87 results for tag: Change

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?...

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....

Meditation Retreat at Portsmouth Abbey

Last week, I participated in a solo, two-day meditation retreat at Portsmouth Abbey in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, just north of Newport.  I was grateful for the opportunity to pray, meditate, sit, and chant with the monks at Portsmouth Abbey.

Meditation Retreat at Portsmouth Abbey - The Chapel

Meditation Retreat at Portsmouth Abbey - Providence Life Coaching & Spiritual Training - portsmouth abbey chapel outside

Suppose you have never visited a Benedictine Monastery before. In that case, they wake early in the morning, typically around 5:00 a.m., beginning the day with the first of seven "Offices", or times of communal prayer through chanting. As a guest, you are welcome to join them for as much or as little of their daily routine as you feel moved. I did not choose to take part in the early morning prayer time. Instead, I stayed in my room for silent prayer and meditation. I went there for silence and meditation....

Life Lessons Learned from Akeelah and The Bee

Life Lessons Learned from Akeelah and The Bee - Providence Holistic Counseling Services

  On Saturday Night, we watched Akeelah and The Bee on Netflix. It was a fun and stimulating family movie that reached a wide audience with its various messages and life lessons. I love movies like this; they are entertaining for adults and kids but go deeper than your typical Disney-type movie. They are about something besides how to be cute and having everything in life magically fall into place whether you have put in the time and effort or not, like most Disney movies. This film was effective in engaging two eleven-year-olds, two fifty-two-year-olds, and a sixty-one-year-old, which is not bad....