what is spiritual coaching (spiritual direction)?
Spiritual Coaching, or traditionally called Spiritual Direction, is an ancient practice common to almost all spiritual traditions, Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, Islamic and Taoist, in which individuals seeking guidance meet with a trusted guide or mentor to explore the significant spiritual questions of one’s life. In the ancient Celtic Church, this guide was called an AnamCara, or “Soul Friend” who often took the form of a priest or monastic with whom an individual seeking guidance would meet privately to discuss matters of the spirit.
"Sometimes [doing Inner-Work] will stir up old memories and emotions, and it is a good idea to have someone with whom you can process what arises."
~ Chelsea Wakefield, LCSW
Author of Negotiating the Inner Peace Treaty; Becoming the Person You Were Born to Be
~ Chelsea Wakefield, LCSW
Author of Negotiating the Inner Peace Treaty; Becoming the Person You Were Born to Be
spiritual direction with a mindfulness focus
Thirteenth century Zen Master Eihei Dogen wrote...
"To study Zen is to study the self; to study the self is to forget the self; to forget the self is to enlightened by the ten-thousand things."
Pointing at the same truth, beloved Cistercian monk and author Thomas Merton wrote...
"In silence we face and admit the gap between the depth of our being, which we consistently ignore, and the surface which is untrue to our own reality. We recognize the need to be at home with ourselves in order that we may go out to meet others, not just with a mask of affability, but with real commitment and authentic love."
"To study Zen is to study the self; to study the self is to forget the self; to forget the self is to enlightened by the ten-thousand things."
Pointing at the same truth, beloved Cistercian monk and author Thomas Merton wrote...
"In silence we face and admit the gap between the depth of our being, which we consistently ignore, and the surface which is untrue to our own reality. We recognize the need to be at home with ourselves in order that we may go out to meet others, not just with a mask of affability, but with real commitment and authentic love."
Mindfulness-Focused Spiritual Direction attends to "the gap" that Merton speaks to in the quote above - the gap between our deepest, truest Self and the superficial masks we present to the world. Mindfulness-Focused Spiritual Direction is an exploration of who each person is at their core level in order to bring that True Self into focus, into empowerment, and into fullness of life and expression.
To help facilitate this important, Inner-Work, Mindfulness-Focused Spiritual Direction keeps these traditional practices at the center of the Spiritual Direction process...
~ meditation,
~ breathwork,
~ mindfulness,
~ active imagination,
~ creative expression,
~ myth and meaning,
~ healing and transformation.
To help facilitate this important, Inner-Work, Mindfulness-Focused Spiritual Direction keeps these traditional practices at the center of the Spiritual Direction process...
~ meditation,
~ breathwork,
~ mindfulness,
~ active imagination,
~ creative expression,
~ myth and meaning,
~ healing and transformation.
"When we are not afraid to enter into our own center and to concentrate on the stirrings of our own soul, we come to know that being alive means being loved."
~ Henri Nouwen
Author of The Wounded Healer
~ Henri Nouwen
Author of The Wounded Healer
If you are interested in experiencing Spiritual Direction;
Or if you have questions about the practice of meditation;
Or if you have questions regarding individual or group dream work;
Or if you would like to schedule a class, workshop or retreat;
Please visit the CONTACT page and send me an e-mail.
Or if you have questions about the practice of meditation;
Or if you have questions regarding individual or group dream work;
Or if you would like to schedule a class, workshop or retreat;
Please visit the CONTACT page and send me an e-mail.