Two 1-day VIHASA sessions were held on 21 and 22 September 2019 at the Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar (IIPHG). The event was organized by the UK based Janki Foundation in association with Medical Wing of Brahmakumaris. "Values in Healthcare-a spiritual approach" or VIHASA is an experiential program for healthcare professionals, offering opportunities for personal and team development. The program was well-received with approx. 50 students of Master's in Public Health who were from diverse backgrounds including medicine, nursing, dental and allied fields, enthusiastically participated.
The module of "Compassion" helped the participants to understand how to cultivate the habit of compassionate listening, how to control anger and how to forgive oneself for mistakes and make a new start. Many of the participants had catharsis and powerful experiences during the workshop. The sessions were facilitated by VIHASA facilitators Dr Manas Sharma and Dr Mayur Trivedi.
Some of the notable highlights:
The participants were majority Youth with many of them the first time to a spiritual retreat. Most of them found it easy to open up & share feelings, doing a group activity which was quite a level of bonding amongst the participants & the facilitators. The format of VIHASA allows for creativity & participants shared their expressions using doodles, dance & songs.
All seemed very happy and satisfied. For many, this was a transforming experience. They learnt the value of being compassionate in professional and personal lives and felt the need for such events in today's times.
Below are the feedback of a few participants:
"The workshop helped me connect with myself and others. I realized that we judge people unconsciously, and learnt how to be non-judgmental while listening to them". - Manya Joshi
"The workshop was very rejuvenating. I feel that we should have these workshops at least once every month". - Mitali Panda
