Canan's Notes #4:
Saturday, September 21, 2019
One hour InterPlay Workshop
Atlanta, GA
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Canan Arikan, InterPlay Leader in training is leading!
Canan Arikan (front) with sisters
Oh my goodness! I did it!
Yesterday, as an InterPlay Leader-in-Training, I led a one-hour InterPlay workshop with women from seven different countries; Italy, Iran, China, South Korea, Brazil, United States and Turkey (counting me)! Together we played, shared lunch, and said an early good-bye to our friend Yue Cao who is a Georgia Tech Visiting Scholar returning to her country China! It was a lovely day! I was lucky to play with women who have become friends from our monthly Sustaining International Sisters (SIS) gatherings. They were very warm, supportive and joyful.
While I was leading, I was very excited and also a little bit nervous! Because English is my second language, most of the time I worry about missing words, wrong pronunciation and grammar mistakes. In the beginning of the workshop, I shared my feelings and thanked everyone for their understanding.
Starting with shaking out our bodies and BIBOs (Breathe In, Breathe Out) always helps me a lot me. During one of the Babblings or short tellings, I gave Turkish words and asked the participants to talk about them like experts without knowing the word’s meaning. It was so much fun for all of us! I participated in the Babbling and enjoyed it. As a leader to hear their laughs and see their smiles was wonderful! Sometimes it was hard stopping them because they were really having so much fun together.
Babbling
Walking, Stopping, and Running
After Babbling, I led the InterPlay Warm Up and Walk Stop Run (WSR). Then I added the “lean” part to the WSR. This experience was so supportive and powerful. At the end all friends leaned on each other. I felt that we were a big body and spirit all together. It was so meaningful and intense.
I led one-hand-dance by lying on the floor! It was my first time to lead it! Also, it was their first time to do a one-hand-dance on the floor. We put our heads together in the center, like a flower. After teaching one-hand-dance movements, we did a one-han- dance on-behalf-of our friend Yue. It was so much fun - lively, friendly, and sometimes crazy! I still hear the laughs. When we were finished, no one wanted to get up from the floor!
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I felt full of love and support! Special thanks to my mentor Ruth Showalter! I am very lucky to learn InterPlay from her. She is always supporting and encouraging me. I am thankful for her affirmations.
NOTICING: I love leading and playing at the same time. Being a part of the playing group makes me feel more comfortable. As a leader, there is nothing as pleasant as making people happy, restful, and cheerful. InterPlay magic!