Vanessa is a Heartfulness practitioner, a Heartful Communication facilitator, and an editor of Heartfulness Magazine. She lives in Baroda, India, where she has worked with schools and educators to bring dynamic English language programs to children of all ages.

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Vanessa Patel

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 VANESSA PATEL shares her experience of working in
 multicultural teams, and how different cultures interpret similar situations.</h4>



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As a spiritual practitioner, I have the same goal for spiritual progress as millions of other people around the
 world. At the Heartfulness Institute, we are blessed with a truly rich cultural diversity. It never fails to amaze
 me how this assortment of people speaking different languages comes together in harmony at our regular meditation
 retreats. And yet, this homogeneity of oneness brings with it a fair share of interesting situations.



As a Heartful Communication facilitator, working with people worldwide has been a huge learning experience. This is
 quite apart from imbibing the “language” of compassionate communication. During our workshops in India, there is
 always a thrum of energy with participants keen to share incidents from their life and eager to display their
 understanding. At times, this presents a challenge to keep to time and to bring the stimulating discussion to a
 close.



By contrast, our workshops in Europe have silent pauses when the participants are given time to introspect and note
 down their reflections. It is very curious as we use the same material in the same format for all our programs. It
 led us to understand that Asians seem to be largely work-centric and wish to cover the ground with efficiency, while
 Europeans are more people-centric with a focus on getting to know the participants and connecting.



The beauty of this: when we observe each other’s sessions, we find the different styles very moving and mutually
 enriching – our post-session debriefs are abuzz with exchange.



The material and resources we use are continually evolving. During one session on behaviors that break connection –
 what we call “circuit breakers” – it became clear that cultural relevance plays a huge part, especially when it
 comes to listening without interrupting. While deep listening lends support to an aggrieved person, enabling them to
 speak fully, some of our participants pointed out that in their culture it is seen as indifference. It is
 disconnecting if they don’t step in to console or advise, so that the person feels they are not alone. At times, an
 interjection may be required on the speaker’s part so that the other person feels the empathy.



When similar cultural issues are addressed, there are always valuable takeaways. A seemingly innocuous sentence like,
 “The children are playing outside while their mother is in the house,” was a subject of major discussion – some felt
 it had judgmental undertones. We live and learn and keep ourselves flexible, honoring all sensibilities.



What I’m trying to get at is that regardless of what we have in common, there is always an element of cultural
 interpretation informed by our environment, upbringing, and geopolitical leaning, because this has been our life,
 our education, and experience so far. It’s when we open up so as to receive what another person is bringing to the
 table that the magic happens. We don’t need to always agree with others in order to see the world from their point
 of view. This opens the gateway to empathy, the crux of honoring cultural diversity.

Communication and diversity

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 VANESSA PATEL
 enjoys a humorous shared memory with friends, and reminds us of those
 small yet precious moments of connection and joy that make up a
 lifetime.
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 It seems to me that this year has been much about waiting … waiting for
 an upturn in the pandemic, hoping for more harmony amongst communities
 and nations, praying for less suffering of all sentient beings, longing
 for our Mother Earth to get some respite. It has been frustrating and
 sad, mainly because looking to change things we cannot control has
 rarely been rewarding for anyone. This is when I became aware of the
 unexpected joy of those beautiful little moments that simply happen when
 we choose to live in the here and now.
 

 
 Recently, I had a small reunion with my university friends. We hadn’t
 met in many years, and so much had happened since the last time we were
 together that there were several milestones and hurdles to talk about.
 While sharing our news, one of my friends brought up an old memory that
 completely transformed the energy of the conversation.
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
 

 
 It was the story of a night in May, after our first-year May Ball. The
 three of us were not quite ready to call it a night, so at 3 a.m. we
 decided to take a long walk through the fields to the nearest village.
 What seemed like an easy walk to start with quickly became a little more
 complicated when we realized there was a bull living in one of the
 fields. But instead of feeling scared, we kept going and found the
 situation so hilarious that I really prayed our giggles would not prove
 to be the proverbial red rag. Having safely thwarted the bull, we
 reached the village only to realize no one was up and nothing was open.
 

 
 We were too tired to traipse back across the fields, and the first bus
 wasn’t until an hour later, so we laughed our way to the nearest park
 where we discovered the swings and roundabouts of a children’s
 playground. We killed an hour there, enjoying these childhood thrills
 with no one around to tell us we were too old to use the playground.
 When it was time to catch the bus, we happened to pass by a small bakery
 and had just enough money to buy a hot sticky bun each while ensuring we
 had enough money for the bus fare to get us home. It was only when we
 started the journey back that the cold and tiredness started to seep in,
 but the experience of holding and eating that hot sticky bun really hit
 the spot. So much was distilled into those few hours – carefree
 adventure, spontaneity, and no worries about what came next.
 

 
 Reminiscing about this experience, the same laughter we had shared back
 then bubbled to the surface. Here was a realization that there are many
 amazing people who have been a part of my journey. I felt joy in the
 simplicity of this shared experience, and it reminded me that moments
 like these have the power to balance the many complexities of life.
 

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All things small and joyful

Vanessa Patel: Vanessa is a Heartfulness practitioner, a Heartful Communication facilitator, and an
 editor of Heartfulness Magazine. She lives in Baroda, India, where she has worked with schools and educators to bring
 dynamic English language programs to children of all ages.

Amruta Patel: Amruta lives in London and works for the UK Ministry of Justice. She is a facilitator
 for Heartful Communication and a yoga practitioner, and spends her free time on long walks exploring London with
 friends. She is an avid reader of mysteries, as well as literature on public health and Greek mythology.

Ananya Patel: Ananya is a designer and illustrator who enjoys finding dynamic ways to tell stories.
 She works on projects with social impact, and runs a youth collective bringing innovative design approaches to climate
 action and gender equality.

Vanessa Patel, Amruta Patel & Ananya Patel