Mindful improv: how to help your team connect, AND have some fun!
Mindfulness & improv, how do they intersect?
Twenty plus years ago I was modeling locally in Minneapolis, mostly in live events and print ads. I landed a few commercials with minor roles but I wanted to take my career to the next level and audition for more commercials with more significant roles. I had a local talent agent suggest that if that is what I wanted then I should consider taking an improv class.
Improv? Me? I was terrified that I would look ridiculous! What I had seen and heard about improv is that it was ALL ABOUT BEING FUNNY. I didn't feel real funny. And, wasn't I supposed to take this class to help me land roles in commercials?
I decided to take a leap of faith and see what this thing called improv was all about. A few models and actors that I worked with regularly, and trusted, recommended that I should attend classes at The Brave New Workshop in Minneapolis. So I signed up for a class. That's all I was going to take, just one class.
The downside of telling people that I was taking an improv class though was that the improv unenlightened folks would demand that I "be funny!" What they didn't know was that "being funny" came from many hours of practicing using intentional eye contact, listening, collaborating like crazy, and saying a lot of Yes, and. We were not on that stage to take center stage. We were there to listen, and really hear, our scene partners. I mean REALLY HEAR! We were there to build a scene together.
If you missed an important detail that was shared with you, like where a scene partner placed an imaginary sink, and then you walked through that imaginary sink, you would have tanked the entire scene. Might as well call a "black out" immediately because the audience would know that you weren't listening and then they wouldn't believe you or the scene anymore.
Who knew that one class would lead to 14 months of learning, growing, and finally, completion of the entire program. After that my team and I took the stage and performed together for another year or so. I was clearly hooked!
Fast forward a few years after performing on stage with my team mates and I was an assistant improv coach at Cretin Derham Hall high school in St. Paul, and then went on to teach improv for Minneapolis schools, and Minneapolis Community Ed.
Fast forward to today. I am now dancing through the meadows of the world of wellness. I teach mindfulness and yoga to individuals, and also to groups at faith based organizations, schools, and corporations. I love what I do!
Let's come back to my first line of this post. Mindfulness & improv, how do they intersect? Yes, how DO they intersect?
Mindfulness is about paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, without judgement. Hmmm... if you have a fundamental understanding of improvisational performances, does this sound familiar?
To improvise on stage - to really collaborate and create believable and meaningful performances - you have to pay attention, on purpose, in the present moment, without judgment. You use eye contact, your ears, your body to show emotions and context within a scene, and you say yes, and without judgment.
Mindfulness and improv can both teach us to live in the present moment, cultivate awareness, and how to really listen using our eyes, ears, and body. To really hear people and to show them that they are seen and heard provides a tremendous amount of value.
I invite you to take this mindful improv into your professional or faith based organization and watch the magic happen. Your team will be learning and practicing how to listen, pay attention like never before, laugh, and connect. These connections can foster a deeper sense of community, creativity, and understanding for one another.
If you are interested in having a 15 minute exploration call, or if you know that you want to book a unique experience for your group and are ready to schedule something on the calendar (HOLIDAY PARTY!), email me: [email protected].
These play experiences will bring your group to the next level, just like it did for me so many years ago.