Community Collaboration

I recently started working with the South Asian Network’s (SAN’s) survivor support group for women who have experienced domestic violence, sexual assault, or harassment. It is a part of their AWAZ -voices against violence, program http://www.southasiannetwork.org/Programs.htm

After facilitating 3 workshops incorporating yoga and writing, I am excited to announce that the Post Natyam Collective will be partnering with SAN as a part of our long distance process that will include and extend out from ‘Trace’.

Here are examples of writing prompts I’ve used so far:

1. Free write or wild mind write: Start with “I am ________”
Do not stop, do not edit, keep the pen moving. Whenever you’re stuck go back to
I am, or repeat the last thing you wrote until something new comes. 5 min.

2. Write a letter to your childhood self, 10 min.

The responses were deep, beautiful and self affirming. Sometimes the childhood self was a reminder of qualities we wish we could attain now, and sometimes she was needing special care, or hope of a better future. Either way, we all learned something about ourselves through it.


Searching for a way that everyone in the Post Natyam Collective can be a part of the experience despite the distance, we decided our next choreography assignment will be to create something that incorporates some of the writing from the workshops (with permission from the writers, of course). This will also create an avenue to relate our work to real contemporary women who are in various stages of self discovery, healing, and growth.