Transformation Coaching Magazine August 2022 by Transformation Coaching Magazine

COACHING AND BUSINESS TOOLS Rising Star Coach: Jovita Routzong Getting Your Business off the Ground

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INSPIRATION & GROWTH Don’t Give Up Moving Beyond Worry The Power of Community The Power of YOU! Who Needs Need? The Twelfth Pathway Let Joy Enter Your Heart Your Last Bad Day… Yoga? It Depends

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FEED YOUR SPIRIT The Good News About Karma

PUBLISHERS Natalie Rivera Joeel A. Rivera, M.Ed.

EDITOR Lisa Cedrone

CONTRIBUTORS Nicole Shir, Mary Boutillier, Linda Commito, Lillian Victoria, Jowanna Daley, Owen Waters, Gregg Sanderson, Clare Care, Emil Nazaryan, Jo Mooy

We believe that self-employment is the ultimate form of empowerment. Our mission is to bring you guests whose powerful entrepreneurship stories and real-world advice will give you the inspiration and tools to create a business and life that you love.

Listen on our website or your favorite podcast app or watch the video version on our YouTube channel.

Rising Star Coach: Jovita Routzong

Here at Transformation Academy we are excited to announce our January’s Transformation Academy Rising Star – Jovita Routzong! Our goal with this initiative is to recognize and celebrate group membership who demonstrate the heart and service of a coach. Each monthly recipient of this recognition will be selected for a unique reason. Some will be seasoned coaches who serve as valuable mentors within the group. Others may be just starting their coach-training journey and exude a contagious attitude or passion. Others may be actively supporting other group members, whether by providing resources, answering common questions, or providing moral support. Regardless of each of our wonderful group members’ background or experience, we all benefit from the mutual support and varied perspectives offered within this diverse group! The Rising Star initiative is a way to give a special THANK YOU to those who go above and beyond to share of themselves within this community.

ABOUT JOVITA:

Jovita Routzong, Richmond, TX Achieving Success with Faith

“Learn how to lead like Jesus—lead yourself first before you can lead others.” Jovita Routzong is a Christian Success and Entrepreneurship Coach, and an IT professional who helps small to big

b usinesses in their digital transformation. She is an immigrant from the Philippines since 1995, living with her supportive husband and two beautiful girls. Jovita believes that among all, faith breeds success. Your mindset, attitude, and action are just secondary to faith. Having strong faith is having a strong foundation for every level of success. In her leisure time, Jovita loves reading, singing karaoke, playing golf, video-chatting with her family back home, and having some quiet time for reflection. Her motto: “Seek God in everything you do, and success will follow.” Connect with Jovita at https://www.jovitaroutzong.com/

WHAT IS YOUR NICHE (COACHING FOCUS) AND HOW DID YOU CHOOSE IT? Spiritual, Mindset, and Entrepreneurship coaching.

WHO IS YOUR IDEAL CLIENT?

Christian working parents who want to live a joyous life by building a job-replacing business to spend more time helping their Christian communities.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME A LIFE COACH?

I have humble beginnings and have reached successes that I can share with others. Coming from a very poor family, I

have learned how I can be an inspiration to others by sharing my experiences on how I overcame the ups and downs of being a young girl traveling at age 17, and how I navigated through life and reached the high points of my life to this day.

while I was growing up. I know my children have great leadership skills as mentors as well.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN COACHING?

So far, I have been really lucky with my clients. They are very easy to work with. As for many other coaches, I think the most challenging part is for our clients to take action. However, as a coach, I understand that everything is a process, and I let them know that everything happens in God's time, not ours.

Professionally, I have been coaching since 2015 when I started my online business. However, I didn’t get certified not till I found Transformation Academy (TA). It’s been a great learning platform for me and other coaches alike. Honestly, everyone should enroll in TA even if one doesn’t want to be a coach professionally, but to help learn about themselves and how they can help, motivate, or inspire others.

HOW DID YOU GET YOUR FIRST CLIENT?

I got my first client when I shared my results on one of the online marketing platforms I subscribe to. People reached out to me and asked how I got those results. And that has been one of the best strategies I use to attract clients.

HOW HAS YOUR COACHING JOURNEY CHANGED YOUR LIFE?

It has definitely changed my life tremendously. It has allowed me to discover myself along the way, and I also learned how to respond to others, learning how and why they act the way they do. And being a parent, coaching has helped me to deal with my growing children and teach them how to be a better version of themselves. I wish I had the same guidance

WHAT IS THE MOST CHALLENGING PART OF BEING A LIFE COACH?

WHAT IS THE MOST FULFILLING PART OF BEING A LIFE COACH?

The most fulfilling part is when I know that they have moved a needle, even just a little, from where they were to where they want to go. And that they’re happy with the results, irrespective of how big or how small.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR MOST INSPIRATIONAL COACHING MOMENT, WITH A CLIENT?

The most inspirational one was my most recent one— who is a filmmaker. He created a film interviewing people with near-death experiences. He was inspired to create that film when he was at the bottom of his life, deep in depression. He was referred to me by a friend and I helped him with increasing his social media exposure and social media branding.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE COACHING ACTIVITY OR EXERCISE TO DO WITH CLIENTS?

My favorite coaching activity with my clients is creating the before, during, and after results. Creating charts to see their metrics of progress. It’s a fun activity, and they learn some Excel skills in the process!

WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST EFFECTIVE STRATEGY FOR FINDING CLIENTS AND/OR GROWING YOUR BUSINESS?

As I tell my clients, I don’t try to get clients just to get clients. I’d rather have just a handful of clients, but the ones I can work with. My top three effective ways are referrals, posting content on social media (attraction marketing), and running ads. I do have a blog site where I create content

and share them on social media. I am currently working on my new membership site.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOURSELF BACK WHEN YOU FIRST DREAMED OF BECOMING A COACH?

Learn how to lead like Jesus—lead yourself first before you can lead others.

WHAT IS THE IMPACT YOU WANT TO MAKE IN THIS WORLD?

With all the negativity in today’s world, I believe we have to encourage others to lead with morals, get back to basics on reading the Bible, and share them with people, especially Christian entrepreneurs. As Christians, it’s our obligation to share God's words.

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Don’t Give Up

When your dreams don’t go according to plan, it’s time to rewire the negative patterns from our past. By Nicole Shir “I have a dream.” But what happens when that dream falls apart or doesn’t come to pass right away or, when it does, it doesn’t look right? I remember my senior year in high school, the challenges and struggles I faced because I have a learning disability. During that time, the only thing they really knew about learning disabilities was to pretty much label all of them as dyslexia. That wasn’t what I had—and that wasn’t the only challenge I had. Yet there was one thing that made my life bearable, music. I was a very talented singer. But my choir teacher didn’t like me; she was known in the district for not liking certain kids. The students she didn’t like she would sabotage. I was one of those kids. She would encourage others in the choir to pick on me. It was so bad my mother had to have a meeting with the principal about the situation. Years later, I spoke with the wife of a friend who told me she had a reputation for this behavior in the school district. The choir teacher not liking me was yet another high school obstacle. My junior year, I was hit by a drunk driver. As a result, I had a lot of pain in my jaw my senior year of high school. The choir teacher would often say open your mouth wider Nicole. I was in the school nurse’s office constantly, and she knew me by first name. But I couldn’t give up singing; it was my only lifeline in high school, and I wanted a chance to compete at the state level. During Christmas vacation, I had surgery on my jaw and took that time to

recover. When I came back to school, I spoke with my choir teacher about what category to put me in and how I wanted to succeed. She had other plans in mind. When the competition for state came around, she made sure I was in the wrong category. She put her non-favorites in soprano—the hardest category. I am not a soprano, I am a mezzo soprano, and her favorites always went into the mezzo soprano category so they could have a better chance at going to state. However, her plans were thwarted. The judges heard my voice and sent me to state. I ended up being one of the top sopranos in the State of Oregon after jaw surgery. When people would hear me sing, the common thing I would hear them say is, “She sounds like an angel.” There is a reason I share this almost-shattering dream story. Fast-forward nearly 30 years later: I am getting ready for my first TEDx talk, a dream come true! It is a virtual event. I don’t have a lot of time to prepare. My host has asked me to do the impossible, speak on four items in 14 minutes and have it ready to go in less than a week. I am a very committed person, and I wanted to do everything I could to make it as easy as possible for my host, so I hired people to help make the video. Right before I was about to record my talk, I felt something shift and I couldn’t explain it—but something felt different. In retrospect, I believe it happened because I didn’t take care of the negative experiences from my past. When we got to the event, the video that I submitted was not the same video. A logo was covering my face during

many parts of the talk, my lips were not in sync to the words, and there was talking in the background during parts of my video. I was mortified. After that, I had to go back and get a new video made and edited, and there were problems with that as well. My TEDx almost didn’t get released; it felt like high school and the choir teacher situation all over again. I was exhausted and feeling like a deflated balloon. When we have heightened emotions they attach to memories, which can then formulate patterns that we recreate. It doesn’t mean that it is anyone’s fault. It means we need to go in and rewire to change those patterns. In those feeling moments, I had choices to make: hate myself, quit (which I almost did), blame the host, or work on my energy to rewire my thought patterns. I chose to rewire my emotions, my thought patterns, because knew I didn’t want this to happen again. I used DBT (dialectical behavioral therapy)—specifically “opposite emotion” or going against what you are feeling—to help cope with the difficult emotions. Another aspect of DBT that helped is putting an order to self-respect and the relationship or the objective. In this case, it was objective (saving relationships because my coach and others were involved) and then selfrespect. I also used meditation, self-care, and EFT (emotionally focused therapy), which then gave me the ability to use my personality communication model, The Needs Languages.* I knew the host wasn’t out to get me. I knew he was doing the best job he could. I also knew my dream was too important to let go. I needed to fight for it

so that my past memories and emotional traumas didn’t take that dream from me. That ghosts from the past couldn’t have what was mine. And, in reality, the past didn’t take my dream. I overcame, went to state, and did the impossible in high school—but I had to remember the outcome instead of getting stuck in the emotions of the trauma

along the way. I realized my dream is worth it because it is going to help a lot of people. But I had to ask myself, is it worth it? Yes it is! When challenges and storms come across your path and overshadow your dream, look past the clouds and see the silver lining. See the challenges as opportunities. See that you can make

it through it. See the rainbow after the storm, and share it with others because it just might inspire someone else to chase their impossible dream. *Author’s Note: You can find out more about The Needs Languages by viewing my TEDx talk on YouTube: https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=GpPCxbKp4KA

Nicole Shir did her undergraduate degree minoring in business and conflict resolution and completed her master’s in industrial organizational psychology. She has several certifications including Life Coaching. On a road trip with her co-collaborator, “The Needs Languages” was discovered. Nicole discovered that many of the personalities models currently available do not address how personalities communicate and connect with each other and in community. Since then, she has written three booklets. Find out more at http://www.Amazon.com. She currently offers The Needs Languages: Bringing Balance & Belonging in Dating on Kindle Unlimited for free on Amazon. Find out more at https://www.thesevencandles.com/

Moving Beyond Worry

Photo Credit: Unsplash/Ivana Cajina

The key to finding joy and contentment is to be mindful without obsessing over the what-if’s. By Mary Boutieller “Watch out for snakes!” said the woman as she passed by us on a beautiful, blue sky morning. She didn’t provide any other information, like how close or far away those snakes were from us. Just a random warning from a random stranger on a hiking trail that we have traveled a dozen times or more. As avid hikers, John and I are well aware of potential dangers. We know that bears are more active during certain times of the year; ticks too. We know that water crossings can be slippery and that the weather can change on a dime. We carry a first aid kit, bring plenty of water, and have backups, just in case. Then we tuck away all that information somewhere in the recesses our brains so that we have it if needed. What we don’t do is constantly think about the “what-if’s” because, if we did, we wouldn’t enjoy being out in nature. After the woman walked by, I noticed that I became more vigilant about the possibility of a snake encounter. I made more noise, used my walking stick to sweep the grass in front of me, and

t otally missed the beautiful purple spiderwort flowers in bloom. In other words, I found myself worrying about something that might never happen instead of being in the present moment. Yet the woods have a way of calming the mind and opening it at the same time. As I started to relax again, I thought about how the national news warns us about things which often don’t come to fruition. I thought about how movies portray people along stereotypical lines, making us suspicious of others; how we allow political jargon to define and divide us; and how the continuous warnings of a lifetime to be careful, watch out for strangers, and trust no one but family (one of my mom’s favorites) can affect us. It’s no wonder we are always on alert. Our worlds are full of possibilities, yet often we only hear the warnings. What I realized on that beautiful, blue sky morning, is that I’ve been hiking long enough to know what to be mindful of without obsessing over the what-if’s. And I’ve lived long enough to know that there will be unexpected perils over which I have little control. We can’t prepare for

everything. We can, however, educate ourselves—through knowledge, experience and with others, tuck that information where it can be accessed if needed, then do our best to see what is right in front of us. It’s not that we disregard important information; instead we keep things in perspective so that it doesn’t consume us. Think about it this way: If we are constantly looking at the clouds and wondering if it will rain, we will surely miss the colors of the rainbow just beyond our view. Finding the balance between too much and too little might just be the key to finding joy and contentment in this one phenomenal life we have to live. So take a moment and think about all the amazing people in your life. Seek out activities that make you smile and take time to breathe. Watch shows, read and do things that inspire you to be a better version of your already stunning self. And the next time you find yourself worried about something that hasn’t happened yet, find some perspective. Go for a walk, pick up the phone, smile; then feel your whole soul lighten up. And ask yourself this: “How many ‘snakes’ are you looking for unnecessarily?”

The Yoga of Life with Mary Boutieller Mary Boutieller is a Registered Yoga Teacher through Yoga Alliance. She has been teaching yoga since 2005. Her work experience includes 22 years as a firefighter/paramedic and 10 years as a Licensed Massage Therapist. Mary’s knowledge and experience give her a well-rounded understanding of anatomy, alignment, health and movement in the body. She is passionate about the benefits of yoga and the ability to heal at all levels through awareness, compassion, and a willingness to explore. She can be reached at: SimplyogaOm@gmail.com.

Photo Credit: Unsplash/Les Argonautes

The Power of Community

Walking on the 400-plus-mile Camino de Santiago trail in Spain. 14

“In community, we can do just about anything!” —Mary Boutieller By Linda Commito I first met Transformation Coaching Magazine contributor Mary Boutieller and her husband John while writing stories on kindness for my book, Love is the New Currency. You may remember them as the “Firefighters with Compassion” who went to Nicaragua to bring muchneeded equipment and training to support a local community. They, and 12 other Sarasota, FL-based firefighters, not only helped by contributing a week of their time, experience and resources, but also spent heart-wrenching days to help families living in a Managua dump. They shoveled dirt and poured concrete to lay a foundation for Villa Esperanza, a home for 72 girls. As Mary put it: “We did anything they asked us to do, as hard as we could and as best we could.” Our paths have crossed many times over the following years, and although John and Mary have retired as firefighters, their lives and commitment to their community is inspirational. Most recently, Mary’s yoga students—of which I am lucky to be one—helped to raise money for a local food bank, as well as for the people of Ukraine. Now, they are embarking on a bigger venture with a mission to honor, connect and support a community that saved John’s life. I hope that after reading Mary’s letter, you will open your heart and help to demonstrate the power of a community in action. Dear Wonderful Friends, I want to tell you a story of the hands that lifted me up, and to ask for your help. Six years ago, John and I embarked on a hiking trip across Spain. We set out on the 400-plus mile pilgrim trail known as the Camino de Santiago. We wanted to see the country, meet people from all over the world, and

reconnect to our spirits. We were over 200 miles into our journey when John started feeling ill. We laid low for a few days, but he only got worse. A doctor’s visit, a few unsuspecting angels and a fast taxi ride later, and John was in a hospital in Leon having emergency surgery for a ruptured appendix. He spent 10 days there and was able to fully recover. After John’s discharge, we flew back home as soon as he was able to travel again. To say that there were angels watching over us would be an understatement. There were so many chance meetings, individual kindnesses and caring acts that combined to save John’s life and lift me up in one of my darkest hours. That unfinished journey and our experience with the people there has never left us. Now it’s time for us to return and finish what we started. But our return to the Camino is more than completing a hike that was cut short. We want it to be a celebration of those helping hands that lift all of us up. In September, we will head back to Spain, visit the hospital in Leon, and walk 200 miles on the Camino Primitivo, a less-traveled and more mountainous path. Then we’ll go to Portugal, rent bicycles, and ride 174 miles on the Camino Portugues. We’ll finish in Santiago de Compostela, where we will give thanks for the amazing people who saved John’s life, and the friends and strangers who saved mine. And here is where we need your help! We believe all of us can make a positive difference in another person’s world. Many of the angels who saved John’s life probably don’t realize how important they were in my life. To pay it forward, we want to dedicate our walk to two amazing organizations and to raise $10,000 or more: Doctors Without Borders brings medical humanitarian assistance to victims of conflict, natural disasters, epidemics or healthcare exclusion. We have a special place in our hearts for the medical staff who saved John’s life, and for all those who do this day after day!

Photo Credit: Unsplash/Max Kukurudziak

SOS Children’s Villages is the world’s largest nongovernmental organization focused on helping children at risk—including those who are homeless, neglected or abused, or who have been affected by natural or manmade disasters. And, we are partnering with Advancing Compassion Project (ACP) to make this a success. ACP has provided invaluable behind-the-scenes help and will match our fundraising, dollar for dollar, up to $10,000! Please help us raise up these two wonderful organizations through this fundraising effort. To me, they do the work of angels by stepping forward to help those most in need.

For more information and to find the link to donate, go to: http://www.helplovegrow.org/critical-care-2022/. We appreciate you in our lives more than you know. In Gratitude Always, Mary and John I hope that you will join us in this opportunity to contribute in any way that you can to do something positive and demonstrate how the power of community can change lives.

Love is the New Currency with Linda Commito Linda Commito, author, speaker, entrepreneur, consultant and teacher, is passionate about her vision to leave this world a kinder, more loving, and interconnected place. Linda’s award-winning book of inspirational stories, Love Is the New Currency, demonstrates how we can each make an extraordinary difference in the lives of others through simple acts of love and kindness. Her latest project, the card game Just Ask 1 2 3, was inspired by a desire to connect people of all different ages, beliefs and lifestyles to share our individuality and find commonality. Linda also created “Kindness Starts with Me,” a program, book and website for children. For more information visit http://www.LoveistheNewCurrency.com or visit the Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/Justask123game.

The Power of YOU!

If you want to change your life, you must start with the end goal in mind. By Lillian Victoria There was a time in the past when I hit rock bottom, and I remember my mentor Bob Proctor said, “What do you want?” At that moment I had no idea what I wanted. I was just in the state of survival and hoping somehow everything would work out. I was operating from a dark place, wandering around, waiting for the light at the end of the tunnel to show me the way. When I started to think about “what I truly wanted in my life,” I started to see hope for the future. As a new single mom, who had just lost everything I spent my whole life building and hit rock bottom, I realized the only place to go from here is up. I was starting from the beginning, so my imagination ran wild as I envisioned all the possibilities and potential for my life. This gave me the passion and drive to strive for success, and I began to put all of my focus into building the life I truly desired. I started to create an image of the life I wanted in my mind, my new family, my son, my home, and my legacy. This mindset shift made me very emotional in the best way possible, and I started to think even bigger. I was so excited and scared at the same time that I felt like my heart almost jumped out of my body. I thought about the life I wanted day in and day out, wrote it down every morning and every night until my idea turned into a theory. Then I started to take action. It became my way of life and my truth. As I started taking steps forward, two things kept consistently showing up: 1. the results I was looking for or 2. a lesson learned for future progress. Whether it was the results from hard work or recovering from a failed attempt at something, I remained grateful because I knew I was moving closer to the life I wanted. I’ve learned everything starts with a thought in my mind, which creates an emotion that drives an action, and the action—through hard work and determination—leads to the desired results. It’s not all fun and games. Creating the life you desire will bring challenging moments, and in those times of need I rely on my faith to push through. I went from losing my marriage, my house, my business and my self-worth, to checking myself into an outpatient program for depression, to scavenging the self-help depths of the Internet. In two years, I’ve rebuilt my life, creating a new identity, bought a beautiful home, built new relationships, and started my business, Awesomeness Lifestyle, at the beginning of a pandemic, when Los Angeles shutdown due to Covid-19. I’ve have helped over 100 people get clear with their vision and live a life of ease by applying the universal laws I use

myself. Every day I wake up living in my truth, with peace and harmony, and my biggest motivation is to always be present and a good role model for my son. First, I want you to know, you can be, do, or have anything—once you decide it’s what you truly want. And second, if you’d like to improve your life significantly, you need a desire so big and inspiring that it pulls you forward each day. This is important because you are focusing on a growth mindset. Instead of just wishing or sitting around feeling fearful, you’ll feel inspired and determined to move forward, despite any obstacles you must overcome to get to your heart’s desire. Since I was raised by a single mother who was emotionally and physically unavailable, my biggest motivation will always be my son, my desire to be a great mother, role model, and to break free from my own limiting beliefs by proving to myself I have what it takes to be a thriving single mom. We all have the desire in us, and, if you don’t know what it is, it’s ok to ask for help. If you want to change your life, you must start with the end goal in mind. Don’t focus on where you are or your current situation. Instead, put your imagination into high gear and think your way into the feelings and conditions you want. I know this is easier said than done. When I was unstable and staying at my friend’s place, I kept visualizing my own home where my son would grow up, lots of pool parties and birthday parties, and all the beautiful memories that we are going to create. Of course, you can’t ignore your current circumstances, that is your reality. You must acknowledge your downfalls, have acceptance for where you are, and believe this is part of the process to grow into your end goal. This is very important because, if you let current obstacles control your thoughts, things CAN NOT improve. So, take your attention off what’s currently going on, and use your will power to focus on what you want. And then….let nature take its course.

Andrew Carnegie said, “Any idea that is held in the mind, that is emphasized, that is either feared or revered, will begin at once to clothe itself in the most convenient and appropriate form available.” 19

That’s because thinking starts a creative process. The key is to stay focused, that’s why the desire is very important in this process. Use your imagination every day to think of what you want, and with time the image will become clear in your mind. Once you have your ideal image clear in your mind, do the following every day: 1) Give yourself ME time. Have time for yourself every day and stay relaxed. Once you’re in a calm state of mind, start to visualize the new image and become emotionally involved in it. This is how your fantasy becomes real in your subconscious mind. 2) When you come back to a normal conscious state, rewrite your image. It is critical that you do this. Each time you rewrite it, it will become clearer. You are moving the picture of what you want more and more from a fantasy to a theory because the image becomes fixed in your mind. In this process you’ll become motivated and start to feel the end result come into fruition. When that happens, the power within you will actually take the image and begin to express it through you, and your theory will become a fact. What was in your mind will manifest into physical form. I’ve taught this process to my clients many times. I’ve used it and imagined myself into my desired life, and I’m still going. I can’t tell you how many people reach their goals even though they didn’t believe it would happen when they first wrote it down. Still, they did as I asked, and kept reading and writing it over and over until they believed it. Then, they attracted it into life. Do it even if you don’t believe it, and keep going! You will be glad you did.

Lillian Victoria is a coach and entertainment professional who works with high-performing entrepreneurs and executives to navigate their setbacks and turn them toward future success. Her company, Awesomeness Lifestyle, uses edu-tainment experiences and content to create a positive impact on people around the world. Find out more at http://www.awesomenesslifestyle.com.

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GETTING YOUR BUSINESS OFF THE GROUND Getting Your Business off the Ground

Three myths to bust when launching your life coaching business. By Jowanna Daley Not too long ago, a fellow Transformation Academy Network Group member asked whether anyone had started a business with one Transformation Academy certification course. Most people were puzzled and probably thought it was a trick question. Could you start coaching and technically build a business with one class, perhaps? I started giving workshops with my first one, which was the Life Purpose certification course. But we know there are many factors that go into answering this question. Which course did you take? What business knowledge do you have? What is your business model? What is your definition of a business? And so many other questions. It can quickly get overwhelming. The world needs life coaches, and we can’t afford to lose anyone who is soulfully called down this path. So, let’s review three myths that you need to bust when getting your life coaching business off the ground.

STARTING A LIFE COACHING BUSINESS 2. IT TAKES A LONG TIME TO START A IS STRAIGHTFORWARD The business life-cycle seems direct on paper: COACHING BUSINESS 1) 2) 3) 4)

Startup Growth Maturity Decline However, what goes on, in and around these phases complicates things. Planning is critical because you can quickly become distracted early in the cycle. Even within the startup phase, things aren’t linear. Your startup plan is a guess. Your coaching business is based on your passion for helping people. Most of the time, coaches start businesses based on their gifts or something they overcame. Though that gives you insight, it does not mean that your future clients experienced things precisely the way you did or by what you uncovered during research. During your startup period, you will replace information about who you think your customers are with facts about who they actually are.

1. ANYONE CAN START A COACHING BUSINESS Not everyone is destined to create a business, yet we all have gifts to share with the world. While I do support the belief that most of us can be coaches—starting a business requires time, effort, and money. Additionally, it requires business skills and experience. Starting a business takes a lot of courage and determination. It’s hard work, and it takes time and resources. There are plenty of sunk costs (and not just those the IRS and accountants define). Additionally, will you be able to maintain the “balance” we all desire? The startup phases often requires sacrifices to your ideal “balanced life.”

A traditional business takes 18-plus months to launch. A coaching business can take many months, if not years, to start because it is a series of start-and-stop cycles. These false starts are part of the learning process, and they are usually an indication of someone starting without a plan. Still, you can launch your coaching business in as little as six weeks. Agile methods allow you to start and iteratively grow your business in six weeks to three months if you have the ability to: • Forgo any illusions of perfection • Manage scope • Embrace change • Make timely decisions • Manage risks • Practice courage • Solve problems on the fly • Be creative • Plan and work the plan • Communicate effectively

THE BOTTOM LINE Back to the posted question in our Facebook Group— I think everyone stopped answering the question. The person who asked thought we were overcomplicating the question; we thought they were oversimplifying it. Perhaps the truth was somewhere in the middle. Planning and launching your business includes hard work, frustrations, and many hiccups along the way. If you are experiencing any of these sentiments, then congratulations. You are on the road to business success!

AUGUST CONTENT CALENDAR The holidays highlighted below are perfect for any coach. This month is a winner for relationship, marketing, and business coaches. Here are some holidays and observances you can use to fill your social calendar.

AUGUST 1

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National Girlfriend Day. A special day where girlfriends can celebrate their friendship and love for one another. #nationalgirlfriendday World Wide Web Day. Join in the annual celebration of the World Wide Web. #worldwidewebday

AUGUST 10

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National Lazy Day. This day is perfect for promoting self-care. Give your audience tips on how to enjoy doing nothing. #lazyday

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Play in the Sand Day. Encourage your audience to go out today—they can enjoy the sand on the beach, sandbox, or even in their backyard. #playinthesandday National Son and Daughter Day. Celebrate the unique bond between parents and children. Share ways to tighten the bond and encourage everyone to share photos with their children. #sonsanddaughterday

AUGUST 11

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AUGUST 2

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National Coloring Book Day. Celebrate coloring with your audience. Send your subscribers a mandala to color and encourage sharing. #NationalColoringDay

AUGUST 12

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Grab Some Nuts Day. A special day to celebrate nuts and the nutrition they provide. #grabsomenutsday National Watermelon Day. Commemorate watermelon and all its nutritious glory. #nationalwatermelonday.

AUGUST 14

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Love Your Bookshop Day. There’s nothing like a good bookshop where you can browse various books while staying cool from the hot sun. Encourage your audience to show their local bookstore some love, and you do the same.

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National Relaxation Day. Get your rest in before school begins. Share simple ways to relax after a long day’s work. #nationalrelaxationday

AUGUST 5

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National Water Balloon Day. Enjoy the fun and enjoyment of throwing water balloons at friends, family, and strangers. #nationalwaterballoonday Work Like a Dog Day. Celebrate yourself and others who put the work in to make their goals. #worklikeadogday

AUGUST 6

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Farmworker Appreciation Day. Shine the light on the hard work and dedication of farmworkers. Share the benefits of buying locally.

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National Friendship Day. Friendship is a relationship you have to nurture. Set time aside to appreciate and celebrate friends. #nationalfriendshday. National Sisters Day. Engage your audience on N ational Sisters Day by asking them to share photos of their sisters.

AUGUST 15

AUGUST 16

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National Tell a Joke Day. Laughter is the perfect medicine. Share the benefits of a smile and share your favorite joke. It’s a perfect day to promote happiness #nationaltellajokeday

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National Nonprofit Day. National Nonprofit Day is a day to celebrate and recognize the amazing work that nonprofit organizations do daily. #nationalnonprofitday Congressional Startup Day. This holiday aims to create a platform where entrepreneurs can connect with their lawmakers. Share things businesses can do to gain the support of their elected officials. #congressionalstartupday

AUGUST 7

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AUGUST 17

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AUGUST 8

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International Cat Day. Promote the love and companionship of cats while bringing attention to the plight of homeless cats worldwide. Encourage your audience to share pictures of their adopted cats. #internationalcatday

AUGUST 18

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National Couple’s Day. Celebrate and appreciate your partner on couples day. Share tips on how to celebrate your partner every day of the year. #nationalcouplesday

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World Humanitarian Day. This day honors humanitarian workers and their families who have lost their lives working in conflict zones and natural d isasters.

AUGUST 9

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National Book Lover’s Day. Coaches share your top 10 recommended books (in your niche) with your social media followers. #nationalbookloversday National Women’s Day. Honor the progress women have made a recommit to championing to achieve gender equality. #nationalwomensday

National Middle Child Day. Celebrate the often-overlooked middle child. Share their unique qualities and celebrate their contribution to the family.

AUGUST 19

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Highlight their efforts on our social media page. #worldhumanitarianday World Photography Day. Celebrate the wonders of photography. Ask your social media followers to share their favorite photos. #woldphotoday

AUGUST 20

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Women’s Equality Day. Post statistics and facts about how marginalization affects woman’s pay #womensequalityday

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National Just Because Day. A day to do something just because you feel like it. Share the behind-the-scenes of your “just because” moment. It could be anything from writing a letter to a loved one, making a cake, taking a walk in the park, or simply spending time with friends and family. The point is to do something simply for the joy of it, without any other motive. #nationaljustbecauseday

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More Herbs, Less Salt Day. This day highlights ways to season your food healthier using herbs instead of salt. Share your favorite herbs via a social media post. #moreherbslesssaltday

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National Grief Awareness Day. Let those who are grieving know that you have not forgotten about them. Share tips on ways to check on those who are grieving a loss throughout the year. #nationalgriefawarenessday National Beach Day. Celebrate your affinity for the coast on National Beach Day. This holiday raises our awareness of the beauty of beaches while also calling attention to keeping them clean and safe. #nationalbeachday

AUGUST 27

World Honey Bee Day. This day honors the honey bees and the critical world they share in our ecosystem. Honor them with a picture and facts.

AUGUST 21

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National Senior Citizens Day. Honor our nation’s seniors for their many contributions. Leave notes for citizens in local senior residential areas. #nationalseniorcitizensday

AUGUST 29

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World Plant Milk Day. A day to celebrate plant-based milk and the many benefits it has to offer. Raise awareness of plant-based milk and its impact on our planet by encouraging everyone to ditch dairy and try a plantbased milk alternative.

AUGUST 23

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Hug Your Sweetheart Day. A hug is a perfect way to show someone you care. Write an article about the benefits of a hug and encourage your readers to share a hug with a loved one. #hugyoursweetheartday

AUGUST 26

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National Dog Day. There aren’t many things that can engage your audience more than sharing their furry friends. This holiday celebrates the furry friends who bring joy into our lives. #nationaldogday

AUGUST 30

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Eat Outside Day. Enjoy the sunshine while eating your favorite meal or snack and share the photo. #eatousideday National Trail Mix Day. Share your favorite trail mix recipe of nuts, seeds, and dried fruits, and ask your audience to share theirs.

The Daley Word with Jowanna Daley Jowanna is a business and personal coach, consultant, freelance blogger, and personal brand photographer. Jowanna uses her 20-plus years of business, information technology, business analysis, and project management experience to serve solopreneurs, microbusinesses, and professionals through consulting, coaching, training, and workshops. She is also a freelance blogger who serves corporate and non-corporate clients. Visit her website at https://www.jowannadaley.com/about/.

The Good News About Karma

Our karma is like a tapestry filled with a variety of cross-linked energies that attracts people and circumstances that resonate to the patterns of the weave. By Owen Waters Karma is very different from what most people think it is. There is no mysterious accountant in the sky keeping track of your karmic balance. The Law of Karma is created by a combination of two of the three underlying primary universal laws of Creation. Each of us has a karmic pattern, which is like a tapestry filled with a variety of cross-linked energies—really a collection of created thought patterns—contained in your aura. These patterns in your aura magnetically attract people of like mind and also circumstances that resonate to the patterns. Each individual pattern was created by your action, whether it was physical, emotional, mental, or

spiritual. Typically, a pattern begins with an intention and, with the addition of feeling, grows from there. A pattern can also be created at a soul level in order to attract circumstances related to your life plan. Part of the human experience is to forget your life plan once you incarnate into a new body with a new brain but, at your soul level of consciousness, you remember your plan exactly and continually maintain and modify it as needed. Bad karma is experienced in a case where a person has acted badly to others and, at a soul level, they feel the need to learn by being the recipient of such behavior. Through that, they gain a sense of balance but, more importantly, they gain compassion for those who suffer in such a way and are less likely to act out such imbalance in the future.

So, karma is not so much an act of the universe reflecting your actions like a mirror. Rather, it is a set of attractors that exist in your aura. These attractors exist as long as you feel the need for them. After their purpose has been explored, you typically lose interest in that type of experience and the pattern fades away. Author’s Note: The Law of Karma is just one of the nine physical laws which spring from combinations of the three underlying primary laws. All of the universal laws are detailed in my latest e-book, Spiritual Metaphysics: Answers to the Great Mysteries of Life, as are the twelve dimensions, the twelve faces of the major chakras, and the twelve levels of existence and evolution of the soul.

Spiritual Dynamics with Owen K. Waters Owen Water is a cofounder of the Spiritual Dynamics Academy and InfiniteBeing.com, where a where a free spiritual growth newsletter awaits you at https://www.InfiniteBeing.com. He is an international spiritual teacher who has helped hundreds of thousands of spiritual seekers to understand better the nature of their spiritual potential. Owen’s life has been focused upon gaining spiritual insights through extensive research and the development of his inner vision. He has written a spiritual metaphysics newsletter since 2004 which empowers people to discover their own new vistas of inspiration, love and creativity. Spiritual seekers enjoy his writings for their clarity and deep insights. Contact Owen via email News@InfiniteBeing.com.

Who Needs Need? The Twelfth Pathway

By Gregg Sanderson The Twelfth Pathway, from the Handbook to Higher Consciousness by Ken Keyes, Jr., is the antidote to judgment. Whenever I catch myself condemning that person who cut me off in traffic, the tax collector, or the Pope—and anyone inbetween, I access the Twelfth Pathway. The key to understanding in this Pathway is the word “...awakening.” We are all awakening beings...not yet fully awake, so there’s no possible reason to expect perfection. Yet we all have a birthright to the “…higher consciousness planes of unconditional love and oneness.” We just aren’t there yet. I also like the “...including myself” part. It makes it much easier to live with my rare screwups. OK…Maybe not so rare. It’s still easy when I remove the personal requirement to be Saint Gregg. I can keep growing toward that state of unconditional love, even if I haven’t reached it yet, and that’s just fine. I once heard a speaker proclaim his inability to relate to the idea of low self-esteem because he had always had a positive self-concept. I realized he had nothing to teach me along those lines, because he had no idea how to get there. I use the analogy of the wagon train scout in the days of the pioneers. He would be just a little ahead of the wagons so he could point out the

rocks, water holes, and Indians. He wouldn’t be of any value if he was already at the destination. The speaker may be pompous and the scout may have questionable hygiene, yet both serve their purposes and are “...awakening beings...etc.” This Pathway is especially useful in our daily encounters with the world. It’s much less stressful to think “awakening being” instead of “idiot,” “jerk,” or “bozo.” Same goes for politicians, TV characters, and DMV clerks. I once posted a quote on Facebook by Thomas Jefferson, and one commenter invalidated the quote because Jefferson had slaves...which had nothing to do with the subject. Enlightenment doesn’t happen all at once. Different aspects of us may awaken at different times, but we all have the “...birthright to unconditional love and oneness.” In other words, enlightenment isn’t going anywhere. It’ll still be there when we get there, no matter how long it takes. Needless to say, some will take longer than others, but it’s their birthright, too. Just a word now about “unconditional Love.” It’s unconditional. There’s no “I love you because...” or “I’ll love you just as soon as you meet my conditions.” There’s only “I love you.” If I’m waiting for you to shape up, I guess I have more awakening ahead. And that’s OK.

Happiness is BS with Gregg Sanderson

Gregg Sanderson, one of our long-time contributors, passed to spirit in September 2021, and we are continuing the 12 Pathways Series in his honor. He also authored Spirit with a Smile and The World According to BOB. During his life, he was a licensed practitioner in the Centers for Spiritual Living and a Certified Trainer for Infinite Possibilities. His earlier books include What Ever Happened to Happily Ever After? and Split Happens—Easing the Pain of Divorce.

NOT JUST A GAME! Each custom-designed deck of Just Ask 1 2 3 cards offers 53 thought-inspiring questions and a Directions card. A lovely organza gift bag is included to hold the cards for selecting.

Just Ask 1 2 3

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JustAsk123.com & LoveIstheNewCurrency.com

Let Joy Enter Your Heart

Photo Credit: Unsplash/Nate Johnston

“If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.”—Roald Dahl By Clare Care When you feel low, your whole energy plummets. Even small day-to-day rituals, like making a cup of tea or doing the housework, can feel hard and overwhelming. Like energy attracts like energy. It can perpetuate and soon become the normal vibration of your life. The longer you are in a pit of despair, the harder it can seem to drag yourself out of a certain and familiar way of living. In my life, there have been times when I’ve felt lost and sad—as if I have fallen down a large hole. Trying to grasp my way up and out towards the light, slowly but surely I managed to change my way of thinking, to find positivity. I elevated from my negative experience to a high vibe, joyful state of mind. I now live a happy and fulfilled life full of gratitude and love. Concentrating on ways that boost your happy hormones will enable you to tune into your body. This will make your heart sing! Life should feel good. Essentially we, as humans, determine our own reality. If we want to feel more happiness, then we absolutely can. When you trigger your happy hormones, you will experience peace and

joy. You will feel lighter, brighter and able to live a life you love. Here are five quick fixes to raise your vibration and let joy enter your heart:

1. THINK OF FIVE THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GRATEFUL. This is a quick and easy method to remind yourself of how powerful gratitude can be. Take a few deep breaths and allow the gratitude of who and what is in your life to come to the forefront of your mind. You can even speak each thought aloud and begin by saying, “I feel grateful for.....” This will help ground you and put you in a positive state of mind.

2. HUG SOMEONE YOU LOVE. Hugging a loved one is scientifically known to release “feel good” hormones. A hug is a transference of energy and can instantly make you feel supported, loved and happy. A cuddle can have a calming effect and can even reduce your blood pressure.

3. SMILE. The brain releases a rush of endorphins when you smile. Even if you’re

not a natural smiler you will soon feel the benefit of smiling. It also feels good to offer a smile out to others. You will soon see how contagious it is! Smiling also boosts your immune system and helps to relieve stress.

4. SING. Singing regulates activity in the vagus nerve, which helps to regulate many critical aspects of human physiology, including heart rate, blood pressure, sweating and digestion. It doesn’t matter if you can sing like Ariana Grande or are tone deaf, just enjoy the sensation as it can make you feel very energized and very happy.

5. GO FOR A WALK IN THE PARK. Being out in nature has huge benefits for our well-being. Take a moment to be mindful of the colors in the natural beauty of your surroundings. Breathe in the fresh air. Enjoy strolling and notice the texture of the bark and the leaves on the trees. Those incredible trees probably have been standing for longer than your lifetime. Notice the vibrant colors in the open space. It will soon make you feel relaxed and joyful.

Clare Care is a presenter, author, singer and coach. She hosts an early breakfast show on NLive Radio called “Clare’s Happy Monday,” to make people feel good for the week ahead! Her other weekly show, “Weekend Calling,” includes interviews with legends of the music industry. You can hear Clare co-present “The Retro Charts” with Terry Hughes on Great British Radio. Her book, 52 Ways To Receive Joy Now! is an essential guide to finding your inner happiness and is available on Amazon. Her podcast, “Nourish Your Think Tank,” has interviews with music legends and musings on life’s good vibrations. Clare fronts a Function Band as the lead singer and regularly performs at parties and corporate events. She is also a Creative and Spiritual Life Coach who loves to help others live their best life! For more information go to http://www.clarecarepresenter.com.

Your Last Bad Day…

When we start flowing with the river of life, we realize we are an integral and inseparable part of the interconnected opposites that make up our world. By Emil Nazaryan Recently I was invited to speak on the topic of staying positive and helping clients do the same. At one point the moderator said the following phrase when he was describing me: “I’m not sure how the man never has a bad day, but I’ve never seen him without a smile on his face.” This description got me thinking… Do I really never have bad days? Does nothing bad ever happen to me or my loved ones? Do I not have any problems? Do I not live in the same world as everyone else? Am I indeed so lucky? Is that kind of luck even possible? Then the answer just dawned on me like an ultra bright light! It’s not what you would expect. This answer is also the key to living a happy and peaceful life. I promise, we will return to the key, but for now let’s see why most people are so unhappy, stressed and struggle all the time. Imagine life as being the most powerful river you have ever seen. It flows constantly with a high speed and pressure that would make Niagara Falls look like a leaking sink faucet. This river of life is all there is, and we are all in it. It is the sum total of all “goods and bads”, “beautifuls and uglies”, “pleasure and pain”. All of these opposites exist together as different sides of the same coin. They can’t be separated. If you remove pain, pleasure will go with it. If you remove the ugly, the beautiful will vanish. Sounds odd and unfair? Think about it for a moment. Can you describe anything if an opposite of that thing doesn’t exist? If there was only the “good” in the world, how would you even know that it’s good? That would have been

the only thing you ever experienced, and, as such, you wouldn’t know anything different. You wouldn’t know that it was good. You would just know it as the only thing there was. The sense of pleasure associated with “the good” would vanish, wouldn’t it? How couldn’t it vanish if “the good” was the only thing you ever knew and you never experienced its opposite? Ha! Did something just click within you? Do you now see some value in the experience of the bad, the ugly and the pain? Life, this river of life, is a sum total of interconnected opposites and that’s what makes it so colorful, vibrant, exhilarating and interesting. Let’s turn to the suffering of people and see what causes unhappiness and stress. Is the description of the river’s power still fresh in your memory? If not, read it above again. Now consider how absurd it would be if a small pebble decided to stick its head out of the river and to oppose it, resist it and fight it. You are laughing now, aren’t you? Imagine the sight of a brave pebble standing up to the mighty river, taking a beating every single second, getting hit by crushing-force waves and believing it would win. Let me know how that works out for the poor pebble; I can only imagine all the dings, scars and bruises. In fact, I don’t have to imagine it. I know it, because I was that pebble! Are you starting to see where this is going? We are like those tiny pebbles trying to fight the mighty river of life. Well, that sounds depressing! How are we going to win? That’s the thing: We’re not. We can’t. But what we can do is stop taking a beating, stop getting bruised, stop the suffering. And how do we do that? You guessed it: Start flowing with the river!

Oh, what a serene sight! What peace! What beauty! What perfection in all the imperfections! What relief that you don’t have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders anymore. What liberation, when you see that the river knows what it’s doing and why, even when you don’t. You start flowing downstream with the river, and on the way you see so many other pebbles still standing up, taking a beating, thinking that they are heroically fighting life. And you feel pain for them. You want to tell them that it’s much lighter, easier and happier riding the beautiful waves of the mighty river. You want to tell them that all is well, even when it doesn’t seem to be. You want them to see that they are not separate pieces of rock existing on their own as they think they are, but they are an inseparable part of the whole river of life. As such, nothing can hurt them because there is nothing else but them, only not as separate pebbles, but as an integral and inseparable part of the whole river. So, do I really never have bad days? Does nothing bad ever happen to me or my loved ones? Am I free from all problems? Do I not live in the same world as everyone else? Am I so lucky? Is that kind of luck even possible? Indeed, I am lucky—but not because the same problems that happen to everyone else don’t happen to me. They most certainly do and more than you might imagine. But I’m the luckiest, because by the grace of God I became aware that I’m not the pebble I thought I was. I know that I am the pebble in the river, one with the river. I don’t fight life any more. I embrace it the way it comes. I don’t wish it was 37

otherwise. I don’t carry guilt. I don’t carry resentment. I forgive. I love. I live. I do my best and accept what is as it is, knowing full well that what happens is not in my control, but trusting the river completely, unconditionally and without any reservations.

Is it a surprise then, that “The man doesn’t have a bad day?” And from today on, you don’t have to have a bad day either. In the last 5 minutes you have had a peek into the true lasting happiness and all the suffering from this point forward is

only optional. It’s no accident you are reading this article today. It’s no coincidence that today this pebble, you, maybe for the first time, are given the window to see the whole picture. Now, go and flow, little pebble! Enjoy the ride!

Emil Nazaryan is a motivational writer and a contributor to the monthly Motivational Corner column of HR Realtor Magazine. He has undergone a spiritual transformation which has led the way to sharing the insights he has experienced with the others. He is well acquainted with all major spiritual traditions of the world, but it is the direct experience of the essence of these teachings that is responsible for the altered life outlook and the motivational articles that stem this. In his daily life Emil is a successful REALTOR and he resides in Norfolk, VA, with his wife and two children. Contact him by email at emil.rw@gmail.com.

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Yoga? It Depends

For those who find sun salutations and downward dog beyond their range of motion, Yoga Nidra might be the answer. By Jo Mooy I’m not a Yoga fan. Don’t get me wrong, I know it’s wildly popular because estimates say 300 million practice it worldwide. I’m happy for everyone who loves Hatha Yoga and does it religiously. I also respect the teachers who get certified in dozens of different Yoga practices. But for me? Hatha Yoga is a nonstarter. Now, let me explain…My father’s people come from southern Italy. We’re short and stocky. Our bodies are comfortably close to the ground. If we fall down it’s not far to go. We also don’t have long, lithe bodies that can easily adapt to the many twisting pretzel varieties of Yoga postures. So it’s not a very natural state for me. I just don’t like it! The fact is, I’ve tried to do Hatha Yoga many times over the

years. I went to local classes. I tried to do the postures at Ashrams. I went to the Edgar Cayce Foundation hoping to overcome the blockages. I even thought maybe I was too uptight about it, so did “Lilias Yoga and You!” on PBS from the comfort of home. No matter what I did, each session was a disaster. More worrisome, a lifelong inner-ear imbalance causes vertigo whenever I put my head lower than my waist. Though a teacher at the Edgar Cayce Foundation showed me a modified version of the sun salutation where, though my rendition wasn’t perfectly attuned to the correct postures, it was doable. Nonetheless, I took the hint about Hatha Yoga and instead focused on Jnana and Raja Yoga. Twenty years later, I gave Hatha Yoga another go at a well-known

Sarasota, FL, yoga studio offering an open house, billed as “for beginners to experts and children to seniors.” Maybe things had changed, I thought. So, I went with friends and joined the crowded demonstrations led by a twenty-something “perky” teacher. “Perky” thought all levels, including the seniors, should begin with downward dog. I saw where this was going so tried to adapt it with my Cayce Foundation modified version. “Perky” came up behind me and said, “Your head needs to go down lower.” Without asking, she pushed my head to the floor and held it there. I collapsed into a fetal heap with a major case of vertigo. I’d done my last asana! Until …. Several years ago a friend said, “I have a great yoga for you!” I replied, “There is NO great Yoga for me anywhere!” She knew my horror

stories about Hatha Yoga so inquired, “Didn’t you tell me your favorite asana was the corpse pose?” It was. But expecting a trick of some sort (she’d been with me at the downward dog fiasco,) I said, “Yessssssssss! Corpse pose is my favorite because I don’t have to do anything but lie down, breathe and be still.” Pouncing and sounding suspiciously like “Perky” she said, “Then, you’ll love this one!” She explained what we were going to do. I would lie down on my back on the carpeted floor and she would put a bolster under my knees and a feather pillow under the head. (How did she know it was my perfect vision of a heavenly corpse pose?) Then she explained she would lead me into the deep sleep of a guided Yoga Nidra meditation. At the time, I’d never heard of Yoga Nidra, but it sounded too good to be true. She led my first experience with Yoga Nidra—and she was right. I’ve been a fan ever since. Yoga Nidra means yogic sleep. It’s an acute state of consciousness between wakefulness

and sleep where the body appears to be “asleep” while the mind is awake. It’s induced by a teacher who guides a meditation of awareness through the entire body. The participant focuses on different body parts, keeping the mind active and the body still. A complete state of relaxation occurs as the participant, if they remain awake, can go past the dream state and become aware of different states of consciousness. Yoga is a spiritual discipline that harmonizes the mind and body. The term Yoga in Sanskrit means to unite. There are physical yoga postures (the ones I don’t care for,) and the Yoga of meditation, mind and breath control practices, which are my go-to Yoga practices. Yoga Nidra uses the complete relaxation of the physical body in the corpse pose and blends breath and guided meditation to achieve altered states of consciousness. First mentioned in the Upanishads around 300 BC, Swami Satyananda Saraswati in Rishikesh developed his own style of Yoga Nidra, where it was taught and became popular.

What did I learn from Yoga Nidra? I learned that I could do my favorite dead body asana quite well. That I could easily slow down my heartrate and breathing by following the teacher’s voice. And that I could not only enter a state of deep relaxation, but could also go into other states of consciousness beyond normal awareness. Yoga Nidra has many benefits. If you have difficulty falling asleep, Insomnia Yoga Nidra is the tonic needed. I guarantee the practice will put you out before the end of the first body pass. If you’re in need of specific healing, there’s a Healing Yoga Nidra that can help restore the body’s natural state. It’s a genuinely therapeutic practice that induces deep meditation, awakens consciousness and renews the physical body. There are many different guided Yoga Nidras on YouTube. The link below will take you to one I use if I can’t sleep: Insomnia Yoga Nidra: https://www.starsoundings.com/uploads/3/7/5/4/37548755/yoga_nidra_ insomnia_final_9_4_2014.mp3.

Conscious Living with Jo Mooy

Jo Mooy has studied with many spiritual traditions over the past 40 years. The wide diversity of this training allows her to develop spiritual seminars and retreats that explore inspirational concepts, give purpose and guidance to students, and present esoteric teachings in an understandable manner. Along with Patricia Cockerill, she has guided the Women’s Meditation Circle since January 2006 where it has been honored for five years in a row as the “Favorite Meditation” group in Sarasota, FL, by Natural Awakenings Magazine. Teaching and using Sound as a retreat healing practice, Jo was certified as a Sound Healer through Jonathan Goldman’s Sound Healing Association. She writes and publishes a monthly internationally distributed e-newsletter called Spiritual Connections and is a staff writer for Spirit of Maat magazine in Sedona. For more information go to http://www.starsoundings.com or email jomooy@gmail.com.

Transformation Coaching Magazine August 2022

Articles inside

Yoga? It Depends

Your Last Bad Day

Let Joy Enter Your Heart

Moving Beyond Worry

The Power of YOU

The Power of Community

COACHING AND BUSINESS TOOLS Rising Star Coach: Jovita Routzong

Who Needs Need? The Twelfth Pathway

FEED YOUR SPIRIT The Good News About Karma

INSPIRATION & GROWTH Don’t Give Up

Getting Your Business off the Ground