I am Lali. I come from Argentina. I visited Auroville ten years ago and fell in love with it. Many synchronicities brought me back to India by the end of 2024 making Auroville a must-visit.This time, my primary focus was to explore holistic educational institutions dedicated to wellbeing and joy. As soon as I discovered Thamarai, I knew this was a place I wanted to learn more about. I contacted Bridget, and we immediately connected realizing how similar the aim of our projects are.
Finally, in December 2024 we met in person and I visited Thamarai. I was delighted to discover more about the history of Thamarai, its permacultural construction and above all about the programs they offer for children, parents and teachers regarding leadership, wellbeing, joy, arts, technology and English teaching.
During my visit, I introduced my programs: Self-Care & Wellbeing and Sing & Dance with Lalita.
Self-Care & Wellbeing for Educators
Parents and teachers in this era face the challenges of multitasking, information overload, and technology overuse. Consequently, balancing their own quality time and energy management is not an easy task.
As a teacher myself, I understand the demands of planning, managing diverse children’s and parents’ needs, and finding time for personal activities.
Often, we find ourselves saying, “I don’t have time for myself.” However, the good news is that we can create that time by incorporating brief self-regulation practices before and during interactions with children.
Children learn by imitation. If we are constantly giving to others and neglecting our own quality time, they will see us exhausted, restless, and rushed. Unfortunately, they will learn to do the same unless we establish new, healthy habits in our lives.
As teachers, we love our work and enjoy giving, but prioritizing quality time for ourselves is crucial for our own wellbeing and the wellbeing of those around us. Our own harmony will spread harmony all around.
Moreover, I strongly believe it is essential to connect with our inner child and allow space for free play and joy. If we can connect with children´s realities we can become closer to them. The more we invest time in this, the better we can also connect with our own health and the children around us. They need us to be in harmony, available, present, and joyful. They learn from what we do, not just what we say.
To support this, I created two programs that teach simple, short and effective practices for daily health:
💫 Self-Care and wellbeing program. It includes breathing, mindfulness, relaxation exercises and music and movement meditation.
💫 Sing & Dance program. It includes songs and movement to connect with our own inner child while learning and teaching English and Spanish.
Sing & Dance with Lalita
Sing & Dance with Lalita is a program I created primarily for teachers, parents, and children (and anyone who resonates) to connect with the natural cycles, nature, ourselves, and others while learning and teaching English and Spanish easily and joyfully. These experiences are facilitated through verses, songs, and movement.
Music and movement are engaging and enjoyable ways to acquire a foreign language, have fun, and activate our vital energy.
We, human beings, are musical. We have a voice that can produce various tones, a heart that sets our pulse, and an entire percussive body. We are music!
Through the power of repetition, melody, and rhymes, we memorize words, expressions, and proper pronunciation, making language learning entertaining and natural.
Songs are catchy, so we remember them with joy. Research has shown that when we enjoy something, we are more receptive to learning.
I created a workshop and an ebook for parents and teachers, covering topics such as daily routines, seasons, emotions, our bodies, and health. There are chants to relax, balance, and activate our vital energy.
Sing & Dance with Lalita can be practiced by teachers in their classes, families with children, or individually for enjoyment and learning.
During my visit to Thamarai, we had a wonderful time singing, dancing, relaxing, and having fun with teachers and children. I happily gifted my ebook to Thamarai so they can use it in their classes to bring joy while practicing English and learning Spanish through music and movement. They are already using it and enjoying it a lot.
I am very happy and grateful for having visited such a beautiful project and for the exchange of knowledge and experience. I look forward to visiting Thamarai again soon.
About Lalita
Lalita was born in Tierra del Fuego, the southernmost province of Argentina. She graduated as a National Teacher of English as a foreign language and is certified as a teacher of Spanish as a foreign and second language. She has extensive experience teaching in schools, children’s workshops, companies, and online.
She is also a yoga therapy instructor specialized in postural education and yoga adapted to biotypes, injuries, and pathologies. She is the creator of Om Lalita Yoga, a project that offers self-care and wellbeing practices through yoga, music and dance, her beloved passions. In September 2024, she released the album and project “Sing & Dance with Lalita,” a collection of chants and movement practices for connection, designed for teachers, families and children to learn English and Spanish and experience joy.
She is constantly learning about holistic pedagogies to provide the best services for individual needs. Currently, she is studying anthroposophy and exploring various singing and movement practices. She enjoys traveling, discovering permaculture communities, and sharing her work wherever she goes.