11 results for tag: Spiritual Practice


9 Signs You’ve Done Your Shadow Work

What are the signs you've done your shadow work? None of them constantly quote famous authors, Gurus, and teachers. None of them tell anybody who listens or reads that they must do their shadow work. None of them use their spiritual knowledge as a marketing technique for economic success. None of them believe that they know the singular "right way" to lead a spiritually guided life. None of them claim that they have "completed" their shadow work....

Thich Nhat Hanh Passed To The Next Dimension

There are about two handfuls of people who have shaped the course of my life beyond friends and family. Tich Nhat Hanh was one of them. We can add Martin Luther King Jr., Dalai Lama, Louise HayThomas Merton, Mevlana Julaluddin Rumi, G.I. Gurdjieff, John Lennon , Mikao Usui, Mahatma Gandhi, and my former Teacher and Mentor Rev Betsy Browder. to this list. Today he passed to the next dimension. He and Louise Hay are where my journey into meditation began in 1990. There were not many books one could find on meditation at the time. Peace Is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh, and You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay are the two that made the most sense to me. I felt like they were key to a door that I somehow knew existed without any rhyme or reason to think there was such a door. I do not think I am being theatrical in saying that they saved my life. ...

Is The Spiritual Movement Counter-Productive?

When you think about the current spiritual movement, what image or images come into your mind's eye? Do you think of a specific style or fashion? Who does your mind create as "spiritual"? What do they look and talk like? What color skin or body type do they have? What jargon do they use to tell you how "spiritual" they are? I have been fascinated and, at times, felt saddened by how spirituality has become more of an industry than a practice. My Teacher always used to say to me whenever I thought I was becoming "spiritual," which still sticks with me today, especially in regard to how I market and promote my professionalism in private practice. She would say, "Michael, you need to keep your practice in the basement". I knew she was not literally referring to me setting up an office or a place to meditate in the basement; although I have done that before, she meant that I need to stay vigilant about thinking I have arrived and/or I am special. This does not mean I am any less special than anyone else. I am special in my way as you are special in your way, as equals, not more or less special. The ego is relentless in its pursuit of creating an illusion in our minds that we "know something" that others do not know, or, in more current lingo, that we are "woke." Is The Spiritual Movement Counter-Productive? - Providence Holistic Counseling Services ...

We Can Still Be Crazy – Pema Chodron

We can practice meditation, Yoga, and Qi Gong every single day and night, and we can still be crazy! We can still be crazy if we practice all of the above, eat organic "healthy" foods, take herbs, and drink kombucha daily, and we can still be crazy. We can meet with an acknowledged expert in therapy or counseling, and we can still be crazy. In fact, it is possible that we may even become crazier if we diligently commit to these practices and follow them up with a 7-day cleanse and a weekly water fast. Nothing can guarantee that we will not be crazy. Nothing. Is the goal not to be crazy or to live an amazingly imperfect life that we get to be ourselves on a regular basis? Would you agree to practice daily if you knew you would never stop being crazy, BUT you would begin accepting yourself for who you really are? If you are curious about how we can still be crazy after daily meditation for years or decades, and that is OK, I invite you to read this short essay by Pema Chodron below. If you are unfamiliar with her and her work, please follow the link in the previous sentence; she is a living gem!We Can Still Be Crazy - Pema Chodron - Michael Swerdloff - Providence Holistic Counseling, Coaching and Reiki ...

Three Ways to Practice Forgiveness Meditation

Do you practice forgiveness? When was the last time that you felt as if you were betrayed or disrespected by someone in your life? What did you silently, or not so silently, need on a deep, core level?

Tich Nhat Hahn Interview with Oprah Winfrey

This is a beautiful Tich Nhat Hahn Interview with Oprah Winfrey. Tich Nhat Hahn is one of the great Teachers of our time. For those who do not know of him,  Tich Nhat Hahn has been nominated for the Nobel Prize for Peace and an anti-war activist during the Vietnam War, which is his native land. He has taught me many things about meditation and mindfulness. He has several monastic communities around the world, with the head Temple named Plum Village in Southeast France. Martin Luther King Jr. called Tich That Hahn, "an apostle of peace and nonviolence". Tich Nhat Hahn Interview with Oprah Winfrey - Providence Life Coachi and Reiki Counselor ...

Spiritual Bypassing, Relationships and The Shadow

I first started becoming aware of spiritual bypassing a few years ago. My eyes opened wide as I was reading the page in front of me. "A spiritual bypass or spiritual bypassing is a "tendency to use spiritual ideas and practices to sidestep or avoid facing unresolved emotional issues, psychological wounds, and unfinished developmental tasks" John Welwood & Tina Fossella. This was it! This was the thing I had been aware of for years in myself and others that I had not known what it was or how to describe it! I was so excited that there really was such a "thing," and it had a name. I have cut out parts of the article below, but most of the content on spiritual bypassing is included.
Spiritual Bypassing, Relationships and The Shadow - Providence Holistic Counseling Services...