Making friends with inner voices can be fun—and healing. For Monster Baby episode #97, Ted and Lisa are joined by fellow Applied Improvisor Kat Koppett to discuss (and play!) her mindfulness-and-improv-blending exercise, “Inside Out.” Lisa starts by asking about Kat’s inspiration for exploring mindfulness (2:12) and about how mindfulness has affected her life so far [more…]
Monster Baby #67 Under a Mango Tree: A Conversation with Thiagi
“You don’t solve problems in life. You keep reconciling paradoxes.” –Thiagi Every now and then—if you’re lucky—you get to spend time “under a mango tree” in the presence of a true master. For Monster Baby Episode #67, Lisa and Ted had such a treat: chatting with experiential learning guru Sivasailam “Thiagi” Thiagaragan. Following few moments [more…]
Monster Baby #2: Defining Mindfulness and Impulse vs. Pause
In this second episode, Ted and Lisa dive into defining (or at least describing) mindfulness (3:37), discuss what mindfulness is not (16:53) and then explore how improvisation amplifies or differs from mindfulness (21:06). They close by talking about the tension between honoring our impulses and taking a mindfulness pause before acting (42:26). Thanks for [more…]
Monster Baby Podcast #1: Intro and Relationship to Failure
A Monster Baby podcast is born! In this inaugural episode, Ted and Lisa introduce themselves and offer the Monster Baby origin story (1:10) and talk about how mindfulness and improvisation relate to failure (14:53), including whether or not it makes sense to celebrate failure (35:40). Welcome to Monster Baby—we hope you enjoy the curious romp! [more…]
Return of Spontaneity School: A Third Set of Improv Games for the Classroom and Work Environment
Use improv games to develop mindful presence–for groups and for you. Check out the new Playful Mindfulness book! And for “a curious romp through the worlds of mindfulness and improvisation, subscribe to the Monster Baby podcast by clicking here! Over the last few years, this blog’s most-read post has been the original Spontaneity School: [more…]
AI-AI-AI!!!: The Applied Improvisation Definition Generator
You may have heard too. Just as with mindfulness outside the meditation hall, lots of folks have caught on to the transformative power of improvisation in arenas outside the theater. Business, health care, education, disaster relief, even the military: everyone needs nimble thinkers and flexible collaborators in this time of uncertainty. Everyone sees the value [more…]
