Life
Can Watching Football Teach Me About Recovery?
There is an addiction treatment method for recovering alcoholics and addicts called Recovery Dynamics. It was created by a practical, wise old alcoholic with some of the best professionals in the field of recovery. Recovery Dynamics uses the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous as a modality for treatment, not just as an afterthought. There are many excellent exercises in the manual; this is one of my favorites for working with groups of addicts and alcoholics....
Worst Yoga Teacher Ever
We all know creepy men (and women) in all walks of life. We know a select number of Priests who have molested children. We know there have been Gurus who have manipulated and taken advantage of young female students. We know there are male and female therapists and counselors who have misused their power and connection to coerce clients into having sex with them. Of course, there are all the CEOs and politicians who can't seem to find enough ways to abuse their power. It should not surprise anyone that there are Yoga instructors who misuse and abuse the power they have for sex and exploit Yoga students, should it? Enter the YouTube theatrical video Worst Yoga Teacher Ever. Even with a warning, I flinched a few times during this short, satirical video. Why would we think Yoga Teachers are exempt from foul play?...
Sports, Yoga and Meditation Together
It has been a growing relationship for the last decade or so: sports, Yoga, and Meditation as a means of success. The number of professional athletes beginning meditation expands nearly daily, and we are not talking about just the "finesse players." These are hardcore athletes who win and perform at an incredibly high level consistently during high-stakes situations.
I have played sports all my life and found that after I began to meditate in 1990 or so, my focus, attention, and endurance increased dramatically. I am not alone, nor did I create this concept.
...
Providence Life Coach: Dating First Impressions
We have all experienced preparing for a first date with a relative, stranger, or acquaintance. Fear and doubt, mixed with the joy and hope of meeting an amazing partner, lover, or both, fill our minds and bodies leading up to the designated meet. We all know deep inside that first impressions are critical to the dating experience's success or failure. It is not the way it should be in a perfect world, but it is the way it is in our world, at least currently....
Do We Have To Make Meditation Entertaining?
I have to admit that when I first saw the headline, David Romanelli set out to make meditation entertaining, and I cringed. I really did. The last few years have challenged me, observing many of our Sacred and Venerable rituals and practices become watered-down and made cute or sexy by Mother Culture. My immediate thought was simple, "Oh no, not meditation; please do not do this to meditation." This phenomenon has manifested in Reiki, Hatha Yoga, Qi Gong, Acupuncture, and many other traditional healing practices. Isn't it enough that almost every image of meditation has a very thin, white female with perfect hair and skin with no pores? Please, not meditation too!...
I Am Not a Healer
It’s now been forty minutes in an altered brain rhythm, slipping from below ordinary consciousness, even below psychic, all the way down to spiritual healing. It is a state where the ego does not completely rule words, thoughts, and actions. The shadow has quieted enough to allow the True Self to speak and be present. The answers are usually simple: a word, a phrase, or maybe even just a syllable. In this case, very simple: “Yes”. This is my life as a Reiki Practitioner.
...
Should Spiritual Teachers Be Paid?
Whether Spiritual Teachers should accept payment is an issue that's been a point of inner conflict for me for many years. I have shifted from a firm "No"; I then adopted the principle that "I need to get paid, and my work is incredibly worthwhile". Most recently, I have shifted to somewhere in the middle, accepting that I am very valuable as a resource to the community at large and that work is important. With that said, there is some work for which I will not accept payment. Of course, anyone who has done any real spiritual work knows that there is always some form of payment that the student "pays". Payment may be in the form of servitude, Karma, or a sense of responsibility to others. The payment may not be directed to the Teacher, but a karmic exchange must take place....
