Nearly 25 London based Parsis and Iranians from various professional backgrounds, ranging in age from 21 to 80 years, participated in an experiential workshop "Being Zoro” at the World Zoroastrian House in Feltham on February 15, 2025. Facilitated by "psychotherapists Shazneen Limjerwala and Meherangiz Press, the workshop aimed to bring participants together in an atmosphere of containment and acceptance,” noted a report sent by Darayus Motivala, chair of The World Zoroastrian Organisation (WZO).
Selected as one of the finalists by the National Indian Students and Alumni Union (NISAU) UK in the ‘Education, Science and Innovation’ category, Bombay based Limjerwala was invited to London to attend the Achievers Honours Gala ceremony as also the India-UK Education Conference in February. Her trip to the UK being supported by the WZO and the WZO Trust Funds (WZOTF), she sought to express her gratitude to the WZO by organizing a workshop for the Zoroastrian community.
Participants at the "Being Zoro” workshop organized by WZO
The participants were initially invited to reveal what they valued in life and how it reflected in their behavior. For some it was health, life, nature, love, togetherness. For others it was employment, travel, the longing for homeland. They were then guided through a ‘Sweet spot meditation,’ to reflect on a time when they experienced the richness and satisfaction of life. The participants then learnt of the regrets of some dying people: "I wish I had had the courage to live a life true to myself, not one that others expected of me... I wish I had allowed myself to be happier…” This resonated with some participants who spoke of taking time out to be with their parent or their resilience to pursue life goals with repeated visits to the employment bureau, giving multiple interviews, overcoming stage fright, travelling solo to several countries as a woman…
Among some self-care activities demonstrated to the participants were relaxation exercises, listening to instrumental music, writing, moving one’s finger over the other palm, self-affirmations. These were meant as an inspiration, not a replacement for action. As co-travellers on their journey of discovery, the attendees finally engaged in the weaving together exercise. Each one of them held a ball of yarn, while talking about their one takeaway from the workshop, and then threw the ball in the middle towards another participant. As observed one participant, the wool creating a pattern, was akin to a "dream catcher reflecting all our dreams as a community.”