ABOUT TAKE A MINUTE®
TAKE A MINUTE®—CREATED BY ZULEIKHA
International performer, educator and self-care leader
TAKE A MINUTE®
Origins
Drawing on her background as a performer while working with students, Zuleikha began to creatively facilitate movement exercises to mobilize energy, relieve stress, and promote resiliency. The positive response was dramatic. The simple and effective movements and her way of teaching them became the TAKE A MINUTE®, or TAM, method.
In the two decades since, demand for TAM with Zuleikha has expanded beyond schools to non-profits, health care organizations, government agencies, and corporations worldwide.
TAKE A MINUTE®
Innovations for Health Care
Zuleikha has brought her [TAM] Self-Care programs to India for many years, partnering with health organizations, palliative cancer home-care teams, nursing colleges, mobile units and community centers. Her [TAM] Self-Care exercises and practices are being used in over 40 nursing colleges in India. In the US, she has led programs at Seton Health System, Johns Hopkins Hospital, University of Virginia and Navajo Nation health centers. Today Zuleikha works globally on Zoom with frontline nurses, healthcare and palliative care workers, and teaches movement and resilience sessions.
TAKE A MINUTE®
Global Community Initiatives
TAM is an integral part of Zuleikha’s non-profit organization, The Storydancer Project (TSP). Since 2000, TSP has partnered with marginalized communities to address gaps in health resources, provide direct services, and train community leaders for greater health, resilience and joy. TSP serves: The people of the Hope Project and outreach communities around Delhi, India; Palliative cancer care patients, families and caregivers reached by CanSupport, India’s largest palliative care NGO; Survivors of trafficking and “witch-hunting” in collaboration with New Light India; School children in Navajo Nation & Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA; and mothers in New Mexico Navajo Nation.
TAM self-care sessions and trainings for partner organization staff are designed to address burnout, and rekindle enthusiasm, empathy and optimism.
What TAM Program Users Are Saying
“The Take a Minute program nurtures the heart and soul of caregivers burdened with the demands of the chaotic hospital and health care system. Nurses, physicians, and all health care providers can benefit from taking time to be present in their bodies and caring for self.”
“Zuleikha, a member of the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Health, conducted a training for State of New Mexico employees. The employees left their desks in normal work clothes and enthusiastically followed Zuleikha in a simple and fun TAKE A MINUTE stretch exercise program for 15 minutes. They enjoyed the benefits of moving and breathing and then went back to their work revitalized. Bravo!”
“I really enjoyed TAKE A MINUTE exercises [taught by Zuleikha to the Aravind Eye Hospital staff]…through these exercises every muscle in the body gets rejuvenated. This can be done during working hours and it takes ‘just a minute’ for complete rejuvenation.”
“I would like to send you my ambassador, Zuleikha…who through the power of her skills as a teacher to communicate simple and effective techniques for self-care and relaxation in the midst of often very challenging life situations. How often do we make things worse by forgetting to breathe deeply or by tensing and hardening our bodies in response to emotional or physical stress, instead of choosing to take a minute to let go and relax! It doesn’t take more than a minute—that is why Zuleikha calls her breathing and movement sequences just that—Take a Minute.”
In the US and internationally, employers across diverse cultures and sectors have experienced the remarkable benefits of the TAM method. View list of TAM workshop/seminar trainings and presentations by Zuleikha
Zuleikha Sessions with Eileen Fisher Inc staff
TAKE A MINUTE® - Zuleikha with EF packing & shipping staff
