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Article by Shama Muhammed
When Etsko first asked us to take on the challenge of teaching the Personal Excellence Programme in Karachi, we were very excited. The programme has had such a profound impact on both our lives and has really shifted how we move through the world. At the same time, we were also a little nervous. Would we be able to deliver it with the same impact that we received it?
In starting out, one of the first decisions we made was to tweak the schedule of delivery. The programme is usually taught as a 4.5 day intensive, however we decided to divide it into 7 sessions and teach it on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. We hoped this would allow the course to be more accessible to people, and would give them the opportunity to reflect and integrate the learnings into their day-to-day lives between sessions. Since this format was more spacious, it allowed us to add additional in-class activities and meditations, and assign home practices and readings to support the learning of each session. We also adapted some of the activities to fit the Karachi context. The entire process was an exciting challenge, and we were deeply grateful for Etsko’s guidance and mentorship throughout.
We began with capping each cohort to 16 participants. We were really excited to see the overwhelming interest in the course. We always ended up with a long waitlist, and wanted to accommodate as many people as possible. As we gained more confidence in delivering the material and in our facilitation, we increased the class size to 20, and then 24, which is now our maximum capacity. After completing five cohorts, the response from participants has been overwhelming! The programme delivers profound insights in a very logical and simple manner, through both theoretical and experiential learning. Participants have shared that it has been really impactful for them. Many have seen a real change in how they relate to others, in their awareness of their thought patterning, and generally feel more contentment and peace in their lives.
For us, the process of teaching this program has been a real gift. It has enabled us to engage with the material in a deeper way, and continues to have a deep impact in our own personal lives.
We often say that we are the primary benficiaries of this course that we offer! With each cohort and their unique perspectives and questions, we always leave with a new understanding. We are so grateful to be able to do this and are so excited to continue learning with our next cohorts! Our 6th latest cohort starting on July 24th is full with a waitlist.
But we intend to begin another programme in mid to end August. We offer this programme free of charge in Karachi.