Stories

Loving Aliveness: Notes from AMA 2025

There was no agenda, no fixed outcome to chase – just a question, held loosely by a group of participants from different corners of the world: what if sustainability isn’t only about systems and strategies, but also about aliveness, and the quality we bring to our relationships? That question sat at the heart of the AMA event 2025 in Potsdam, where participants let go of certainty long enough to actually listen – to each other, and to something larger than themselves. The insights that emerged were as varied: for some, aliveness meant permission to cry, to laugh, to be angry, to hug someone they loved without holding back; for others, it was something quieter – being grounded enough in their own body to stay open to someone else’s, and to the more-than-human world. One insight surfaced again and again: aliveness isn’t the opposite of struggle. It includes tension, uncertainty, grief. A grief circle became one of the most meaningful moments of the gathering, a reminder that joy and sorrow aren’t opposites, but both signs of being fully in touch with what’s real.

The gathering wasn’t about arriving at shared conclusions. It was about learning to see each other as human beings first, across cultures, disciplines, and ways of being in the world. We are thankful for exploring together, with open-minded and open-hearted AMA friends, what it means being human today. If you are curious please follow this link to our little film on the event made by Felix Anton Faller.

Text AMA Convergence 2024

How can we lean into the uncomfortable and transform it into a resource? Who can we practice reflexivity with to navigate turbulence playfully? Events like the AMA Convergence are essential in turbulent times, providing a space for community resourcing and self-discovery that grounds us amid uncertainty. 
The joy and challenge of facilitating transformative spaces lie in creating environments where participants can step into their own power, show vulnerability, and lean into discomfort to uncover what no longer serves. Through trustful, resonant relationships and the courage to explore the unknown, these gatherings help to face complex societal challenges. This experience of late summer 2024 reminds us that we can cultivate essential resources for building regenerative futures when showing up with our whole selves – the messy and the beautiful. With deep gratitude for the trust shown in joining our invitation with Thomas Bruhn and Valerie Voggenreiter to “Societal Transformation as a Spiritual Practice,” we are inspired by what we can co-create and un-learn when we come together. For more information to the event click here:

AMA Transformation Lab 2019 Integrating inner and socio-ecological aspects of transformation towards sustainability

This gathering marked an important milestone in our shared aspiration to cultivate a relational approach to sustainability transformation. We created a space for deep exchange, reflection, and inspiration—bringing together individuals across sectors to explore how inner transformation and socio-ecological change intertwine.

Over three days, we engaged in a collective journey that touched on ways of knowing, being, and doing. From sharing personal intentions and systemic challenges to envisioning sustainable futures and translating insights into practice, each phase of the gathering contributed to a richer understanding of transformation as a holistic process. We especially appreciated the openness and trust with which participants shared their experiences, building a sense of community across diverse work contexts.

This gathering was not a conclusion but a continuation: a step forward on our learning path toward systemic change that honors both inner depth and outer change processes.

Finding Joy in difficult times – a mindfulness retreat at RIFS initiated and curated by AMA member Shyam Wuppuluri

As part of the ongoing AMA journey, guest researcher and community member Shyam Wuppuluri—who joined RIFS through the 2023 and 2024 AMA community of practice cycles—hosted a special two-day mindfulness retreat in Potsdam.

Titled “Finding Joy in Difficult Times,” the retreat invited participants to gently turn inward, exploring the deeper significance of inner states like joy, not as self-help concepts, but as powerful foundations for how we live, relate, and even generate knowledge. Set in a quiet and supportive space, participants could engage in silence, reflection, and nourishing practices—free from pressure or performance.

Together, we explored how to meet the complexity of our times with tenderness, how to be with despair without suppressing it, and how to truly embody what we know. The retreat opened a rare and needed space for being—rather than doing—at the heart of a research institute.