As more than 200 delegates to an international adult learning conference filed into a morning forum at the University of Calgary recently, many were surprised to see their seats already occupied — with brightly-coloured plastic tubes.

Soon, some of the brightest researchers in the adult education world were turning the cylinders over in their hands, peeking through them as spyglasses and banging on their desktops like MPs; in other words, having a little fun before the speeches started.

When Judy Atkinson eventually introduced herself and explained that the purpose of the “Boomwhackers” was to bring a little spirit and sense of community into the gathering, a few skeptical eyebrows were raised.

But a few minutes later, as Atkinson exhorted each section of the room to start thumping the tuned percussion tubes in different rhythms into the palms of their hands, a transformation began. The room echoed with heartbeat-like drumming, and individuals in different areas of the auditorium had to work as a community, relying on their neighbours if they fell out of time. There were giggles and flushed faces.

Some companies may dismiss drum circles, says Judy Atkinson, but teamwork benefits are tangible to the bottom line.

When the exercise ended, energy was surging through the room.

“It is about getting people out of their intellect, out of their minds, and into their bodies and spirit,” says Atkinson, who is in the business of using rhythm-based presentations and workshops to help people find inspiration and a sense of community in their personal and professional lives.

Edmonton-born and Calgary-raised, Atkinson founded her Circles of Rhythm business nearly four years ago. Her gigs range from 20-minute opening and closing acts at conferences, to full one- and two-day team building workshops. And while the concept of Boomwhackers, or participating in drum circles has fallen on deaf ears in some corporate circles, others are apparently listening. Business, she says, has doubled every year.

Drums and rhythm are used because they cut through culture, race, gender, age and religious beliefs, and get to the core of who we are as humans, she says. On the surface, drumming and rhythm allow us to blow off steam, relax and have fun. At a deeper level it puts us into a frame of mind where we’re connecting with our inner selves, she says.

“Cultures throughout time have had a rhythm of culture where a drum has been used as a way of celebrating, a way of ritualizing,” Atkinson says. “It’s earthy and it’s in our bones.”

Atkinson uses rhythm in many ways. For example, the U of C session took only a short time and was designed to energize the crowd.

Drum circles, on the other hand, are longer, usually lasting two hours. When the drumming is done, people generally feel free of stress, calm and connected to the people around them.

Atkinson notes that certain drum circle protocols are now being used successfully in the U.S. to treat people suffering from cancer, AIDS, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

She works with numerous groups, from people interested in self-improvement to corporations hoping for a better return on their bottom line.

She admits corporations can be a hard sell.

“They say: ‘Drums, oh please, what’s this got to do with the bottom line?’ They ask what it has to do with teaching skill development, and hard skills and technology and all the things we say we have to be doing these days.”

Atkinson tells them drumming has everything to do with it. “All the skill and technology in the world won’t improve profits if you’re not taking care of your people, and not working as a team.”

Drum circles, she says, are a metaphor for a healthy work environment. In a drum circle, everyone chooses an instrument. Atkinson has purchased a variety of drums from all over the world and other instruments such as shakers, bells and rattles.

She teaches people to use their instrument (the bosses usually pick the biggest, loudest drum, she notes).

Everyone forms in a circle and she leads the group, teaching some basic rhythms. “At the beginning, I tell them everyone is going to look silly,” she says. “By the end people are saying ‘maybe we should record this, or take the act on the road.’ ”

Two important things occur in the drum circle, says Atkinson. First, people get out of their intellectual mindset and into their bodies and spirit. Second, people in the group integrate with each other because they are connected by the music.

As the group improves, participants are encouraged to improvise and be creative, to trade instruments and always remain part of the beat.

During the sessions each participant is asked to stop playing for a moment, to listen, to reflect, and then join in again. They usually then play better because they’ve taken the time to understand what the group is doing as a whole.

“The message becomes loud and clear that we all have to work together,” she says. Participants learn that they can “step out” and be creative, and that instead of always barging forward, taking time to reflect has its benefits.

When Atkinson drums with corporate groups, she knows within five minutes how they work together. If they’re all off banging the drums as loudly as they can, without any regard for the overall sound, she knows it’s a dysfunctional workplace team.

“I can tell them they suck,” she laughs. “And, after a while, they will admit it too.”

If she’s working in a team-building exercise, Atkinson can ask some introspective questions. Why are you in this job at this time in your life? What difference are you making? What’s your organization doing for the world?

As demographics change and the Boomer generation ages, Atkinson says a lot of us are already asking: “Why?”

Finding the right answers will only help us as human beings, the benefits of which are felt everywhere, including work.

Atkinson, 48, only has to look to herself as proof. She began her career doing marketing work in the corporate world. She then became a full-time mom and is raising three teenage daughters. She taught parenting classes through adult education programs and completed a Masters degree in adult and continuing education in 1996 through the University of Calgary. It was while doing her thesis work – Spirituality in Business – that she discovered drum circles. She’s never looked back.

“I was lacking the compassion and passion in the workplace, she says. “Then I found this.

“I have found a job that helps me while at the same time I can help other people. It’s a nice feeling.”

In addition to corporate and group work, Atkinson offers bi-monthly public drum circle sessions. She can be contacted through her Web site at www.circlesofrhythm.com