwables and start an impromptu game of throwing

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them at one another’s faces. Every time the kids get hit by a soft funny animal they laugh, over and over again. How cool can you get? Balloons: Cheap and easily available. Make sure you have enough balloons to give one to every participant, plus extras for accidental breakage. Try to find medium size balloons. These are great for indoor games, but they are impossible to use outdoors on a windy day. See Balloon Frantic, Balloon Trolleys, and Balloon Samadhi. Beach Ball: As big and light as you can find. Usually inflatable, they frequently break after a few uses, but it’s an amusing way to focus a group on how many times they can hit it up in the air without it touching the ground. See Moonball. Ball of String: Great metaphor for closing debriefing, showing how we are all connected. See Web of Appreciation. Pool Noodle: Buy one or two, cut them into three pieces each less than your arm’s length, and you’re ready to play Tusker. Be sure to demonstrate hitting yourself loudly with these soft things several times to reassure participants before they experience it.

Rope: At least 1.5 centimeters (5/8 inches) diameter, 20 to 30 meters (20 to 30 yards) long of synthetic fiber rope (not clothesline, manila or plastic rope) is great for Yurt Rope and other games.

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SAFE BOUNDARIES AND DEBRIEFING

Full Value Contract

Developed by Project Adventure, this is an important agreement by all the participants to honor and respect everyone. It is rather like a seatbelt, a safety device to guarantee each person’s safety. For example, “Play fair, play safe, play hard” is a simple theme that elementary school students can understand and agree to. For teenagers and adults, a longer agreement could be, “Be here, be safe, be honest, have fun, take care of self, and support others.” When participants accept such an agreement, they are also accepting shared responsibility for the physical and emotional safety of the group. Debriefing Tips

While laughter and happiness are wonderful outcomes of cooperative games, more learning and growth will take place if time is spent on reflection about “what just happened,” and then connecting the experience to “real life.” There’s no need to sit for a debriefing after every game, and it would be tiresome to do so. However, there is great value in planning several periods of reflection during your session, especially after the more challenging activities. This is why there are several discussion questions in italics in the “Facilitation Tips” after most games. As facilitator,

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choose the questions that seem most interesting and appropriate, and which bring to life the concepts and themes that you want to present. The goal of a debrief is to allow all participants to express themselves in a supportive, trusting, non-judgmental environment. Rather than you as facilitator telling the group the meaning of the games, you should ask open-ended questions that motivate participants to talk about what it all means. In the safe and supportive space that the group agreed to with their Full Value Contract, they can talk freely about communication and leadership and provide good feedback to one another. Three Parts of a Debrief: What? So What? Now What?

First ask the group, “What happened?” This will get people talking. For example, “How did you feel during this activity?”, “What were the different ways the group tried to solve this problem?”, and “How did the group come to a decision?” Group processes such as communication, leadership, teamwork and planning are common topics. However, beneath this surface, other emotional issues may lie: negativism, devaluing others, cliques, peer pressure, sexism, fear of being judged, lack of trust and support, etc. Second, ask the group, “So what?” Ask them to inter- pret or give meaning to what they have experienced. For example, ask any of the following questions: “What was important for you about this experience, and why?” “What were your hopes and fears in this experience, and were they realized?” “Why did the group become frustrated?” “How did you feel when ...” Finally, “Now what?” You want the participants to apply their learning to the real world. Ask, “What have we learned

36 cooperative games for a cooperative world from this experience that we can apply to our lives?”, “What did you learn about yourself?”, or “What could this group do differently to cooperate better in the future, based on this experience?” As facilitator, you should not do much talking. Don’t ask questions that can be answered with a “yes” or “no”, because if you do, that’s all you’ll get. Instead ask open- ended questions or ask what people were feeling. You want them to learn from one another. Two thousand five hundred years ago Lao-Tzu said:

A leader is best when people barely know that the leader exists, not so good when people obey and acclaim the leader; worse when they despise him or her. Fail to honor people, they fail to honor you. But of a good leader, who talks little, when the work is done, the aim fulfilled, the people will all say, “We did this ourselves.”

Here are some techniques for a debrief: The Whip

This is an easy way to solicit feedback after a game, as long as your group is fewer than 30 in number. Ask each participant to say a word or phrase that sums up the experience for them. Let everyone speak before allowing comments. Thumbs Up

Explain that if they hold their thumb up, it means the game was a complete success; a thumb pointing downwards means it was a total flop. This is a scale, and each participant

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can hold their thumb at any angle between up and down to indicate their feelings, so sideways would be OK. Ask everyone to vote with their thumb, and then look to see how people are feeling, and start a discussion from there. Headliners

Give paper to each participant and ask them to write a breaking news headline describing the most significant part of the experience for them. You can ask them to work alone or in twos or threes. After all the headlines are read to the group, you can start discussing why a particular headline was chosen. Large Groups

If you have more than 40 people, it’s still important to periodically debrief; however, you won’t be able to listen to everyone. Here are three techniques you can use even with hundreds of participants. Paired-Shares

Ask everyone to turn to their neighbor and discuss in twos or threes an open-ended question that you announce (see the questions listed above). This will immediately generate a lot of energy. Back to Back

Ask everyone to stand in pairs, back to back with their partner. Ask a simple, open-ended question about their experience, say “Go!”, upon which they turn to face each

38 cooperative games for a cooperative world other and they have 30-60 seconds to tell their answer and listen to their partner’s answer. When you shout, “Back to back!” they have to stop and turn around again and wait to hear your next question. Choose questions which are progressively deeper. If you want, you can have everyone switch partners each time. Small Groups

Ask the participants to sit in groups of five to eight people to discuss a series of questions. If you have trained assistants, ask them to sit with different groups. You can ask a note taker to record the group’s responses, for optional sharing with the larger group. General Guidelines

Ask open-ended questions. Be non-judgmental, honest, and sincere. Listen carefully to what is said and also to what is not said. Watch for body language, too. Show compassion and understanding for the feelings of others. A good debrief can help people transform a frustrating or unpleasant experience by realizing that it was a valuable lesson for their growth. Avoid teaching or offering hints to facilitate a solution. The spontaneous applause when the group is happy with their efforts is not for you, it’s for the group. You can smile and applaud, too, because that’s a sign that you’re doing a good job. Debriefs should end with a question: “Are there any last thoughts before we move on to the next game?” Be aware that everything won’t always be resolved, and an issue can always be reconsidered at a later time.

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Feeling Cards

Print out feeling cards, ideally on card stock (thicker paper than normal), covered in plastic or laminated if possible, and lay them all out in the middle of the circle. For adults, appropriate cards would include: Calm, Surprised, Relaxed, Concerned, Cranky, Disappointed, Bored, Hurt, Happy, Confused, Upset, Sad, Interested, Nervous, Angry, Depressed, Excited, Afraid, Disgusted, Grief, Content, Startled, Distracted, Despair, Satisfied, Apprehensive, Aggravated, Overjoyed, Anxious, Irate, Amazed, Astonished, Apathetic, Thrilled, Terrified, Disbelief, Fixated, Frantic, and Bitter. You will want fewer and simpler cards for young students or students who have more limited language skills. Ask participants to pick one that represents how they are feeling. More than one participant can use the same card. Then go around the circle and have each person say, “I feel … because ...”

In Ananda Viplava, Cairo, NY, USA

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GETTING TO KNOW ONE ANOTHER GAMES

Interviews

Concepts and Themes:Icebreaker, compassion, non-judgmental observation Number of Participants: 2-200+ Instructions: Quotation marks model one way to present the instructions. “Sit with someone you don’t know. Ask your partner the following five questions and remember their answers, and then your partner will ask you the same questions: 1.) What is your name? 2.) Where are you from? 3.) What is the most fun you have ever had? 4.) What is the best advice you ever received? 5.) What is your personal motto? In other words, if you were to print something on a T-shirt, what would it say? You have 10 minutes. If you both finish, then you can make up some other questions to ask.” Facilitation Tips: Change the questions according to your taste; look at the list in the Questions game. If your group numbers fewer than 25, it’s great to have each person introduce their partner to the group and share their answers. In large groups there won’t be time for sharing with everyone, but the game is still a great way to begin so that everyone makes at least one friend! Discussion questions in italics can be used to bring to life the concepts and themes that you may want to present.

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Were you able to observe without judging or forming an opinion, opening yourself to new ways of thinking about people? How did it feel?

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Name Chain

Concepts and Themes: Coordinated cooperation, patience, concentration Number of Participants: 8-30 Instructions: Sit in a circle. “This is a simple game to learn each others’ names. I say my first name loudly and clearly, and you all repeat it loudly and clearly twice. Then the person on my left says her name loudly and clearly, and we all repeat it twice. Then she says, ‘My friend is [my name].’ See, it’s very simple. Now the third person says his name, plus the names of his friends, starting with me, then the person to my left. See, it’s easy!” Facilitation Tips: Everyone will be laughing or moaning by this point, because those sitting on the other side of the circle will realize they will have to memorize the names of everyone! If you have a stuffed animal or even a smooth rock, you can pass it around, perhaps explaining jokingly that it “has magical powers to help you remember.” Remind the group that this is a cooperative game, meaning that whenever anyone cannot remember a name, the rest of the group should immediately repeat it. This game works well with groups of up to 20 people. It can be done with 30 people, too, but it takes more time. It is amazing how much people concentrate due to the need to “perform” at some point. When the circle is completed, then you, the facilitator, should also say everyone’s name. If you are nervous, ask everyone to call out all the names one-by-one together with you. If you have fewer than 20 people in your group,

43 dada maheshvarananda it’s good to go around the circle a second time, so everyone says the complete chain of names. Learning names of all the participants is a very important step in building trust and friendship in the group. This is the most effective way for everyone to learn people’s names. Were you nervous when your turn came? Were you surprised at how many names you were able to learn? Learning how to focus the mind is essential for intellectual development, psychological well-being and success in meditation; are you able to concentrate well? What are some things you might do to improve your concentration?

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Blanket Game

Concepts and Themes: Fun, Icebreaker Number of Participants: 10-30 Equipment: One blanket or opaque plastic sheet, at least 1.5 by 1.5 meters (5 x 5 feet) Instructions: After learning one another’s names (try Name Chain first, for example), this game will reinforce the names that everyone has learned. Divide the participants roughly into two groups. With a volunteer hold the blanket between the two of you, up to your shoulders, like a wall between the groups. Ask the two groups to sit on the ground about two meters (six feet) back from the blanket so they cannot see the other group. “Quietly, so the other team can’t hear you, send one volunteer right up to the blanket. When I see that one member from each team is sitting on opposite sides of the blanket, I will count to three, and on three, my partner and I will drop the blanket to the ground, so they both can suddenly see each other. Their objective is to call out the name of the other person before they call out your name. Whoever comes in second will then move to join the other team.” Facilitation Tips: People laugh a lot in this game. Players switch sides so often that there is usually little feeling of team loyalty or competition. After a few rounds, suggest they should think creatively. They can’t cover their face, but any other distractions are fair. (Don’t tell them, but switching clothes, using disguises, or holding a yoga pose so their head is upside down are all acceptable.) After everyone has played at least one round, ask each team to send two players together up to the blanket. Stop

45 dada maheshvarananda the game while people are still laughing (and before it starts to become tiresome). Source: Karl Rohnke

Blanket Game in Los Angeles, USA (photo Abraham Heisler)

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The Invisible Knowledge of the Universe or Commonalities

Concepts and Themes: Non-judgmental observation, communication, effective listening Number of Participants: 4-200+ Equipment: Paper and pen for each participant; soft music (optional) Instructions: Ask the group to arrange themselves into clusters of four to ten or any other number. Give each group a piece of paper and a pen. “In five minutes make a list of things that are common to all the people in the cluster but which belong to the invisible knowledge of the universe, that is, what could not be known by looking at you. So having the same hair color doesn’t count, because that is visible, but if all of you have traveled to a certain country, that would count. I ask everyone to please be honest and point out if you do not share a certain trait. Facilitation Tips: Afterwards a member from each group can read their list—insist that there be no more additions to the lists at that point. Of course, this is a not a competitive game, and some groups come up with long lists of rather meaningless items (“we all sleep, we all eat...”), so don’t give much importance to how many items each list has. This is a wonderful way to get people talking, and to discover things we have in common, our unity in diversity. How did it feel when you discovered invisible things in common?

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Were you able to observe without judging or forming an opinion, opening yourself to new ways of thinking about people? How did it feel? Were you able to listen effectively? Did you feel that you were listened to well?

Source: Karl Rohnke and Steve Butler, Quicksilver

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Making Contact

Concepts and Themes: Coordinated cooperation, effective listening Number of Participants: 8-50 Instructions: Group makes a circle, either standing or sitting. First, ask everyone to change places to a spot on the opposite side of the circle as quickly and efficiently as possible. Second, ask them to again move to the opposite side of the circle, but not as fast, and this time to make eye contact with at least one other person as they pass. Third, ask them to move slowly this time, and everyone has to shake hands with a few people as they cross the circle. Fourth, we will use a greeting from Kenya. Their custom is to shake hands and ask, “How are you?” then take the time to listen carefully to the reply. Both people need to ask about the other, and both need to reply honestly. Do this with several participants. Try it. Facilitation Tips: How did it feel? Were you able to listen carefully? Did you feel that you were listened to well? The purpose of this game is to understand how the quality of our actions depends on the way we act. Like hurrying across the circle without observing anyone around you, some people go through life unaware of all the beautiful people who cross their paths every day. Do you know people like that? Are you unaware of people around you sometimes? Most of the time?

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A North American consultant who learned this greeting in Kenya was so inspired that when he returned home, he continued to practice it. It’s not what we do that’s important, it’s how we do it.

50 cooperative games for a cooperative world

Two Truths and a Lie

Concepts and Themes: Icebreaker, effective listening, communication, non-judgmental observation Number of Participants: 4-40 Equipment: Optional paper and pen for each person, optional quiet music Instructions: Sit in a circle. Give a few minutes for everyone to write down or just remember in their head three surprising facts about themselves. Two of them must be true, one is not. One by one, each participant tells the three in any order. After hearing all three, the group openly votes on which one they think is a lie, after which the teller reveals which were really true and which was not. Then the next participant tells their three facts. Facilitation Tips: This game allows everyone to learn something about the other participants. Variation: Two Truths and a Dream Wish, in which the lie is something that you wish were true. Variation: Truth is Stranger Than Fiction, in which each person tells two short stories that happened to them, one of which is true, the other false. Allow just 30 seconds for questions that the group asks the story teller; then they vote. This game takes longer but is very interesting. Do you consider yourself a good listener? Do other people consider you to be a good listener? Did you feel that you were listened to well? Were you able to observe without judging, opening yourself to new ways of thinking about people? How did it feel?

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Sources: An old party game. TheTruth is Stranger Than Fiction variation comes from Karl Rohnke and Steve Butler, Quicksilver.

52 cooperative games for a cooperative world

Comfort Zone

Concepts and Themes:Overcoming fear by facing it, samskaras, compassion. Number of Participants: 4-200+ Instructions: Designate three areas on the ground, each one large enough for the group to stand in. Use rope, rocks, shoes, or anything to indicate where the divisions are. Ask everyone to begin by standing in the first section. Explain to them that they are now in the “comfort zone.” The next section is the “uncomfortable stretch zone,” where you feel nervous as you are challenged by new situations, and where all meaningful learning takes place. Finally, the third section is the “panic zone,” where you are only thinking about survival. Explain that you will read to them one-by-one different scenarios, and they will have to move or stay in the place that best fits their level of comfort or discomfort regarding these things. All players respond to each question at the same time. Invite them after they move, to observe where the other participants are each time. A group can respond to even 40 different scenarios rather quickly; you should pause for perhaps 10 to 20 seconds after each item for people to think, respond, and then look around at where others are. Read this list or make your own: spiders; snakes; being alone; heights; the dark; to talk to a stranger; to travel by airplane; to travel by boat; failure; public speaking; speaking on radio or TV; talking to the police; singing in public; dancing; riding a motorcycle; swimming in the ocean; climbing trees; going to hospitals; getting a tattoo; riding

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a horse; eating an insect; going to a party or a bar; going to a five-star restaurant; going to a job interview; playing sports; sky diving; speaking a second language; visiting another country that speaks a language you don’t know; camping; exploring caves; not looking in a mirror for a week; cooking for others; climate change; the situation in your country; the state of the world; conspiracies; walking barefoot outdoors; saying “I love you”. Facilitation Tips: Debrief at the end that fear is emotional, not intellectual. We feel fear in response to something that we perceive to be a risk to our health or life, status, power, wealth, or anything we feel attached to. According to the developing field of Biopsychology, the instinct for fear is located in the navel region (third chakra). Fear helps us take action to survive, the so-called “fight- or-flight response”. We judge a fear as either rational and appropriate, or irrational and inappropriate, what we call a phobia. In order to learn and grow, we need to face some of our fears, take risks, and challenge ourselves. Why do we fear the things we do? The way to overcome a fear is to face it. Which fears that you have would you like to face and overcome? Samskaras, commonly known as “The Law of Karma,” are the mental reaction of our actions in potential forms. According to yoga, many differences among us are due to our past lives. Do you believe in past lives?

54 cooperative games for a cooperative world

GENERAL COOPERATIVE GAMES

The Cross and the Circle

Concepts and Themes: Icebreaker, fun, concentration Number of Participants: 2-200+ Instructions: “With your right hand, make a circle, large or small. Good. Stop. With your left hand, make a cross. Good. Stop. Now do both simultaneously.” Facilitation Tips: This is a great game to start with, because it’s so simple that everyone is willing to try it. People can be sitting or standing, it doesn’t matter. If they are sitting, ask anyone who can do it to stand and show everyone. There’s often laughter because while it seems so easy, many people mess up again while trying to show their ability. In a group of thirty people, sometimes one person manages it, almost never two. Variations: Ask people to make circles with their right foot if they are right-handed, left foot if they are left- handed. Keeping the foot moving in circles, ask them to write their name in the air with their hand. Why is the task so difficult to accomplish? Because the corpus callosum, a band of fibers connecting the two sides of the brain, always tries to get the two sides of your body to work together. Closing your eyes may diminish that coor- dinating feedback and make the task easier. Accomplishing the task requires practicing one movement until it becomes

55 dada maheshvarananda automatic, so the brain can focus on the second one while the first one is operating in the background. Learning how to focus the mind is essential for intellectual development, psychological well-being and success in meditation; are you able to concentrate well? What are some things you might do to improve your concentration?

Source: Augusto Boal, Games for Actors and Non-Actors

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Gotcha!

Concepts and Themes: Fun Number of Participants: 4-200+ Instructions: Stand or sit in a circle, right palm out, left finger on neighbor’s right palm. On “GO!”, each person tries to catch the finger that touches their palm, while taking away their own finger without getting caught by your neighbor’s fingers. The challenge, of course, is to do these two different activities with your different hands at the same time.

Gotcha in Los Angeles, USA (photo Abraham Heisler) Facilitation Tips: Do this six to eight times. Then try the following variations: a.) turn the right palm downwards,

57 dada maheshvarananda with the left index finger pointing upwards; b.) close eyes: c.) announce that after five seconds, anyone can shout, “Go!” to start the game. This game is great fun for any number of players, though not for more than five minutes. Don’t try to analyze this game in a debrief; just enjoy it and then do another game.

Source: Mark Collard, Count Me In

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Clumps

Concepts and Themes: Going with the flow rasa( ) Number of Participants: 12-200+ Instructions: Explain to the group that when you call out a number from one to ten, they need to form in groups of that number as fast as possible. Facilitation Tips: This is a very simple, very fast game that eventually splits the group into pairs or other small groupings in a pretty random way by running and laughing unselfconsciously. Many times people feel uncomfortable and nervous in a group of people they don’t know, and sometimes even in a group they know well! Asking them to “pick a partner” for a game that requires pairs often results in some people feeling nervous about possibly being left out. Instead, play the fun game, Clumps, to get the same result! Don’t worry that a few people are left over each time, just shout out the next number and they, with everyone else, will start running and dividing. Try shouting 3, then 7, 4, 9, 2.

Source: Mark Collard, Count Me In

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Human Spring

Concepts and Themes: Going with the flow rasa( ), fun. Number of Participants: 2-200+ Instructions: First demonstrate. “Stand in pairs facing your partner, about 60 cm (2 feet) apart. Raise your arms, with your elbows bent and your palms facing your partner. Slowly lean in towards your partner until your hands meet in the middle; then push away from each other like a spring. Repeat, trying to find a perfect continual rhythm of falling together and pushing away.” Facilitation Tips: Encourage everyone to make a “Boing!” sound like a spring each time they meet. Then invite them all to take a small step backwards to increase the challenge. This should take only 2-5 minutes. Source: Mark Collard, Count Me In

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Cooperative Competition or Pushing Against Each Other

Concepts and Themes: Positive and negative competition, trust, dynamic equilibrium (prama), responsibility Number of Participants: 2-200+ Instructions: This is done in pairs, face-to-face. One person stands with one foot forward and the other back; the partner touches their toes to the toes of the first person. Hold the hands in front of the shoulders, the right palm of the first person against the left palm of the partner, and match the other hands the same way. Then the two players push as hard as they can against each other in slow motion. Try to match one’s strength with the strength of the partner, never allowing the partner to lose their balance and fall. Facilitation Tips: This is a good stretching exercise, as well as a trust activity. Variation: Stand back to back, feet apart, leaning against each other. Gradually, never breaking back contact, walk your feet in tiny steps away from each other until you are finally sitting back to back on the floor. Then walk yourselves back into a standing position. Seesaw variation: “Sit on the floor facing your partner, with legs apart, knees bent. Your feet should be flat on the floor and near your partner’s feet. Grab your partner’s arms, not the hands. Then, like a cooperative seesaw, one starts to rise, pulled up by the other, and then starts to lower, pulling the partner up. You will always be part way up, like a seesaw.

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This is called cooperative competition because everyone is playing quite hard, and yet not trying to beat their opponent. Runners often find they run farther and faster when they have a somewhat evenly matched partner to practice with. Have you ever experienced a type of cooperative competition, and if so, how did it feel? Did everyone act responsibly toward others in this game? Trust means to feel safe with, confident in and supported by the group. How much do you feel trust in this group? Sources: Karl Rohnke, Funn ‘n Games, variations by Augusto Boal, Games for Actors and Non-Actors

Cooperative Competition in Los Angeles, USA (photo Abraham Heisler)

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Support Your Partner

Concepts and Themes: Coordinated cooperation, dynamic equilibrium (prama), icebreaker, service. Number of Participants: 2-200+ Instructions: Everyone should divide into pairs. It’s best if your partner is about the same height as you. First demonstrate each movement with a volunteer, making it easy for everyone to copy. Explain that you need a volunteer, but without waiting, smile, point to someone, and ask, “Are you a volunteer?” This usually gets a laugh.

Support Your Partner (back-to-back) in Caracas, Venezuela “In pairs, stand back-to-back, about 40 cm. (a foot) apart. Keeping your bodies straight and your feet together, lean

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against the back of your partner. You need to push against the back of your partner, balancing your weight against the weight of your partner. Then move your feet a few centimeters (inches) away from each other, until you reach about 50 cm. (a foot-and-a-half) apart. Without bending your bodies, there will be a greater angle between your straight bodies, and more pressure leaning against your partner. You are supporting your partner, preventing her from falling, and she is supporting you. Concentrate on keeping your partner from falling; don’t worry about your own balance. Serve your partner’s needs. If you take care of your partner and your partner takes care of you, both of you are in good hands. This should be easy, even if it is a bit unusual. Go ahead and try it now.” [Demonstrate again with a volunteer.] “Next, both of you turn side-to-side so you’re facing the same direction still while leaning against your partner. You continue to keep your partner from falling. Try it.” [Demonstrate again with a volunteer.] “Then turn back- to-back again and continue turning until you are side-to- side facing the other direction. Now repeat, turning back- to-back again, and then to the other side again. Repeat several times, from one side to the other, until you get comfortable giving your weight and receiving the weight of your partner. You are falling, but your partner is there to hold you up. You are generous to give your weight to your partner so he or she can also fall against you. We are at our best when falling—we ‘fall’ in love. Try it.” [Demonstrate again with a volunteer.]

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Walking side-to-side in Seara, Portugal “Now, leaning side-to-side, begin walking together while always leaning against your partner, each taking care of the other. Whenever you cannot go forward because of another pair or an obstacle in your way, don’t try to turn, which would make balancing more difficult. Instead just stop, turn around again, and start back they way you came so that there’s no leader or follower, just two bodies going as one. Try it.” [Demonstrate again with a volunteer.] “Excellent. Now facing your partner, hold your arms straight out and place your hands on the shoulders of your partner. Take a step backwards, away from your partner. Keeping your bodies and arms straight, lean against the body of your partner. Step farther away. How far away can you safely go?” [Demonstrate again with a volunteer.] “OK. Standing straight now, take a step back now and, with your arms straight out, grab the hands of your partner. Keeping your

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bodies and arms straight, lean against the hands of your partner. Step farther away.” [Demonstrate again with a volunteer.]

Hands on shoulders) in Los Angeles, USA (photo Abraham Heisler) “From that position, leaning against the hands and arms of your partner, try to slowly turn completely around. Raise your hands over your head and turn, still pressing your hands against your partner’s hands. You will be more successful in moving farther away from your partner only if you can always give your weight to your partner even when reaching back over your head.”

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Hands interlocking in Los Angeles, USA (photo Abraham Heisler) [Demonstrate again with a volunteer.] “Now facing your partner, hold your arms straight over your head. Grab the hands of your partner and interlock your fingers. Take a step backwards, away from your partner. Keeping your bodies and arms straight, your head between your arms, lean against the hands of your partner. Step farther away. You can make a pretty wide angle with your bodies. How far away can you safely go?” [Demonstrate again with a volunteer.] “Face your partner, about 30 cm. (a foot) apart and hold your partner’s hands. Now lower one of your arms, and both of you step over that arm linked with your partner’s, one partner using the right foot and the other the left foot. Now you both have one arm between your legs still holding the hands. The arms that are not between the legs but still holding hands will together swing over your heads, so you turn

67 dada maheshvarananda your back to your partner and as you continue with the arm that has now come over the head, you will turn all the way around facing your partner and stepping over the arms with the other leg to arrive in your original starting position. Then repeat it, using your other legs to step over your other arms; then swing your other linked arms over your head as you turn back-to-back, and then step over your other arm linked with your partner’s.” Facilitation Tips: The last variation is challenging, but possible for most people. These games are about service, and the experience of both giving and receiving service from your partner. Take a minute to share with your partner whether you felt supported and whether you were surprised by anything in these games. Did these remind you of any service you have experienced? Great inner power comes when you serve others in need without any expectation of result or reward. Did you feel that power in this game? Have you felt it when you did service in other situations? A difficult variation of the third part, that is not recom- mended for the first session, is instead of walking while leaning against your partner, to try running together. And, even more advanced, try running and jumping together.

Source: Ole Brekke of the Commedia School, Copenhagen.

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Martian Hypnosis

Concepts and Themes: Icebreaker, Going with the flow (rasa). Number of Participants: 2-200+ Instructions: “This game,Martian Hypnosis, we’ll do in pairs. I need a volunteer. [Demonstrate] I am from Mars, and, as you all know, Martians have a great capacity to hypnotize people. I hold up my hand, palm outwards, fingers together and upright, about 30 centimeters (a foot) in front of the face of my partner, which establishes the hypnotic bond. Now as I slowly move my hand, the hypnotized partner must move their body to keep their face the same distance from my hand, with their hair level about even with the tips of my fingers, chin level about even with my palm. Slowly moving my hand up and down, right and left, backwards and forwards, diagonally, my partner must con- tort their body to maintain the same distance and position. No talking—this is a silent game. Remember, Martians, you are allies, not opponents, of your partners, trying to slowly help them discover different physical movements. Then when I announce, ‘Hands down!’, drop your hand and the hypnotic spell is broken. Try it.” Facilitation Tips: This is a lot of fun, and it gets people using muscles they rarely use to unselfconsciously follow the hypnotic hand. After a few minutes, shout, ‘Hands down!’ and have them switch roles. Afterwards, both can extend a hand, so both are leading and following at the same time.

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A variation is to have the Martian hypnotize two partners simultaneously, one with each hand. Both hands must continually move, and the hypnotized partners must not touch each other. Finally all three can lead and follow at the same time. “Going with the flow” (“rasa” in Sanskrit), means to “surf” the life force of the universe, intuitively listening to and responding to cues from the ocean of cosmic intelligence. Have you ever felt like you were doing that? How did it feel?

Source: Augusto Boal, Games for Actors and Non-Actors

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Mirroring

Concepts and Themes: Intuition, going with the flow (rasa) Number of Participants: 2-200+ Equipment: Quiet music (optional) Instructions: Divide into pairs, and demonstrate the game with a volunteer. “I am standing in front of a mirror. My partner is my reflection in the mirror who copies all my actions. I have to move rather slowly so my reflection can keep up with me. Mirrors can’t talk, so this game is done in silence. Remember, keep your movements slow so your reflection can keep up with you. Try it.”

Mirroring at Prout Research Institute of Venezuela in Caracas Facilitation Tips: After five minutes, ask the partners to switch roles. After another five minutes, announce, “Now we will experience real intuition. Both of you are the subjects, and both of you are also the reflections. The objective is not that first you lead, and then you follow; rather, the goal is

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to both lead and follow simultaneously. Try to feel your partner’s intentions and go with the flow. Begin.” Ask the pairs to share with each other what they experienced. “Going with the flow” (“rasa” in Sanskrit), means to “surf” the life force of the universe, intuitively listening to and responding to cues from the ocean of cosmic intelligence. Have you ever felt like you were doing that? How did it feel?

Source: Theater exercise by Viola Spolin

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Balanced Unbalance or Dynamic Equilibrium (Prama)

Concepts and Themes: Dynamic equilibrium: prama, coordinated cooperation. Number of Participants: 2–40+ Instructions: Demonstrate. “Stand with a partner more or less your size. Grab each other’s wrists. Lean back until you are out of balance, and only your partner is keeping you from falling. Try to trust a little more, be a little more daring, but always be compassionate. The safety of your partner is in your hands. Your arms should be straight, your feet in between and alternating with the feet of your partner. Then move around a bit, a little like a dance. Make sure that there is a safe distance between you and other pairs or any objects.” “Stop. Next, invent as many crazy, off-balance positions as possible in which each person is leaning backwards, but supported by their partner so they don’t fall. Be careful not to put too much strain or pressure on your partner.” “Stop. Finally each pair should join with another pair to make a foursome and repeat.” Facilitation Tips: This activity should be done on a carpet or grass. Keep a sharp eye out to prevent any pair from becoming so overenthusiastic that they might lose their grip and fall. At the end, sit together and discuss what it is like to experience dynamic equilibrium, the principle of ecology. This game goes well with Support Your Partner. Dynamic equilibrium (“prama” in Sanskrit) exists in nature in which everything is changing and moving, in a fluctuating

73 dada maheshvarananda state of balance. Could you feel that in this game? In what other situations have you experienced this?

Balanced Unbalance in Los Angeles, USA (photo Abraham Heisler)

74 cooperative games for a cooperative world

Dancing Sticks

Concepts and Themes: Intuition, coordinated cooperation, going with the flow rasa( ) Number of Participants: 2-200+ Equipment: A thin stick almost a meter (three feet) long for every two people in your group. Bamboo works nicely, or any other mostly straight stick, or a wooden dowel, or any other light material. If you have enough sticks, you can give two to each pair, one for each hand. Soft music (optional). Instructions: “Place one end of the stick against your open palm, and the other end against the palm of your partner. You cannot use your fingers to hold the stick, so you have to maintain slight pressure on the stick against your partner to keep it in place. Start to move your hand and body any way you like, while still maintaining the stick with your partner. Be aware of who is leading and who is following at different moments.” Facilitation Tips: This is a common theater exercise for recognizing who is leading and who is following. The challenges include to both turn around, to both step over the sticks, and more. Background music is great for this. You can have everyone do this in silence if you want. “Going with the flow” (“rasa” in Sanskrit), means to “surf” the life force of the universe, intuitively listening to and responding to cues from the ocean of cosmic intelligence. Did you feel like you were surfing or dancing? Have you ever felt like that at other times? How did it feel?

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Source: Theater exercise, sometimes called “Major Minor with Bamboo.”

Dancing Sticks in Caracas, Venezuela

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Galloping Hands

Concepts and Themes: Positive and negative competition Number of Participants: 10-50 Instructions: Sit in a close circle, on chairs or on the ground. “First slap your hands on your knees. Now we want to send a slap galloping in sequence clockwise around the circle. So I slap my right knee with my right hand, then my left knee with my left hand, and the person to my left does the same, and so on around the circle…. Great. Now let’s do it again faster!…. Faster!” “Excellent. Now we’re going to send the galloping sequence counterclockwise…. Can we do it faster?….” “The person on my right is the Captain of Team A, and the person on my left is the Captain of Team B. On the count of three both will send a knee slap simultaneously in opposite directions. The team whose clap goes all around the circle and gets back to me first, wins. Whoever is on the other side of the circle and receives the signal from both sides simultaneously has the challenge of sending them both onwards in both directions. Ready? Go!” Facilitation Tips: Watch their confusion as you announce the winning team and everyone tries to figure out whether or not they were on that team. Of course they all were. Discuss positive competition: when you compete against yourself, when a team competes to better their time, or when they compete against a theoretical team, “everyone wins.” Negative competition is “winner-takes-all” and which produces a loser. Many people don’t play any sports at all, in part because of negative experiences they have had as “losers.”

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Galloping Hands in Swaraj University, Udaipur, India Variation: Have everyone kneel in a close circle. Ask everyone to place their hands on the floor in front of them, but interlaced with the hands of both of their neighbors’ hands on either side of them in the circle. In the same way, a slap on the floor should be passed along, galloping around the circle. It’s much harder than you would think to slap hands in the correct sequence, due to the position of your hands on either side of your neighbors’ hands. In your life, what was your experience with competitive sports? How did you feel when you won or lost? Source: Karl Rohnke

78 cooperative games for a cooperative world

Galloping Hands Variation in Ananda Kalyanii, Covilhã, Portugal

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Walking Tag

Concepts and Themes: Living in the present, icebreaker, fun. Number of Participants: 8-200+ Instructions: Everyone chooses a partner more or less their own size. You need to demonstrate this game. “Please stand facing your partner. This game is calledWalking Tag. I am ‘it.’ I turn around 360 degrees. Then I walk, not run, following my partner who is trying to escape me by walking as well. When I touch my partner, he or she has to stop, turn around, and then start walking to tag me.” Demonstrate weaving between other people, hiding behind others. “You can only walk—you may not run. You play only with your partner; you cannot tag any other player. You cannot go out of the boundaries. Now, the ones that will be ‘it,’ hold up your hands. When I start the game, you must first turn around and then walk to catch your partner. Ready, begin.” Facilitation Tips: Boundaries need to be clear. The smaller the playing field, the more fun is the game. The facilitator needs to keep reminding the players to walk, not run, and to stay within the boundaries. People laugh a lot and get tired fast. Pairs Squared is a variation of this game, playing the same rules but in pairs. How did you feel during this game? Who won? Source: Karl Rohnke and Steve Butler, Quicksilver

80 cooperative games for a cooperative world

Pairs Squared

Concepts and Themes: Living in the present, icebreaker, fun. Number of Participants: 8-200+ Instructions: Everyone chooses a partner more or less their own size. “Please link elbows with your partner. Now please stand facing another pair, so each pair is in front of another pair. This game is calledWalking Tag. Please watch this demonstration. One pair is “it.” It turns around 360 degrees. Then “it” starts to walk, not run, following the other pair. When one member of the pair touches one person of the other pair, both have to stop, turn around, and then start walking to catch the first pair. You can only walk—you may not run. You play only with your pair, the pair you are facing now. You cannot tag another pair. You cannot go out of the boundaries and cannot go through another pair. Now, the pair that will be ‘it,’ hold up your hands. When I start the game, you must first turn around and then walk to catch your companion pair. Ready, begin.” Facilitation Tips: This is a variation ofWalking Tag. Boundaries need to be clear. The smaller the playing field, the more fun is the game. The facilitator needs to keep reminding pairs to walk, not run, and to stay within the boundaries. People laugh a lot and get tired fast. How did you feel during this game? Who won? Source: Karl Rohnke and Steve Butler, Quicksilver

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Tusker

Concepts and Themes: Fun, coordinated cooperation. Number of Participants: 10-50+ Equipment: A pool noodle, cut into three pieces, each that are less than your arm length (optional). Or two rolled up pieces of newspaper (also optional). Instructions: Have everyone pair up and hold hands with their partner. One pair will be the “Tusker,” so each will hold a “tusk” (a pool noodle or rolled up newspaper) in their free hand. Then making whatever noise they think a Tusker would make, they start running after another pair. When they touch either member of another pair with their tusk, they stop, let go of their hands; the caught pair comes in between them, and all four link hands. So now the Tusker is four people, with the same two people on the outside holding the tusks. Making a loud Tusker noise, the four start to chase another pair. Continue catching and merging with other pairs until all is one. Then you can play the game again. Facilitation Tips: If you have the soft pool noodles, be sure to demonstrate hitting yourself loudly with them several times to calm the nervousness of participants. Then pass them around the circle so everyone can feel how light they are. Of course the same game can be played without anything held in the hands, just tagging with your hand, but it’s fun to have soft “tuskers.” People laugh a lot and run a lot in this game. Don’t make the boundaries of the playing field too big. The Tusker is

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guaranteed to eventually catch every pair in the corners of the field. How did you feel during this game? Who won? Source: Karl Rohnke

Tank in Los Angeles, USA (photo Abraham Heisler)

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Tank

Concepts and Themes: Trust, fun, communication Number of Participants: 4-60+ Equipment: Soft throwables, or balled-up pieces of paper. You will need one for each participant. Instructions: “This game is calledTank, and while it is fun, it will also help you experience how you feel about trust and responsibility. Let me demonstrate. First I need a volunteer.” [Without waiting, smile, point to someone, and ask, “Are you a volunteer?” This usually gets a laugh.] “Stand in pairs. This volunteer stands in front of me and is the ‘tank.’ Every tank has protective armor in front, so please hold your hands in front of your chest with your palms facing outward as your ‘bumpers’ to protect you in case of any accident. In each of your hands I will place a soft throwable object. Tanks cannot see, so please close your eyes. I am ‘the driver’, with eyes open. I stand behind the tank with my hands on your shoulders and slowly guide you forward. I will tell you when to throw the two objects forwards. If we succeed in hitting either person in another pair with one of our soft objects, the tank and the driver in that pair have to switch positions and continue playing. Bounces off the floor don’t count.” Facilitation Tips: Tank is a lot of fun, and it promotes cooperation, communication and trust. You can give everyone balled-up pieces of paper to throw, but do not use tennis balls, because they are too hard and they hurt if you get hit in the face!

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How did you feel during this game? Who won? Trust means to feel safe with, confident in and supported by the group. Do you feel trust in this group? Source: Karl Rohnke, Funn ‘n Games

Catch the Falling Animals in Los Angeles, USA (photo Abraham Heisler)

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Catch the Falling Animals

Concepts and Themes: Overcoming fear by facing it, icebreaker, surrendering ego, trust Number of Participants: 8-50+ Equipment: Soft throwables, at least one for each participant. Instructions: Ask everyone to stand in a circle. Ceremoniously pass a small stuffed animal or anything else that is soft to each person. If you have extras, pass out a second to as many people as possible. “I need two volunteers to join me in the center of the circle without any animals. The three of us will stand back- to-back. I will count to three, and on three, everyone in the circle should throw your animals up in the air. You want to try to throw them about one meter (three feet) over our heads, so they fall down on top of us like rain. “We three in the middle will try to catch as many as we can in the air using only our hands, not our clothing. The three of us are physically adept, so I think we should be able to catch about five each. Let’s see. Ready? One, two three!” Facilitation Tips: There will be a lot of laughter, and each person in the middle will be lucky to catch one or two. Count loudly the total number of animals the group caught, and then immediately ask for the next volunteers to come in and try it. Everyone else should quickly pick up the animals and pass them around so everyone in the circle has at least one. Quickly shout out, “One, two three!” You can adjust the number of people in the center of the circle by the total number of participants. If you have fewer

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than 12, put two volunteers in the middle each time; if more than 20, put four in the middle to make the game go faster. If you do this game indoors, the roof may be less than a meter (three feet) above your heads, so just ask the people to throw so that their animals touch the ceiling above the heads of the people in the center. When everyone has had a turn in the middle, tell the group: This game is also called “Programmed Failure.” Why? Because it’s impossible to catch many objects at the same time. Why would we include a game in which it’s impossible to do well? Many people in this world are afraid to try a new activity because they’re afraid of failing or of being laughed at. Yet being willing to fail is essential if you want to succeed at anything. In this game (and others) we encourage you to try something new and be silly in front of others, even though you probably won’t do very well. We’re building trust in the group to support us, just as we support the others. Can you think of any new activity in your life that you did not try because you were afraid of failing and looking bad? How do you think you could develop more courage to try new things? Surrendering your ego and will is part of this process; can you do that? How does it feel? Source: Karl Rohnke

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Group Juggle

Concepts and Themes: Coordinated cooperation, fun, going with the flow rasa( ), concentration Number of Participants: 8-20 Equipment: Soft throwables, at least one for each participant. Instructions: The group should stand in a circle (with the facilitator as part of the circle). “We’re going to create a sequence that we have to remember and repeat. Hold your hands in front of you. I will throw this object to someone on the opposite side of the circle, then put my hands behind my back. Now that person will throw it to another person on the other side of the circle, and then put her hands behind her back. We continue until the last person throws it back to me. Please remember who you received it from and who you threw it to, because we’ll do this again. Questions? OK, I’ll begin.” When the object returns to your hands, repeat the sequence to make sure that everyone remembers who they received it from and who they threw it to. Then, “This time we’ll repeat the sequence, and when you throw the object, you need to make an animal sound, that you’ll repeat each time the object comes to you. Try to imitate a large or unusual animal. Ready? Sssss…!” (a snake hiss). When the object returns to your hands, “Now we’re going to do group juggling! I will start the object, and after a few seconds I’ll start a second object, then a third and fourth objects. Every time I will throw it to the same person and repeat the same animal sound. Whenever an object falls on the ground, no worries about who dropped

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it, whoever is closest just picks it up and throws it again to the next person that they always throw it to. So everyone should focus on the person who always throws to them. Ready? Sssss…!” Facilitation Tips: In this game, people laugh a lot unselfconsciously. It’s amazing to watch six or more objects gracefully fly through the air amidst a cacophony of animal sounds. Instead of using animal sounds, you could have everyone call out loudly the name of the person they are throwing to. This also creates a wild noisy racket, and also helps people remember names. Outside, on a hot day, you can substitute small balloons filled with water or eggs for the soft throwables. Were you able to concentrate despite all the noise? Why or why not? This game is similar to the experience of meditation when there are many distractions. “Going with the flow” (“rasa” in Sanskrit), means to “surf” the life force of the universe, intuitively listening to and responding to cues from the ocean of cosmic intelligence. In this game, did you feel yourself going with the flow? Have you ever felt like you were doing that in other situations? How did it feel? Learning how to focus the mind is essential for intellectual development, psychological well-being and success in meditation. Are you able to concentrate well? What are some things you might do to increase your concentration? Source: Karl Rohnke, Cowstails and Cobras II.

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Moon Walk

Concepts and Themes: Going with the flow (rasa), imagination, fun. Number of Participants: 3-80+ Instructions: First divide the group into groups of threes; then demonstrate with two volunteers. “As you all know, on the moon, you would weigh only 16 percent of what you weigh on earth. So if you jump, you’ll jump really high! This game is called Moon Walk, and it’s the closest thing to flying without wings! The moon walkers stand with their hands firmly on their hips (thumbs pointing backwards) while the others stand on either side holding the person’s forearms at the wrist and below the elbow. The moon walker will count to three, and on ‘three!’ will jump straight up. At the same time, the two assistants will gently lift, so the moon walker ends up jumping slightly higher than normal. The assistants are merely supporting the jumper, and must never break hand contact. Not only are the supporters helping the moon walker to jump higher, they also have to help the person land lightly. After each jump, the moon walker has to tell the supporters whether the next jump should be the same height or a little lower or higher. This requires care, compassion, and good communication. Do it five times and then switch so everyone gets a chance.” Facilitation Tips: This game needs to be introduced after the group has a fair level of trust. If indoors, you need a room with a high ceiling. Remind the assistants to be compassionate, lifting gently and bringing their moon

90 cooperative games for a cooperative world walker down gently. Watch carefully in case there are any overly enthusiastic assistants. After everyone has jumped up and down five times, have each moon walker move forward five steps in rapid succession with the assistants running along beside. The steps will be huge. It will almost feel like flying. They will need 10 meters (30 feet) of free space on level ground for their moon walk. If you are indoors, be sure to clearly mark a finish line so that no moon walker runs into a wall at the end. It is best to have all the trios line up and do it one by one. When each trio finishes, they should then hurry to the back of the line and switch positions until everyone has done their moon walk. How did you feel during this activity? “Going with the flow” (“rasa” in Sanskrit), means to “surf” the life force of the universe, like dancing instead of thinking. Have you ever felt like you were doing that? How did it feel? Source: Mark Collard, Count Me In

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Stone Face

Concepts and Themes:Fun, concentration, coordinated cooperation, true happiness comes from within. Number of Participants: 2-200+ Instructions: Ask everyone to form two lines facing one another, with about a meter (three feet) between each person in the line. “This game comes from the Nootka Nast of the United States. This line of people will be “Stone Face,” and their goal is not to smile at all. They must keep their eyes open and look at their partner. They must not clench their teeth or flex their facial muscles. The other line of people will try to make the “Stone Faces” smile. They can say anything or do anything to make them laugh, but they are not allowed to touch a “Stone Face.” “As soon as someone succeeds, he or she should immediately join their companions in trying to make the other remaining “Stone Faces” smile. Remember this is a cooperative game.” Facilitation Tips: Some people are very good at not smil- ing. Keep encouraging teamwork. Ask the former “Stone Faces” to help, too, until eventually the entire group will be trying to make the last one or two laugh. You decide how long to let them try before ending the match and loudly celebrating the winner or winners. They say that laughter is the best medicine. How important is laughter in your life? Wise people say that true happiness does not come from external things and temporary pleasures, but from within

92 cooperative games for a cooperative world through love, service, and connection. What is your source of happiness? Learning how to focus the mind is essential for intellectual development, psychological well-being and success in meditation. Are you able to concentrate well? Source: The Nootka Nation of Native Americans.

Stone Face (the last one!) in Caracas, Venezuela

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Telephone Game

Concepts and Themes: Effective listening, communication Number of Participants: 10-50+ Instructions: Players sit or stand in either a circle or a straight line. The facilitator whispers to the first person a word or phrase. He or she then whispers the same message to the next player to the best of their ability. The passing continues in this fashion until it reaches the player at the end of the line, who then says the word or phrase out loud so everyone can hear. Then the facilitator tells everyone what the original word or phrase was. If you don’t hear it clearly, you are allowed to ask for only one repetition, no more. Facilitation Tips: If you have 20 players or more, divide into groups of 10 to 15 each. Before the game choose three or four short phrases or use the examples below. If you have more than one group, whisper the same phrase to the first person in each group. At the end, ask the participants if they would like to try it a second time with a new phrase to see if they can do better—most probably they will want to. Single words work well for kids and those who are learning English. Words should be fairly long and open to misinterpretation. Some examples are: manipulation; anticipation; proposition; additional; exceptional; triumphant. Good telephone game phrases use alliteration — the repetition of letters and sounds. Some examples are: Bananas are better than biscuits. Leaves like loose piles. Counting cars quietly. Scarecrows steal soft sandwiches.

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Snowflakes will slide softly soon. Classmates climb cars for cash. I’d love eating an avocado and artichoke casserole. Rabbits rumble; giants grumble; dogs bark in the dark; and wolves woo in the blue. The benefits of the game are: 1.) It helps clearly show how small misconceptions can end up making a huge difference, resulting in rumors and gossip. 2.) It is fun for the players, generates laughs, and helps a group relax. 3.) It can help young children or language students develop their effective listening skills. 4.) It serves as a springboard for discussing the importance of effective listening. Do you see how a small misconception can end up making a huge difference? Rumors and gossip that start this way can be very destructive. Have you ever been hurt by false rumors or gossip? Do you consider yourself a good listener? What could you do to be better? Source: Originally called Gossip, Russian Scandal, or Chinese Whispers in the mid twentieth century, the game is now played around the world.

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Collective Back Massage

Concepts and Themes: Compassion, service, you are connected to everyone and everything. Number of Participants: 6-200+ Equipment: Soft music (optional). Instructions: “Make one big circle. Turn to the right, and put your hands on the shoulders of the person in front of you. Everyone take one step towards the center of the circle. Try to position yourself about 20-30 centimeters (8-12 inches) behind the person in front of you. If you have long hair, please move it over your shoulder and out of the way if you can. Close your eyes and imagine that there is a divine consciousness inside this person. Now put your hands together and touch your forehead and then touch your heart and say, ‘Namaskar’. Hold your hands like this, and start massaging the back of the person in front of you... Now put your hands like this… Finally give this person the best massage you’ve ever given to someone... Now turn around and say thank you.” Facilitation Tips: This can be done with large groups, and it can easily be done just before or after the Lap Sit. A small group of people can also do this in a line. It can be done either sitting or standing. Some people are very ticklish, and others like to tickle; if this happens, it will ruin the experience because the tickled person will never be able to relax for the rest of the game. To avoid any tickling, I recommend being rather autocratic at the beginning. Stand in the center of the circle and keep turning so everyone can see you. Hold your hands in front

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of your chest, palms facing each other but separate, and move your hands alternately forwards and backwards, so you would hit the person’s back with the side of your hands. Make everyone do this to start the massage. After a minute or so, have everyone turn their palms outward but curl their fingers down so they massage with the knuckles and heels of their hands. (You need fingers to tickle someone, so these first two positions prohibit tickling, but don’t tell them that, at least until the game is over). By this point everyone is so busy following your strange instructions and simultaneously enjoying the massage they are getting, that nobody thinks about tickling. Next ask everyone to grab and massage the upper arms of the person in front, then their shoulders, then the back of the neck, then the entire back. Did you like this? How did it make you feel? Did this game make you feel more connected to others? Did it give you a feeling of compassion, and do you think it can awaken feelings of compassion in others? Great inner power comes when you serve others in need without any expectation of result or reward. Did you feel that power in this game? How did you feel when you did service in other situations?

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Collective Back Massage in Ananda Daksina, Porto Alegre, Brazil

98 cooperative games for a cooperative world

The Lap Sit or Lap Circle

Concepts and Themes:Coordinated cooperation, together nothing is impossible, you are connected to everyone and everything Number of Participants: 12-200+ Instructions: This is a famous cooperative game. Ask everyone to stand in one circle. “Please arrange yourselves so that someone about the same size as you is on either side of you... We can do many things as a group that we cannot do as individuals, and this game, called Lap Sit, is one of them. At a festival in New Zealand, 1,700 people of all sizes did this at the same time. It’s not as hard as it sounds because only a little of your weight actually rests on the knees of the person behind you. Everyone turn to your right. Step in closer to the center and put your hands on the waist of the person in front of you. In a moment we are each going to sit on the knees of the person behind us, keeping our own knees together as we do. Concentrate on guiding the person in front of you to sit comfortably on your knees, and trust that the person behind you will guide you, too. First we will have a trial run. On the count of three we are going to bend down, touch bottoms to the knees and come right back up to make sure we are all standing closely enough together. Ready? 1, 2, 3 down, and back up again...” Then ask them to readjust their positions if necessary. “Now we are going to sit down and then clap our hands... Again...” This activity amazes people when they discover that they can sit quite comfortably, and by what they can achieve in solidarity.

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Lap Sit preparation at Spiritual Sports and Adventure Club, Haiti

Lap Sit at Path of Bliss Retreat, Austin, TX, USA Facilitation Tips: The smallest number for this game is 15; the largest number is, well, over a thousand! But you’d want more facilitators to assist you when the number passes 50. If for cultural or age sensitivities it would be better to separate boys and girls, it is easy to first make two lines by gender and size (see Quick Lineup), then have the two lines meet at both ends so the tallest girl is in front of the

100 cooperative games for a cooperative world tallest boy, and the smallest boy is in front of the smallest girl, and only those four have to touch at all. Otherwise, make two separate circles, and if one group is significantly greater in number, that circle can be on the outside and the smaller circle can be inside it. It’s best for you and any other facilitators to stay in the center of the circle. After the group turns to the right so everyone is facing the back of the person in front, look carefully at all the spacing. If anyone is more than 30 centimeters (one foot) behind the person in front (half that distance is good), or if the circle is not round and has an angle in it, ask that section of the circle to take one step sideways toward the center of the circle, reducing the space between people. If anyone is very large, you can move a strong person to stand right behind them. Make sure everyone’s spacing is right before making the first attempt to sit down. It often takes a group several tries before everyone can touch down on the knees of the person behind them, because some people are too nervous to actually sit. So keep adjusting people until the whole group can achieve the touch down, before asking them to sit firmly and clap hands. It’s actually quite comfortable when everyone is in the right position. And be sure to ask one of the facilitators to take some photos! To end it, either ask everyone to stand up at the same time, or ask everyone to lean backwards, which will cause a lot of laughter as everyone leans against the chest of the person behind them.

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Lap Sit (leaning backward) at Projovem Adolescente AMURT/ AMURTEL in Porto Alegre, Brazil How did you feel during this activity? It’s been said that together nothing is impossible; were you surprised by what happened in this game? Why? Quantum physicists and mystics both say that we are connected to everyone and everything through our consciousness; did you feel connected to others in this game? What about in other situations? Source: Eugénie de Montijo, wife of Napoleon III, was the last Empress of France. This was originally calledEmpress Eugénie’s Circle, because the soldiers did this to keep dry while resting in a wet field waiting for a royal visit.

God Dance in Swaraj University, Udaipur, India

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The God Dance

Concepts and Themes: Cooperative leadership, overcoming fear by facing it, surrendering ego, creative thinking, imagination Number of Participants: 2-60 Equipment: Dance music. Instructions: Explain that this is called The God Dance. You will lead first, and everyone should copy your dance movements. After a while, you will “pass” the leadership like an invisible ball to the person beside you, who will then lead. It continues until everyone has led. Remind them that it’s impossible to do it “wrong.” (“God never makes mistakes!”) Start the music and enjoy the flow. Facilitation Tips: In a spiritual group, explain that it helps us see the divine nature inside each person, including yourself; in a secular group, call the game by another name and explain it is honoring and respecting everyone. You can do it with recorded music or with live musicians. This game works very well even with people in wheelchairs. How did it feel to follow the lead of others? Were you nervous before your turn came? When you were leading, were you able to surrender your ego and will and accept the guidance of a Higher Power? How did that feel? Source: Prakash Laufer created this in his men’s consciousness-raising group in the 1970s, and since then it has spread around the world.

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Leadership Game or Ouroboros

Concepts and Themes: Cooperative leadership, overcoming fear by facing it, surrendering ego, creative thinking, imagination Number of Participants: 8-30 Instructions: All participants stand in a single-file line. The first person walks, making different movements in silence, and everyone else has to copy the movements. After a while, that person stops and turns around, and so of course everyone turns around, too. The person at the other end of the line then walks and sings a song, and everyone else needs to sing the song while walking, too. After a while, the last person in line (who had been the first leader) runs around to the front of the line facing the singer. Then the singer and everyone else turns around and the person at the other end has to lead silently with a movement. In this way, everyone has to lead both with a silent movement and a song, and everyone also has to follow. Facilitation Tips: Ouroboros (from Greek) is an ancient symbol depicting a mythical serpent or dragon eating its own tail, symbolizing something constantly re-creating itself, the eternal return. Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung saw the ouroboros of the human psyche as an archetype and the basic mandala of alchemy. The sleeping kundalinii in yoga is symbolized the same way. The image has been seen in ancient Egypt, Japan, India, Greece, Scandinavia, Native American tribes, and by the Aztecs (the serpent god Quetzalcoatl is carved into the pyramid at Xochicalco, Mexico).

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The game helps participants overcome shyness about leading and about making silly movements. How did it feel to follow the lead of others? Were you nervous before your turn came? Were you able to surrender your ego and will in this game? How did it feel to lead? Were you able to come up with creative ideas? Where do you think they came from? Source: Carlo Mazzoni of the Commedia School, Copenhagen.

Leadership Game or Ouroboros in Caracas, Venezuela

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Letting Go

Concepts and Themes: Surrendering ego, non-attachment Number of Participants: 4-40 Equipment: One or two throwable objects that will not roll too much, one paper and pen for the facilitator, a measuring tape (optional). Instructions: Choose a target about five to eight meters (15 to 25 feet) away. Ask the group to stand behind a line and study the target. Explain that this is their only chance to look at the target, because you are then going to ask everyone to turn their back to the target, and one by one they will throw the object over their shoulder at the target without looking at it. After throwing, each person will walk straight ahead without looking backwards toward the target and sit down to meditate in silence for a few minutes until everyone has finished. Repeat, they are not allowed to look back at any cost, either before or after they throw. Explain that you, the facilitator, will measure the distance from each throw to the target, note it down, and then give the object to the next person in line. Now ask the group to turn their backs to the target and not look at it again. Hand the object to the first person in line and ask them to throw it over their shoulder at the target without looking. Observe carefully whether or not they turn to look before walking ahead to the meditation place and sitting down—you’ll want to remember that for the debrief if they do. Then measure the distance from the object to the target, note the distance on your list, then hand the object to the next person and continue.

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Facilitation Tips: Having two objects and an assistant to do the measuring will speed up the process. After everyone finishes, have the group continue meditating in silence for another minute. Then invite everyone to discuss their feelings. Did anyone lose control and look back? If so, why? Ask the group if they would like to know which throws got closest to the target; if they say yes, ask why? After listening to their reasons, point out that this game is not measuring any valuable skill (throwing something blindly over the shoulder), and that it was mostly luck which throws got closest to the target. The lesson is more powerful if the whole group can overcome their curiosity and agree that they don’t need to know who were the “winners.”

How did it feel not to know the result of your action? This is non-attachment: to do our best and let go, without getting attached to the result of our actions. Do you think you can do this in other situations? Were you able to surrender your ego and will and accept the guidance of a Higher Power?

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The Human Machine

Concepts and Themes: Coordinated cooperation, creative thinking, going with the flow rasa( ), imagination Number of Participants: 5-50+ Instructions: Have participants divide into groups of five to ten people each. The first person needs to make a rhythmic, repetitive motion with their body and a corre- sponding sound with their voice, like a machine. Then a second person needs to hold onto some part of the body of the first person while making another repetitive movement and sound. All members of the group have to physically connect, creating a large, noisy machine. Facilitation Tips: This is a funny, creative challenge for people to move their bodies and voices together in interesting and even silly ways. Variations: Once everyone is participating, tell the players the machine goes into overdrive, until it explodes. Or tell the players the electric power is cut, so the machine slowly grinds to a halt. Each group member has a role in the big machine to make it work. How did it feel? Did it matter what you do in it? The importance is that the machine should work, not our reward in it, or our ego. Does this human machine remind you of some of our daily routines? Are some daily routines meaningless like this machine? Source: Theater exercise by Viola Spolin

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Moonball

Concepts and Themes: Coordinated cooperation, fun, icebreaker, positive and negative competition Number of Participants: 2-20+ Equipment: A soft inflatable beach ball for each group of approximately 20 participants. Instructions: Throw a beach ball in the air and ask the group to keep hitting it to keep it up in the air. Count the number of hits until the ball touches the ground. Then do it again and try to increase the number of hits. All Hit Moonball Variation: When a person hits the ball, he or she drops down to one knee and does not hit the ball again for the rest of that round. This gives a chance to anyone who might have felt left out in the first game to play. Once the last person standing in the group has hit the ball, everyone immediately stands up and starts a second round, hopefully without the ball hitting the ground. Facilitation Tips: This is a great fun way to focus a group. Unfortunately, this does not work outside on a windy day. Tall people can dominate the first game, butAll Hit Moonball requires the group to cooperate to succeed. For the group to compete against itself, trying to increase the number of hits, is both positive and fun, and it doesn’t leave anyone out. This is called cooperative competition because everyone plays hard, and yet does not try to beat an opponent. Runners often find they run farther and faster when they have a somewhat evenly matched partner to practice with. Have

109 dada maheshvarananda you ever experienced a type of cooperative competition? How did it feel? Source: Karl Rohnke and Steve Butler, Quicksilver.

Yurt Rope Come Together Variation in Seara, Portugal

110 cooperative games for a cooperative world

Yurt Rope

Concepts and Themes: Dynamic equilibrium (prama), coordinated cooperation, going with the flow rasa( ). Number of Participants: 10-80 Equipment: A strong nylon rope that is at least 1.5 centimeters (5/8 inches) in diameter. Thirty meters (100 feet) is long enough for 50 people. You need to tie the ends together with a very strong connecting knot like a bowline bend that can withstand a lot of weight and still be untied at the end. Do not use clothesline, plastic, manila or sisal rope. Instructions: Lay the circle of rope on the ground. Ask the group to stand on the outside of the circle, space themselves evenly around it, and then pick the rope up. Everyone should spread their legs about shoulder width apart and begin to lean back while holding the rope with their hands, which are also about shoulder width apart. Ask everyone to move their feet a few centimeters or a couple of inches towards the center of the circle, so they are leaning back more. The goal is for everyone to lean and shift their weight and pulling force to maintain equilibrium. Then ask everyone to slowly bend their knees (until all are suddenly sitting on the ground!). Then ask the group if they can all stand up together. When everyone is standing and leaning back against the rope, ask everyone to take three steps to the left. After that, three steps to the right. Then sit down and stand up again. Facilitation Tips: This game creates quite an exhilarating feeling of teamwork.

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Piston Variation: Ask everyone to count off, “One, two, one, two...” All the ones should sit down while the twos remain standing. Like pistons in an engine, all the ones should stand up while all the twos sit down, so everyone does a continual up and down alternating movement. Come Together Variation: Ask everyone on your command to hold the rope and take five giant steps together, one-by-one toward the center. One [pause]. Two [pause]. Three [pause]. (By about the third collective step, your group will be so packed together that it will be impossible to take any more steps. By then they will probably be laughing a lot!) A yurt is a Mongolian dwelling with a tension band around the middle. Dynamic equilibrium (“prama” in Sanskrit) exists in nature in which everything is changing and moving, in a fluctuating state of balance. Could you feel that in this game? Source: Karl Rohnke and Steve Butler, Quicksilver

Yurt Rope in Seara, Portugal

112 cooperative games for a cooperative world

REFLECTION GAMES

Namaskar Game

Concepts and Themes: You have physical, mental and spiritual potential, non-judgmental observation, good and bad are in everyone, compassion, forgiveness, unconditional love Number of Participants: 2-200+ Equipment: Soft music (optional). Instructions: “This next game involves no movement or touching, but is a very powerful non-judgmental reflection about who we are. “First I will teach you a greeting from India. Put your hands together and touch your forehead and then touch your heart. ‘Namaskar’ is a Sanskrit word which means, ‘I greet the divinity within you with all my mind and all my heart.’ Please repeat after me, ‘Namaskar.’ “We will do this exercise twice. Sit in pairs facing someone you don’t know very well. One person of each pair has to close his or her eyes for three minutes. The second person will watch. Afterwards we will switch. Decide now who will be the first one to close their eyes.” [Start quiet kiirtan or other soft music on a CD player if you have it.] “I will now give directions to the one with eyes open. Look at the person in front of you. [pause] Imagine that this person is rather like you. [pause] Imagine that he or she has experienced some disappointments in life like you have. [pause] Imagine that he or she has made some

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mistakes in life like you have. [pause] Imagine that he or she has been hurt in life, sometimes physically, sometimes emotionally, just as you have. [pause] Imagine that because of these hurts, he or she has some worries and fears like you do. [pause] Imagine that he or she, like you, has also tried to be kind and to help people when possible. [pause] Imagine that he or she has some hopes and dreams like you have. [pause] Imagine that he or she would like to be a better person, just as you would like to be. [pause] Imagine that he or she has physical, mental and spiritual potential like you. [pause] Imagine that this person is profoundly beautiful inside, like you are. [pause] Now everyone open your eyes, and put your hands together and touch your forehead and then touch your heart and say, ‘Namaskar.’ “Now we will repeat, so those who were watching, now close your eyes and meditate; and those who were meditating, open your eyes.” [repeat instructions] Facilitation Tips: This game can be done with hundreds of people. It is better to read the instructions, so that both groups hear the very same words. After you have read the instructions twice, ask everyone to share with their partner for a couple of minutes what they experienced in this game. Then ask everyone to come into a circle. You can explain that we are accustomed to judge people a lot, even without knowing them (“he is bad,” “she is good”), and that this exercise is designed to help us see another person without judgment, and to realize that everyone has good and bad within them, and the same physical, mental and spiritual potential we do. Prisoners in jail who do this are sometimes moved to tears. When we do this, we can overcome other emotions and feel forgiveness and compassion for the other person, as well as for ourselves, and finally unconditional love.

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Namaste is a variation of this Sanskrit word that is commonly used in North India, and Namaskaram is the South India form.

Namaskar Game with Hansalim cooperative leaders, South Korea Forgiveness is to consciously decide to release feelings of resentment you have and to pardon and wish the offender well. Is this hard for you to do? It is said that the greatest benefactor of forgiveness is actually the one who forgives— why would that be? Did this game give you a feeling of compassion, and do you think it can awaken feelings of compassion in others? Unconditional love means caring about the happiness of another person without any thought for what we might get for ourselves; have you ever felt unconditional love from someone? How did it feel? You have a body; you have emotions; you have a mind; and you have a soul; together they form you. You have more physical, mental and emotional potential than you can imagine—would you agree with this? What are some things you might do to realize your potential?

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Source: Originally Bo Lozoff of the Human Kindness Foundation in his work with prisoners, developed further by the author.

116 cooperative games for a cooperative world

Questions

Concepts and Themes: Effective listening, communication, icebreaker, non-judgmental observation Number of Participants: 1-25 Instructions: “I am going to read a list of questions to you one by one. The questions are about your personal opinions, so every answer is correct. I ask the other participants not to react in any way to the replies of others. We are trying to learn about each other. I will start with a different person each time, and from there we will go around the circle. Anyone may pass. Those who pass can get another chance to answer, if they want, when everyone is finished before we go on to the next question.” 1. What is one of the best movies you have seen? 2. What is the most beautiful thing about people? 3. What do you like to do most with a free afternoon? 4. If you could smash one thing, what would you smash? 5. Other than a relative, what individual has had the most positive impact on your life, and why? 6. When you are depressed, what cheers you up the most? 7. What is the greatest problem in your country? 8. What is your favorite book? 9. What is the best advice you ever received? 10. What was the best day of your life? Why? [When my turn comes, I always answer, “Today, because it is here and now and I’m with all of you!”] 11. When do you feel the most lonely? 12. What New Year’s Resolution would you most like to maintain? 13. What gives you the most security?

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14. What is your favorite song? 15. What advertisement bothers you the most? 16. What is the very last thing you would be willing to give up? 17. What accomplishment in your life do you feel the best about? 18. What is the most fun you have ever had? 19. What possession do you prize the most? 20. What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you? 21. What is your favorite food? 22. What is your greatest fear? 23. If today were the last day of your life, who would you call? 24. What was the happiest time in your life? 25. What is the most unreasonable thing you know? 26. If you were to paint a picture, what would you paint a picture of? 27. If you could change one thing in your life, what would you change? 28. What future discovery are you looking forward to most? 29. What do you feel is your biggest fault? 30. If you could give one piece of advice to the leaders of [your organization, your school, your community], what would you say? 31. If you could live your life over again, name one thing you would do differently? 32. What is your personal motto? If you were to print something on a T-shirt, what would it say? 33. What is something about yourself that few people know? 34. What is the strangest thing that ever happened to you?

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35. Who do you consider a personal hero or heroine? 36. What is the funniest situation you have encountered during the last two months? Facilitation Tips: This is a very popular activity for the first night of a retreat or right after lunch when people want to relax a little and everyone has not yet arrived. It is most successful in groups up to 15. If you have 20 or more, it’s better to divide into two groups, because it starts to become tiring listening to many people before a person gets another chance to talk. You will need another leader for the second group with a list of questions. These are too many questions for one sitting for even a very small group. Before you start, choose an easy question to start with (like number one) and a very positive one that you want to end with. Then ask whichever questions you like best and when the time is running out or the group is starting to look tired, end with your last question. If anyone doesn’t have a ready answer, just suggest they pass, and remind them they’ll get another chance to answer when everyone has replied before the next question. I often ask some of these questions whenever I meet someone or while traveling in a car or bus. Kids like many of these questions, too. They are a great way to take a light conversation to a more meaningful level. Were you able to listen effectively in this game? Did you feel that you were listened to well? How did it feel to be non-judgmental, to observe without forming an opinion? Did it open you to new ways of thinking about people?

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Running Your Dreams

Concepts and Themes: As you think so you become, fun, hope, the power of positive thinking Number of Participants: 2-40+ Instructions: This game must be played on a field outdoors or in a large hall. “This game originally comes from the Klamath Nation of Native Americans who live on the Northwest Coast of the United States. Everyone should stand behind this line. “Please think of a dream you have, something you want to do or be. Think how to express your dream in a word or phrase that you’re willing to say out loud. When you can both imagine and verbalize a dream, and when you tell it to others, you start to make it a reality. Choose your words carefully, because you’re going to repeat them again and again. “I’ll go down the line and ask you one-by-one to say in a loud voice what your dream is.” Listen to each person state their dream. “When I shout go, everyone should run as far as you can while shouting loudly your dream as often as you can in one breath. The moment you run out of air and have to inhale, stop running. Any questions? OK, go!” Facilitation Tips: Among the Klamath people, this game was most popular among the girls; if you have young boys in your group, I would recommend not revealing this fact because it might cause them to decide they don’t want to play. The amount of air you blow out from your lungs deter- mines how loud a sound you can make and for how long

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before you have to stop and inhale. Shouting requires lots of air. The actual game will only take a few seconds to play. Everyone will see who ran fastest and farthest, but that’s not the objective; so instead of calling out so-called “winners,” just invite everyone to come back to the starting line and try it again. How did it feel to shout your dreams? An ancient wisdom says, As you think, so you become; it means what is in one’s mind will reflect in one’s words, which manifest as actions, which then form habits and finally one’s character. Is this true in your experience? Do you believe in the power of positive thinking? Why or why not? Source: The Klamath Nation of Native Americans

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Twenty Things I Love to Do

Concepts and Themes: True happiness comes from within, living in the present Number of Participants: 1-25 Equipment: A copy of the printout, or just a blank piece of paper and pen for each participant, and quiet music (optional). Instructions: “This game is a process of self-reflection, getting in touch with what you love to do and what makes you happy.” Give a copy of this paper to each participant, or draw the table on a whiteboard and ask each participant to copy it. Ask each participant to take 10-15 minutes list- ing down 20 things they love to do. Tell them that you’ll explain what the columns mean after they finish. Directions: List twenty activities that you have done at least once and that you love to do. They can be big things, like traveling to some place you like, or simple things like walking in the forest. Mark the columns after each activity only after receiving further directions.

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Name ______

Activites $ P A/O D ? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Totals: Realizations: Facilitation Tips: It is eye-opening for you, the facilitator, to do this exercise at the same time, too. I learn something about myself each time I make this list!

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After some people have finished their list, say, “Please don’t worry if you can only think of 10 or 15 things; it’s fine to add things later, too. Next I want you to put an ‘x’ in the first column under the ‘$’ for each activity that normally costs you more than five dollars to do. For example, traveling to India will cost me a lot of money, but there’s a forest near my house, so I don’t usually spend money to go for a walk there.” After a minute when they have finished, say, “Now in the second column, under the ‘P’ put an ‘x’ beside each item that takes more than 1 day of preparation and planning to do it.” After they finish, say, “Now in the third column, under the ‘A/O’ put an ‘A’ beside each item that you prefer to do alone, such as reading. Put an ‘O’ beside each item that you prefer to do with others. Put an ‘A/O’ beside something that you like to do both alone and with others: for example I love to walk in the forest alone, and I also love to walk with others.” After they finish, say, “Now in the fourth column, under the ‘D’ for date, write when, more or less, you last did each activity. For example write ‘yesterday’, ‘three months ago’, ‘two years ago’, etc.” After they finish, say, “Now for the fifth column, under the ‘?’. I want you to imagine that you have just visited the doctor and been told that you have an incurable disease and you only have one more month to live. Write an ‘x’ beside those activities that you would do in your last month.” After they finish, say, “Now take a minute to add the marks in each column. Write the total numbers at the bottom. Then take another two or three minutes to reflect on what you learned about yourself.”

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Then sit all together or in small groups to share what people learned. Are you regularly doing what you love to do? If not, why not? The yogis advise us that to be happy we should live in the present, be fully aware of what is happening here and now, and not dwell on the past or worry about the future. Are you able to do that? What gives you more happiness—external things, or love, service and compassion? Why?

Twenty Things I Love to Do at Neohumanist Education Conference, Porto Alegre, Brazil

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Life Map

Concepts and Themes: Be careful what you wish for, Samskaras (Law of Karma, mental reactions), non-judgmental observation. Number of Participants: 1-40+ Equipment: Large paper, pen and colored pencils for each participant, and soft music (optional). Instructions: “Where have you been during your life and what were the most significant people and events? It is quite interesting to make a visual map of your life. Do this by yourself or with others. “Take a big piece of paper, pen and colored pencils. Make a sort of timeline (it doesn’t have to be straight at all) from your birth until today. Mark significant events, paths you did not take, interruptions, ambushes, betrayals, and deaths. What were the greatest obstacles you faced? What were the accomplishments you felt best about? Mark the entrances and exits of significant people. Write ‘Forgiven’ below something that you feel freed from to a large part.” “Be as creative as you like, with pictures, poems, whatever. Take 20 minutes.” Facilitation Tips: Play soft music while people are drawing all this. After a few minutes you can repeat the instructions so they remember what they are looking for in their past. At the end, ask participants to sit in small groups of four or five and share what they learned. There is an ancient wisdom that says, “Be careful what you wish for in life, because it might just happen and not make you any happier.” Have you ever experienced this?

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You can explain that we are accustomed to judge ourselves and our experiences lot (“this was bad,” “that was good”), and that this exercise is designed to help us see ourselves and what happened to us without judgment. When we do this, we can overcome other emotions and feel forgiveness and compassion. Samskaras, commonly known as “The Law of Karma,” are the mental reaction of our actions in potential forms. Good actions will eventually bring good results, and bad actions will bring bad results. Do you think this is true in your life? Source: Clarissa Pinkola Estés from her book, Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype.

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Good Grief

Concepts and Themes: Futures thinking, non-attachment, overcoming fear by facing it. Number of Participants: 1-40+ Equipment: A pen and nine note cards or slips of paper about the size of playing cards for each participant, and soft music (optional). Instructions: Give a pen and nine blank cards to each participant. “Choose three identities that are meaningful to you—student, father, musician, spiritualist, whatever—and write one each on three of your cards.” [Soft music can be played while they do this.] “On the next three cards, write three physical things that you feel attachment to. They can be expensive or sentimental.” When they are finished, say, “On the last three cards, write the names of three living people that you feel closest t o.” When they are finished, say, “This game is an opportunity to explore our feelings for the people, things and identities that are most meaningful to us, and to imagine how we would feel if we lost any of them. “Hold your nine papers like playing cards so that only you can see them. Now you need to voluntarily give up two of them. Don’t worry about how. Any people you choose are not going to die, but under whatever circumstances, imagine that these people, things or identities are going to completely leave your life. Lay those two cards face down on the table in front of you, close your eyes, take a deep

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breath, and take a minute to feel their absence.” [Soft music can be played while they do this.] “Now I’m going to come to each of you and, without looking at what is written on your remaining cards, I’m going to take three of them at random and lay them face down with the other two in front of you. Again, the people are not dying, but perhaps they move far away and start another chapter of their lives that for some reason does not include you in any significant way. They’re OK, but sadly you have to face life without them. After you see what has been taken away from you, close your eyes and contem- plate these losses for another minute.” [Soft music can be played. If you are alone, just place your remaining cards face down. Mix them up and take out three at random.] “Now sit in groups of three or four and talk about what these losses would mean to you. The good news is that you don’t have to give up anything or anyone. You are only asked to explore the possibility of that loss. Life is short, and when we die, if not before, all these people and things we hold dear will be taken away from us. So let us appreciate them sincerely.” [If you are alone, try writing your feelings.] Facilitation Tips: Thinking about possible future scenarios is valuable, because it helps us understand and mentally prepare for whatever might happen. In order to learn and grow, we need to face some of our fears. Did you experience fear in this exercise? Non-attachment means to love fully and unconditionally, and yet be willing to let the object of our love go. It is not easy. Do you think you can do this? Do you think you might be able to do this in the future?

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Source: David Earl Platts and Eileen Caddy in their book Playful Self-Discovery: A Findhorn Foundation Approach to Building Trust in Groups.

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The Friend Game

Concepts and Themes: As you think so you become, compassion, good and bad are in everyone, non-judgmental observation, surrendering ego, spiritual company (satsaunga), unconditional love, you are connected to everyone and everything Number of Participants: 2-40+ Equipment: Paper and pen for each participant, and soft music (optional). Instructions: “Sit in pairs, ideally with someone you know. Take five minutes to write down words that describe your partner, either in a list or in sentences. Try to think of as many words as possible.” [When everyone is done:] “Read your list aloud to your partner, pausing after each statement or word. Your partner should close their eyes and try to feel if each word is true. When you have finished reading your list, your partner will read their list to you.” [When all pairs are done:] “Now exchange your lists, so that you are now holding the list your partner wrote to describe you. Replace your name with your partner’s name. This is a game of truth, for what we see in others is actually something that was always inside us. Because we see through our own eyes, and observe through our own thoughts, the people, places, animals and objects we see are also reflections of ourselves. Please read this list, the qualities your partner originally wrote for you, patiently to your partner, and listen while your list is read back to you.” [When all pairs are done:] “It is time to exchange the lists again. Now you will be holding the list you wrote for

131 dada maheshvarananda your partner, but with your name at the top of it. You are what you see in others. Read your own list aloud. Be as considerate of yourself as you have been of your partner. It may feel strange to hear yourself say these things about yourself. Take your time. Your partner is you.” Facilitation Tips: Many people have a very hard time appreciating their own good qualities. An ancient wisdom says, As you think, so you become; it means what is in one’s mind will reflect in one’s words, which manifest as actions, which then form habits and finally one’s character. Is this true in your experience? Were you able to observe without judging or forming an opinion, opening yourself to new ways of thinking about people? How did it feel? Unconditional love means caring about the happiness of another person without any thought for what we might get for ourselves; have you ever felt unconditional love from someone? How did it feel? Quantum physicists and mystics both say that we are connected to everyone and everything through our consciousness; do you ever feel connected to others?

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INITIATIVE TESTS

Cooperative Musical Chairs

Concepts and Themes: Coordinated cooperation, Five Fundamental Principles of Prout (explained in Appendix C), maximum utilization of resources, together nothing is impossible Number of Participants: 8-200+ Equipment: Strong chairs, one for each participant; don’t use folding chairs or plastic chairs. Dance music or a live guitarist. Instructions: “Musical Chairs is played in many countries around the world. A group of children stand around a circle of chairs facing outwards that has one chair fewer than the number of players. An adult starts some music, the kids walk around the chairs, and when the music stops, they all try to sit down as fast as they can. Anyone who doesn’t have a chair is out of the game. The game continues, with another chair removed after each round, until there is finally one happy winner, and many sad losers. “The same game transforms into a fun experience for people of all ages when it is played cooperatively. We have fewer chairs than players. When I start the music, walk or dance around the chairs until the music stops. Then everyone has to sit on the remaining chairs. Questions?” Facilitation Tips: If you have more than 20 participants, divide into groups of 10 to 20 each.

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If someone asks how to do this initiative problem, just smile and repeat that somehow you all have to figure out a way to sit on the remaining chairs. Let them figure out how. Inspiring dance music helps people to laugh and enjoy the challenge. Remove three or four chairs in between each round to speed up the game. Up to 20 adults can end up sitting on only one chair. Of course all the weight of the group will not be on the last chairs, because everyone’s feet will be on the ground. But for safety, don’t use weak chairs. Did you like this game? How did it make you feel? Were you surprised by how many people could sit on a chair? What lessons can this game teach us? Do you think we have enough resources on Planet Earth for everyone? Did you learn anything in this game that you can apply in your daily life? It’s been said that together nothing is impossible; do you believe this? Why or why not?

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Cooperative Musical Chairs in Swaraj University, Udaipur, India

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Quick Lineup

Concepts and Themes: Initiative, coordinated cooperation Number of Participants: 10-50 Instructions: This fun game is an initiative test of the group’s ability to communicate quickly and work together. a) Line up by birthdays, Jan. 1 at one end and Dec. 31 at the other end. b) Line up by height d) Line up by length of hair e) Line up by shoe size f) Line up by the width of your smile. Facilitation Tips: Of course it is impossible to measure a person’s smile, so the last one is just a joke to get people to smile. There are a few games where it is helpful if people are lined up by height. A person’s shoe size matches pretty closely to their height, so if you call out all five of these categories, you will end up with a line from the tallest to the shortest. Source: Karl Rohnke and Steve Butler, Quicksilver

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Welded Ankles

Concepts and Themes: Cooperative leadership, creative thinking, imagination, initiative, coordinated cooperation, many minds are smarter than one Number of Participants: 6-40+ Instructions: This is an initiative test of the group’s ability to cooperate and move together; in the yoga tradition it is called Samgacchadvam. “Stand together shoulder to shoulder in a line. Your feet should be comfortably spaced about equal distance as your shoulder width. Each foot must be touching the foot of the person on each side of you. The problem is to move together, as if your ankles were welded together with the ankle of the person on each side of you. As a group you have to move to the finish line [about 8 meters or 25 feet away] without separating your feet from the feet of your partners. If I see feet separating, no problem, the whole group simply has to stop and walk back separately to the starting line and start over again.” Facilitation Tips: This is surprisingly difficult, but very inspiring when the group together figures out how to solve the problem. It is a good problem for six to ten people; if there are more than that, you should divide them into more than one group. I often will divide a large group into males and females, and if there are more than ten, into more groups, standing at opposite ends of the room, and have all the groups move to the center of the room. Then I joke, “Everyone knows that women are smarter than men, so everyone please watch while I show this group of women the problem.” Once people see the feet arrangement, with each person standing comfortably, but

137 dada maheshvarananda with their right foot touching the left foot of the person on their right side, and so on, it’s easy for them to copy it. You will need to assign a volunteer judge for each group to watch like a hawk and send them back to the starting line if any two feet separate, because you will be unable to watch two groups at the same time. Once the groups understand the problem and start trying to find a solution, the trouble is they will see the other groups and tend to copy techniques, feeling like they are winning or losing in comparison with the other groups. When a group has succeeded or nearly succeeded, praise their efforts. They can then split up and go assist the other groups to succeed. Then inform them that there are at least eight other ways to solve the problem, and ask them to try and come up with other creative solutions. A successful group can do this while the other groups are still trying to complete the initial task. After each group has finished and you’ve praised their efforts, and tried for a few minutes to come up with different solutions, you can show them or explain different techniques. The easiest are: taking a small step sequentially down the line (much easier than taking steps simultaneously); shuffling simultaneously (sliding all the feet forward in many tiny increments of a centimeter each time, so it’s easy to keep each pair of feet together); tiny jumps simultaneously (this will only work if the jumps are tiny, because even medium-sized jumps will separate feet); putting one foot behind your partner’s ankle so the foot behind can push the foot in front forwards without separating; putting one foot on top of your partner’s foot so the foot below can lift the upper foot and move it forward; sitting down (much easier than standing!—with feet forward, placing one foot on top of or below your

138 cooperative games for a cooperative world partners’ ankles, move forward like crabs with the help of your hands); crawling forward together on hands and knees like babies do (this is very easy, linking one foot on top of or below your partners’ ankles); wrapping duct tape or rope around each pair of feet (a creative solution). Did you use cooperative leadership or did someone just give orders? Because the problem is new to everyone, many times the first ideas that a leader in a group tries to get everyone to follow are not very good ones. For example sometimes someone will suggest, “Why don’t we all start by taking a step with our left foot,” which of course is impossible in this problem, because everyone’s left foot is connected to the next person’s right foot. Why did the group become frustrated? Were any good suggestions ignored by the group? If so, why? Though the problem was presented while everyone was standing, why didn’t you consider sitting, kneeling or lying down? Many minds are smarter than one—did this group collectively come up with a better solution than the individual suggestions? Source: Karl Rohnke and Jim Grout, Back Pocket Adventure

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The Human Knot

Concepts and Themes: Patience, coordinated cooperation Number of Participants: 8-50+ Instructions: Ask the participants to form circles of 8-14 people each. “Stand close together, shoulder-to-shoulder, and hold your arms straight out in front of you. Join each of your hands with the hands of two different people who are on the opposite side of the circle. Don’t take the hand of someone standing beside you.” [Pause while they do this.] “Got it? Congratulations, now you have created a human knot. The challenge is, without letting go of the hands you are holding, to untangle your knot. Start.” Facilitation Tips: After some hesitation, participants will start to duck under or step over the linked arms of others. Eventually the group should end up with one large circle of people holding hands, though some may be facing inwards and some outwards. Or there might be two interlocking circles, or even a circle within a circle. The more participants in the group, the more difficult the problem. If there are more than 15 participants, divide them into smaller circles of 8-14 people each; if one group finishes while the others are still struggling, just ask the successful group to do it again—the second time might well be much harder than the first time. It sometimes takes 10-15 minutes, and occasionally a knot cannot be unraveled. In that case the leader can offer the technique used by Alexander the Great on the Gordian Knot: to use the proverbial sword to “cut” one link, freeing other hands and bodies that were blocked by it, and then immediately reconnect the link again. It is important in

140 cooperative games for a cooperative world this and other initiative challenges that the leader offer positive words of encouragement when the frustration level rises. For this reason, you will need extra facilitators if you have more than two groups. Patience means to endure discomfort with self-control, humility, and generosity. Did you feel frustrated or patient in this game? Why did the group become frustrated? How did it feel when the group succeeded?

Human Knot in Ananda Kalyanii, Covilhã, Portugal

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Mergers

Concepts and Themes: Coordinated cooperation, maximum utilization of resources, together nothing is impossible, Five Fundamental Principles of Prout (see Appendix C) Number of Participants: 10-50+ Equipment: A piece of string about one meter (three feet) long for each participant. Hand these out to everyone before you explain the game. Do not have them stand in a circle; rather, give the strings to them so that they are standing randomly. Instructions: “Tie the ends of your string together to make a circle and lay it anywhere on the ground. Stand inside it. No part of your feet may be over or under or beyond it. You are safe when your feet are inside a circle. The loops cannot be moved from their original locations or retied in any way. This game is a test of the group’s creative thinking, cooperation and solidarity. When I say “Change”, everyone must leave their circle and walk to find another circle to stand in safety. Take as much time as you need. Ready, change! Facilitation Tips: If you have more than 20 participants, divide the group, with another facilitator for each group. After two or three changes, quickly take away one or two of the loops when the people are changing. Allow the group time to solve the problem of the extra person until one person offers to share a loop. Once everyone is safe, give the next “Change!” command and quickly take away another loop or two. Some people get upset when you do this, so be sure to smile and remind them it is a cooperative

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game. You want to remove the circles that are farthest away from the other circles first. It becomes a very good test of group cooperation and solidarity as more and more people help each other squeeze into smaller and smaller spaces. Of course, you should never tell the group how to solve the problem. In the debrief, ask them if they were surprised by how many people could fit into very few circles. Discuss the fear people have that there isn’t enough on the planet for everyone, and how through the maximum utilization of resources and cooperation, we discover there is enough. How did you feel when you couldn’t find a circle to stand in? How did you feel when someone shared their circle with you? It’s been said that together nothing is impossible; were you surprised by what happened in this game? Why? Source: Karl Rohnke and Steve Butler, Quicksilver

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Flip Side

Concepts and Themes: Initiative, coordinated cooperation Number of Participants: 8-25 Equipment: A bedsheet, a piece of nylon or plastic. A good size for a group of 18 people is 1.2 meters by 2.5 meters (4 feet by 8 feet). Instructions: Lay the bedsheet or plastic on the ground and ask the entire group, up to 18 people, to stand on it. Then explain the challenge. Without anyone touching the ground outside, the group has to flip the sheet over so that at the end all are standing on the reverse side of the sheet without anyone having stepped off. If anyone does step off, the group has to start over. Warn the group that whereas it is possible to solve this initiative test, it’s not easy and it requires teamwork and everyone’s cooperation. Facilitation Tips: There are several ways to solve this problem, and you need to watch a group experiment to understand the different possibilities. The more people in the group, the harder it becomes. You will need a second volunteer to stand on the opposite side of the sheet from where you are to help you watch whether anyone steps off. Variations: You can increase the challenge by instructing the group to do it in silence, or with their eyes closed. If a leader emerged, ask him or her to let others lead next time. Did you use cooperative leadership or did someone just give orders? Were any good suggestions ignored by the group? If so, why?

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Patience means to endure discomfort with self-control, humility, and generosity. Did you feel frustrated or patient in this game? Why did the group become frustrated? Source: Karl Rohnke, Funn ‘n Games

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Balloon Frantic

Concepts and Themes: Cooperative leadership, coordinated cooperation, fun, going with the flow (rasa), positive and negative competition Number of Participants: 8-40+ Equipment: Balloons, more than one for every participant; a watch with a stopwatch timer; a whistle (optional). Instructions: Hand out a balloon to everyone and ask them to blow up their balloons to 80 percent capacity; then tie a knot in the end of it. Don’t be surprised when a couple of balloons explode when they are being blown up, just hand a second one to that person to try again. Hand a second balloon to those who complete the task first; when they finish, take the extra balloons that are blown up and keep them at your feet. If you have more than 20 participants, divide them into smaller groups with an extra facilitator for each group “This game is called Balloon Frantic at the beginning—its name may change later on, and I’ll tell you if that happens. When I say, ‘Go!’ and start the timer, throw your balloons up in the air and keep hitting them to keep them all up. The goal is to keep all the balloons from touching the ground as long as possible. I will shout out [or blow a whistle] when I see a balloon hit the floor. This is a timed event, and your collective time stops when the third balloon hits the ground. I’ll shout ‘Stop!’ and call out your time. Remember this is a cooperative initiative problem, not an individual game, so don’t just play with your own balloon. Every five seconds I will throw up an extra balloon to the collective mix. Questions? Go!”

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Facilitation Tips: Most groups are not able to continue very long on their first attempt. Give them a minute to discuss strategy before you start the second round. Don’t give them too long, or some people will get bored listening to the leaders talk. Do the same before the third and final round. In the debrief, discuss leadership issues, which propos- als were followed and which weren’t, and how they were competing with themselves to improve their time. The most successful strategy seems to be having three or four people sit back-to-back on the ground, and everyone else stands in a circle around them. Those on the outer circle keep hitting the balloons toward the center, and those sitting just keep hitting all the balloons straight up. That’s when the name of the game changes toBeautiful Balloon Choreography! If the group doesn’t discover this strategy on their own, you might want to introduce it as the next game, placing three volunteers in the center on the ground while everyone stands around them in a circle. You cannot do this game outside on a windy day. This is called cooperative competition because everyone is trying hard, and yet not trying to beat an opponent. Runners often find they run farther and faster when they have a somewhat evenly matched partner to practice with. How did you like it? Have you ever experienced another type of cooperative competition? Source: Karl Rohnke

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Balloon Trolleys

Concepts and Themes: Cooperative leadership, coordinated cooperation Number of Participants: 8-40+ Equipment: Balloons, more than one for every participant, because some may break. Instructions: Hand out a balloon to everyone and ask them to blow up their balloons to 80 percent capacity; then tie a knot in the end of it. (If you do this game after the previous one, you already have your balloons.) “Stand in a tight circle, shoulder-to-shoulder. Turn 90 degrees to your right. Place one hand on the shoulder of the person in front of you, and place the balloon between your stomach and the back of the person in front of you. Now put your other hand on the other shoulder of the person in front of you. “The challenge is for the entire group to move in this formation to the finish line I have designated [about 10-20 meters or 30-70 feet away]. You cannot touch the balloons with your hands. If a balloon falls, the group has to stop and figure out a way to pick up the balloon and re-insert it where it was without losing any other balloons. Remember, please, that you are standing in a circle, which means that instead of going around in circles in the same place, the entire circle has to move across the area to the finish line. So some of you will be walking sideways and some will be walking backwards to maintain your formation and to reach your goal. Any questions? Begin.”

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Facilitation Tips: If you have many people, divide into groups of 10 or 15 each. You will need to assign a volunteer judge for each group to watch if any balloon falls. This is an initiative test of the group’s ability to cooperate and move together; in the yoga tradition, it is called Samgacchadvam. Moving in a circle without losing the balloons is more difficult than it sounds. If you want to make it even more challenging, before starting you can place some obstacles in the path. Another variation is to form a single file line instead of a circle, so everyone is walking forwards. To make that more challenging, add the rule that you cannot touch the person in front of you, either. Did you use cooperative leadership or did someone just give orders? Patience means to endure discomfort with self-control, humility, and generosity. Did you feel frustrated or patient in this game? Why did the group become frustrated? How did you feel at the end? Source: Karl Rohnke and Steve Butler, Quicksilver.

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Balloon Trolleys in Los Angeles, USA (photo Abraham Heisler)

Balloon Trolleys in lines, at the AMURT/AMURTEL Skywalker Project (Caminiante do Céu) in the Perialto Favela of Sao Paulo, Brazil

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Balloon Samadhi

Concepts and Themes: Fun Number of Participants: 2-40+ Equipment: Inflated balloons, at least one for every participant, and a paper clip (optional). Instructions: “Samadhi is a Sanskrit word that means ‘absorption’ of a person’s mind into the Cosmic Mind. It is a state of meditative trance, when the mind becomes completely still and unites with the universal mind. It is very difficult to achieve and often takes many years or even decades of daily meditation practice to experience samadhi. “Today we’ll do a very simple demonstration that takes only a few seconds. I choose a volunteer to be my partner. We place an inflated balloon between our stomachs; then we embrace each other and squeeze very hard… [BAM! The balloon explodes.] And the air from the balloon reunites with all the air of the planet. Try it!” Facilitation Tips: This should be played after the initiative, Balloon Frantic or Balloon Trolleys. Its only purpose is to have fun while getting rid of all your inflated balloons. It’s great to take photos or a video, because people grimace in funny faces as they try to explode their balloon. Small balloons are hard to break; you might keep a paper clip in your pocket that you can unwind and use to pop any balloon that is being squeezed but not breaking. Despite the title and the philosophical explanation about samadhi, it does not really demonstrate that. Feel free to call this The Big Bang,or anything else you prefer.

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Afterwards announce that we are now going to play Cooperative Ecology, and ask everyone to quickly help you pick up all the pieces of broken balloons scattered around the area.

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The Nine Dots Problem

Concepts and Themes: Creative thinking, imagination, initiative, consciousness raising Number of Participants: 2-100+ Equipment: A printout with nine dots on it and a pencil or pen for each participant, or everyone can just copy the nine dots onto a blank piece of paper; a white board with markers to show the solutions. Instructions: “This is a brain teaser that requires some out-of-the-box thinking. Place your pencil on one of the dots and draw no more than four straight lines through all the remaining dots, without lifting the pencil off the paper or retracing your way through any of the lines.”

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Facilitation Tips: This works best if you can print out this puzzle and give a copy to each participant with a pencil or pen, but you can also do it on a whiteboard or blackboard, and you’ll need that or some big paper to show the answer to everyone at the end. It may be that someone in your group knows the solution; if so, ask them to please wait two minutes to give everyone else a chance to solve it, and then let him or her show the solution to the group. If nobody gets it after a few minutes, give a hint: “This requires ‘out of the box’ thinking.” Here’s the traditional solution:

After a round of appreciation for the one or ones who solved it...

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Explain that there are at least four more ways to solve this problem! Invite the people to come up with even more ‘out of the box’ solutions. After a few minutes of head scratching, show or tell them the other solutions. 1) Fold the paper so the first line of three dots is just beside the second line of three dots, and the same for the third line of three dots. Then, without lifting your pencil, you can draw a straight line through and beyond the first line, reverse and connect the second line, and back again for the third line. 2) Get a scissors and cut out each of the lines of dots and place them one after the other so all form a straight line. 3) Cut out each dot separately, place all of them on top of one another, then poke your pencil through them all! 4) Get a wide paint brush and cover them all with bright red paint! When you pull out the scissors, you might hear someone cry, “That’s cheating!” This is a great opening for a discussion about assumptions we make, because the actual instructions that you read didn’t have any rules about not manipulating the paper. Creative thinking means to look at problems or situations from a fresh perspective that suggests original, diverse and unorthodox solutions; to imagine new unconventional solutions to old problems. Albert Einstein said, “Problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them.” Would you agree that creative, imaginative thinking is important? What could we do to develop that capacity? Source: Sam Loyd’s Cyclopedia of Puzzles (1914)

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NASA Exercise: Survival on the Moon

Concepts and Themes: Many minds are smarter than one, coordinated cooperation, surrendering ego. Number of Participants: 4-100+ Equipment: One printout and a pen for each participant. Quiet music (optional). Scenario: “You are a member of a space crew originally scheduled to rendezvous with a mother ship on the lighted surface of the moon. However, due to mechanical difficulties, your ship was forced to land at a spot some 200 miles (320 kilometers) from the rendezvous point. During reentry and landing, much of the equipment aboard was damaged and, since survival depends on reaching the mother ship, the most critical items available must be chosen for the 200-mile trip. Below are listed the 15 items left intact and undamaged after landing. Your task is to rank them in terms of their importance for your crew in allowing them to reach the rendezvous point. Place the number 1 by the most important item, the number 2 by the second most important, and so on through number 15 for the least important.” Instructions: “We’ll do this exercise twice: first, individually, in less than ten minutes; then cooperatively in groups of five in 15 minutes. You may not change any of your answers after you start discussing. Finally we’ll compare our individual and group scores with NASA’s answers.” [See Appendix A]

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Your Ranking Group Ranking ______Box of matches ______Food concentrate ______15 meters (50 feet) of nylon rope ______Parachute silk ______Portable heating unit ______Two .45 caliber pistols ______One case of dehydrated milk ______Two 45 kilos (100 lb.) tanks of oxygen ______Stellar map ______Self-inflating life raft ______Magnetic compass ______20 liters of water ______Signal flares ______First aid kit, including injection needle ______Solar-powered FM receiver-transmitter ______Facilitation Tips: This exercise was created by NASA over 45 years ago, but it is still useful because very few people study moon navigation, so almost all participants come to this problem for the first time. It is important to remind participants when they form into small groups not to make any changes on their individual lists, because we want to compare those with the collective lists. Finally read out NASA’s answers that are listed in Appendix A. How did you feel when you heard the answers? NASA’s answers are so well-reasoned—did they make you feel humble? Was your group score better than each person’s individual score? Why?

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Many minds are smarter than one—groups are remarkably intelligent due to diversity, cooperation, and decentralization, and are usually smarter than the smartest people in them. In the group, you have to surrender your ego and will; were you able to do that? How did that feel?

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TRUST ACTIVITIES

Car-car

Concepts and Themes:Trust, responsibility, surrender. Number of Participants: 2-200+ Equipment: Soft music (optional). Instructions: “Trust and responsibility are two very important qualities in creating world peace. This activity will help you experience how you feel about trust and responsibility. The game is called Car-car, and it’s very simple. Let me demonstrate. First I need a volunteer.” [Without waiting, smile, point to someone, and ask, “Are you a volunteer?” This usually gets a laugh.] “My partner stands in front of me and is the ‘car.’ Every car has protective bumpers in front, so please hold your hands in front of your chest with your palms facing outward as your ‘bumpers’ to protect you in case of any accident. Cars cannot see, so please close your eyes. I am ‘the driver’, with eyes open. I stand behind the car with my hands on your shoulders and slowly guide you forward. Cars can go in reverse, too. This is a silent activity, so no talking.” Demonstrate slow, compassionate driving with your volunteer. “Remember that your partner is going to be nervous, so please move slowly. Are there any questions?” Then ask everyone to form pairs. If there is an extra person, then you can be their partner.

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Car-car in Tunja, Colombia “Remember no talking. OK? Begin!” Quiet music is excellent for this. After 3-4 minutes announce, “Stop. Open your eyes, and now switch roles with your partner. OK? Begin!”

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Facilitation Tips: At the end, ask everyone to sit or stand with their partner for a couple of minutes and talk about how they felt in both roles, as the car and as the driver. You could then sit or stand in a circle and invite some people to share their experiences with the entire group. This debriefing of the event is a very important part of the learning process. This game is one of my favorites because it is very simple and almost every group takes to it right away. Car-car is non-threatening, so it is a great game to begin with. Your initial demonstration modeling slow, compassionate “driving” is essential. When doing this with elementary or high school students, keep a sharp eye out for any kid who wants to run with their partner and crash into other pairs or walls like a tank! Did everyone act responsibly toward others in this game? Trust means to feel safe with, confident in and supported by the group. Do you feel trust in this group? Surrender means to let go of fear and live each moment as it comes. Were you able to do that in this game? Source: David Earl Platts of the Findhorn Foundation

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Confidence Walk

Concepts and Themes: Overcoming fear by facing it, responsibility, surrender, trust Number of Participants: 8-200+ Instructions: Ask all participants to stand shoulder-to-shoulder at one end of the hall or playing field. They should hold their hands in front of their chest, palms facing forward. Demonstrate: “I will walk with my eyes closed holding my hands in front of me from the other end; all of you keep your eyes open, and when I reach your line, please stop me compassionately by putting your hands in front of my hands. The challenge for the walkers is to keep our eyes closed and to walk confidentlyat the same speed until the very end. You all have to be quiet until the last walker reaches the line, otherwise we will hear where you are and not be nervous.” Facilitation Tips: Walking a good distance with eyes closed makes many people more nervous than they would imagine. The farther the distance, the greater the challenge. Indoors in most halls you probably can only have about ten meters; outdoors, 20, 30 or even 40 meters is excellent. If you are doing this indoors, place some participants on the sides as spotters in case a blind subject veers off to one side. Outdoors, if there are any trees or other obstacles in the field of play, place a spotter in front of each one. As facilitator, it’s good to start by doing a dramatic and funny demonstration of a blind subject walking very con- fidently and briskly at the beginning, and then acting more and more nervous, walking slower and reaching

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out nervously until finally making contact with the other line with great relief. This game works well with a minimum of six and up to 200 people. If there is a small number you need to strategically place each of your spotters and make sure they understand they should move from side to side in order for one of them to stop the blind subject. If you have a big crowd, have them stand shoulder-to-shoulder in a line that might end up stretching around three sides of your hall or gymnasium. Several blind subjects can walk simultaneously, but they need about two meters space on both sides to reduce the chance of walking into one another with their eyes closed (there’s no risk, because they’re only walking and they have their hands held in front of their chest). So depending on the size of your playing area, you could let up to eight people walk each time. Always take the volunteers from one end of the line. Have them move to the other end of the playing field with two meters space between each one; then, on your command, they all close their eyes and walk simultaneously to the waiting line of people. Keep reminding the group to keep quiet until the last person arrives. When they arrive, ask all those subjects to walk to the opposite end of the line, and immediately ask the next eight people to come and take their positions. In this “assembly line” fashion, a large number of people can enjoy the game in a very reasonable amount of time. Many groups are happy to do this challenge a second time, and are better able to control their nervousness with another chance. This game helps to overcome fear and to build trust in the group.

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‘Surrender’ means to let go of fear and live each moment as it comes. Were you able to surrender in this game? Did everyone act responsibly toward others in this game? Trust means to feel safe with, confident in and supported by the group. Do you feel trust in this group?

Confidence Walkin Seara, Portugal (Photo Nuno Palha)

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Trust Wave

Concepts and Themes: Trust, coordinated cooperation, responsibility, surrender Number of Participants: 10-40 Instructions: Ask everyone to form two straight lines, facing each other. They should hold their arms straight out in front of themselves at shoulder height. The lines should be just far enough apart that their fingers reach to about the wrists of the person opposite them in the other line.

Trust Wave ready at Neohumanist Education Conference, Porto Alegre, Brazil “I will demonstrate by walking down the middle between the two lines. You should raise your arms straight up in the air just before I arrive and lower them again just after I pass, kind of like a drawbridge. Here I go.” [Demonstrate.] “Great. You may walk, jog or run. Now I will demonstrate running between the lines. Please be alert and open up so I don’t hit anyone’s arm.” [Demonstrate running.]

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“You may be surprised when you do this that it’s a little scary to go charging at all these outstretched arms. Feel free to walk as slowly as you want, but stay upright. Because if you bend your head down and pass under all the arms, there’s no fun.”

Trust Wave run in Seara, Portugal (Photo Nuno Palha)

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Facilitation Tips: This game does not work well with more than 40 people, because it becomes hard to see the front of the line. As soon as a person starts down the middle, ask the next two people in line to step out and join you. Call out, “Ready?” and watch to see that everyone is looking your way before shouting, “Go!” to send the next person walking or running down the middle. Keep the second person waiting until your call of “Ready?” gets a focused response. When a runner finishes, he or she should join one of the lines at the end and raise their arms. It’s best to make a very visible line or mark where the two lines begin, because as you call the first two forward, everyone else will keep moving forward up to that point, but no farther. Runners should start about 10 meters before the line and maintain the same speed throughout, so that the spotters can calculate their speed and raise their arms in time. After everyone has done this, some groups also like the chance to go a second time. Were you nervous at all? How did it feel to confront your fear and surrender it instead of backing down? ‘Trust’ means to feel safe with, confident in and supported by the group. Do you feel trust in this group? Source: Karl Rohnke and Steve Butler, Quicksilver.

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Trust Standing Circle or Willow in the Wind

Concepts and Themes: Coordinated cooperation, surrender, trust Number of Participants: 8-40+ Instructions: You need 8-12 caretakers standing in a tight circle, shoulder to shoulder. If you have a few smaller people who have less strength standing together, separate them and put each one between some stronger ones. Each person holds their hands in front of their shoulders, palms out, with partially bent elbows. Then place one foot back and one foot forwards, so they are in a strong position to spot and not fall over. Then one volunteer stands erect in the middle and crosses their arms over their chest. “We’re going to pass this person around the circle a few times in one direction, then the other. The one in the middle must remain rigid and stiff with their feet together.” Explain the physics that the more a body leans, the more force is required to hold it; in other words, it is easy to pass the volunteer around in small circles, but it requires much more strength if you pass the volunteer in big circles. The person in the middle can choose to close their eyes if they want. Facilitation Tips: Make sure you have a responsible super- visor for each circle. Did you feel nervous at first? Were you able to let go of fear and surrender? One goal of this game is to build trust in the group; do you feel safe with and supported by this group?

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‘Surrender’ means to let go of fear and live each moment as it comes. Were you able to surrender in this game?

Trust Standing Circle in Seara, Portugal

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Trust Sitting Circle or Willow in the Whirlwind

Concepts and Themes: Coordinated cooperation, surrender, trust Number of Participants: 8-40+ Instructions: This is a variation of theTrust Standing Circle, and can only be done after the group has successfully learned and completed that. This time all the 8-12 caretakers sit in a tight circle, with feet resting against the feet of the volunteer standing in the center, but they should not lock the willow’s feet. Each person needs to bend their knees so they are sitting close to the middle person and hold their arms straight out towards the willow’s body. The volunteer stands erect in the middle and crosses their arms over their chest. “We’re going to pass this person around the circle a few times in one direction, then the other. The one in the middle must remain rigid and stiff with feet together.” He or she can choose to close their eyes if they want. Facilitation Tips: You, the facilitator, must be sitting in the circle at the beginning of this one to oversee the safety. Was this harder than the Standing Circle? How does your trust in the group affect your fear? Were you able to surrender your fear? Source: Karl Rohnke, Funn ‘n Games

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Trust Sitting Circle in Centro Madre, Barlovento, Venezuela

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Levitation

Concepts and Themes: Trust, coordinated cooperation, responsibility, surrender, service, together is nothing is impossible. Number of Participants: 9-20+ Instructions: “The gameLevitation is an exercise in cooperation and trust in which we raise a volunteer lying on the floor over our heads and then bring them gently down to the floor again. It is quite exhilarating when you are raised above everyone’s heads, a controlled form of ‘crowd surfing.’ Because physical safety is involved, we first need to have the agreement of everyone to not do or say anything to break the trust. That means no put-downs or jokes about someone’s weight or dropping them. Do you all promise not to do or say anything to break the trust?” One volunteer lies on their back on the floor and crosses their arms over their chest. A group of eight to ten participants kneel around the volunteer’s body with their right knee on the ground and their left foot planted firmly on the ground and their left knee up. Explain that most of the weight in a person’s body is between the shoulders and hips. One person should kneel at the top of the body and place their hands under the head, though it’s not heavy. Another one or two people should be at the knees, though the legs are not heavy. Three fairly strong volunteers should kneel closely together beside the person’s torso on one side, while another three are kneeling on the other side. Everyone should slide their forearms under the volunteer’s body. Your hands should alternate with the hands

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of the person who is kneeling opposite you on the other side of the volunteer’s body. On the count of three, all eight participants should together lift with their arms the lying volunteer up to the height of their left knee.No one should stand up yet. Pause so everyone is holding the volunteer comfortably with their right knee on the ground and their left foot planted firmly on the ground and their left knee up. Everyone’s elbows should be at a right angle next to their waist. On the next count of three everyone should just stand up, so the volunteer’s body is now held at their waist level. On the next count of three, everyone should raise the volunteer up to their shoulders. On the next count of three, everyone should raise their arms straight up so the volunteer is above their heads. On the next count of three, everyone should lower the volunteer back down to their shoulders. On the next count of three, everyone should lower the volunteer back down to their waist level. On the next count of three, everyone should lower their right knee to the ground. On the next count of three, everyone should gently lower the volunteer back down to the floor. Facilitation Tips: This trust activity requires a high level of cooperation and trust in the group and should follow other simpler trust activities such as Trust Standing Circle and Trust Sitting Circle. Start with a small or medium-sized volunteer first. Place yourself in the middle of the formation ready to spot in case anything goes wrong (which it won’t). In case you hear or see any joke about someone being too heavy or about dropping someone, stop the game. Ask the entire group to sit together while you explain that

173 dada maheshvarananda jokes or put-downs are unacceptable behavior. Explain that this game and others are fantastic experiences that they have never had, but you cannot continue unless you can guarantee the physical and emotional safety of everyone. If you have 12 participants, you can have them all crowd around and help lift, though those along the legs will have very little weight. Keep switching the strongest lifters around, from one side to the other, for example, so they don’t get too tired. If you have over 16 participants, you can split them into two or more groups, but everyone has to watch carefully the first demonstration that you do. Then you will need a responsible and mature person to supervise and call out the instructions for each levitation group, while you move among the groups and supervise. How did you feel when you were lifted? Were you able to let go of fear and surrender? ‘Trust’ means to feel safe with, confident in and supported by the group. Do you feel trust in this group? It’s been said that together nothing is impossible; were you surprised by what happened in this game? Why?

Levitation at the AMURT/AMURTEL Skywalker Project (Caminiante do Céu) in the Perialto Favela of Sao Paulo, Brazi

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Levitation in Centro Madre, Barlovento, Venezuela

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Trust Fall

Concepts and Themes: Trust, coordinated cooperation, responsibility, surrender, service, together is nothing is impossible, overcoming fear by facing it Number of Participants: 10-30 Equipment: A couple of short pieces of rope or duct tape. A very strong platform that is ideally one-and-a-half meters (five feet) high. It could be slightly lower than that, butit must not be higher than that! If you are outside, walk around the property looking for a tree branch, a stone wall or part of a building that is that height. A ladder would work only if you had an extra person who could hold the ladder very tightly with both hands from the back side, because physics tells us that if a person falls or jumps forward, an equal force pushes backwards on the platform. There also needs to be clear space for the catchers to stand right below the platform that is at least three meters long and one meter wide (nine feet by four feet). Instructions: “The Trust Fall is a very dramatic demonstration of trust in the group and overcoming fear. One volunteer will stand on this platform one-and-a-half meters [five feet] high, cross their arms over their chest, and an assistant will tie their wrists together to prevent them from hitting anyone when they fall. The volunteer should keep their body straight and stiff, and lean backwards, letting the group catch them. “Because physical safety is involved, we first need to have the agreement of everyone to not do or say anything to break the trust. That means no put-downs or jokes about someone’s weight or dropping someone. Do you

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all promise not to do or say anything to break the trust?” Wait and watch for full agreement. “The catchers will stand at the base of the platform with me in two lines, shoulder-to-shoulder, facing each other. We will hold our elbows beside our bodies, with our forearms and hands stretched out in front of us. We do not hold hands, though we position our hands so they alternate with the outstretched hands of the people facing us. This is the way to safely catch a falling body. “Most of the weight in a person’s body is between the shoulders and hips, so we want strong people to stand with me in this section of both lines. “Let me warn you all that when you are standing up on this platform, it looks scary! Your heart will probably beat faster and your knees might shake. That’s OK. You know from our other games that this group of people will support you no matter what. We’ve got your back. You are trying to overcome your natural fear. “Your goal is to stand very straight and rigid, because it is harder for us to catch you if you bend your body and try to sit down. Just lean backwards into the waiting arms of your family. “We will invite and encourage you to fall, but the choice to do this challenge or not depends on you. We all promise that we will not criticize you or make fun of you in any way if you choose not to fall. This is challenge by choice.” “Please let us start with someone who is small or medium-sized. Who would like to go first?” Facilitation Tips: This trust activity requires a high level of cooperation and trust in the group and should always follow other simpler trust activities such as Trust Standing Circle, Trust Sitting Circle, and Levitation.

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Trust Fall in Seara, Portugal Place yourself in the middle of the formation ready to break the fall by yourself in case everybody else steps back at the last second (they won’t if you prepared the group with previous trust activities). There are two possible risks that will never happen unless you disregard the instructions. If you choose a platform that is higher than 1.5 meters (five feet), the impact of the falling body will hurt your arms and might even cause the group to drop someone. Never choose a platform that is more than 1.5 meters (five feet) high.

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The second risk is if you don’t tie the wrists together of the person falling, someone who is nervous will throw their arms out when they fall and an elbow or hand will hit a person during the catch. This hit on the face will definitely hurt, and could even break a nose or mouth—tie the wrists together! If a volunteer is very nervous and bends his or her knees, in effect, sitting down instead of falling flat backwards, it will be harder for the catchers because the person’s weight will be concentrated on just a few people, but it won’t be dangerous. In some situations, such as if you’re using a strongly held ladder, a volunteer could choose to stand and fall from a slightly lower height than 1.5 meters. If you are using a tree or wall, sometimes there is another branch or ledge that is lower. You want to make it easy for volunteers to mount the platform, ideally by placing firm steps to climb on, or, if necessary, by cooperatively lifting the person up. If you have an extra person in your group, ask them to stand on the platform and hold the arms of the volunteer and reassure them until the group below verbally confirms that they are ready to receive the volunteer. In case you hear or see any joke about someone being too heavy or dropping someone, stop the game. Ask the entire group to sit together while you explain that this is unacceptable behavior. Explain that this game and others are incredible experiences that you can guarantee they have never had, but you cannot continue unless you can guarantee the physical and emotional safety of everyone. Get the verbal promise of everyone before you continue the game.

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If you have a lot of participants, have them all stand in the two long lines; after a fall, move the volunteer down to the end of the lines by simultaneously throwing the body a few centimeters up and forwards, so the volunteer sort of bounces along. At the end, lower the volunteer’s legs to the ground and stand them up.

Trust Leap in Sintra, Portugal After everyone has done theTrust Fall, you can introduce this variation. “Instead of falling backwards, the Trust Leap is done facing forwards from the same platform, like a ‘stage dive’. However this leap has to be done in a special way to be safe. Like a circus artist, imagine that you are leaping to catch a short horizontal trapeze bar that is hanging half

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a meter [a couple feet] above the heads of the last people in line. This way your leaping body will go at least a meter forwards, and then fall evenly across the arms of all the catchers.” For those brave souls who are willing to try the trust leap, there is no need to tie their wrists together. Were you scared at all? How did it feel to confront your fear instead of backing down? ‘Trust’ means to feel safe with, confident in and supported by the group. Do you feel trust in this group? It’s been said that together nothing is impossible; were you surprised by what happened in this game? Why? Great inner power comes when you serve others in need without any expectation of result or reward. Did you feel that power in this game? Have you felt it when you did service in other situations? Source: Karl Rohnke

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GAMES OF YOGA AND SPIRITUAL CONNECTION

Deep Breathing

Concepts and Themes: Vital energy (prana), concentration Number of Participants: 1-200+ Instructions: “Breathing is one of the few body functions that can be controlled both consciously and unconsciously. The brainstem regulates the rate and depth of breathing, depending on the body’s needs. For example, you breathe faster when you exercise due to the increase in carbon dioxide, and slower when you rest. In swimming, weight- lifting, singing, speech, and yoga, one learns to discipline breathing, first consciously, then unconsciously. “Most people normally breathe 12–18 times per minute with their chest, using only the top half of the lungs, which is indicative of our restless, uptight minds. There is a direct relation between your state of mind and your breath. If you come running into class or work late, breathing quickly, and someone asks you an important question, you might say, ‘Just a minute, let me catch my breath!’ You breathe differently when you’re frightened [demonstrate a short, quick inhale and hold it], when you’re depressed [demonstrate a long exhale with a noisy sigh], when you’re nervous [demonstrate short, quick breaths]. Many people have blocked breathing patterns. When you’re very focused and concentrated, your breath will naturally be slower and deeper.

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“So change your breath, and your mind will follow. The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle located horizontally at the bottom of the lungs. When you inhale deeply, the diaphragm contracts, pushing down, and air fills your entire lungs; when the diaphragm relaxes, the air is exhaled. So diaphragmatic breathing, which is also called abdom- inal breathing or belly breathing, means slow, deep full breaths. This maximizes the amount of oxygen that goes into the bloodstream. It also interrupts the ‘Fight or Flight’ response and triggers the body’s relaxation response. It relieves and prevents symptoms of stress, including high blood pressure, headaches, stomach conditions, depression, and anxiety. So let’s try it.” Here are three different ways to demonstrate this: 1) Chest and Belly Breathing: This can be done either lying down, which is slightly easier, or standing. “Place one hand over your heart, and the other hand on the belly centered at your navel. Breathe normally and observe how much each hand moves. Just observe, don’t try to control it. [pause] Now take a deep breath in and breathe out completely, then breathe only from the belly with as little movement of the hand on the chest as possible. Repeat for several breaths. [pause] Now go back to your normal breathing. [pause] Now try to breathe only from the chest, with as little movement of the hand on the belly as possible. [pause] Now go back to your normal breathing. [pause] Now close your eyes, and again take deep breaths from the belly. As you breathe very deeply, be aware of your mind. Do you feel calmer and more peaceful?” [pause] “This is a simple but powerful technique that you can do anywhere, at any time. If you want to focus, if you want to concentrate on anything, breathe deeply. Before reacting to a stressful situation, first take a slow, deep breath with

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mantra, affirmation, spiritual connection, or prayer, and you will respond from a higher level.” 2) Breath of Joy: “From a standing position, inhale one third of your breath while bringing the arms out in front of you at shoulder height. Inhale the second one-third, bringing the arms out to the side at shoulder height. Inhale the last one-third bringing the arms straight overhead. Now exhale vigorously while bringing arms down by your sides fast and making a ‘Ha’ sound as loudly as you can. Let’s do it four more times, but louder!” 3) Like the Trees and Grass: “From a standing position, inhale and reach up for the sky. Then exhale as you bend forward, letting your arms brush the floor, swaying from side to side. Again inhale, reaching up with your arms and fingers, to be tolerant as the trees swaying in the wind. Again exhale as you bend down to become as humble as the grass.” Facilitation Tips: Variation for little children: Lying down, place a stuffed animal on their belly and have the child move it up and down as they breathe. Called Teddy Bear Breathing, they find it great fun! Variation for older children: Lying down, place both hands on the belly, fingers touching; the goal is to breathe so that your fingers separate with each deep inhale. Martial arts, yoga philosophy, and also Indian medicine teach that there is vital energy called “prana” in your breath, a life-giving force which permeates your body and connects it to all cosmic energy. Do you think this is true? Have you ever felt this vital energy in your breathing? Source: Dhyanesh Fleury, Bruce McEwen and Didi Ananda Devapriya helped with this.

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Yoga in Pairs

Concepts and Themes: Coordinated cooperation, dynamic equilibrium (prama) Number of Participants: 2-100+ Instructions: It can be fun to practice some yoga poses in pairs. Below are partner yoga poses that anyone can try. Remember to listen to your body and don’t do anything that hurts. Partner Tree Pose (Vriksasana): Stand side-by-side and balance on the inner leg, with the other leg raised and folded to the side, the foot resting against the opposite leg at any point except the knee—the higher your foot on the thigh, the harder it is to balance; the lower you place your foot, below the knee, the easier. Focusing your gaze on a point in front of you makes it easier to balance. Wrap your inner arm around your partner’s waist for balance and join your outer hands in front with the palms touching. Or raise the inner arms together over your heads. Try switching legs. A group variation is The Forest, where everyone stands close to one another in a circle. Raise both your hands at your sides, so both your palms and elbows touch your neighbor’s. Once you’ve mastered that, everyone can try raising your hands over your heads, with the palms still touching the palms of your neighbors.

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Yoga in Pairs: Partner Tree Pose variation in Taipei, Taiwan Partner Forward Bend (Uttanasana): Stand back-to- back with your legs shoulder-width apart. As you bend your body forward, keep your legs straight, and reach for your partner’s wrists through your legs. To deepen the stretch, you can move your hands farther up your partner’s

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forearms or elbows. Or with feet together, grab each other’s arms on the outside of your legs.

Yoga in Pairs: Partner Boat Pose in Taipei, Taiwan Partner Boat Pose (Navasana): Sit in front of each other with your knees bent and your hands grasping each other’s wrists outside the knees. Then lift one leg so your feet are touching sole-to-sole and simultaneously straighten the legs upward. Do the same with the other leg. You and your partner’s straightened legs and arms will form the letter “A” when viewed from the side. The Double Wide Boat variation is the same pose, but with your grasped arms in the middle and your legs stretched up and out to both sides, soles touching.

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Yoga in Pairs: Double Wide Boat variation in Taipei, Taiwan

Yoga in Pairs: Partner Forward Fold in Taipei, Taiwan Partner Forward Fold: Sit facing each other, and extend legs out to a wide V-shape with kneecaps facing straight up and soles of your feet touching the soles of your partner’s feet. Extend arms and grab each other’s wrists. One person folds forward from the hips, exhaling, while the other leans back, keeping the spine and arms straight. You

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can hold this pose for several breaths if you like, before straightening up and repeating in the opposite direction. You can move slowly like a seesaw. This pose opens the hamstrings and calms the nervous system.

Yoga in Pairs: Temple Pose in Los Angeles, USA (photo Abraham Heisler) Temple pose: Stand facing each other almost two meters (six feet) apart. Inhale, extend arms overhead and begin to hinge forward at the hips until you meet hands with your partner. Continue bending forward until your torsos are parallel with the floor. Bring your elbows and forearms together with your partner’s elbows and forearms, arms bent 90 degrees at the elbows and hands straight up in the air together. Rest equal weight against each other. Hold for a few breaths; then slowly walk toward each other, bringing torso upright and release arms down.

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Yoga in Pairs: Child Pose Lounge in Taipei, Taiwan Child Pose Lounge: First person does the Child’s Pose: Kneel on the floor, touch your big toes together, sitting on your heels. On the exhale, bring your chest down towards the ground. Try and lengthen your lower-back and neck, relaxing your abdomen over your knees. Bring your arms back on each side of your body, palms up, hands resting near your feet. Relax your shoulders, feel the stretch in your back. Second person: Stand at the feet of the first person, but facing away from them. Gently sit directly on top of the first person’s lower-back. Lay down across their back until your head is resting on the back part of their neck, or wherever your head feels comfortable. Extend your arms backwards over your head, opening your chest. Let them fall across the first person’s shoulders towards the ground. Extend your legs straight in front of you, feet flat on the ground. Feel the arch in your back; breathe deeply.

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Natarajasana: “This is a balancing pose that is easier with the help of a partner. Stand facing each other about a meter and a half apart. Raise your left arms upward. Bend your right knee and bring your right foot behind you, grabbing your right ankle with your right hand. Lean forward and bring your left palm to meet your partner’s. Ideally you want to bend forwards until your torso is parallel with the floor. Hold the position for half a minute, breathing normally. Then stand up again and repeat with the opposite foot and hand.” Standing back-to-back: Raise arms and lean backwards and touch hands; then bend forward and touch hands between your legs; repeat several times. Stand back-to-back: With straight arms forward, both turn in one direction and pat hands, then the other, back and forth. How many of you have done yoga before? How did you like doing yoga in pairs?

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Sound Adventure

Concepts and Themes: Intuition, going with the flow (rasa), you are connected to everyone and everything, spiritual company (satsaunga) Number of Participants: 10-200+ Instructions: This game does not work well with fewer than 10 participants unless you have several strong singers in your group. If you have fewer than 20 participants, have everyone sit in a tight circle very closely to one another. If you have more than that number, don’t sit in a big circle because people will be too far away to hear well. Instead, have the group sit in concentric circles, or better yet in a tight spiral so everyone is rather close to everyone else. Explain that this adventure has no words, only sounds. It is not a rational exercise; rather, it is an intuitive and aesthetic experience. If you have one or more good singers in the group, ask them to begin. Ask them to make healing sounds, without words, and everyone else will join in after they start, blending their voices however they like for about five or ten minutes. Ask everyone to close their eyes and try to become one with the sound adventure. Facilitation Tips: If someone asks you what healing sounds are, just smile and ask them to listen to their heart. Before starting, ask the singers to end the sound adventure after five or ten minutes by singing the universal mantra, “Baba Nam Kevalam,” or by just becoming silent. How did it feel to try to connect your voice with the healing sounds of others?

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Were you able to turn off your rational mind and just go with the flow? Did you feel something greater than the voices of the people here, what the yogis call the life force of the universe, the ocean of cosmic intelligence? Quantum physicists and mystics both say that we are connected to everyone and everything through our consciousness; do you ever feel connected to others?

Sound Adventure in Caracas, Venezuela

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Moving in Om

Concepts and Themes: Intuition, going with the flow (rasa), mantra, spiritual company (satsaunga), you are connected to everyone and everything, Number of Participants: 10-100+ Instructions: Yogis believe that the sound of Creation is “Aum” (commonly spelled Om), and that sometimes in very deep meditation one can blissfully experience this deep vibration. However, our human vocal cords are unable to imitate this sound. Still, in this game, we can have fun chanting “Aum”. Invite all participants to stand in a cluster, with a little space around themselves, not too close. Ask everyone to hold their hands out a little in front of their chest with their palms facing forwards. Explain that this is a trust activity to be done with closed eyes. Tell them that you will begin chanting, and everyone else can then join in at any note. Don’t worry, it’s impossible to chant incorrectly. Explain that after chanting and listening for a little, they can start to slowly and gently walk around. Their eyes are closed, but their hands are in front of their chest to protect them. Tell them we’ll do this for about five minutes, after which we’ll become silent and sit down wherever we are for a couple of minutes of silent meditation. Facilitation Tips: You don’t want the participants standing closely together when they begin. If they are bunched up as you explain the game, ask them to spread out a little so there is an arm’s length of space around them before they close their eyes.

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How did it feel to move around with your eyes closed? How did it feel to chant aum with all the other people? Quantum physicists and mystics both say that we are connected to everyone and everything through our consciousness; do you ever feel connected to others? In India they say that spiritual company (satsaunga in the Sanskrit language), the uplifting company of virtuous people who support and inspire one’s spiritual development, is very important for your growth. Do you agree?

Moving in Om in Seara, Portugal

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Coiling and Uncoiling of the Kundalinii

Concepts and Themes: Coordinated cooperation, going with the flow rasa( ), you are connected to everyone and everything. Number of Participants: 20-200+ Equipment: Dance music (optional). Instructions: “Please stand in a circle and hold hands. According to yoga, there is a spiritual energy called the kundalinii inside everyone. This spiritual energy is coiled clockwise like a snake at the base of the spine. Kiirtan can awaken this spiritual energy, causing it to uncoil counterclockwise, and with great devotional feeling, it can rise up through each chakra until it reaches the Sahasrara Chakra at the top of your head. So we will sing kiirtan, and pull this circle first clockwise into a spiral and then counterclockwise out of the spiral to free the spiritual energy. Just go with the flow!” Facilitation Tips: This is really a large group activity. You, the facilitator, need to be part of this big circle of people holding hands. After giving the instructions, start singing kiirtan, or get some musicians to play. Then drop the hand of the person on your left (that person will automatically be the last person in the line), and pulling the line of people on your right behind you, walk quickly to your left, clockwise, just inside the circle. Keep leading in a spiral that gradually gets smaller and smaller the nearer you get to the center. Don’t stop when you get to the center, just turn to your left and start walking counterclockwise in between the moving

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lines of people going clockwise, pulling the line of people behind you. It looks and feels very cool. Unfortunately, if there are many people, the last people have to stand and wait a long time before the line finally pulls them along, but if the music is sweet, people won’t mind. What did you experience in this activity? Quantum physicists and mystics both say that we are connected to everyone and everything through our consciousness; do you ever feel connected to others?

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Kiirtan Heart Circle

Concepts and Themes: Mantra; as you think, so you become; you are connected to everyone and everything; true happiness comes from within; spiritual company (satsaunga); compassion; forgiveness; unconditional love. Number of Participants: 8-100+ Equipment: Recorded kiirtan or someone who can lead kiirtan on guitar or other instrument, and kleenex or a handkerchief.

Kiirtan Heart Circle in Los Angeles, CA, USA Dada Pranakrsnananda’s Description: This is a unique opportunity to learn by doing pioneering psycho-spiritual work. This uses mantra and ideation in a psychological approach to enhance our spiritual connection as a tool for growth. Participants experience and exchange ideas on how mantra affects our physical body, how to use mantra to deal with the emotional issues that are bound to arise on

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the spiritual path, and how to apply mantra to experience a spiritual intimacy with the Divine. When a person does meditation, two things happen. One, the mind expands, allowing for a more magnificent reflection of Consciousness on the mind, and two, all pre- viously unresolved experiences bubble up into awareness. These past experiences are bubbling up because the mind is expanding; this is the natural response. In the Kiirtan Heart Circle, with the support of a safe community, we take time for each individual to resolve issues that have arisen as a result of mind-expanding spiritual practices. We experience the purposeful use of mantra to awaken these dormant thoughts, beliefs, and emotions; and we learn techniques to dialog and resolve these issues. The Process: Ask the entire group to sit in a circle on the floor or on chairs. First explain the process (see the Framing below). Then, if you have a small group, for example eight people or less, invite one person to sit in the center of the circle. If you have a larger group, you should probably divide the entire number by four or five and invite that number of participants to sit in a small circle in the center, facing outwards. The group in the outer circle will sing kiirtan for about 5-7 minutes, directing all their love towards the person or people sitting in the inner circle. Those on the inner circle should just sit quietly with eyes closed and bathe in the spiritual love that is being directed toward them. When the kiirtan ends, everyone should sit in silence for a minute. Then the facilitator will invite the people sitting in the inner circle to share, if they want to, what they experienced. When the first individual or group is finished, they should sit again in the outer circle and another group of participants should take their place.

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Repeat the process until everyone has had a chance to sit in the middle. The Framing -- what to say: “In this exercise we will sing together the universal mantra, ‘Baba Nam Kevalam,’ which means ‘Love is all there is.’ The people around the circle are combining their ideation and their singing to create a wave of love. When people come together with a common intention, their focus and vibration is incredibly strong. So we ask everyone here to focus on this process. “In order for this to work, we need to create a sacred space. This requires the consent of everyone here to have this intention of support and safe community. The privacy and confidentiality of what is expressed here needs to be respected and honored. It is important that everyone who starts in the circle stays until the end. There are no observers; everyone is a participant. “Before we start, we want to practice singing kiirtan three times. First we want to focus on the sound. Different sounds elicit different emotions in us. So when we sing for a few minutes now, close your eyes and focus on the sound of the music. Try to connect with the melody, the harmony, the rhythm. Hear the syllables of the mantra rippling through your body. Find your groove. Music has the potential to raise consciousness; it touches your chakras.” [Sing kiirtan for a few minutes.] “Second, we want to focus on visualization. Some people are more visual. Perhaps you might imagine golden rays of light of the sun. Or imagine the waves of a warm and comforting ocean of love and security washing over you. Or visualize your beloved, or the vast Cosmos. So when we sing for a few minutes this time, focus on whatever image arises in your mind with your eyes closed.” [Sing kiirtan for a few minutes.]

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“Third, we want to focus on the feeling. Our glands determine what we feel, and our mental thoughts also cause feelings. So when we sing for a few minutes this time, imagine that the power of the mantra is radiating out and touching your emotions. As you repeat the mantra, a stream of energy, like a river, is flowing from the mantra, filling you with the power of Baba Nam Kevalam. For example, feel the warmth and safety of the womb. Or imagine feeling united with your beloved. Or feel your devotional love relationship with the Supreme. Whatever feeling comes up, acknowledge it. Put it in the form of a flower; give it a color, a feeling, a vibration, a smell. Then imagine yourself sitting by a stream. Place the flower in the stream and let it flow away.” [Sing kiirtan for a few minutes.] “Some people are more auditory; some are more visual; others are more sentimental. Ideally we want to involve all our senses. So whatever thoughts come during the kiirtan, let go of them and hold onto the feeling. Like when you receive a present, you open it; focus on the feeling, and then you can throw away the packaging. “When you sit in the center, you’re going to receive a bath of love from all the people around you. Try to imagine that the Supreme is singing kiirtan to you, and that the Supreme is meditating on you. “Sometimes people cry or experience strong feelings when they hear the kiirtan. Don’t worry if strong feelings come. When any thoughts arise in meditation, it is important to acknowledge them, dialog with them, and satisfy them. In the kiirtan, you can either feed the mantra to your thoughts, or feed your thoughts to the mantra. “When any problem or trauma arises, it is because something is there that wants to be expressed, or that wants release. But no matter what it wants, our highest nature

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is to return to the Supreme. So kiirtan can help transform our pain into more subtle and higher expressions. The universal mantra is an expression of divine love, so it deeply satisfies us because it liberates all thoughts.” Facilitation Tips: This bath of directed love will awaken different feelings, sometimes quite deep ones. Be patient as you allow each person in the inner circle to describe their feelings. If someone wants to pass, that’s all right, but don’t rush them. It is not uncommon for people to cry, and I strongly recommend keeping a box of tissues handy. Some participants may be unwilling to sit in the center. Invite, but don’t push if they say no. If you are in a situation where participants might arrive late, or in a public place where passersby might be attracted, at the beginning ask for a volunteer to be the “official greeter.” He or she should sit near the door and agree to get up and quietly greet anyone who comes at any time. A smile with a brief explanation of the Kiirtan Heart Circle, and answering any questions is usually all that is required. If you are not willing to accept anyone else, then the greeter should politely and individually convey that instead. Did this game awaken in you a feeling of unconditional love for others? A mantra is a sound or collection of sounds which, when meditated upon, will lead to spiritual liberation. How did this mantra make you feel? Wise people say that true happiness does not come from external things and temporary pleasures, but from within through love, service, and connection. What is your source of happiness?

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Quantum physicists and mystics both say that we are connected to everyone and everything through our consciousness; do you ever feel connected to others? Source: Dada Pranakrsnanada, who passed away on November 18, 2012, developed the beautiful Heart Circle with mantra therapy. Many feel it was probably his greatest gift to the world.

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GAMES ABOUT VALUES AND ECONOMIC DEMOCRACY

The Values Game

Concepts and Themes: As you think so you become, ethics (Yama and Niyama, listed in Appendix B) Number of Participants: 6-50+ Equipment: Whiteboard and markers Instructions: “Values determine what kind of reaction we have to situations we encounter in life. Some of these values we express openly, while others lie hidden in our unconscious. Such values cause us to react in different ways. Take, for example, a man who has no trust in others. He will see the world and others as out to get him. He may also have continual fear, and therefore react either aggressively or with terror when faced with what he perceives as a threat. “First I need this group to make a list of values. These should include both positive and negative ones. We need at least twenty, so please don’t stop until you reach 25. Would anyone like to volunteer to write the values on the board that you all call out?” At the end, ask the group if there are any values on the list that are not clear to everyone that they would like to remove. Next ask a couple of volunteers to copy all the values onto small pieces of paper that can be placed in a bowl

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or a hat. If you have more people in your group than the number of values, just make two, three or four papers with the same value on it. Ask everyone to sit in groups of four to six people per group. Pass the hat, and one representative from each group needs to pick four values. If anyone gets a duplicate copy of a value, just put it back in the hat and draw another one. Don’t worry if there are extra papers in the hat at the end. Ask the group to use these values to explore possible responses to the following set of unexpected events. 1. You win the lottery. 2. A woman offers you a gift. 3. Your find that your car, motorcycle, or bicycle was towed away because you unknowingly parked it where it was not allowed. 4. You take a friend out for a meal and find they belong to a different religious group and require a special diet. 5. You are suddenly fired from your job. 6. Drugs and alcohol consumption are increasing in your area. Each group can then choose one of these responses to role play as a theater skit for everyone. Facilitation Tips: The Values Game allows the group to experiment with the root causes of personal and social responses to situations. Of course you as facilitator or the group can add to these scenarios. Ask participants to reflect on the way they chose responses according to the matrix of values they had. Choose some famous figures from history. What educated guesses can you make as to the values that were behind their choices and actions?

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Consider some recent experiences you have faced. What were the values that generated your responses to those situations? You could replay the game a week later and observe whether the participants are reflecting and processing the game in a deeper way. Our moral values should be like a compass that always point us in the right direction—would you agree with this? Why? Source: Marcus Bussey

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Neohumanist Identities and Ho’oponopono

Concepts and Themes: Effective listening, as you think so you become, communication, compassion, consciousness raising, forgiveness, good and bad are in everyone, non-judgmental observation, responsibility, Samskaras (Law of Karma, mental reactions), the power of positive thinking, unconditional love, you are connected to everyone and everything, diversity Number of Participants: 8-100+ Equipment: A name tag and pen for each participant plus sticky notes that can hang below it. A simple alternative is to use notecards and paper clips that can be attached to one’s shirt. You also need a white board or poster paper. Quiet music (optional). Instructions: Before the game, list the following categories on the white board or a poster for all to see: Family Ability Age Gender Nationality Language Profession/Occupation Political Party/Affiliation Race Religion/Spiritual Group Geographical/Regional Origin Sexual Orientation Socioeconomic status

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Ethnicity Philosophy or Ideology Lifestyle Diet Hobby Other “Take five minutes to think about the social groups that you are a member of by definition (for example, your family and race) and by choice (for example, your lifestyle and diet). Choose the three categories that you most identify with, that best define who you are, and that you are willing to share with others. Then fill out three tags stating first the category followed by your particular membership. For example: ‘LANGUAGE: SPANISH’ or ‘DIET: VEGAN’. Hang the three tags below your name tag where they can be seen by others.” [Play quiet music during these five minutes if you have it.] “Now mill around the room for a minute, greeting one another and looking at the different ways people identify themselves.” “Sit in groups of three or four people. Answer the following questions: Why did you choose these groups/categories? What impact do these groups or roles have on yourself, on your relationships, on your professional interactions?” Facilitation Tips: Depending on the total number, you can then all sit together or sit in groups of eight to ten and answer the following questions: Is there any category that you would identify as your “core” identity? What invisible identities (inside/outside identities) became visible as a result of this exercise? How are these categories helpful or not helpful in describing you or others? What groups or categories make us comfortable and what groups or categories make us uncomfortable? Why?

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“Neohumanism is the process of expanding one’s sentiment or feeling of allegiance outward from mere self-interest to empathy and identification with an ever-larger share of humanity, animals, plants and the universe. Enlightened education that develops the rational, questioning mind is an essential tool of Neohumanism to overcome limiting sentiments and prejudices. If education expands our sense of identity to include all of humanity, we will inevitably feel pain at the suffering of others and happiness at their joy, wherever they may be. “Now we want to take you out of your comfort zone. Take a minute or two to think about three different categories of people that make you uncomfortable. Most, probably, will have values that are very different or even opposite of your values. [pause] Would anyone like to share what categories make you feel uncomfortable?” This activity can stimulate reactions, particularly if participants feel triggered about each other’s comments. For example, participants from subordinate groups might feel triggered by participants from dominant groups who don’t say much concerning their dominant group membership, or who say something that sounds “insensitive.” Participants from dominant groups may feel triggered by participants from subordinate groups’ personal disclosure and emotional intensity. “Now I want you to close your eyes for a minute and visualize just one person. This should be a living person with whom you have a lot of difficulty, probably the most difficulty. Maybe this person has very different values than you, makes you feel very uncomfortable, or you may have anger or sadness with this person… “Ho’oponopono is an ancient Hawaiian practice of reconciliation and forgiveness. Traditionally it is led by healing

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priests or kahuna. Ho’o is the verb ‘to do’; pono means what is moral, good, right, perfect, necessary; ponopono together means fixing things for the better; soHo’oponopono is necessary action to make things better, righteous, perfect. One kahuna was Morrnah Simeona (1913–1992) who taught her updated version of Ho’oponopono throughout the United States, Asia and Europe. She taught to repeat the mantra, ‘I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you. I love you.’ This is based on the idea of 100 percent responsibility for one’s life. To change our reality, we have to change ourselves. It views all consciousness as part of the whole, so any error that a person clears in their own consciousness should be cleared for everyone. “Now close your eyes and visualize the person with whom you have a lot of difficulty. Try to realize that this person has many difficulties in their life. Sometimes they feel bad, sad, worthless, and sometimes they feel happy and fulfilled. This person wants to live well, and has a heart, just like you. Visualize that this person was once a baby, and then grew up, shaped by the society, culture and experiences they have experienced throughout their lifetime. Their foundation is the same as yours. If you have anger, sadness, or discomfort with this person, maybe it’s because what you do not like within them is also within you. We are mirrors of one another. Let’s stop judging others and ourselves. Let us accept our differences and realize the fundamental similarity between us all. “Now mentally say to this person, with as much feeling as you can: ‘I’m sorry. Sorry for judging you, sorry for misunderstanding you, sorry for the wrong I did, perhaps without being aware of it.’ [pause]

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“Next say to this person: ‘Please forgive me. Forgive me for not always being fair. Forgive me for my problems and limitations, forgive my imperfections.’ [pause] “Next say to this person: ‘Thank you. Thanks for everything. Thank you for your existence, that helps me grow, and helps others in this world. Thank you for your kindness, your light, your smile, your love.’ [pause] “Next say to this person: ‘I love you.’ [pause] “Repeat this mantra for five minutes: ‘I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you. I love you.’ [pause for five minutes, ideally with soft music] “Now let’s put our hands together and touch the third eye and the heart and say to this person: Namaskar, which means ‘I greet the divinity within you with all my mind and all my heart.’ [pause] Now open your eyes.” Either all together or in smaller groups: What did you feel during the exercise? Was it easy or difficult to imagine the person? How do you feel now? Forgiveness is to consciously decide to release feelings of resentment you have and to pardon and wish the offender well. Is this hard for you to do? It is said that the greatest benefactor of forgiveness is actually the one who forgives— why would that be? Unconditional love means caring about the happiness of another person without any thought for what we might get for ourselves; have you ever felt unconditional love from someone? How did it feel? Quantum physicists and mystics both say that we are connected to everyone and everything through our consciousness; do you ever feel connected to others? Source: Ho’oponopono is an ancient Hawaiian practice of reconciliation and forgiveness.

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Moral Dilemmas

Concepts and Themes: Ethics (Yama and Niyama, listed in Appendix B), effective listening Number of Participants: 2-200+ Equipment: Paper and pen for each group. Instructions: “In small groups, choose two of the following questions. Develop a collective answer to the questions, explaining your reasons. While the questions are simple, the answers often are not. Consider whether your answer would change in different situations, and if so, why. It’s important that every member of the group voice their opinion, because different people will think of different factors that might change your answer. Your goal is to reach consensus on your collective answers.” Is it all right to kill people? Is it all right to kill animals? Is it all right to fight for social justice? Is it all right, if someone does wrong to you, to get revenge? Is it all right to lie to avoid personal problems? Is it all right to lie if it will help someone else? Is it all right to criticize someone when they are not present? Is it all right to cheat in school? Is it all right to cheat on your partner? Is it all right to accept a bribe? Is it all right to give a bribe? Is it all right to steal to help someone else? Is it all right to accept a gift if it was stolen?

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Is it all right to accept a donation if you are not sure where the money came from? Is it all right to make as much money as you can? Is it all right to spend a lot of money to throw a big party? Is it all right to watch pornography? Is it all right to earn money making pornography? Is it all right to consume whatever drugs you like? Is it all right to earn money selling whatever drugs you like? Is it all right to do whatever you want as long as no one finds out? Facilitation Tips: These questions are designed to elicit complex moral thinking. Different questions can be created for different societies. Our moral values should be like a compass that always points us in the right direction—would you agree with this? Why or why not? You could post the ten ethical principles of Yama and Niyama on the wall and ask people to apply those principles to their answers (see Appendix B). Source: the author, After Capitalism: Economic Democracy in Action

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How Much Money is Enough?

Concepts and Themes: Be careful what you wish for, consciousness raising, Five Fundamental Principles of Prout (see Appendix C), futures thinking, rational incentives Number of Participants: 4-100+ Equipment: Paper and pen for each group. Instructions: “Planet Earth is limited. Human desires are not. “The book, The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better (Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett) demonstrates how inequality has very negative effects on societies: eroding trust, increasing anxiety and illness, and encouraging excessive consumption. In more unequal rich countries, the rates of each of the following indices are substantially worse: physical health, mental health, drug abuse, education, imprisonment, obesity, social mobility, trust and community life, violence, teenage pregnancies, and child well-being. Even wealthy people tend to be happier when they live in societies where there is less of a gap between the rich and poor. “A higher salary may induce a person to work harder or to improve his or her skills to be more productive... to a point. However, there is a limit to the output any one person can achieve: personal capacity is limited, and there are only 24 hours in a day. Production may increase with more money up to a point, but cannot increase indefinitely. Inevitably the production curve levels off. After that peak, additional incentives will not increase a person’s produc- tivity. Offering a salary increase that is a hundred times

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higher cannot induce any individual to work a hundred times harder or to become a hundred times more efficient. “Sit in small groups of about five people and answer the following five discussion questions. One person in each group should take notes. What motivates you to be creative and productive? (Consider hope for a better future; your co-workers; your boss; the chance to use your skills, talents and training; a noble cause; a higher salary.) Have you ever turned down an opportunity to make more money? If so, why? Consider the career you chose, family priorities, something illegal or immoral you heard about, another job far away. Have you ever known anyone who became less happy when they got more money? How and why did that happen? An ancient yoga saying is ‘Poor is the person with many desires, and rich is the one with no desires.’ In your experience is this true? How much money do you think is enough?” Facilitation Tips: For question one, you may choose not to read the items in parentheses, and just let the participants come up with their own items. However, the suggestions in parentheses in question two are necessary to get people to think out of the box. At the end, ask a representative from each group to read their replies. There is a slogan, “Money is a human invention—we can change the rules!” Would you agree with this? An ancient wisdom says, “Be careful what you wish for in life, because it might just happen and not make you any happier.” Have you ever experienced this? As explained in Appendix C, the Prout model includes rational incentives: surplus wealth should be distributed as

215 dada maheshvarananda an incentive to motivate people to develop their skills and increase their capacity to render greater service to society. Did this game raise your consciousness or increase your awareness in any way? Do you think it has the potential to raise the consciousness of others? Source: Mark Friedman and the author

Moral Dilemmas at Neohumanist Education Conference, Porto Alegre, Brazil

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Putdowns and Praise

Concepts and Themes: The power of positive thinking, as you think so you become, service, compassion, good and bad are in everyone Number of Participants: 2-60+ Equipment: Paper and pen for each participant; quiet music (optional). Instructions: “Everyone should write down in ninety seconds all the negative and insulting putdowns you have used when criticizing someone.” [pause for 90 seconds, with quiet music if possible.] “Now take another ninety seconds to list all the positive and supportive comments that are a regular part of your vocabulary. What words or phrases do you use to tell someone you like what they did? [pause for 90 seconds, with quiet music if possible.] “Now count how many expressions there are in both of your lists and write the numbers at the bottom.” [pause] “Raise your hand if you have a longer list of putdowns than praise words. Who has the longest list of putdowns?” Ask if he or she would be willing to read out their list. It will probably be quite colorful and creative, and might cause a few laughs. You can invite others to call out words that weren’t said yet. “Raise your hand if you have a longer list of uplifting words than putdowns. Who has the longest list of praise words?” Ask if he or she would be willing to read out their list. You can invite others to call out praise words that weren’t said yet.

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Facilitation Tips: Which words would you rather be told— the praise or the putdowns? How many of you have kids or work with kids? How do you feel about the people in your life who give you praise and those who put you down? Why is one of your lists longer than the other? Which list should be longer? Why? What about the voice inside your head? How often does that voice praise you for what you’ve done, and how often does it criticize you? Why? Does this influence how you feel about yourself? What steps could you take to change the words you speak to others and the words you say to yourself in your head? Would you agree that there is good and bad in everyone? Do you try to see the bright side in others? An ancient wisdom says, ‘as you think, so you become’; this means that what is in one’s mind will reflect in one’s words, which manifest as actions, which then form habits and finally one’s character. Is this true in your experience?

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What Do You Need?

Concepts and Themes: As you think so you become, be careful what you wish for, non-attachment, true happiness comes from within Number of Participants: 1-100+ Equipment: Paper and pen for each participant, and soft music (optional). Instructions: “Make a line down the middle of your paper. You’re going to make two lists of things you need. The first list should be things you need urgently, so write ‘URGENT NEEDS’ at the top of the left column. Take one minute and try to write down five or six things you need urgently. Don’t think too much, just make your list.” [Soft music can be played.] “OK. On the top of the second column write ‘IMPORTANT NEEDS’. Don’t worry whether what you’re writing is correct or not, don’t judge, just observe what comes to mind by the questions and note down five or six things that are very important to you. Take another minute.” [Soft music can be played.] “Now sit in groups of four or five, and share your answers to the following questions for five minutes: “What do these lists tell you about what is urgent and important to you? What do these lists tell you about this moment in your life? Does anything appear on both lists? If so, why? Are you tempted to change the place of anything, or add or delete anything? If so, do it, but ask yourself what this shows you about where you are now.” (Pause for five minutes.)

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“Take another five minutes and answer the following questions: Does ‘peace of mind’ or something similar appear in your lists? Ninety percent of people do not include this. If you decide you want to include ‘peace of mind,’ on which list would you add it?” (Pause for five minutes.) “Take another five minutes and answer the following questions: Most people confuse needs with desires. Is there anything on your lists that seem to be more of a desire than a need? Buddha said there are only two ways to achieve complete satisfaction and inner peace. The first way is the satisfaction of every one of our desires. The problem with this is that no matter how rich you are, the tendency of the mind is to always want more. The second way is the cancellation of all our desires. What do you think?” Facilitation Tips: An ancient wisdom says, ‘as you think, so you become’; it means what is in one’s mind will reflect in one’s words, which manifest as actions, which then form habits and finally one’s character. Is this true in your experience? Wise people say, “Be careful what you wish for in life, because it just might happen and not make you any happier.” Is there anything on your lists that if you got it, might not make you happier? Non-attachment means to let go of our desires. Is there anything on your lists that you would like to let go of? Do you think you might be happier if you let go of that desire? Wise people say that true happiness does not come from external things and temporary pleasures, but from within through love, service, and connection. What is your source of happiness?

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Prejudice

Concepts and Themes: Effective listening, as you think so you become, communication, compassion, consciousness raising, good and bad are in everyone, maximum utilization of people, diversity Number of Participants: 6-30 Instructions: Participants stand in a line at one side of the room. Ask the participants to walk to a designated area about 3 meters (ten feet) away if they would answer ‘yes’ to the following question: “Have you ever been treated differently because of your gender?” Then invite each person who answered yes to tell the context how and where it happened, and how it made them feel. Then all of them should walk back to the starting line to listen to the next question. “Have you ever treated people differently because of their gender?” Those who answer ‘yes’ walk to the other place, explain the context and answer, “What was that like and how did it make you feel?” “Have you ever been treated differently because of your skin color?” [pause] “What was that like and how did it make you feel?” “Have you ever treated people differently because of their skin color?” [pause] “What was that like and how did it make you feel?” “Have you ever been treated differently because of your nationality or religion?” [pause] “What was that like and how did it make you feel?”

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“Have you ever been treated differently based on your clothes, hairstyle, body piercings, tattoos or anything else in your appearance?” [pause] “What was that like and how did it make you feel?” “Have you ever been treated differently due to your age?” “Have you ever treated people differently due to their age?” “Are there any other relevant questions that should be asked?” Facilitation Tips: The way the first question is worded may lead men, as well as women, to answer ‘yes’, if they are aware of their privilege, an “invisible package of unearned assets”, such as having access to higher education, gain- ing psychological self-confidence or having a sense of belonging or worth in society. In the same way, members of the majority race, religion, etc. may answer ‘yes’ to all the questions due to the deference they are shown and the social connections afforded them. How did it feel to stand apart from the group because you have been treated differently? Does prejudice still exist in this society? What is the root cause of prejudice? What could be done to dispel stereotypes and prejudicial attitudes? What could you do personally to dispel stereotypes and prejudicial attitudes? Would you agree that there is good and bad in everyone? Do you try to see the bright side in others? Source: Matt Oppenheim, PhD.

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Barter Game

Concepts and Themes: Barter trade, consciousness raising, coordinated cooperation, maximum utilization of people and resources Number of Participants: 10-100+ Equipment: Paper and pen for each participant, soft music (optional). Instructions: “Bartering was the first economic system, and sparks the spirit of community. It also becomes more important when times are bad, and it can spark a new economic movement. There are many benefits, and people join for different reasons: to save money, to share, to meet people, to help others, just for fun, or to get a specific item or service, such as babysitting. “On the left side of a piece of paper write a long list of the things that you need. Be reasonable, don’t start out with a new car or house, but a refrigerator might be possible. On the right side of the paper list all the resources, talents, skills, and tradable items that you have. “Everyone has goods and skills that can be bartered: unwanted possessions, unskilled labor, the products from hobbies, etc. Here’s a list that another group created of what they needed and could offer. Perhaps some things that they listed might also be right for you: childcare, yard- work, housecleaning, teaching private classes, carpentry, painting, car repair, computer help, haircuts, make-up, manicure/pedicure, cooking lessons, gardening, providing land for gardens or farms, massage, food, graphic design, dance lessons, car repair tools, gardening tools, music lessons, yoga lessons, sports equipment, children’s games,

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meditation instruction. Take five minutes to make your lists, but feel free to add items later on as you hear what others are doing.” After five minutes, say, “Now form groups of three, and spend five minutes finding out how much simple exchang- ing you can do. Perhaps sewing up holes in a shirt could be traded for a haircut. If you make a successful barter, write down the other person’s name and contact information.” After five minutes, say, “Now circulate throughout the room and continue bartering for another half an hour. Please try to talk to everyone.” “Now please share your barters with the group. How effective was this in meeting your needs and meeting the needs of others?” Arrange a day and time when actual bartering takes place. Facilitation Tips: You have to encourage a lot in the first brainstorm, because many people do not realize that they have any valuable talents, skills or resources. Just going through this process can be a great awakening of consciousness. Another challenge is for people to calculate the value of what is exchanged. At the beginning it is probably best to let people bargain freely. Later on you might want to provide a list of exchange values in the local currency, for example, one hour of labor equals $5 exchange credits, or using a set of tools for one day equals $10 exchange credits. A group of twenty participants might need half an hour to share lists; larger groups would need more time. Tell the group that many companies, cooperatives and small businesses today use barter very effectively to increase their efficiency by trading their unused capacity or excess inventory. Empty seats in a restaurant, theater or charter flight can be traded for advertising, accounting or plumbing

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services. TheWall Street Journal reports that 250,000 U.S. companies traded US$16 billion worth of barter goods in 2008. Globally, the World Trade Organization estimates that US$843 billion, equivalent to 15 percent of all inter- national trade, is conducted on a non-cash basis. Ask the group: Did this process empower you to imagine what you could do without money? Did it improve your sense of community within the group? If so, do you think it might improve the spirit of cooperation in your bigger community? You can proceed in two ways with next steps. You can kick off the bartering process with a bartering day or event, or combine it with a community festival, the next training event or community concert. In this case, make realistic expectations—people may not be able to bring their cars for repair, or to have a cabinet built, but they can bring hair cutting tools, seeds for planting gardens, food, massage, dance lessons, yoga, meditation, singing lessons. Or you could expand the bartering system to the community, and actually start a LETS system, Time Banking, etc. Direct trades: In the system that we just demonstrated, we trade one item directly for another. The main advantage is that it does not require much paperwork; barter clubs simply keep records of the members, their phone numbers, and their “needs” and “wants.” Then, when someone calls to set up a trade, they look through their records to find someone who might be interested. The main disadvantage is that the system relies on a “double coincidence,” that is, a situation in which I have what you want, and you have what I want. But, for example, if you want my computer-programming skills, but I do not want your pottery, we cannot make a trade.

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Units: Units are a type of “money” or token which barter club members exchange among themselves that are each equal to one unit of the local currency. The main advantage of tokens is that they free the system from the need for “double coincidence;” that is, you can buy my computer-programming skills even if I do not want your pottery. You are not paying with the pottery; instead, you are paying with units, which I can spend at someone else’s place of business. The main disadvantage is that it requires an ongoing, time-consuming bookkeeping system to keep track of the members’ debits and credits. Barter clubs also have to deal with abuse of the system; for example, some people will use other members’ goods and services (on credit), but then not provide goods or services to pay off that debt to the system. Barter clubs solve this problem either by prohibiting “deficit spending” or by doing background checks. For more information, see www.transaction.net/money/ lets and www.lets-linkup.com/ linkup to 1,500 local community exchange groups from 39 countries. Source: Matt Oppenheim, PhD, and the author

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The Sarkar Game

Concepts and Themes: Social classes (varnas), consciousness raising, futures thinking, good and bad are in everyone, you have physical, mental and spiritual potential Number of Participants: 8-100 Equipment: Print enough copies of the scripts below so that every participant gets a copy of the script for their group. (All the participants will be divided into four equal groups.) Work tools (hammers, screwdrivers, brooms, etc.) for the first group, ideally, one tool for each member of that group. Toy guns and/or large kitchen knives for the second group, books for the third group, and credit cards and play money for the fourth. A bell, whistle, or red flag to get everyone’s attention (optional). Instructions: Split the room into four equal groups and give each group their script and props. “Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar’s theory of the Social Cycle shows the different ways that humans have dealt with their physical environment and with one another through both individual and collective psychology. “Read your script and play just that role. Do not show your script to the other groups. Please remember that there are both positive and negative aspects of your archetype. Be aware of both potentials as you interact with others. Take a few minutes to discuss in your group what you want to do.” [Give everyone five to ten minutes to plan.] Invite the workers to begin their role play and the other groups to observe until called in. After a couple of minutes, invite the warriors to enter. When you feel that perverse behaviors are present or the game is going flat, stop the

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play (with a bell, whistle, red flag, whatever) and ask the intellectuals to enter. Allow the tripartite dynamic to continue until the behavior again becomes perverse, and then the entrepreneurs are invited in. When you are satisfied that all the groups have had their chance to dominate, stop the game. Below are the written instruction scripts to be handed to each group. Group 1, Workers: You are guided by basic instincts. You are preoccupied with survival and mundane pleasures. You want safety, security and reasonable comforts. You want inspiration and faith to alleviate suffering and the fear of death. TV, a cold beer, sex, and watching sports are common pastimes. You usually leave complicated political and economic decisions to leaders you trust. When inspired, you loyally follow leaders of the other classes. But if your needs are not met, you can disrupt, create chaos or even bring the system down. Your group will begin the game. So prepare a simple skit lasting a couple of minutes or so demonstrating your nature until the other groups enter and interact with you. Remember there are both positive and negative aspects of your archetype. Use your imagination and speak loudly and clearly. Group 2, Warriors: Your physical strength and courage are your greatest assets. You embrace challenge and struggle. You value honor, discipline, and self-sacrifice. Your will, patience and hard work are your strengths. You protect society from danger and chaos, by enforcing order. Sports and martial arts are your hobbies. You obey and expect others to obey authority and follow orders, no matter what. Your group will be the second group to enter the game. Decide how you will interact with the first group of workers.

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Remember there are both positive and negative aspects of your archetype. Use your imagination and speak loudly and clearly. Group 3, Intellectuals: Your developed mind is your greatest asset. The search for truth, removing errors and confusion, is your purpose. Some of you have knowledge of science, while others have knowledge of spiritual reality. You protect everyone by making rules and laws and ordering the warriors to enforce them. You debate hard so that the best ideas win. You create enlightenment. The arts are your hobbies. You lead others by establishing your religion, your science or your political system as the Truth. Your group will be the third group to enter the game. Decide how you will interact with the groups of workers and warriors. Remember there are both positive and negative aspects of your archetype. Use your imagination and speak loudly and clearly. Group 4, Entrepreneurs: You make money easily and invest it wisely. You excel in administration and organization. Efficient and effective, you manage large numbers of people to produce new products and accomplish difficult tasks. Through wealth and power, you can help everyone. You reward loyal service with higher salaries. Efficiency is very important. Your group will be the last group to enter the game. Decide how you will interact with the groups of workers, warriors and intellectuals. Remember there are both positive and negative aspects of your archetype. Use your imagination and speak loudly and clearly. Facilitation Tips: This is an action learning process that introduces participants to the Social Cycle and its holistic

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perspective of social change. University students and other groups tend to enjoy this activity very much. You as facilitator have to decide when to stop the play and announce the entry of each of the three additional groups. Allow each group at least three minutes to dominate. Use your intuition to decide when you feel that the acting is becoming negative or stale. When you stop the game, ask everyone to sit down but to stay in their groups. Debrief each group in turn, with everyone listening. Ask one member to read their script aloud. Then ask the group to describe how they tried to act out their role, and ask the other groups for their opinions. Build a dynamic picture of each group. Highlight the healthy form of each class, how each group wins power in a beneficial phase (vidya), and the inherent suffering that each group eventually creates in its perverse phase (avidya). Thus, even though each class is successful in managing existential problems, it also contains the seeds of its ultimate decline. It is important to remember that all four classes exist in each society. We all have ‘deep’ scripts that cover roles, power and relationships that have been programmed into us and continue to direct us unconsciously until an experience makes us aware of them. This game creates an experience of social change that is, at its heart, revolutionary. Once the nature of social change is clear, you can then introduce the idea of an invisible fifth force in the room. Conscious of the strengths and weaknesses of each group, one can choose to personally develop all four abilities and become a spiritual revolutionary. Would you agree that there is good and bad in everyone?

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Which of the four social psychologies is dominant in your life? What is the advantage of being able to master more than one social psychology? What could you do to cultivate the positive qualities of all four classes in yourself? You have a body; you have emotions; you have a mind; and you have a soul. Together they form you. You have more physical, mental and emotional potential than you can imagine—would you agree with this? What are some things you might do to realize your potential? Sources: This was created in 2004 by Peter Hayward and Joseph Voros of the Strategic Foresight Institute at Swinburne University of Technology in Australia. Their colleague, Sohail Inayatullah, has successfully used this technique around the world in hundreds of workshops with professionals.

Sarkar Game, workers and warriors, Taipei, Taiwan led by Sohail Inayatullah

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When Will Hunger, Poverty and War End?

Concepts and Themes: Futures thinking, hope, imagination, as you think, so you become. Number of Participants: 8-100+ Equipment: Before the participants arrive, lay a strip of adhesive masking tape across the floor of the room. If the room is carpeted, you can use a string instead. These are not absolutely necessary, because the exercise works well even with only an imaginary line. If you use masking tape, write “Now” at one end, “100+” at the other end, and “50” in the middle. Then write “10,” “20,” etc. so the tape becomes a timeline between now and 100+ years in the future. Instructions: This exercise involves all participants. It works well even with large numbers of people as an interval during a class or workshop. “I would like to ask each of you, ‘When do you think hunger, poverty and war will end?’ I believe none of us really knows the answer to that question. However, I believe there is value in considering this question and our beliefs about the possibility to change the world for the better. So I would like each of you to stand near the point of the timeline that represents your guess as to when you think it might happen. When you are all standing where you want to be, on behalf of ‘Prout TV’ I will begin asking people where you are standing, meaning when you think it will happen, and why you believe that. Of course every answer is correct, as long as you are expressing your honest opinion.”

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Facilitation Tips: Holding either a real microphone or an imaginary one, start at the far end, 100+ years, and ask the first person in a loud voice so everyone can hear, “Where are you standing, madam, and why?” If there are fewer than 20 people, ask everyone their opinion. If there are more than 20, randomly interview some people at each point, slowly moving your way down the line toward the present. After finishing, say, “Next I would like to ask each of you to stand by the point on the timeline when you want hunger, poverty and war to end.” There will no doubt be some laughter as everyone moves down to “Now.” Then say, “All right, it’s good to know we are all in agreement that we want hunger, poverty and war to end a soon as possible. My next question is, ‘What could we do to make that beautiful day come sooner?’” Then call on some of those who raise their hands. To conclude, remind the group that thinking about the future is very valuable, because it helps us understand what we want for the world, what might be possible and what we should do to help create our ideal future. The capacity for hope is within every person. Did this game increase your optimistic hope for the future? How? Do we need to feel hope in order to act? Why? Source: the author, After Capitalism: Economic Democracy in Action

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Coming Back from the Future

Concepts and Themes:Futures thinking, hope, imagination, as you think so you become Number of Participants: 2-200+ Instructions: “Sit in pairs. Decide which one of you will close their eyes first. I will read instructions to these people with their eyes closed, and then after five minutes, we’ll switch roles, and I will read the same instructions to the others. “You live in our world 200 years in the future. There is no more war or hunger or poverty. It is a world of peace and harmony with nature. You attend a meeting where the facilitator explains that they have developed a portal that can transport a person back in time for a few days. Unfortunately, 200 years ago, in [the present year], people were losing hope. The environmental danger, the violence, the exploitation and injustice were blinding people to all the good that was unfolding. People were afraid and pessi- mistic. Even many young people felt the world was doomed and nothing they could do would make any difference. Volunteers are needed to go back through the portal exactly 200 years and tell a few people how beautiful their future really is. You have to reassure them that humanity and Planet Earth are going to make it. Describe our world as honestly as you can, honor every question, but don’t worry that you don’t know every answer, for example technical facts about our technology. Your role is to rekindle their hope, and to reassure them that the positive actions they are taking are crucial to the planetary transformation that has already begun. You raise your hand and volunteer. You agree to dress and style yourself from that era so as not to

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shock your listeners. You enter the portal, meditate for a moment to prepare your mind, and now you have arrived. The person sitting in front of you already believes that you are telling the truth. Now open your eyes and answer their questions about what life is like in your future world.” Facilitation Tips: Please read the instructions, so there is no difference when you read them to the second group. Listen carefully to the following questions and then try to answer them for a few minutes with your partner: 1) While playing the role of the person from the future, were you able to imagine that it was true? Were you able to stay in character? Why or why not? 2) When playing the role of yourself in the present, what was most surprising to hear? 3) The capacity for hope is within every person. Did this game increase your optimistic hope for the future? How? Do we need to feel hope in order to act? Why? Source: Charles Eisenstein, author of The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible

Coming Back from the Future in Porto Alegre, Brazil

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INTUITION GAMES

ntuition is knowing something due to an ‘inner Ivoice’ or ‘gut feeling’ without analytic reasoning, bridging the gap between the conscious and unconscious. It is an awareness beyond instinct, sentiment and rationality, a connection to the wisdom of the universe. The telephone rings and you intuitively know who it is before answering. In a poll conducted by PRWeek and Burson-Marsteller, the majority of the 252 Corporate Executive Officers sur- veyed said they were likely to rely on their intuition when making business decisions. Albert Einstein once said, “Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.”

Mirroring at Prout Research Institute of Venezuela in Caracas

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The Sense of Being Stared At

Concepts and Themes: Intuition; you have physical, mental and spiritual potential Number of Participants: 2-100+ Equipment: Chairs, paper and pen for every participant. A coin for every two participants. A blindfold for every two participants (optional). Instructions: This is an experiment developed by biologist Rupert Sheldrake. He writes, “Many people have had the experience of turning around with the feeling that someone is looking at them from behind, to find that this is in fact the case. Conversely, many people have found that they can sometimes make people turn around just by looking at them.” In nature, this sense would improve the ability of a species to survive, allowing them a few extra seconds to flee when they are stared at by a predator. When Sheldrake interviewed over one hundred professionals who follow suspects, such as police detectives and spies, they unanimously agreed that this is a very real phenomenon, and hence they continuously shift their vision so as not to stare at and scare their suspect, causing him or her to run. Yet mainstream science rejects even the possibility of this type of extra-sensory communication. This game tests whether a subject can correctly guess whether their partner is looking at them or not. Ask people to sit in pairs, with the subject sitting with his or her back toward the other, the looker. There should be at least two meters (six feet) distance between them. The looker needs a score sheet, a pen and a coin. In a series of ten 30-second trials, in a random sequence decided by tossing the coin at

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the beginning of each trial, the looker either looks at the back of the subject or looks away and thinks of something else. If the coin comes up heads, ‘Look;’ if tails, ‘Don’t look.’ The facilitator will signal to the whole group the beginning of each trial. The subjects should try to use their intuition to guess whether the person sitting behind is looking at them or not, and call out their guess: “Looking” or “Not looking.” The looker should immediately tell the subject whether or not the answer was correct or not. Then the looker should record the result on a score sheet with two columns, the first headed ‘Looking (heads),’ the second ‘Not looking (tails),’ making a check or an ‘x’ in the appropriate column, depending on whether the guess is right or wrong. Facilitation Tips: Make sure there are no mirrors or win- dows or other reflective surfaces that could allow the subject to see the looker. It improves the experiment if the subjects wear a blindfold, such as the ones given out by airlines on long-distance flights. Most subjects announce their guess within 10 seconds; the facilitator should remind all the subjects after 20 seconds. The feedback, hearing whether you were correct or not, at the end of each trial is important: it helps to maintain the subject’s interest, and it may help the subjects to respond more accurately. If the subjects will be doing more than one test, the tests will be more rigorous if no feedback is given during the experiment until the end of each test. After 10 rounds, have the pair come together to tally up their score to see whether or not the subject was able to guess with better accuracy than mere chance, which would result in 50% correct guesses. Then the pairs should switch roles and repeat the experiment.

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Thousands of students have done this experiment in schools around the world. There is a striking difference between people’s responses in the trials when they were being looked at compared to when they were not being looked at; in the former case, they were right more often than not. Overall, this effect was highly significant, with odds against chance of 10 billion to one. It is believed that everyone has intuition, knowing something due to an ‘inner voice’ or ‘gut feeling’ without analytic reasoning, bridging the gap between the conscious and unconscious; but most of us don’t listen to our intuition much. Would you agree? You have a body; you have emotions; you have a mind; and you have a soul. Together they form you. You have more physical, mental and emotional potential than you can imagine—would you agree with this? What are some things you might do to realize your potential? Do you think intuition is related to the soul? Source: Rupert Sheldrake, The Sense of Being Stared At and Other Unexplained Powers of Human Minds, www. sheldrake.org

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The Walk of Intuition

Concepts and Themes: Intuition, imagination, overcoming fear by facing it, concentration Number of Participants: 3-40+ Instructions: Lay a piece of paper on the ground about 15 meters away from where the group is standing. “The objective of this game, The Walk of Intuition, is to become aware of your state of mind. Each of you, one after the other, will close your eyes and walk to where you think the paper is; then bend down to pick it up. When you touch the floor, you may open your eyes and see how close you came. Then come and stand by me and watch the efforts of the other participants.” Facilitation Tips: In a hall, you may need to go from one corner diagonally to the other corner. Stand by the paper and place a spotter on both sides to protect anyone who swerves off course from running into something. After the first round, explain: There are four keys to success in this. First, you need to be relaxed. Do you feel completely relaxed now? How many of you feel some tension in some part of your body or in your mind? You know, for example, that if you injure your leg, you will limp as your body adjusts the way you walk to favor your stronger leg. So if you feel tension in any muscles in your body, that will affect your actions. One of the benefits of practicing yoga is that it trains all the muscles of your body to release tension and relax.

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The second key to success is imagination or visualization. You need to be able to clearly visualize the goal and imagine your success. Let the paper bring you to it. The third key is concentration. If other thoughts distract you during this exercise, you will not be able to stay on course and will start to veer off to one side. Finally, with relaxation, visualization, and concentration, you execute the movement. Now place the paper back at the other end of the hall where the group started in the first round and invite everyone to try again. However, before each person starts, say, “Relax your body… Visualize your goal… Concentrate… B e g i n .” When everyone is finished, ask them what they experienced, and whether they felt differently in the first try and the second. The third round is to run fast to the paper with eyes closed. This is often scary for people. Be sure to place the paper far from any obstacle and place more people (or everyone!) as spotters ready to physically stop the runner, because when running blind it is easy to veer off track and head for a wall. Again remind everyone before starting to remember the formula: relax, visualize, concentrate, execute. Then, if time permits, have each participant do it a final time in slow motion. Have the spotters surround the space because some people will get very far off course. What happened and how did you feel? What did you learn about yourself? What did you learn from this experience that you can apply to your life?

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Relaxation, visualization, concentration, and execution is a valuable formula that will help you in every situation. You can do this exercise yourself before many situations to test your own concentration, relaxation and visualization. It is believed that everyone has intuition, knowing something due to an ‘inner voice’ or ‘gut feeling’ without analytic reasoning, bridging the gap between the conscious and unconscious; but most of us don’t listen to our intuition much. Would you agree? Source: Ole Brekke of the Commedia School, Copenhagen.

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What Am I Thinking?

Concepts and Themes: Intuition; you have physical, mental and spiritual potential. Number of Participants: 2-20+ Equipment: Paper and pen for every participant. Instructions: Ask for a volunteer who is pretty good at visualization. This person will be the sender. Ask that person to close their eyes and think of one of the six spec- tral or rainbow colors (violet, blue, green, yellow, orange, red). Then ask everyone else to write down a color that they “see.” Give people 40 seconds to do this. Then the sender announces the color they visualized. Compare to see who got it right. Do it two more times, and then switch to a different sender. Facilitation Tips: Often, couples or a family will be more intuitive with one another, and you may notice that they pick up on what the other is thinking more quickly or accurately. This is due to the bond shared between them. You can invite participants to keep score. Each color guessed right is +3 points, each wrong answer is -1 point; the first person to reach 12 wins. Variation: Choose five or more vowel sounds, and have the sender choose one to focus on each time. You can choose almost any category with sending and receiving games. It is believed that everyone has intuition, knowing something due to an ‘inner voice’ or ‘gut feeling’ without analytic reasoning, bridging the gap between the conscious and

243 dada maheshvarananda unconscious; but most of us don’t listen to our intuition much. Would you agree? You have a body; you have emotions; you have a mind; and you have a soul. Together they form you. You have more physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual potential than you can imagine—would you agree with this? What are some things you might do to realize your potential? Do you think intuition is related to the soul? Source: A Victorian parlor game.

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Will

Concepts and Themes: Intuition; you have physical, mental and spiritual potential. Number of Participants: 3-20+ Instructions: One person leaves the room and closes the door. The others choose a simple action that they want the volunteer to perform. When they are all agreed, they open the door and call the person back. Someone touches the person’s hand or shoulder. Often the person is able to immediately guess and do the chosen action. A variation is that an object is hidden somewhere in the room, and the group tries to mentally inform the person where it is. Facilitation Tips: Variations: To make it even harder, have no one in the group touch the person or even move their bodies after the person returns. Still more dramatic, have someone in the group mentally think of some object in the building, write it on a paper and show it silently to all the members of the group who then think of this. The person outside the room is instructed to only return with what they believe is the object the group is thinking of. It is believed that everyone has intuition, knowing something due to an ‘inner voice’ or ‘gut feeling’ without analytic reasoning, bridging the gap between the conscious and unconscious; but most of us don’t listen to our intuition much. Would you agree? You have a body; you have emotions; you have a mind; and you have a soul. Together they form you. You have more physical, mental and emotional potential than you

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can imagine—would you agree with this? What are some things you might do to realize your potential? Source: A parlor game, popular in the 1870s in Britain and the United States, reported in Rupert Sheldrake, The Sense of Being Stared At and Other Unexplained Powers of Human Minds

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What to Ask the Universe?

Concepts and Themes: You have physical, mental and spiritual potential, relative truth and absolute truth, surrender Number of Participants: 1-200+ Equipment: Paper and pen for every participant, quiet music (optional). Instructions: “Please close your eyes for two minutes. Breathe deeply. Ask yourself if there is any question to which you’d like to know the answer. If you could ask the Universe or God one question, what would it be?” After two minutes of silence with quiet music if possible, ask everyone to open their eyes and raise their hand if they came up with a question. Then ask people to sit in groups of three to five to share with their partners what their question was. “Now please close your eyes again for two minutes. Breathe deeply. Ask yourself how you think the Universe or God would answer your question.” After two minutes of silence, with quiet music if possible, share in small groups. Facilitation Tips: Quiet music or kiirtan is excellent when people are thinking. Unfortunately, some people don’t think of a question. If they do, it is usually quite amazing how much deep wisdom is in the answers that they get by simply asking their deepest self the question. Sometimes a person may not understand the answer they received; you might ask the group if anyone would like to offer them an interpretation. Everything in the world is in movement and changing, and hence relative truth; that which is infinite, all-powerful and

247 dada maheshvarananda all-knowing is absolute truth. The source of all true wisdom is absolute truth. Do you feel that the answer to your question came from a place of true wisdom? What could you do to tap into that source of wisdom again? You have a body; you have emotions; you have a mind; and you have a soul. Together they form you. You have more physical, mental and emotional potential than you can imagine—would you agree with this? What are some things you might do to realize your potential? Do you think intuition is related to the soul?

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MIND OVER MATTER GAMES

Games that demonstrate how powers of the mind can sometimes overcome a physical problem. Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board

Concepts and Themes: The power of positive thinking, concentration, vital energy (prana) Number of Participants: 5, plus observers Instructions: One person is seated in a chair. Four volunteers stand around the sitter, two on the sitter’s left side and the other two on the right. Each of the four volunteers place their two index fingers (or just one finger!) under each corner of the chair’s seat and the four together try to lift the chair and sitter, which generally fails. The volunteers then do a small focusing ritual (rubbing their hands together and then holding their hands over the sitter’s head while chanting, “Light as a feather, stiff as a board”). The lifters then retry lifting the sitter the same way as before, and find it quite easy. The four can also lift the person off the chair by placing their index fingers under the knees on each side and under the shoulders. Facilitation Tips: A simple explanation is that is not hard to lift a heavy weight when it is evenly distributed among a group of four people. The weight seems to be less on the second try because of the lifters’ increased focus and

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being more in sync with one another. Another simple explanation is the “self-fulfilling prophecy”: the lifters “know” a human being is too heavy to lift with a fingertip, so subconsciously, they may not exert enough effort on the first attempt, while after the “ritual,” the participants believe that the body is now lighter, or that the ritual itself has given them power, and therefore they exert enough effort to raise the participant off the ground. For a deeper explanation of how you can make yourself too heavy to be moved, see the Facilitation Tips in the game below, Deeply Rooted. Do you believe in the power of positive thinking? Why or why not? Many martial arts, yoga philosophy, and also Indian medicine teach that there is vital energy called “prana” in your breath that is a life-giving force which permeates your body and connects it to all cosmic energy. Do you think this is true? Have you ever felt this vital energy in your breathing? Source: This is a popular European party game that has been played for at least 400 years.

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Deeply Rooted

Concepts and Themes: Concentration, the power of positive thinking, mantra, vital energy (prana) Number of Participants: 3-100+ Instructions: Ask everyone to form groups of three people each that are, more or less, the same size. One person in each group stands firmly upright, with their hands by their sides, arms rigid, elbows locked and fists clenched. Tell that person, “Visualize your energy field flowing upward through your head and imagine yourself becoming lighter, light as a feather, as if a helium balloon were pulling you up. Remember to keep your arms rigid, elbows locked and fists clenched. When you are ready, nod your head. That is the signal that the other two people, who are standing on either side with their hands underneath one of your clenched fists, to simultaneously lift you just five centimeters (two inches) off the ground and immediately put you down again. Do it three times. Each time the lifters need to watch your head and wait for your nod before lifting you. It should be easy to do this.” When done, say, “Now I want the middle person to close your eyes, relax, get centered and take a few deep, abdom- inal breaths. [pause] Imagine that you are very centered, very heavy, with roots that go deep into the ground. Don’t tense up your muscles or make any other attempt to help or hinder the lift, but just visualize that you are as heavy as lead and immovable. [pause] When you are ready, nod your head. That is the signal that the other two people should try to lift you again. Do it three times.”

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Afterwards, ask the lifters if it was more difficult. They will almost always say ‘yes’. Facilitation Tips: A simple and nonthreatening way to divide the group is to first do Quick Lineup by size, perhaps males and females separately. Then you or an assistant can move down the lines, indicating that every three people form a trio, so that automatically, they are about the same size. The first time that someone is in the center, he or she will usually allow their elbows to bend, meaning that their body cannot be picked up. You need to continually remind everyone, “Remember to keep your arms rigid, and elbows locked.” You will also need to remind the two lifters to watch the head of the volunteer in the center, and only lift when they see his or her head nod. Have everyone in each trio change positions until all have tried the exercise. Here is an explanation for how you can make yourself too heavy to be moved. Aikido is the self-defense art that stresses harmony with all living things. Like other oriental martial arts, it includes the concept that all things are born of ki (or qi), which means “life force,” which is very similar to the yogic concept of práńa, which also means “life force.” Aikido has four inter-related principles: 1) Keep centered or balanced, focusing the mind at a point in the lower abdomen slightly below the navel, which is your center of gravity around which your body weight is evenly distributed. 2) Relax completely, both physically and mentally. The mind should settle down into the center of gravity without

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the body becoming limp. Be aware of your center when you move, leading from your ki rather than with your head. 3) Consciously keep your weight low. 4) Extend your ki, which means to direct the body’s energies positively with the mind. Though of course the weight of your body does not change, can the normal gravitational pull be affected by the polarity of your body’s energy field? It is easy to lift a large magnet off a plastic scale, but very difficult to lift the same magnet from a metallic scale, even though its weight remains the same. There are two ancient yogic occult powers called laghima, to become very light, and garima, to become very heavy. There is a spiritual story that highlights the latter. Once a strong, well-built man named Hanuman went for a walk with P.R. Sarkar, the founder of Prout and an accomplished yoga master. Mr. Sarkar is also called Baba by his students. When they came to a large, deep puddle in the road, Baba started to take off his shoes, preparing to wade across in his bare feet. However, Hanuman said, “Baba, I will carry you across.” Hanuman squatted down and asked Baba to place a leg over his shoulder. Then he tried to straighten up and lift Baba onto his back, but try as he might, he was unable to lift Baba even a single inch, much to his embarrassment. Martial arts, yoga philosophy, and also Indian medicine teach that there is vital energy called “prana” in your breath that is a life-giving force which permeates your body and connects it to all cosmic energy. Do you think this is true? Have you ever felt this vital energy in your breathing? Sources: Karl Rohnke in Back Pocket Adventure, the modern Japanese martial art Aikido, and the ancient science of Tantra Yoga.

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Deeply Rooted in Los Angeles, USA (photo Abraham Heisler)

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Move Faster by Thinking Differently

Concepts and Themes: The power of positive thinking, concentration Number of Participants: 2-200+ Equipment: A coin for every two participants, quiet music (optional). Instructions: In pairs, one person holds their open palm facing up at waist level and lays a small coin on it. The partner holds their hand about 30 centimeters (one foot) or more above the hand with the coin. The partner tries to reach down very fast, take the coin, and raise their hand back up before the first person can close their hand. Facilitation Tips: After a few tries, ask the partners to switch roles. Then ask if anyone managed to successfully grab the coin, and if so, how many times. This simple test of reflexes is pretty difficult to achieve, because the person with the open hand can easily see when the other starts to move and close their fingers before the other can grab the coin. Now I will teach you a secret so that you can easily grab the coin every time. The trick is to think differently. As you hold your hand 30 centimeters (one foot) above your partner’s hand, relax, and imagine that the coin is already in your hand. Concentrate until you can clearly visualize that; then let go. Let your subconscious mind do the movement, because your subconscious mind can move your body much faster and more efficiently than your conscious mind can.

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Let people try it a few times. They will be amazed at how fast they can move. A martial arts master was able to grab the coin, raise it, and then put the coin back on the person’s palm before she could do any movement at all. Please don’t feel bad if you can’t do that today, because the martial arts master spent a lifetime practicing fast movements. Musicians and athletes can understand this process. First, they consciously train their fingers or other muscles to slowly move in a certain way, in a certain pattern. Then, with practice, they slowly increase the speed until their fingers learn how to correctly move at incredible speeds, much faster than their conscious mind could direct their muscles. How did that feel? Were you surprised by the results? Do you believe in the power of positive thinking? Why or why not? Learning how to focus the mind is essential for intellectual development, psychological well-being and success in meditation; are you able to concentrate well? Source: The modern Japanese martial art Aikido.

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Finger Ring

Concepts and Themes: Concentration, the power of positive thinking Number of Participants: 2-200+ Instructions: “Stand in pairs. One person should put your thumb and forefinger together and press really hard. Your partner will try to pull your fingers apart. It should be pretty easy.” [pause while everyone tries this.] “OK, now relax your hand and arm by shaking your hand vigorously for a few seconds. Place the tips of your thumb and forefinger together. Imagine that your thumb and forefinger have been fused together, that they make up one solid ring of iron. If your thumb and forefinger were actually glued together, there would be no need to use any muscle, because the glue would keep them together no matter what. So rely on the ‘mental glue’ that you’re applying with your mind, and not on your muscle. Relax and maintain this image in your head as your partner tries to pull them apart. Feel almost as though you’re ignoring your partner who is trying to pry your fingers apart. This is part of having a positive mind—thinking that the obstacles you face are no big deal.” [Pause while everyone tries this.] “Now switch roles with your partner, and I will read both instructions again….” Facilitation Tips: How did that feel? Were you surprised by the results? Can you think of any situation where relaxation works better than strength? They will be fascinated to discover in how many different situations this is true. Source: The modern Japanese martial art Aikido.

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Unbendable Arm

Concepts and Themes: Concentration, the power of positive thinking Number of Participants: 2-200+ Instructions: Stand in pairs. “One person should hold your arm out horizontally, make a fist with your thumb up, and tighten all the muscles in your arm. Now have your partner put one hand on top of your elbow, and the other hand under your wrist, and try to gently bend your arm. If your partner is as strong as you, he or she should succeed. [Pause while everyone does this.] “Now, shake your arm for a few seconds to relax, and then hold it out horizontally with just a slight bend at the elbow. Relax all the muscles in your arm. Let your wrist dangle comfortably. Use just enough muscle to keep your arm in the air. Look in the direction your arm is pointing. Feel as though your arm extends out from you for one hundred meters [yards]. Imagine reaching and touching a tree or building that is a long distance away. When you get this feeling, nod your head and your partner will try to bend your arm again. Everyone please remember to always be compassionate and don’t use so much force that you acci- dentally hurt someone.” [Pause while everyone tries this.] “Now switch roles with your partner, and I will read both instructions again….” Facilitation Tips: The unbendable arm demonstrates the power of relaxation and positive thinking. The more you relax your arm, the harder it will be to bend. However, you have to hold your arm in the air, too, so you also need to

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positively visualize that your arm is very long. Relax and believe. How did that feel? Were you surprised by the results? Can you think of any situation where relaxation works better than strength? Do you believe in the power of positive thinking? Why or why not? Source: The modern Japanese martial art Aikido.

Unbendable Arm

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Kokyu Dosa

Concepts and Themes: Concentration, the power of positive thinking Number of Participants: 2-200+ Instructions: “This is another aikido demonstration. Two people kneel, sitting on their feet (seiza pose) facing each other with their knees about 12 centimeters (5 inches) apart. One of you extends your arms, pointing towards your partner, and she or he holds onto your forearms. Your partner holding your arms should try to be stable, but not push. You try to gently push your partner onto his or her back. “The secret is to relax and push softly and gently. There is nothing so strong as gentleness, and nothing is so gentle as real strength. Don’t think of your partner as being a heavy obstacle to push over, rather just think about moving forward comfortably, as though nothing is in your way. Smoothly reach your arms forward until you run into your partner’s resistance. Now, move your body forward from your ki. In other words, bow forward from your hips. Keep your arms extended as you bow—don’t let your elbows bend. As your partner loses balance, guide her gently onto her back. “The partner who is holding onto your arms should hold securely, but not so tight that it hurts. Don’t think ‘resist.’ If you find yourself being pushed over, don’t fight it. Just keep centered and let your body move as a unit, more like you’re sleepy or slightly drunk.” Facilitation Tips: Kokyu Dosa is a good metaphor for how to deal with obstacles, making our lives easier, more

260 cooperative games for a cooperative world comfortable, more pleasant, and more effective. A soft, gentle, positive approach yields powerful results. How did that feel? Were you surprised by the results? Source: The modern Japanese martial art Aikido.

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CLOSINGS

Two Strokes and a Wish

Number of Participants: 4-30 Instructions: Go around the circle and ask everyone to make two positive statements about themselves and a wish based on something that happened during the workshop. Source: Karl Rohnke and Steve Butler, Quicksilver.

Web of Appreciation in Ananda Kalyanii, Covilhã, Portugal

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Web of Appreciation

Concepts and Themes: Trust, communication, coordinated cooperation, effective listening Number of Participants: 8-50 Equipment: A ball of string. Instructions: Stand in a circle, shoulder-to-shoulder. “I will begin by making an observation or a reflection about how I felt about this experience. When I finish, I will hold tightly the end of the string in one hand and with the other hand toss the ball of string across the circle to someone else. That person who catches the ball makes their statement, holds the string tightly from me, and with the other hand throws the ball of string to another person on the other side of the circle from them. This continues until everyone has had a chance to speak.” Facilitation Tips: This is a good closing exercise about what you experienced; it can also be used to explore what people believe or where they stand on an issue, such as global warming or income inequality. It offers the opportunity for everyone to be heard equally without interrup- tion, and to keep track of the conversation and changes in opinions and attitudes. When everyone is finished, you can ask a second question: What would you like to give back to the world? This time pass the ball of string from person to person around the circle so you also have a ring all around the web. At the end the group will have created an amazing web of connectedness, trust and love. What does this remind you of?

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How do you feel being part of this network? What does this web symbolize for you? You have two options now. One is to ask everyone to gently lay their string on the ground and one volunteer rolls it back up in the ball. A second option is to slowly dismantle the web, with each person again getting a chance to speak, making reflective comments about the discussion if they like, winding up the extra string around the ball, and then throwing it to the person who threw it to them. Unfortunately this process is harder to do than making the web. Source: California Institute of Integral Studies

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Sundowner

Number of Participants: 8-30 Instructions: At the end of a busy day or at the start of an evening session, ask the group to sit in smaller groups of three or four participants. “Your task is to identify the most important lessons you learned today. Then you need to create a mnemonic, which is a device such as a pattern of letters, ideas, or associations that help you to remember the different points. After 20 minutes we’ll all meet together to hear what each group thought was most important.” Facilitation Tips: This exercise helps people remember and prioritize what they gained from a rich but hectic experience. Source: Karl Rohnke and Steve Butler, Quicksilver.

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All Good Things

Concepts and Themes: You have physical, mental and spiritual potential; non-judgmental observation; unconditional love Number of Participants: 4-50 Equipment: Paper and pen for each participant, and quiet music (optional). Instructions: Everyone needs a piece of paper with the names of all the participants listed on the left side. This can be achieved by printing out the list or just writing all the names on a whiteboard and having everyone copy the list. “Beside each name, write the positive qualities you have observed in that person. Afterwards we will make a list for each of you with all the comments that the others observed in you. There will be no names indicating who said what about you, but only positive qualities will be compiled.” Facilitation Tips: This is a very powerful exercise if done towards the end of a course, a seminar or a retreat with up to 50 participants. Participants have to know one another a bit. Though I have done it in a weekend seminar, it is much better if the program lasted at least three days. Surprisingly, this works even if some participants do not know everyone and leave some names blank. You need three or four volunteers to stay up late com- piling the lists, and they have to guarantee that nothing negative or a bad joke is copied onto anyone’s paper. If they are uncertain about a comment, they should not include it. You cannot emphasize the importance of this instruction too much.

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A “diploma” of the course or seminar can then be made, printed or hand-written, for each participant. Below the details of the course and the person’s name, write something like this: “The brothers and sisters who participated observed the following positive qualities in you. This short list is not complete, because in fact you have tremendous potential, much more than you can possibly imagine.” Naturally popular people will get more positive comments then quiet, shy individuals. As a facilitator whose comments will be included anonymously with everyone else’s, you can even this out somewhat by making a list of virtues, and adding more of these virtues to the names of the less popular participants. For example, strong, brave, caring, compassionate, sensitive, kind, flexible, considerate, understanding, wise, open-minded, patient, reliable, gentle, forgiving, sincere. Because we all have great potential latent within us, many of these and other virtues would be appropriate for anyone. You can pass out the lists in the closing ceremony, and after everyone has gotten theirs, go around the circle and let everyone give their opinion about the course or seminar. Unconditional love means caring about the happiness of another person without any thought for what we might get for ourselves; have you ever felt unconditional love from someone? How did it feel? You have a body; you have emotions; you have a mind; and you have a soul. Together they form you. You have more physical, mental and emotional potential than you can imagine—would you agree with this? What are some things you might do to realize your potential? Source: Sister Helen Mrosla, a Franciscan nun, submit- ted her moving story “All the Good Things” toProteus, A

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Journal of Ideas in 1991. Her article also appeared in Reader’s Digest that same year, and was reprinted in the original Chicken Soup for the Soul book in 1993. http://www.snopes. com/glurge/allgood.asp

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APPENDIX A Answers to NASA Exercise: Survival on the Moon

Item Rank NASA’s Reasoning Virtually worthless -- there’s no oxygen on the moon to sustain Box of matches 15 combustion Food concen- Efficient means of supplying trate 4 energy requirements 15 meters (50 feet) of nylon Useful in scaling cliffs and tying rope 6 injured together Parachute silk 8 Protection from the sun’s rays Portable heating Not needed unless on the dark unit 13 side Two .45 calibre pistols 11 Possible means of self-propulsion One case of de- Bulkier duplication of food con- hydrated milk 12 centrate Most pressing survival need (weight is not a factor since gravity is one-sixth of the Earth’s Two 45 kilos -- each tank would weigh only (100 lb.) tanks of about 7 kilos or 17 lbs. on the oxygen 1 moon)

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Primary means of navigation— star patterns appear essentially identical on the moon as on Stellar map 3 Earth Self-inflating life CO 2 bottle in military raft may raft 9 be used for propulsion The magnetic field on the moon is Magnetic com- not polarized, so it’s worthless for pass 14 navigation Needed for replacement of tremendous liquid loss on the light 20 liters of water 2 side Use as distress signal when the Signal flares 10 mother ship is sighted Needles connected to vials of First aid kit, in- vitamins, medicines, etc. will fit cluding injection special aperture in NASA space needle 7 suit For communication with mother Solar-powered ship (but FM requires line-of- FM receiver- sight transmission and can only transmitter 5 be used over short ranges)

Scoring: For each item, mark the number of points that your score differs from the NASA ranking; then add up all the points. Disregard plus or minus differences. The lower the total, the better your score.

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APPENDIX B The Ten Ethical Principles of Yama and Niyama

Morality is the foundation upon which a better society and economic democracy must be built. Unfortunately, traditional rules-based morality, expressed in terms of absolutes, is inadequate to the task of solving most moral questions in the relative world. Throughout history, most moral values have reflected the interests of the rich and powerful. Each ruling class has exploited other classes through force and cunning, creating rules and justifications for those rules to suit their interest. Human history is a chronicle of exclusion and power. It is natural that people may react if morality is imposed on them. When people are coerced to obey dogmatic rules, some respond by rejecting all morality whatsoever. We need a moral framework that is based on “practical wisdom.” Instead of simple do’s and don’ts, we need to choose the correct way to act in different situations. The intention behind each deed is of great importance. Spiritual morality is based on Neohumanism and cardinal human values, which include kindness, honesty, courage, mercy, humility, self-restraint and compassion. These qualities are considered virtues in every society and religious tradition because they give meaning and enhance the beauty of life, transforming people and society. Cardinal human values challenge us to protect the weak, avoid harming others, overcome selfishness, and denounce the lies of those who abuse their power.

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Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar (1922-1990), an Indian philosopher and the founder of the socio-spiritual movement Ananda Marga and Prout (see Appendix C), made an important contribution to the ethical debate by emphasiz- ing the balance between individual and collective interests. He proposed ethics and the sense of justice as the basis of idealism and inspiration in spiritual life, and that they are indispensable for the creation of a better society. We need to broaden our sense of right and wrong to include “right living” in the world. Sarkar adopted ten ancient ethical principles of yoga. The first five are calledYama , which means, “controlled contact with others.” The second five principles are called Niyama, which means “controlled conduct for self purifi- cation.” These two sets are complementary, and they are both constructive and positive. Because Sarkar viewed ethics as tools for liberation and not for suppression, he re-interpreted these principles, discarding old dogmatic interpretations. Universal in nature, they can be an effective guide to choose wisely one’s actions in any time, in any place, and with any group of people. Yama—How to live in peace with others: Ahim’sá: Not to intentionally harm others with one’s actions, words or thoughts. Satya: To use one’s words and one’s mind for the welfare of others; benevolent truthfulness. Asteya: Not to take what rightfully belongs to others, and not to deprive others of what is their due. Brahmacarya: To respect and treat everyone and everything as an expression of the Supreme Consciousness. Aparigraha: Not to accumulate wealth or indulge in comforts which are unnecessary for the preservation of life. Niyama—How to be at peace with oneself:

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Shaoca: To maintain the cleanliness of one’s body and the environment, as well as mental purity. Santosa: To maintain a state of mental contentment and peace. Tapah: To alleviate the suffering of the needy through personal service and sacrifice. Svádhyáya: To read and endeavor to gain a clear understanding of spiritual books and scriptures, and listen to wise teachings. Iishvara Pran’idhána: To accept the Cosmic Consciousness as one’s shelter and goal.

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APPENDIX C The Progressive Utilization Theory (Prout)

The Progressive Utilization Theory or Prout is a revolutionary blueprint for how to reorganize society and the economy for the welfare of everyone. The Prout model was first introduced by Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar (1922-1990), an Indian philosopher, in 1959, and he continued to develop it throughout his lifetime. Prout is an integrated macroeconomic model that is different from both communism and capitalism. It is designed to develop and benefit all regions and the people who live there, while at the same time preserving and enhancing the natural environment. Prout is not a rigid mold to be imposed on any society. Rather, it comprises a holistic set of dynamic principles that can be applied appropriately to help any area prosper in an ecological way. Social and Economic Justice: The first priority of Prout is to guarantee the minimum necessities of life to everyone: food (including clean drinking water), clothing, housing, medical care, and education. The right to meaningful employment with fair wages is also a fundamental human right, so that people can pay for their basic necessities with the income they earn from honest work. Incentives: A Proutist economy will provide additional incentives to those people who work harder, are more skilled, and who contribute more to society, but the incentives must be reasonable. The goal of a Prout economy is to gradually raise the standard of living and quality of life

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of everyone, while reducing damage to the natural world and other creatures. Ceiling on Wealth: The physical resources of this planet are limited; hence the hoarding of wealth or using it for speculation rather than productive investment directly reduces the opportunities of others in society. Reasonable ceilings must be placed on salaries and inherited wealth, as well as on property and land ownership. Cosmic Inheritance: Prout asserts that human beings have the right to utilize and share, but not hoard or abuse, the resources that we have been blessed with. Collectively, like brothers and sisters in a human family, we have a duty and a responsibility to utilize and distribute fairly the world’s resources for the welfare of all. Prout therefore encourages the protection of biodiversity and natural hab- itats through reforestation, aggressive control of air, water and soil pollution, and efforts to reduce carbon emissions and greenhouse gases. Economic Democracy: People need to be empowered to cooperatively make economic decisions that directly shape their lives and communities. It is a basic right of workers to own and manage their enterprises, free from external manipulation or exploitation. Prout advocates a three-tiered economy to accomplish this: locally-owned, small-scale private enterprises; worker-owned producer and consumer cooperatives; and publicly-managed utilities. Economic democracy decentralizes decision-making and gives citizens the right to choose how their local economy should be run. Local economies with sustainable agriculture that grows healthy food, renewable “green” industries, and credit unions that offer loans to local people and local enterprises are all elements of a vibrant community.

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Economic Decentralization: Prosperity in one geo- graphic area cannot be accompanied by poverty in neigh- boring or outlying areas. Agriculture, manufacturing, and services should be spread out in the countryside to prevent over-urbanization and to provide economic, educational and cultural opportunities to people wherever they choose to live. Regional Self-sufficiency: The best way to achieve a balanced economy is for every region to become as self-sufficient as possible in food, medicines, and the other minimum necessities required by their population. Barter trade, where possible, will allow countries and regions to gain resources they lack without the need to go into debt to obtain foreign currency. Fair trade policies promote local and regional self-sufficiency; uncontrolled free-trade cannot be supported. Leadership and Governance: Strong individuals with moral force, spiritual vision, and courage to fight injustice inspire others and offer hope to society. Anyone can become a moral leader by setting a positive example of self-discipline and service. For political and economic democracy to be successful, the public needs morality, education and socio-economic consciousness. Government funding of elections would ensure fairness for all candi- dates. The media, managed by cooperatives of journalists, should be required to give equal media coverage to each candidate to present his or her platform and to debate the issues. Unity in diversity: Since human society is one and indi- visible, Prout works to remove all artificial barriers that keep people apart. Local languages, culture, history, and traditions enrich and strengthen the human family. It is important to encourage and protect the diverse expressions

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of human culture, while sowing the seeds of unity among all humanity, amidst this beautiful diversity. World Government: To address the root problems of war, to protect minorities everywhere, and to ensure social justice, Prout proposes that a world government eventually be established. Its task would include creating a world constitution that guarantees human rights, the minimum necessities of life, and a common penal code for all. Five Fundamental Principles of Prout: These are fundamental because they will govern all Prout policies. Whereas policies will change over time, these principles do not. A unique aspect of the Prout model is that it recognizes the physical, psychic and spiritual qualities of human beings as well as of natural resources. 1. No individual should be allowed to accumulate any wealth without the clear permission or approval of the collective body. 2. There should be maximum utilization and rational distribution of all mundane, supramundane, and spiritual potentialities of the universe. 3. There should be maximum utilization of the physical, metaphysical and spiritual potentialities of the unit and collective bodies of human society. 4. There should be a proper adjustment amongst these physical, metaphysical, mundane, supramundane and spiritual utilizations. 5. The methods of utilization should vary in accordance with the changes in time, space, and person, and the utilization should be of a progressive nature. Today many examples of Prout cooperatives and land- based projects exist in various countries and on every continent. However, the people of the world will not be able to see how the Prout model will enrich their living

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standard and quality of life until an entire state or country chooses to materialize the entire integrated system that Prout advocates. The work to accomplish this reality is the goal of Proutists around the world. For more information, see After Capitalism: Economic Democracy in Action by the author or go to www.prout- globe.org or www.proutwomen.org

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Alphabetical List of Games

All Good Things 266 Back to Back 38 Balanced Unbalance 73 Balloon Frantic 146 Balloon Samadhi 151 Balloon Trolleys 148 Barter Game 223 Beautiful Balloon Choreography 147 Blanket Game 45 Breath of Joy 184 Car-car 159 Catch the Falling Animals 86 Chest and Belly Breathing 183 Child Pose Lounge 190 Clumps 59 Coiling and Uncoiling of the Kundalinii 196 Collective Back Massage 96 Comfort Zone 53 Coming Back from the Future 234 Commonalities 47 Confidence Walk 162 Cooperative Competition 61 Cooperative Ecology 152 Cooperative Musical Chairs 133 Cross and the Circle 55 Dancing Sticks 75 Deep Breathing 182 Deeply Rooted 251 Deeply Rooted 251 Double Wide Boat 187

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Dynamic Equilibrium (Prama) 73 Feeling Cards 40 Finger Ring 257 Flip Side 144 Forest 185 Friend Game 131 Full Value Contract 35 Galloping Hands 77 God Dance, The 103 Good Grief 128 Gotcha! 57 Group Juggle 88 Headliners 38 How Much Money is Enough? 214 Human Knot 140 Human Machine 108 Human Spring 60 Interviews 41 Invisible Knowledge of the Universe 47 Kiirtan Heart Circle 198 Kokyu Dosa 260 Lap Sit or Lap Circle 99 Leadership Game or Ouroboros 104 Leading Large Groups 30 Letting Go 106 Levitation 172 Life Map 126 Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board 249 Like the Trees and Grass 184 Major Minor with Bamboo 76 Making Contact 49 Making yourself heard 30 Martian Hypnosis 69

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Mergers 142 Mirroring 71 Moonball 109 Moon Walk 90 Moral Dilemmas 212 Move Faster by Thinking Differently 255 Moving in Om 194 Namaskar Game 113 Name Chain 43 NASA Exercise: Survival on the Moon 156 Natarajasana 191 Neohumanist Identities and Ho’oponopono 207 Nine Dots Problem 153 Ouroboros 104 Paired-Shares 38 Pairs Squared 81 Partner Boat Pose (Navasana) 187 Partner Forward Bend (Uttanasana) 186 Partner Forward Fold 188 Partner Tree Pose (Vriksasana) 185 Prama: Dynamic equilibrium 73 Prejudice 221 Programmed Failure 87 Pushing Against Each Other 61 Putdowns and Praise 217 Questions 117 Quick Lineup 136 Running Your Dreams 120 Samgacchadvam 137, 149 Sarkar Game 227 Sense of Being Stared At 237 Sound Adventure 192 Stone Face 92

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Sundowner 265 Support Your Partner 63 Tank 84 Telephone Game 94 Temple pose 189 Thumbs Up 37 Trust Fall 176 Trust Leap 180 Trust Sitting Circle 170 Trust Standing Circle 165 Trust Wave 165 Truth is Stranger Than Fiction 51 Tusker 82 Twenty Things I Love to Do 122 Two Strokes and a Wish 262 Two Truths and a Dream Wish 51 Two Truths and a Lie 51 Unbendable Arm 258 Values Game 204 Walk of Intuition 240 Walking Tag 80 Web of Appreciation 263 Welded Ankles 137 What Am I Thinking? 243 What Do You Need? 219 What to Ask the Universe? 247 When Will Hunger, Poverty and War End? 232 Whip 37 Will 245 Willow in the Whirlwind 170 Willow in the Wind 168 Yoga in Pairs 185 Yurt Rope 111

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Many, many people have taught and guided me in learning and developing cooperative games. Luckily games are not copyrighted, so good games can be found in many books. I have listed the original source if known, though I have also adapted many of the games and added facilitation ideas at the end. (If you know of a source that I have not mentioned, please let me know.) My first debt of gratitude is to the authors of cooperative games books that I have used. Karl Rohnke, Steve Butler and Jim Grout of Project Adventure, and Mark Collard for their inspiring books. Biologist Rupert Sheldrake of London was kind enough to review the intuition games. Six authors have passed away: the great Brazilian Augusto Boal, creator of Theater of the Oppressed; Carlo Mazzoni, co-founder of the Commedia School; Viola Spolin, the mother of theater improvisation; Eileen Caddy of the Findhorn Foundation; and my personal friends, Bo Lozoff and Dada Pranakrsnananda. Other authors whom I never met are David Earl Platts of the Findhorn Foundation, Clarissa Pinkola Estés, and Sister Helen Mrosla. Some games I learned directly from friends. Ole Brekke, co-founder and director of the incredible Commedia School in Copenhagen, has taught cooperative games as part of his theater curriculum for 38 years. From Australia, Sohail Inayatullah, who inspired Peter Hayward and Joseph Voros, the original creators of the Sarkar Game, and Marcus Bussey. In the United States, yoga teachers Acarya Dhyanesh Fleury, Acarya Bruce McEwen, and Mahajyoti Glassman; Charles Eisenstein, who now lives in

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Asheville; Mark Friedman of Minnesota; Prakash Laufer in Massachusetts; and Matt Oppenheim in New Mexico.

Ole Brekke leading a theater in education workshop in Visão Futuro, São Paulo, Brazil All the volunteers of the Prout Research Institute of Venezuela who patiently tried out new games with me, especially Dada Atmapranananda (who built countless ropes courses in Maharlika, Brazil and Venezuela), Didi Ananda Sadhana, Mario Mota, Mariah Branch, Sélène Viallard, José Albarrán, Eugenio M., Cris Gonzalez, Thais Wilson, Anna Girresch, Barley Colello, Sascha Berkovitch, Ghecimar Golindano, Donat Szakmary, Andy Malinalco, Brian Landever, Spencer Bailey, Allison Zaitchik, Rodrigo Bustamante Magalhães, Hans van de Werfhorst, and artist Amarendra. In Portugal, the incredible team of Dada D, Acarya Pavitra, Tulasii, Acarya Shiila, Tilakapash, Shanti, Abha, Prakash, Prahlad, Caetanya, Naryana, Suryamurti, Sulocana, Chandra Jyoti, Moksa, Brajesh, Abhiik, Jishnu, Susmita, Ganesh and Nishita. In Brazil, Didi Ananda Mitra, who has used cooperative games and group dynamics for 25 years in her Visão

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Futuro, Didi Ananda Jaya, Dada Jinanananda, Fabricio Pranav Labre, Patrícia Reis, and Soma Devi. In Columbia, Candrika, Shanti Deva, Radha, Pradiip, Govinda and Cinmaya. In the San Francisco Bay Area, Dada Nabhaniilananda, Jon Paul Tilleman and the Conscious Network Club of the University of California, Berkeley, Didi Ananda Laliita, Rebecca Moan, and Karen Gifford. In Los Angeles, Abraham Heisler, Soraia Malaquias, I. Simons and the Yerro family. In Asheville, Acarya Vishvamitra Sid Jordan, Anirvan and Uma Moore. Didi Ananda Devapriya in Romania, Dada Krsnasevananda in Denmark, Bruce Dyer of New Zealand, Didi Ananda Muktivrata in Peru, Didi Ananda Anuradha in Costa Rica, Dada Mokseshvarananda in Haiti and Nicaragua, Didi Ananda Rama in Egypt, Dada Gunamuktananda in Australia, Rahul Asija in India, Tom Barefoot, Acarya Cirasmita, Arete Brim, Bette Hoover and the Washington DC Peace House, and Arun Glassman and his talented film students at the Denver School of the Arts. Bill Ayers for his gracious foreword and his friendship. Excellent proofreading was done by Charles Paprocki, Andy Douglas, Ron Baseman, and Jeshua Pacifici. I also wish to thank Mirra Price from the bottom of my heart, outstanding copyeditor of this and my other books, for her keen attention to detail and passion for consistency (mirraedits.com). Devashish Acosta of InnerWorld Publications, did an excellent job of organizing the manuscript into its final form. And finally to all the others who organized and participated in my cooperative games workshops over the last 25 years, I apologize that I cannot acknowledge you all personally.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Boal, Augusto. Games for Actors and Non-actors. New York: Routledge, 2002. Bordesa, Kris. Team Challenges: 170+ Group Activities to Build Cooperation, Communication and Creativity. Chicago: Zepher Press, 2006. Brown, Stuart. Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul. New York: Avery, 2010 Collard, Mark. Count Me In: Large Group Activities That Work. Beverley, MA: Project Adventure, 2008. Collard, Mark. No Props: Great Games with No Equipment. Beverley, MA: Project Adventure, 2005. Estés, Clarissa Pinkola. Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype. Ballantine Books, 1992. Johnson, Steven. Wonderland: How Play Made the Modern World. New York: Riverhead Books, 2016. Kane, Pat. The Play Ethic: A Manifesto for a Different Way of Living. London: Macmillan UK, 2005. Kohn, Alfie. No Contest: The Case Against Competition. 2nd, Revised edition, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1992. Le Fevre, Dale N. Best New Games: 77 Games and 7 Trust Activities for All Ages and Abilities. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2002. Maheshvarananda, Dada. After Capitalism: Economic Democracy in Action. San Juan: Innerworld Publications, 2012. McGonigal, Jane. SuperBetter: The Power of Living Gamefully. New York: Penguin Books, 2016.

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New Games Foundation. The New Games Book. Santa Monica: Main Street Books, 1976. Platts, David Earl and Eileen Caddy. Playful Self- Discovery: A Findhorn Foundation Approach to Building Trust in Groups. Forres, Scotland: Findhorn Press, 1996. Rodari, Gianni. The Grammar of Fantasy: An Introduction to the Art of Inventing Stories. New York: Teachers & Writers Collaborative, 1996. Rohnke, Karl and Jim Grout. Back Pocket Adventure. Beverley, MA: Project Adventure, 1998. Rohnke, Karl and Steve Butler. Quicksilver: Adventure Games, Initiative Problems, Trust Activities and a Guide to Effective Leadership.Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt, 1995. Rohnke, Karl. Funn ‘n Games. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/ Hunt, 2004. Rohnke, Karl. A Small Book About Large Group Games. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt, 2002. Sheldrake, Rupert. The Sense of Being Stared At: And Other Unexplained Powers of Human Minds. Rochester, VT: Park Street Press, 2013. Spolin, Viola. Theater Games for Rehearsal: A Director’s Handbook, Updated Edition. Northwestern University Press, 2011. Winton-Henry, Cynthia and Phil Porter. Move: What the Body Wants. Wood Lake Publishing, 2016.

Links: www.cooperativegamesworld.com and www. playmeo.com

287 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dada Maheshvarananda: Born in Philadelphia, USA, during college he was active in the protests against the Vietnam War. In 1978 he traveled to India and Nepal where he became a yogic monk and studied the Progressive Utilization Theory (Prout) under its founder, Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar. He taught meditation and organized for social justice for 14 years in Southeast Asia, three years in Europe and 21 years in Brazil and Venezuela. He gives seminars and workshops at conferences, schools, yoga centers, and prisons about social activ- ism, spiritual transformation, and cooperative games. You can reach him at maheshvarananda@prout. org.ve.