AspiringShe Magazine, 2019
“Draw out the ‘special’ in you instead of fixing it with how others value you, say or think about you. Be inner-directed.”
Thinkashram sounds really different and unique, what’s the idea and whose brainchild is it?
Thinkashram is an organization committed to mindfulness and offering solutions for holistic development. This defines Thinkashram – our goals, in-house systems, profile of our team, methodology and environment are designed to cater to personalized needs of each individual who attends our program, be it a child, college student or an adult.Our team members are extremely passionate about our philosophy. They are not only committed to honouring children but also each other, being mindful and understanding of each other. This not only builds a robust team spirit but also creates an environment where each one becomes the other’s partner in growth. The philosophy was conceived by VaishaliBafna, founder of Thinkashram. The name, as unique as it sounds, was not coined or tested. It was a calling; it sounded in a dream so strongly that it required no thinking or analysis. The next morning, ideas were channelised in the name of Thinkashram.When did you think of founding this organisation?
I would rather say that Thinkashram found me in 2014.After an over-a-decade long experience in the field of education, I identified certain gaps in the system for which solutions are inbuilt in our programs. They orient to academic, emotional, behavioral, aspirational and personal development. At Thinkashram, our programs align to different perspectives, improve self-management skills, make the participants mindful and goal – centric, empower them by integrating program goals with increased self-awareness to facilitate whole brain functioning.All of the above is knitted beautifully through our USP – passion. Passion drives each individual at Thinkashram.Some of the highlights of our services are:- The participant, be it a three year old child or an adult, is the primary decision-maker in our programs.
- Parents and teachers/ schools are partnered with to anchor a child’s needs with positive communication.
- We follow a bottom-up approach to learning, easing the pressure of information overload. We do not believe in labeling children. We strongly believe in Brain plasticity and have seen its magic through the changes in not only children’s learning, behaviour and mindset but also adults’.
- We make program recipients aware of their thinking processes and give them absolute freedom to speak out their honest opinions.
- With time and experience, we have realized that early intervention has given the desired solutions with minimum stress. Our youngest participant is 3 years old and the oldest has been 75 years old.
- Children enroll into the programs to resolve their dilemmas mindfully and move on with their mainstream learning with confidence. We are not ‘tuitions’, instead, we mentor and offer personalised programs to make a completely independent. A student graduating from Thinkashram and walking out with joy and confidence of handling his/ her study and social behaviour independently is a grand celebration for us.
- We also have programs to educate teachers and parents through workshops and courses in Brain Gym, for them to understand learning and behavioral responses better.
- We are happy to share. It is the key ingredient that bridges the gap between the child, teacher and parents.
- An International Brain Gym Consultant, Vaishali consults many adults and children to break their unproductive patterns and move forward independently towards their goals.
https://aspiringshe.com/aspiringshe-exclusive-interview-with-vaishali-bafna-founder-thinkashram/
Who / What has been your inspiration behind this?
My family: One family vacation, every year, was committed to philanthropy. They instilled in me the passion to serve, and the importance of resilience and hardwork. My husband gave me the safe space to be a risk taker. My son, now 14 years old, respected my journey and never made it about him versus Thinkashram. Instead, he has participated in making it ‘our’ vision. My mentors: Mrs. Meera Isaacs, Principal, Cathedral & John Connon School (Mumbai), inspired me to acquire values of strong conviction, patience and loyalty towards a purpose. Varsha Shah, Occupation Therapist(U.S.A), instilled in me the values of sharing passionately and experiencing the growth of wisdom with the sharing of knowledge. GlenysLeadbeater, Brain Gym Faculty(New Zealand), taught me the power of honouring innate intelligences and drawing them out through Brain Gym. We are all interconnected. Our friends, critics, colleagues give us opportunities to grow. I cannot thank my team, parents and students of Thinkashram enough for being an integral part of my growth.
How easy or tough was it for you to start something like this on your own ? Any major challenges you have faced ?
I did not feel alone ever. I was driven by the positive energies of my mentors, like-minded people and of course my instinct. The biggest challenge of bringing in novel approaches is to resonate it with people’s mindsets. Our services are not about the product or outcome; they are about the experience and bringing in change over a period of time. We are not a ‘fix it’ model. Only those who have experienced us can value Thinkashram best. Our growth has been organic through word of mouth. To honour confidentiality of our clients, we do not resort to sharing sensitive client responses in social media.
Your message to other women entrepreneurs!
Draw out the ‘special’ in you instead of fixing it with how others value you, say or think about you. Be inner-directed.
What’s your idea of Women Empowerment in India?
Women are special, not just because we are women. It is because of the significant roles we play in the lives of our family members, friends and colleagues. We are expected to balance our roles because we are capable. Empowerment is not about choosing between these roles;It is about seamlessly transitioning through them.Financial independence takes care of our material needs. Emotional independence allows us to anchor meaningful relationships. The ‘balance’ in us is to be financially and emotionally independent as individuals. I talk about independence and not disconnect. Choosing to be financially independent does not mean emotionally disconnecting from our other roles. Inversely, choosing to be emotionally independent does not mean that we disconnect ourselves from being financially independent.
