Having been away from San Diego for a long period of time I have seen it grow from a small charming Navy town to a large urban city. Its quaintness has been replaced with savvy smooth restaurants and nightclubs yet there is still a small sliver of small town appeal. As with all change, there is both good and bad with the new and many faces of evolution this city displays. My mom has been living in San Diego continuously for some time. She loves the town and its transformations except for the one she says is most glaring: the weather. She claims “June Gloom”, a phrase used for the marine layer which turns any summer day into a cold foggy soup, is no longer just one month out of 12 but rather lasts for longer stretches of time.

My mom and I were talking on the phone a few weeks ago and she said, “San Diego has now become the new San Francisco!” I ponder this statement and funnel it through my lens of observation; the level of sophistication the city now exhibits. “Yes, I say to myself, San Diego has become more of an international hub.” And in the course of my conversations with others, I repeat what my mother said, “My, how things have changed! San Diego has become the new San Francisco. It’s now so sophisticated.”

Several days later my mother and I were having lunch and she says again, “San Diego has become the new San Francisco!” I think I know what she is talking about. This time she adds though, “You know I don’t like the fog!” And I then realize she never intended to make a commentary on the level of sophistication the city now wears but was simply making a statement about its change of climate. Ha!

How many times do we think we know what the other person is intending to communicate? Sometimes we check in with them for clarification and at other times we just go along thinking we understand and are being understood. Our filters sift through information on a regular basis; categorizing and evaluating experiences based upon what’s in our consciousness at any given moment.

Keeping the mind open to alternatives is a skill developed with practice. Meditation is a useful tool to help train the mind away from this tendency to limit and categorize as is Yoga Nidra.

Join us for the next Yoga Nidra telephone series on February 8. There are still four spots left.  Click here for more information and to register:  http://www.integrationcoaching.com/YogaNidraLevel1February8.html

Blessings ~

Written by: Stacy Kamala Waltman
October 2, 2010

I wrote this note yesterday not realizing it was Ghandi’s birthday. It was in response to the death of 18 year old Tyler Clementi who killed himself after being “outted” on the internet.  We have an opportunity to transmute this tragedy into one of leadership. Perhaps Tyler’s spirit agreed to perform this tragic role to elicit such a collective shift toward true leadership. ~

Here’s the note…

When we see atrocities, our ability to teach a different way is being called forth that embraces and includes all with love and respect.

Hard to do – no one promised this path to be easy – the magnetic pull is toward whatever collective consciousness is prevailing at the time.

How do we develop our capacity to “fight” something without fighting it?

How do we transmute the energy of hate into a path of learning so that we honor and educate rather than meet hatred with more of the same?

There is at least one if not a multitude of ways to meet any tragedy. Look at the peacemakers of Brother David Steindl-Rast, Ghandi, Mandella, Azim Khamisa, The Trevor Project Founders, Martin Luther King, etc. for inspiration to develop ways to be successful and effect enormous change through love rather than through hate.

Rather than rage at the injustice we see around us, I invite you to develop your creativity and design a new model for what angers you the most.

Be the change you wish to see. Pick up the gauntlet and lead!

Yes…..you!

Copyright © 2010 (Stacy Kamala Waltman)

Written by:  Stacy Kamala Waltman
Septmeber 26, 2010

Before the heroes journey our laser sharp and strategic mind identifies and postulates experiences outside of us – intellectually, abstractly and compartmentalized.

Everything neatly in its place constricted, ridged and controlled by repetition and stale, lifeless air.

Synapse grooves deepen becoming more and more entrenched.  Caring for others only when payoff wafts and ego satisfied.

Enter Grace; as miraculous intervention.  With veiled eyes her gifts are discarded though; valueless.  Our sight on another horizon of glory.

Refusing the rebuke while turning up the heat, Grace stands firm as she demands attention.  We begin the journey; unawares.  A reluctant traveler still holding on.

Tests accelerate; tackle once depended upon melts as we enter hot swampy depths; tar pits, shadow selves and skeletons abound.

Hell, this must be we decide.  How will we survive?  We can’t possibly deserve this wrath!  After all!…..but the ripening has begun in spite of our accelerated protests.

Applying what we know, failing again and again.  We need to become firmer the past demands!  Take hold!  I am in charge! 

Constricting so tightly, then inevitable shattering into slivered shards.

Yet Grace still there gently smiling, showers us with fresh gifts of bounty; courage and vision.  A newer and richer life is reflected in those slivered shards of glass.  

Light cast in radiant hues.

Vulnerable, scared, hopeless yet brave; new unfamiliar tools slowly hammer within.

Awkwardness increases in direct proportion to vision, vast.  Yesterday’s certainty is a dusty mirage.

Beginner’s mind congeals as we traverse this dark night.  Unsteady and staggering we forge anew.

Today’s discomfort fights yesterday’s certainty; the battle raging in a field of destruction.  To the death! 

As one is annihilated, the other is born.

Grace, like a firefly flickers again with encouragement seen only with vision, clear.

Emerging from the darkened swamp, demons vanquished, the black wood now drizzled with dappled light; knowledge transmutes.

Wisdom weaves then integrates into cellular memory, the decay giving rise to the bloom.  A blossom rare and true.

As seasons pass, compassion springs forth from these seeded fields, no longer feigned.

The wisdom of interconnectedness now standing under our very breath.  Our understanding let go.

This is compassion lived. ~

Copyright © 2010 (Stacy Kamala Waltman)

 

It was six men of Indostan

To learning much inclined,

Who went to see the Elephant

(Though all of them were blind),

That each by observation

Might satisfy his mind.

The First approached the Elephant,

And happening to fall

Against his broad and sturdy side,

At once began to bawl;

“God bless me!  But the Elephant

Is very like a wall!”

The Second, feeling of the tusk

Cried, “Ho!  what have we here,

So very round and smooth and sharp?

To me ‘tis mighty clear

This wonder of an Elephant

Is very like a spear!”

The Third approached the animal,

And happening to take

The squirming trunk within his bands,

Thus boldly up he spake:

“I see, “ quoth he, “the Elephant

Is very like a snake!”

The Fourth reached out an eager hand,

And felt about the knee:

“What most this wonderous beast is like

Is mighty plain,” quoth he;

“Tis clear enough the Elephant

Is very like a tree!”

The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,

Said:  “E’en the blindest man

Can tell what this resembles most;

Deny the fact who can,

This marvel of an Elephant

Is very like a fan!”

The Sixth no sooner had begun

About the beast to grope,

Than, seizing on the swinging tail

That fell within his scope.

“I see, “ quoth he, “the Elephant

Is very like a rope!”

And so these men of Indostan

Disputed loud and long,

Each in his own opinion

Exceeding stiff and strong,

Though each was partly in the right,

And all were in the wrong!

Moral
So oft in theologic wars,

The disputants, I ween,

Rail on in utter ignorance

Of what each other mean,

And prate about an Elephant

Not one of them has seen!

~

Professional Transformational Life Coach and Spiritual Intuitive, Stacy Kamala Waltman who specializes in moving past grief in all areas of our lives and into Radical Forgiveness is holding a special teleseminar titled, “Upgrading Your Story”.

“We are a compilation of our stories – which are all untrue – yet the very fact that we repeat them and identify with them makes them very true for us.” ~ Stacy Kamala Waltman

The quality of our life is determined by two things: the level of awareness we bring to each situation and the content of the stories we focus upon. Since we are going to tell stories about our lives, let’s focus upon stories of our abundance and live from that place outward.

In order to do this, we have to retrain ourselves; sometimes daily, sometimes hourly, and often moment by moment because the stories we tell ourselves are embedded into our being on every level including the cellular level.

When we believe negative and self defeating stories about ourselves and draw “evidence” of their truth from our selective perceptions and interpretations, it is very difficult to change our experiences in the world. That is why it is so important to practice seeing with a different vision.  This seminar will help train you to look through and interpret life through a new life enhancing lens.

Having been on the spiritual path for over 30 years, Stacy Kamala Waltman brings clarity and a laser like precision to her courses honed through advanced study, living these principles and deep refinement.

This teleseminar will be a four week course held each Tuesday evening from 7:00 – 8:00pm PST, beginning on Tuesday, October 12, 2010 thru Tuesday, November 2, 2010.

This teleseminar event meets up via telephone and there will be some homework.

To calculate your time zone, please visit this resource:  http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock

Space is limited to the first 8 participants!

This four week series is only $88. 

To register, please visit the following PayPal link – this allows secure payment through all credit cards or via checking account:

https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=dhod31MM6qpzLGKG07ewm8-DqJkTkr0HfK-spG2yvK29opvoZlsUqzyRqKC&dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f8e263663d3faee8dc18bca4c6f47e633fcf61b288f5ebea2

Please email the PayPal confirmation page to:  ic@integrationcoaching.com so that we can send you the conference number and access code to this life changing teleseminar!

To your abundant happiness,

Stacy Kamala Waltman

For those of you who are trying too hard to meditate and finding it difficult to get past negative thoughts it’s OK. Scale back your expectations of meditation perfection and simply start noticing your breath for ten minutes each day. That’s all. With each deep breath notice an expansiveness that is available to you during this exercise.

Relax and notice how your breath moves in and out of your body without any effort on your part. Nothing more is required of you. Simply allow yourself to notice and enjoy your breath.

If a thought comes up…so what? Let it go. Don’t worry. Just keep practicing and enjoying watching your breath. You are exactly where you are in this journey and you are not expected to get it all right away. There is no “right or wrong” way to begin noticing.

Enjoy learning about your mind and how it works by simply noticing. Your mind is not your enemy but simply a tool that we need to learn how to use. Be gentle with yourself. Practice – allow yourself to make mistakes.

Even if every second of that ten minute noticing time is filled with conflicting and distracting thoughts that’s OK. Your effort, diligence and gentleness with yourself are the keys to noticing and will eventually allow you to shift into a different type of meditation.

There is no hurry. Just keep practicing and allowing. Be lighthearted about this process and you will succeed.

To your deep breaths,
Stacy Kamala Waltman

This year, in 2009, I invite you to make New Year’s Appreciations for what has been before launching into the future.  Make a list of all you have accomplished in 2008.  If your mind starts to inject a , “Yes, but……” decide to redirect your thoughts back to your magnificence.  It is your choice and within your power to chose the thoughts which are capturing your attention.  Allow your head to quiet and your heart to speak of your strengths.

Empower yourself to take pleasure in the grandeur of what you have experienced this past year.  Write down every LITTLE and big thing that you have done out of the ordinary in 2008.  Fill yourselves up with that fullness.  Turn off outside sources which are focusing on scarcity, lack and fear.  Fill yourselves up with how magnificent you are – this is your place of strength.

Every single one of you has done something outstanding this year.  Write these events down. Keep a journal.  Reflect on your greatness.  When your spiritual state is healthy, the future will unfold gracefully.

Now is the time to reconnect to prayer and meditation.  Allow 2009 to be the year when you  expand your spiritual path.

After you have fully grounded yourself into your past accomplishments in 2008, then go ahead and put your dreams for 2009 down onto paper.  Launch into 2009 grounded, from a place of fullness and gratitude.

With great love and respect,
Stacy Kamala Waltman

The Bend Bulletin newspaper’s “U Magazine” has interviewed a couple of Life and Business Coaches, of which I am one in this article called,  “A Road Toward Balance and Happiness.”

Please click on the following link to enjoy this article and have a Happy Thanksgiving!  

U Magazine – November 2008

Namaste,
Stacy Kamala Waltman

There sure are a lot of coaches out there to select from and once we’ve decided to embark on a coaching journey, it can be challenging to decide who we should choose to be our guide.

What criteria do we use when evaluating a coach’s ability to help nurture us through this rite of passage from a life of unconscious existence into a re-arranged and authentic life?

Should clients consider hiring coaches whose lives look perfect and constrained on the outside or is certification from an accredited school the criteria that really matters? 

Should potential clients select a coach due to a referral from a colleague or do they select someone who, like the proverbial phoenix, has been decimated from hard times yet rises up again? 

The lotus flower and the phoenix bird are powerful symbols of resurrection through hardships artfully developing resilience as they rise again – stronger, wiser, and more compassionate than before.  A coach’s hardships, lessons learned and resiliency are their greatest and most worthy credentials. 

Just as there are some doctors who are more skilled than others in spite of identical training, so it is with coaches. A skilled coach is like a tincture of gypsum that breaks up the old, stagnant, and toughened clay before planting delicate seeds and later serves as a mulch of new tools protecting and nurturing their client’s tender shoots of strength, authenticity and perspective.

When evaluating a life coach, consider which one might ask us tough questions in the context of getting past our blind spots. In the spectrum of coaching choices, which coach is more likely to have a profound impact on our life?

Which coach may be afraid of offending us and therefore may let us slip by because they are invested in us liking them. And which coach has mastered the finer qualities of intuition, strength, and active listening? 

Which coach skillfully weaves a tapestry of safety so we can be the most transparent – allowing our true self to emerge fully rooted and which coach would we be trying to impress as we hide our deepest fears, dreams, and weaknesses from them – entrenched in our makeshift image?

Coaches don’t have to lead perfect lives to be highly skilled in this craft, just as some good doctors don’t have the healthiest of lifestyles or habits yet they exercise the best of care for their patients. Similarly, therapists don’t counsel themselves and often have their own therapist, doctors don’t operate on family members and lawyers rarely represent themselves. 

Great coaches though, do need to be professionals who are comfortable living within ambiguous contexts instead of pigeon holing their clients or trying to “fix them” and they must have the ability to listen exceptionally well and hear what is not being said – those deafened or noisy, tense areas that keep us looping in unconscious behavior. 

Qualified coaches are comfortable in their own skin complete with its imperfections and idiosyncrasies. Their acceptance of themselves is the soil with which clients learn awareness of their own Self. The one begets the other.

Which coach will cultivate our feelings of strength allowing us to access new skills during those times in our lives that evoke our strongest fears and trigger over-used, outdated and destructive habits?

The best coaches are compassionate yet fierce, adept at seeing larger or different perspectives, insightful and forthright and have a great deal of intuition and compassion. These skills can’t be taught in school but they can be honed and developed through awareness.

Great coaches believe their clients are “naturally creative resourceful and whole” even in the midst of struggle, grief, hardship, disappointment, loss, and the tumult of change.   They learn to encourage the process allowing it to develop on its own time instead of forcing a premature solution.

Which coach will help you let go of your dependence on what is familiar and move past your resistance into a new direction? Which coach will be side by side with you as you shed light on the areas in your life you haven’t been able to face before?

I wonder, which airline first announced that in the case of a loss of cabin air pressure passengers should first put on their own oxygen mask before attempting to help their children or other travelers. Was the airlines policy of “putting on your own oxygen mask first” a twinkle in the coaching profession’s eye or was it some other seemingly innocuous event that triggered this line of work?

“Putting on your own oxygen mask first” has profound implications for us all. I don’t know which airline first taught this valuable life skill, but I wonder if they realized how profound this instruction is to the quality of our lives and safety on the ground as well as in the air.

“Putting on our own oxygen mask first” is a learned skill that is developed during the coaching dynamic. We take care of ourselves first by becoming a clear channel before we are capable of truly caring for, loving, and working well with and serving others.

Clean clear oxygen is intoxicating.  So is the coaching dynamic and living an inspired life free from habitual patterns.

May your life be invigorating and may you become clear enough to see all the serendipitous occurrences happening all around you ~ most, if not all of the time.

Stacy Kamala Waltman~

I wrote this post in August 2006 and thought it was time to resurect it.

Relationships are found in every area of our lives. Even when we don’t realize we’re having a relationship, one is being experienced.

We have relationships with our boss, co-workers, significant other, siblings, parents, committee members, neighbors, and more. We also have relationships with money, health and food.

Managing relationships well can be the difference between a company’s making a profit or posting a loss and a person’s ability to weather personal storm’s at home. It can also be the difference between having a healthy respect for money and food and having an unhealthy obsession with both.

I returned from a coaching workshop in Rhode Island a few months ago on the power of relationships. It was titled, “Organization and Relationship Systems Coaching”. In this class we developed our skills for successfully looking at our own relationships and we then learned techniques for helping others develop their own relationship capacities.

One of the most interesting concepts I heard this week was, “In order to get to a healthier and more productive place, we need to give up our fear of conflict, turmoil and resistance.” ~ John M. Gottman

Even as I write that, my hand wavers a little. The idea behind this audacious statement is that where there is conflict there is a desire and opportunity to reach a greater understanding between people in business and at home. That’s not how we usually view interactions that tear at our current social fabric.  Yet dismanteling is sometimes what has to happen in order for the outmoded to transform into something greater.

Sam Keen wrote, “Sometimes what looks like a fight is only the fierceness of love.” What a difference of viewpoint. One can imagine how differently we might react depending on how we view confrontation. What else do we miss when we push the auto-pilot relationship button and only skim the surface?

In the workplace and at home, the three greatest saboteurs of strong, and healthy relationship dynamics are 1) the habit of blaming; 2) the habit of keeping secrets; and 3) lying.

Each of these tendencies keeps people separate from one another and never allows for a greater understanding to evolve between them. So much is lost when we over-protect ourselves and over-predict others.

When we eliminate the habits of blaming, withholding and lying from our interactions with others, we begin to become transparent with one another, and ultimately learn more about ourselves. Being vulnerable at this level is a life skill we need to re-learn.

Here is a wonderul book on developing our capacity for healthy relationships with ourselves and others:

Although the book title has the word marriage in it, the book’s premise is that all relationships are opportunities for a deeper and more aware connection between us.

Most of the concepts outlined in this book outdistance prevalent beliefs about what is true and what is possible in all of our relationships.

May your understanding of yourself continue to develop as the facets of your relationships with others are revealed.

Blessings ~

 
By Stacy Kamala Waltman
March 1, 2008

Would love to have your opinions, ideas and stories (books, people you know, reference materials, etc.) on actual examples of how to develop a successful business and infuse it with spiritual principles.

• What are spiritual principles when it comes to running an effective business in this day and age?
  
• How do we authentically survive as a sole proprietor or limited partnership of a spiritual business model that isn’t based upon greed and/or fear and competition in the business world?

There seems to be a lot of examples in both camps but very few integrated examples representing both sides.

Some of the questions I am pondering include:

1. How do we compensate (or not) for referrals?
2. How do we discount to those who appear to be in need and yet be fair to all?
3. Are trade dollars the exact same equivalent of hard money or is there more leeway with trade dollars?
4. When is it appropriate to give our services freely and when are we not being good business people to go down this road?
5. How do we demonstrate charity instead of welfare?

I always liked to look at the interconnected angles to these questions and in this case, I love the wonderful analogy of the tree. 

As long as the tree is taken care of; it is watered, has sun, the bees are pollinating, the worms are irrigating, and everything is contributing to the well being of the tree: the tree will provide abundant fruit. 

As a result of being taken care of by an invisible web of support, the fruit is there for all to enjoy and be nourished by.  The tree does not give its fruit to those who are worthy ~ it gives to all ~ beggar, thief, holy person, and all sentient beings.

Because it is nourished by an interconnected system of caretakers, the tree will produce an abundance of fruit and if there aren’t enough beings to take the produce, the excess crop falls off the branches and onto the ground.

As long as there are enough creatures to take the grounded morsels and there isn’t too much excess that lies rotting on the ground, the decomposing fruit eventually re-circulates back to the tree as nourishment. 

However, if the tree were to hoard its fruit – waiting for only the worthy to taste it or holding back for those who could pay for it – the overabundance of fruit – its gifts – would rot and the tree would eventually suffocate- it would die from its excess.

In my business, I have looked at referrals and their contribution to my success and exposure as an opportunity to show gratitude for people who are taking the time to remember me and pass my spiritual business information along.

If someone refers a potential client to me and that referred individual actually signs up for one of my programs, I send the referrer a gift as a show of my appreciation and gratitude. 

I also have the following mechanism in place:  when I have six full paying clients, I offer two half price scholarships as well as one full scholarship.

In service to the community, I also write this BLOG.  The aim of this venue is that its contents may nourish some people in the world.  There is a cost to me in the aspect of my time and a small charge by WordPress.  

I also give free monthly talks.  Do I give too much?  I don’t know.  I seek a balance of serving all of the people who need my services regardless of their place in the economic pyramid and having the financial ability to participate in a simple yet abundant life.

Sometimes I have created a waiting list for those who couldn’t pay and when one scholarship program ended, it became time for another to fill the spot.

At this stage in my life, I am always looking for opportunities to give what I have in excess.  When I was 18 or 19 years old, Swami Satchidananda told me, “Kamala, don’t hoard the pens.”  At the time I was hand-drawing mandalas and coloring them in beautiful colors.  

Back then, (just a couple of years ago), I had very little in terms of excess and thought, “What in the world is he talking about?  He must think I’m someone else because I don’t have anything!”  I am still contemplating this teaching from this enlightened master.

Today, I feel my energy circulating by making a living and still having compassion for others by offering my programs to them at a level they can afford.

One of my favorite children’s books found offered on my website under Resources and then Children’s Books :  http://www.integrationcoaching.com/resources.htm is:  The Quiltmaker’s Gift (Hardcover) by Jeff Brumbeau (Author), Gail De Marcken (Illustrator). 

You can also find it here:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/0439309107?tag=wwwintegratio-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0439309107&adid=0QMAD3Y6Q3KBRAWA5J6E&

I love its story about the freedom of giving and the detriments of hoarding.

However, I’ve had some spiritual colleagues who have a different point of view from mine which are posted here (I don’t know how accurate any of their comments are):  

“When  I look at how some of the gurus like Gurumayi, Ama, Shree Ma, Gangaji, Maharishi, Swamini Mayatitananda and Sai Ma handle referrals to their businesses it was pretty much the same answer. They really heavily on word of mouth but they never compensate in any way for referrals.”

And this from another individual. 

“I think the issue of referrals is interesting. It never occurred to me to be compensated for referring business to a certain place. I have sent plenty of people to this business, but I do it because I want the business to thrive and the community to grow and the people to get benefit. And selfishly, if this business thrives, then I can continue to get benefit too. Building community is based on referral – I have referred my doctor, my dentist, my attorney, my accountant, etc, etc. I have never been compensated financially, but I have been compensated by the sense that the community is stronger as a result.”

What are your thoughts on these subjects?

1.  How do we authentically survive as a sole proprietor or limited partnership of a spiritual business model that isn’t based upon greed and/or fear and competition in the business world?
2. How do we compensate (or not) for referrals?
3. How do we discount to those who appear to be in need and yet be fair to all?
4. Are trade dollars the exact same equivalent of hard money or is there more leeway with trade dollars?
5. When is it appropriate to give our services freely and when are we not being good business people to go down this road?
6. How do we demonstrate charity instead of welfare?
7. What are spiritual principles when it comes to running an effective business in this day and age?
   

By: Stacy Kamala Waltman

A reoccurring question this past month has been about the benefits of meditation. 

When we hear spiritual people referring to the “Monkey Mind” and attempting to control its turbulent thrashing, what do they mean?

Unlike other wild animals, monkeys are easily caught.

Captors place a bright shiny object like a rhinestone, penny or bead into a clear container with a small enough opening for a monkey’s hand to fit through and then the captor leaves – appearing to abandon the container with it’s artifact.

The monkey, attracted by the object, runs to the container, thrusts in his hand and with utter satisfaction, grabs the shiny object and attempts to run back and add it to his hoard.  

However, as he is clutching his treasure, his once small hand is now a large fist and the monkey cannot remove his fist from the opening – he is caught. 

All the monkey has to do to regain his freedom is let go of the object and his hand will once again slip easily out of the container’s opening, but the monkey’s nature does not allow him to let go.

According to Rev. W. Jones May 9, 1846 article on the Moral Character of the Monkey,

“They are saucy and insolent; always making an attempt to bully and terrify people, and biting those first who are most afraid of them.

Monkey’s never let things alone, but must know what is going forward. 

If a pot or a kettle is set on the fire, and the cook turns her back, the monkey whips off the cover to see what she has put into it; even though he cannot get at it without scalding his feet upon the hot bars of the grate.

No monkey has any sense of gratitude, but takes his victuals with a snatch, and then grins in the face of the person that gives it to him, lest he should take it away again; for he supposes that all men will snatch away what they can lay hold of, as all monkeys do.”

Through an invincible selfishness, no monkey considers any individual but himself.

If anything he takes hold of can be broken or spoiled, he is sure to find the way of doing it; and he chatters with pleasure when he hears the noise of a china vessel smashed to pieces upon the pavement.”

Monkey’s know-it-all and can not sit still.  Calmness and quietness are foreign to the monkey.  They thrive on frenetic activity.

Quieting the “monkey mind” through meditation is referring to developing the capacity to be calm AND alert. 

True freedom is obtained once the mind is free from addictive and unconscious thought patterns.  We become more aware of our tendencies, biases and stero-types.  The compulsion to judge ourselves and others diminishes as our intelligence expands through developing our meditation practice.

The quality of our life improves as we allow shallow and limited mind sets to expand into greater connection and understanding. 

Meditating allows us to have access to more information, knowledge, wisdom and understanding which lies beyond the intellect. 

We become fuller and freer as a result of expanding our capacity to live.  A wonderful resource is a book from Eckhart Tolle called, The Power of Now.

May you give yourself permission and allow yourself to expand ~

 
Author:  Stacy Kamala Waltman
Written:  January 8, 2008

Depending upon one’s dexterity, there are many yoga postures which are considered to be beyond our current physical capacity like the sitting position of Full Lotus or the flexibility and strength required in the yogic posture of Pincha Mayurasana – Forearm Stand.

Aside from yoga, if I asked you where you experienced your current greatest life challenge you might respond, “Getting everything accomplished!”, “Finding time to relax” “Getting to sleep” “Handling all of my varied responsibilities” or “Letting Go”.

For those of us who aren’t suffering from insomnia, we may remember how to sleep but many have lost the art of how to truly rest.

For some, it takes great effort to resist turning on the television, and, once it’s spiraling on, can become even harder to turn off.  We are often mesmerized by its constant promises of entertainment as time drains away from other more nourishing pursuits.

In this day and age of over-exertion, over-extension, a coffee hut on every corner and media over-stimulation, relaxation has been pushed aside.  Replaced by activity and consumed by the effort, we think ourselves lazy if we aren’t busy.  Our authenticity often becomes lost in forward moving, frenetic activity just for movement’s sake.

We are a highly adaptive species: what was once “normal” in life morphs and evolves over time becoming our new standard and sometimes we can forget what life was like before our new habits took hold.  Wisdom too is lost if we don’t pause to notice our current state of being.

Shavasana, The Corpse Pose – a mental and physical equivalent to deep relaxation, is often the most difficult yoga position for newcomers.  It is the least physically challenging posture in the spectrum of yoga positions because we don’t have to do anything with our bodies other than sink deep into our being. 

In Shavasana the mind quiets down; the body leans into itself and the internal organs begin to unwind.  When comfortable in this pose, breathing slows and stress begins to evaporate.  The body’s natural healing powers rise as we surrender to a higher wisdom.

Students who practice Yoga Nidra or deep relaxation in shavasana begin to relish the cumulative benefits of this restorative and rejuvenative practice.  As our mind becomes calmer, it is easier to meditate and we notice that fewer mistakes are being made throughout our work day.  We feel better.  Our sleep is richer.  The capacity for kindness expands.  It becomes easier to make decisions due to our mental clarity, and we feel more connected to Source.

The Corpse Pose can be mentally challenging though – our mind can trick us into thinking we should be doing something because striving is what our psyche knows.

According to the Mayo Clinic, if we are experiencing a great deal of stress in our lives or if we are interested in keeping stress at bay, it is imperative to find the time every day for deep relaxation and just a few minutes a day isn’t enough to provide the stress reducing benefits of yoga nidra. For a clearer, less stressed body, mind and spirit, fifteen minutes of deep relaxation a day is best for optimal health.

In a pinch, daydreaming can also be used as a relaxation technique; however, with daydreaming, our mind is still engaged, whereas in Shavasana, our mind is quiet and we connect at a deeper level to our true nature.

As a precursor to meditation, deep relaxation also provides relief from headaches, reduces body pain, improves concentration, balances emotions, eliminates insomnia, lowers blood pressure, reduces fatigue, improves bowl function, eases depression and anxiety.  The quality of observing without judging is also developed in a yoga nidra/deep relaxation practice allowing us to remain a witness rather than a follower to, unconsious and habitual thoughts.

How often do you daydream?  When do you truly and deeply relax?  The Mayo Clinic recommends a daily practice of deep relaxation.  Yogi’s do too.  Turn down your mind and turn up the quiet with yoga nidra/deep relaxation. 

For more information on yoga nidra and deep relaxtion with Stacy, please visit:  http://www.integrationcoaching.com/YogaNidra.html

Copyright © 2008 (Stacy Kamala Waltman)

Lotus Nectar

Author:  Stacy Kamala Waltman

My intention for the week was to feel replenished and to fill up my depleted reserves with the juice of the universe so that when I coached and as I lived, I would be of service rather than just going through motions, half asleep. 

Invitations to do other things tempted; a trip here, a party there but I was determined to re-claim my strength and fill up with nectar by hibernating like a winter bear.

When juicy – full of life – I am more courageous – more eccentric and self directed, lighthearted, authentic, clear headed, kind, inspiring and fun. 

Self management, quieting the mind with the ability to manage my biases and predispositions enabling me to really listen and capture nuances is easier when I’m “full of it”.  Authentic with nectar in a chalice overflowing, filled to the brim with juice. 

The much anticipated week would consist of fasting, walking, meditating, sleeping and reading.  How delicious it would be to sink into hushed time – turning down the mind and turning up the quiet.  It would be a treat to take a respite from activity.

We can spend whole days, weeks and even months not touching the actual earth.  In shoes and on concrete, in buildings and in cars, on asphalt and watching television, the connection of our bodies to the raw dirt and the hum of earth’s pulse remain shrouded.

The week began chilly and beginning my fast made me even colder.  Sleep was the best I could do – deep rich luxurious sleep and an occasional meditation or two.  The IPod vibrating a tamboura’s hum very softly in the background, day and night as it always does, reminding me of our primordial sound.

My energy slowly returned with the sun after a couple of days as a bear and I embarked on a most luscious trail, walking – barefoot (as any bear would) – the ground warm.  Sometimes velvety, sometimes sandy, here it is gravely, there it’s damp – the earth presented itself differently every few feet. 

Contributing to a mosaic of beauty that is whimsical, each traveler on this road has left their footprints and some have also left beautiful rock art creations.  Different shapes, styles, stones and textures add a gauzy breath of air to the sage infused smells all around. 

Some are perfectly smooth rock; some are covered with sparkles, multi colored stones with intricate patterns and some are wonderfully opaque.  Large, small, jagged and round they are all so varied it is hard to imagine that they all come from this one area.  Awful!  (Look up the meaning of this word)

Hummingbirds darting so tiny and magnificent with their winged hum providing a backdrop of bird song cadences.  So utterly beautiful and powerful in its sweetness and I gave thanks to God. 

Noticing that this walk was not a work out – it was more important than that, it was a walk of joy.

What do you give God in return for all of the goodness she gives?  God is and has everything.  What do you give this entity that has everything?

Ahhhhh….Huuuummmmmm…

I can give thanks and in the full feeling of thankfulness and the complete allowing and receiving of this divine energy, I am honoring God. 

Giving thanks.  Thanks Giving.  That is what I can give.

As a young girl living in the Integral Yoga Ashram over twenty-nine years ago, meditating three times a day, eating vegetarian food and living among renunciates, Swami Satchidanada said to me, “Now you are under my wing.”  I am continually blessed with the memory of his teachings and the times when he spoke specifically to me.

Please enjoy this trailer and learn more about the man who was at the fore front of bringing Yoga into the western world.  http://www.livingyogamovie.org/trailer.html

 

The Optimist’s Creed: 

Promise Yourself…

To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.

To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet.

To remind your friends they are worthwhile.

To look at the sunny side of everything.

To think only of the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best.

To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.

To wear a cheerful expression at all times and give a smile to every living creature you meet.

To give so much time to improving yourself that you have no time to criticize others.

To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud word, but in great deeds.

To live in the faith that the whole world is on your side, so long as you are true to the best that is in you.

 
Author:  Stacy Kamala Waltman

There are portals (doorways) everywhere my dream showed me last night.

Each portal will take us into a different reality.  We simply have to want to go into another actuality and then, remove all of the things that attach us to our current existence.

I stood in front of the closed door that would take me where I wanted to go and before opening the portal took off every piece of attachment to my current state that I did not want as if it were clothing.   

Finding it fascinating that while some things were easy to let go of, other, more subtle components were difficult to remove – testing how true my thoughts were that I wanted to move on into a different experience.  Yearning to be in a different pattern yet wanting to do or say one more thing regarding this attached situation before I would be able to let it go.  How committed was I to letting go of this mental pattern?

Would it always be like this – wanting to do or say one more thing – in a never ending vortex – always standing in front of a closed door on the edge of where I wanted to go – never crossing the threshold?  How many other patterns are gripping me in this same way?  I am dreaming and hope to remember this awareness when I wake up in the morning.  This dream is a lucid one.  The pieces are connecting in a picture puzzle and not hopping around like so many other dreams.  I will remember this one.

My higher self said, “Just let it go.  These things that you want to do now don’t matter in your new place. You don’t have to do or say anything to make an old situation right.  Wanting to do one more thing will always keep you engaged.  Stop the tendency now.  Just take off the last remnants of this situation and walk through the door.  You will have everything you need on the other side.  It’s not your job to worry.  Trust.  It is that easy.”   

Oh…this is the understanding or experience of the teachings I thought I understood.  This is beyond the intellect; the pure essence of that experience. 

I had thought I understood this concept before this dream and now realize that I had previously only understood its façade. 

We simply need to walk through the portal naked and on the other side there will be clothes for us to put on.  It is that simple.  We will be provided with everything we need.

My dream said, when you awaken, remove all traces of those things which are not bringing you joy.  Remove all of their energy from your current existence. 

If the things you need to eliminate from your life have monetary value, understand that monetary value is someone else’s valuation.  It is not yours.  It is erroneous.

My dream encouraged me to put a high price on the things which bring peace and have good memories.  Its message also said not to let anyone else tell me what has value!  Be more inner directed my dream said.

I had thought I had understood these lessons too but now see subtle areas where I have allowed outside influences to determine the value of some events. These hidden areas were beyond my radar – before this dream shed its light.

What can we let go of today that will allow us to walk through the portal(s) into our more elevated experience?

 

 Here is an excerpt from the book, The Soul of Money by Lynne Twist: 

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Buddha told his followers that whatever they chose to give their attention, their love, their appreciation, their listening, and their affirmation to would grow in their life and in their world. 

 

The book, “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill is an incredible outline of principles that apply to all areas of life – not just the financial arena. 

Originally written in the mid 1950′s this book has the seeds of many modern day thinkers. In fact, according to it’s authors, echoes of Hill’s principles can be found in books by people as diverse as Wally “Famous” Amos, Mary Kay Ash, Ken Blanchard, Chicken Soup for the Soul authors, Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, Shakti Gawain, John Gray, Tommy Lasorda, Art Linkletter, Joan Lunden, Brian Tracey, Lillian Vernon, Anthony Robbins, Deepok Chopra, Steven Covey and others.

Hill sites a six stage process to obtain your desires:

1) Fix and hold in your mind exactly what you want. The ancient yogi’s call this “singleness of purpose”.  Today’s language uses the word, focus. 

2) Determine exactly what you intend to give so that you are both in a giving and receiving state. The ability to let go of expectations is part of the releasing aspect.  Coaching can help you manage the balance between keeping your thoughts energized and letting go of overly specific results.

3) Establish a definite date when you intend to manifest your desire.

4) Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire and begin at once, whether you are ready or not, to put your plan into action.

5) Write out in a clear, concise statement, your desire, what you intend to give in return and clearly describe the plan through which you intend to acquire your desire.

6) Read your written statement aloud, twice daily. Read it just before retiring at night, and read it once after arising in the morning. As you read; see, feel and believe yourself already in the place you are envisioning.

At a time when the notion of our thoughts holding vibrational power was not popular or believed, Swami Sivanada wrote, “Thought Power” in 1887. This book is steeped in yogic tradition reminding us of ancient teachings that have been in our midst throughout history.

Long before yoga became mainstream, many spiritual masters taught that these teachings which have been passed along throughout generations are “a very old wine packaged in a variety of fresh new bottles”.

This week, be conscious of what you let into your environment. The energies of people, programs, gatherings, objects, etc. affect your vibration. 

If you journal, be conscious of the habit of only writing about what you don’t like or want to experience.  Retrain yourself to write ONLY about what you appreciate and value.  What you focus upon expands in direct proportion to the amount of time you spend on it. 

Your focus is your emotional currency.  Spend your currency on thoughts and feelings that enrich your life instead of those that drain your energy and reinforce a negative mind-set.

If you have set specific goals for yourself, make a concerted effort to only surround yourself with those energies that are in alignment with your aspirations.

Take yourself seriously and surround yourself with people that enhance your sense of well being and are like-minded.

If you would like to learn more about the power of your thoughts, please feel free to contact me at ic@integrationcoaching.com.