“Well me and my Uncle went ridin’ down South Colorado West Texas bound we stopped over in Sante Fe, That Day…”
South Bend, Indiana - the home of mayor Peter Paul Montgomery Buttigieg aka Pete as well the mighty Tyler Kanczuzewski aka TKO - beckoned from 60 miles southeast of South Haven last week. And hearing the call, we answered. Mayor Pete as you may know is in a tight, four-way contest in the New Hampshire Democratic primary. Tyler, as you may not know, is a friend, student, and growing force of nature leading the marketing and sustainability practices at !novateus Solar, a progressive South Bend solar developer delivering services the world over. Having worked with Tyler over the past year one-on-one conveying Vipassana meditation techniques, we were both eager to share the practice at a Friday Think Tank at his company’s South Bend Headquarters. “A Think Tank has the ability to bring a group together to collaborate and collectively transform ideas and solutions to become something bigger, brighter and hopefully more brilliant,” illuminates Tyler. “Mixing imaginations creates something magical and often unexpected.”
As to the unexpected, this particular Think Tank took an entirely new approach to Thought itself, studying how the act actually occurs. We gathered in the !novateus conference area, an open-space shared with neighboring Logistick, innovators of freight securement systems and co-company formed by founder and visionary Tom Kanczuzewski, Tyler’s Dad. I pointed out to our small group that the spirit of the founding Father’s hope - to create an organization in which his own workers thrive while at the same time making the world a better place - is what meditation and spiritual purification is all about. We covered meditation’s foundational ideas along with the four skills developed by its practice — concentration, relaxation, insights into life and death and unconditional love. Then we practiced, taking part in a 20-minute guided Vippasana meditation, utilizing our breath and body sensations, our mind’s visual component together with it’s verbal or auditory output in order to See, Hear and Feel our inner world. In doing so, we experienced the taste of purification, an untangling of sensory experience that offers a tangible tranquility and sense of relaxation, the blessed states that have inspired a modern Mindfulness movement.
As to feedback, for a first-pass, the reports were off the charts. “That was awesome,” expressed more than one participant. A personal highlight was a post-tank exchange with an attendee and fellow snowboarder. We agreed that first being strapped to a plank felt awkward and the learning curve steep, but in a flash you were over the hump and once you got it, its all you wanted to do. “Same thing here”, I offered. If you were in attendance, you too may have felt the energized connectivity, the unspoken but ever-present vibe amongst people practicing together in community . “I encourage everyone to consider meditation practice to connect with life in a deeper, more meaningful way”, expresses Tyler, with a watchful eye on a healthy, sustainable future and awake to the responsibility to the earth’s future generations. “Paul and his work with Higher Haven has truly changed my life. I am now in touch with a deeper part of myself, which allows me to better connect with others in my life, as well as Mother Earth.” We’ll be offering regular meditation classes and monthly retreats in the new year as well as reaching out to other companies and corporations. If you’d like to discuss how to make your business more personal and employees more empowered, Let’s Connect.