Archive for the 'Retreats' Category

Podcast 43: Joan Borysenko and Gordon Dveirin on “Your Soul’s Compass”

Published at March 16, 2008 in Great CDs, Resources, Meditation, Wellness/Fitness, Wonderfully Inspiring DVDs, Retreats, Personal Growth Courses, Podcasts and Great Books. 0 Comments

I first became acquainted with Joan’s work as a result of reading Dr. Herbert Benson’s book the, “Relaxation Response”. I ultimately found out from Joan that she and Dr. Benson co-founded the Mind Body Institute which is part of the Harvard Medical School. Joan is the author of more that 12 best selling books and lectures and facilitates workshops worldwide.

On a recent trip to Boulder, CO, I had the pleasure of meeting Joan along with a couple of her colleagues. We had the opportunity to briefly discuss her new book entitled, “Your Soul’s Compass: What Is Spiritual Guidance?“, co authored with her husband Gordon Dveirin. I must admit that this is one of the best podcasts I have completed, for I was intrigued by the research they both had completed with the Sages to have written this book. They consulted over 27 Sages from diverse wisdom tradition to explore the nature of spirituality guidance. What they found out is that several themes emerged from their research. First, that there’s no map no definitive “10 steps” for the journey of becoming fully human–what Joan and Gordon call Homo sapiens caritas ( a person of wisdom and compassion). But what they did find out is that there are guiding principles that can help us recognize whether or not we’re on the right track. The capacities for stillness, curiosity, comfort and uncertainty cultivate receptivity, rather than reinforcing secular or religious fundamentalism that promote rigid, in-the-box thinking.

I welcome you to join with me in listening to this wonderfully enlightening podcast with Dr. Joan Borysenko and Gordon Dveirin on, “Your Soul’s Compass”. During this podcast I explore with Joan and Gordon insightful questions about what the Sages taught them and how we can apply this wisdom and understanding to our everyday life. So if you are seeking greater understanding about your path of mastery, then this podcast is a must listen.

Dr. Joan BorysenkoI also encourage you to to visit Joan’s web site by clicking here. There you can learn about her books, CD’s, workshops appearances and subscribe to her newsletter. So sit back relax and enjoy our interview on “Your Soul’s Journey”

Want more resources and information on personal growth? Try the resources page.

Podcast 33: Vision Walk with Brandt Morgan

Published at December 28, 2007 in Podcasts, Personal Growth Courses, Retreats and Great Books. 0 Comments

I have to say that Brandt Morgan and his, “Vision Walk” process is incredibly powerful. I recently went to a spiritual retreat in Virgina and read the book on the plane. I followed the advice that Brandt outlines in the book by asking a question prior to my meditation, then went into meditation and let spirit do the rest. During the meditation I found myself very peaceful and without any distraction. Upon rising from the meditation Brandt suggests that you go on a walk and listen to Spirit. I just happen to be in one of the most beautiful parts of the country and took an hour walk in the woods. I had never had an experience like the one I experienced on the walk. I was being guided by Spirit throughout the walk, about a very important project that had been on my mind. I am now consumed by “Heartfelt Connections” which is a project that has been divinely manifested.

Not only did Spirit speak with me, she gave me advice in detail as to what I was suppose to be doing with this project. The advice was so descriptive in detail that after the walk, I went back to my cabin at the retreat center and started recording what I had been told. When I was completed with the process I had over nine pages of detailed information to proceed forward manifesting my “Heartfelt Connections” project. If you would like to learn more about this project please click here for a link to our web site or read my blog entry by clicking here.

Brandt MorganIn all my years of personal growth and study I have never had a process that has so strongly connected me to Spirit as did the Vision Walk that Brandt Morgan outlines in his book. I highly recommend his book, retreats and learning more about this wonderful spiritual process. Please check out Brandt’s web site by clicking here and definitely purchase his book.

Want more resources and information on personal growth? Try the resources page.

Podcast 32: Meditation and Mind Chatter with Bill Harris

Published at December 28, 2007 in Meditation, Resources, Podcasts, Retreats and Great Books. 0 Comments

Bill Harris is the director of Centerpointe Research Institute in Portland OR. He is the originator of a method of meditation called, “Holosync”, which is being practiced and used by thousands of people today.  Centerpointe Research Institute had its modest beginnings in the fall of 1989. Bill Harris and Wes Wait, both with a long-term interest in meditation and personal growth, had spent the previous four years with a small circle of friends researching and personally experiencing the effects of what later evolved into Centerpointe Research Institute’s Holosync® audio technology.

The idea of using precise sounds to alter a listener’s state of mind came from a 1973 article in Scientific American by researcher Dr. Gerald Oster of Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York. In this article, “Auditory Beats in the Brain,” Oster describes a characteristic of the brain wherein electrical brain wave patterns resonate to certain precise frequencies when presented with audio tones of certain frequencies.

As long-time practitioners of Transcendental Meditation, Harris and Wait were familiar with research done in the 1970s establishing a relationship between specific brain wave patterns and a variety of states including those of meditation, superlearning, increased focus and concentration, and enhanced creativity.

After four years of personal experimentation, during which those in the research group experienced what could only be described as profound mental, emotional and spiritual changes, Harris and Wait decided to create a structured method for using Holosync, and in 1989 they began marketing this program to the general public. With electronic tone generators and frequency counters borrowed from a local university, the master soundtracks were recorded for a series of 13 program levels, each more powerful than the last.

The initial idea was to re-create, with modern high-tech methods, the meditation experience usually reserved to those dedicated few willing to meditate many hours each day for many years. To recreate the second ingredient of the meditation process—the “rescripting” that takes place as meditators reach an altered, meditative state and then reprogram their unconscious mind through mantras, affirmations, or prayers—they added, beginning with the second level of the program, silent affirmations chosen by the participant and recorded in his or her own voice, and delivered using Centerpointe’s proprietary Autofonix® silent messaging technology.

The results were spectacular and participant feedback extremely positive. Participants reported a dramatic acceleration of positive results in their meditation practice, often reporting more change in a single year of the Centerpointe program than in ten or fifteen years of traditional meditation.

Today, Centerpointe has grown to be one of the largest personal growth companies in the world, with program participants in 172 countries.

Bill HarrisI hope that you enjoy this interesting and informative podcast with a man who has revolutionized the art of meditation. If you would like to learn more about Bill Harris and the Centerpointe Research Institute please click here.

Want more resources and information on personal growth? Try the resources page.

Podcast 28: The Mandala of Being with Dr. Richard Moss

Published at December 17, 2007 in Resources, Podcasts, Personal Growth Courses, Retreats and Great Books. 0 Comments

This is a thoroughly delightful interview with a very insightful and wise man, Dr. Richard Moss. I stumbled upon Richard’s work while I was doing a search in Google. I was fascinated by the information at his site, so I contacted his assistant and we were granted an interview. The focus of this podcast is Richard’s most recent book entitled, “The Mandala of Being: Discovering the Power of Awareness“. This book focuses on the four places our mind goes to when we leave the “now”, specifically; the past, the future, judgment of ourselves and judgment of others. Richard also shows us the way home by teaching ways to stay fully present which in turn leads to a life of authenticity.

Drawing from his own profound self-realization and more that three decades of working with people of diverse backgrounds, Richard encourages and accompanies the reader on a journey toward freedom from fear and any other limiting or threatening feelings. Deep self-understanding, inner ease, spontaneous healing, more fulfilling relationships, and enhanced creativity, are all wonderful blessings that can arise from reading and reflecting on the, “The Mandala of Being: Discovering the Power of Awareness“.

I know you will enjoy this podcast with a wonderfully warm man who has the ability to show you how to attain what he refers to as “radical aliveness”. Where the mind is silent and the body is filled with presence and a new enthusiasm for living is born. He discusses simple practices that meet the challenges of maintaining the aliveness in daily life without requiring the presence of a teacher or special sacred environment to gain this aliveness.

Richard MossI highly recommend this book and the workshops that Richard facilitates. If you would like to learn more about his on-line courses, books, audio programs and workshops please click here

Want more resources and information on personal growth? Try the resources page.

Podcast 23: Loving What Is with Byron Katie

Published at November 18, 2007 in Wonderfully Inspiring DVDs, Podcasts, Personal Growth Courses, Retreats and Great Books. 1 Comment

It was a pure pleasure interviewing Byron Katie for this podcast. She is engaging, authentic and wise beyond her years. Her book, “Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life“, is the focus of this podcast, and I think you will find our interview together to flow in complete harmony.

Katie’s personal story on how she came about doing what she refers to as, “The Work,” is quite fascinating. I ask her during our interview to give a little history on how she came upon “The Work” and her personal revolutions. The dialogue that I engaged in with Katie was open, loving and downright beautiful. When I finished our interview, I knew that I had been touched by a very special soul.

We discuss the four questions that can change your life. And those questions are, Is it true? Can you absolutely know that it is true? How do you react when you think that thought? Who would you be without the thought? If there are any issues in your life that are unresolved and are challenging you, Katie asks you to ask yourself the preceding questions. Her book is filled with wonderful stories of individuals who were stuck and as a result of going through “The Work” were able to transform and re-frame their current stories and see their issues and circumstances from a new light.

To do “The Work” is quite a spiritual process. If you visit Katie’s web site you can watch video’s of her interacting with various individuals that volunteer to have her work with them. As Katie starts asking them these very important questions you can actually watch them transform right before your eyes. “The Work” is powerful and transforming, and does not have to be done with Katie. As a matter of fact she points out that anyone anywhere can ask these questions and it will shift their perspective about the issues or problems they might be faced with.

Once you are willing to re-frame your issues and see them from a different perspective your whole world becomes free and filled with light. You feel like a 50 lb weight has been lifted from your chest and you can breathe again. Everything in your world looks new, exciting and life is fun again.

Byron KatieI encourage everyone to read “Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life” for it will have a profound impact on how you view your current life challenges. The stories of the individuals and reading how Katie guides them through “The Work” are wonderfully revealing, and will provide you with a prospective on just how powerful this work is. If you would like to learn more about “The Work” then go to Katie’s web site by clicking here. You will find information on upcoming workshops, her books, and talks.

Want more resources and information on personal growth? Try the resources page.

Podcast 14: Mind Fitness Frontier-Joel and Michelle Levey

Published at September 20, 2007 in Social Change Agents, Consulting Organizations, Wellness/Fitness, Podcasts, Personal Growth Courses, Retreats, Mentors and Great Books. 2 Comments

If you have not already figured it out, I usually have a meaningful connection with the people I interview for the blog podcasts from previous encounters I have had through my various journeys in life. There’s no exception to this rule with this latest podcast, for these guests are wonderful people and true mentors of mine.

Dr's Joel and Michelle LeveyI first encountered Dr’s Joel and Michelle Levey through a connection I made as a result of research I was conducting in the area of mindfulness and meditation in the workplace. I happen to stumble upon their web site at Wisdom at Work. I was totally fascinated by the work they were carrying out in the workplace and the results they had achieved with various organizations, groups and thousands of employees. I remember my first encounter with Joel was a phone call to their office to inquire about their book and the research they had conducted. My call was received with such a kind reception and open heart, that immediately I knew that not only did Joel and Michelle practice what they preached, but that they were the real deal.

I remember discussing a consulting case I was involved in with Qualcomm, and that the Levey’s work in the area of mindfulness and meditation just might be a perfect match. Qualcomm was experiencing internal challenges with their employees as a result of performance pressures and expectations from management. I worked with my contact at Qualcomm and he agreed that we should have the Levey’s come to San Diego and put on a presentation. The title of the workshop was “Resilience: a Tool Kit for Living and Working with Balance in Turbulent Times”, and it was a roaring success. The coordinator at Qualcomm called me almost everyday stating that so many people had signed up and that this workshop had topped any of his previous workshops. Within two days he had over 144 people registered and he was uncertain how he was going to facilitate the program because the room scheduled for the venue was not going to be able to house that many attendees. We ultimately had to re-schedule into two separate days along with a closed circuit live TV that was broadcast to all Qualcomm facilities.

The Levey’s book “Living in Balance: A Dynamic Approach for Creating Harmony & Wholeness in a Chaotic World” is the cornerstone for much of their work in the fields of meditation and mindfulness. They also have released a new book entitled” Luminous Mind: Meditation And Mind Fitness, which I can highly recommend as well.

I have learned a tremendous amount about mediation and mindfulness from Joel and Michelle and I am forever grateful for all of the wonderful times that I have spent with them in mediation retreats on the Orcas Islands in Washington’s Puget Sound. Each summer for the last six years my family and I have been attending the Levey’s mediation retreats at Camp Indralaya in the Orcas Islands and the experience has truly been blissful. I would stongly encourage the readers of my blog and listeners to my podcast to attend. If you are interested in going deeper into mediation or learning more about mindfulness, contact Joel and Michelle and sign up for one of their lovely retreats.

I have been so amazed at my own personal progress and transformation as a result of my years of mediation practice and my periodic work during the meditation retreats with Joel and Michelle, that we decided to create a course for the Digital Seed learning platform called “Mind Fitness.” If you would like to learn more about this Internet based learning module please visit the Digital Seed web site for a preview of the upcoming Mind Fitness Module. You will find the preview of the Digital Seed software and Mind Fitness module by pressing here.

Dr's Joel and Michelle LeveyI hope you enjoy this podcast with Dr’s Joel and Michelle Levey. It was a pleasure having the opportunity to interview them, for I learn something new each time we speak.

Want more resources and information on personal growth? Try the resources page.

Podcast 9: “One” The Art and Practice of Conscious Leadership with Lance Secretan

Published at August 20, 2007 in Social Change Agents, Leadership Courses, Podcasts, Personal Growth Courses, Retreats, Mentors and Great Books. 1 Comment

Lance Secretan Book - One: The Art and Practice of Conscious LeadershipI first met Lance Secretan many years ago at a Spirit in Business conference in Santa Fe, NM. I remember being quite impressed with his presentation on the CASTLE principals. In my podcast with Lance we discuss the CASTLE principals in depth. CASTLE is an acronym which stands for Courage, Authenticity, Service, Truthfulness, Love and Effectiveness. These principals may sound simple in concept, but not as easy to integrate into our lives and businesses.

The focus of his new book is about the new leader for the 21st century. Lance discusses how we have become detached from our innate sense of oneness which creates “separateness thinking.” He explains how this separateness thinking has created many of the problems both in our business and personal lives. One: The Art and Practice of Conscious Leadership will help the reader explore new refreshing ideas about leadership and find ways to create a greater sense of connectedness. Understanding the CASTLE principles has lead many to exceptional personal growth, and has transformed the lives of thousands. If you would like to lead your life more consciously and become more connected to the people at your work and at home, One: The Art and Practice of Conscious Leadership outlines the principles of Courage, Authenticity, Service, Truthfulness, Love and Effectiveness and they are definitely worth reviewing and considering for integration into your personal values as a leader.

I love how Lance ends his book with an invitation to join his community. He quotes the lines by John Lennon’s ode to oneness, Imagine:

You may say I’m a dreamer,
but I’m not the only one,

I hope some day you’ll join us,
And the world will live as one.

Lance SecretanIf you want to reawaken personally as a leader and build strong communities of support and oneness, then Lance’s book “One” The Art and Practice of Conscious Leadership is a must read. For more information on Lance Secretan’s workshops, retreats and blog please visit his website.

Want more resources and information on personal growth? Try the resources page.