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June 2008In this Issue: |
I trust the ease of summer is unfolding for you and your family. Recently many of you supported me during the rather intense journey into New York theatre life. I am grateful for your encouragement. After reflection I chose not to pursue an acting opportunity to be a member of the cast in a Tennessee Williams play, which premiers this fall in the city. Active parenting of my son turns out to be the stronger dharma. I am grateful for the clarity and will continue to write, work on my own creations, teach meditation, and build the life coaching/speaking business. The first Arjuna Conference launched successfully earlier in June at Earth Dance Retreat Center in Western MA. By the feedback and what I had the privilege to co-facilitate and observe, I sense that we’ve seeded something powerful and absolutely necessary—intense, rigorous and safe communion of the male spirit and a dynamic healing weekend for men. We have wonderful plans already taking shape for the Arjuna Conference in 2009. Presently the Monday men’s meditation group has come to completion for the summer. We will begin again in late September in Concord. It takes courage to step out from the rat race each Monday evening to engage our minds and deeper dimensions of being through meditation, timeless wisdom practices, and open, honest conversation. I respect the men who participate and I feel blessed to know them. On a personal note, the next two months is filled with time to slow down, write, and enjoy fun vacations/adventures with family and friends. I hope you go with ease and enjoy the summer. Warmly, *If you'd like to share this issue with a friend, they can view the newsletter online at http://www.seanleclaire.com/ezine/, or you can use the Forward link at the bottom of this issue. If you'd prefer not to receive future issues of Be The Change, click the Unsubscribe link at the bottom of this message. SLOW DOWNFor seven years now, I have been working as a life & executive coach, speaker and seminar leader. Essentially I am an awareness teacher interested in supporting myself and others to access deeper dimensions of being—the space, silence and stillness that is known as the Self in the sacred tradition I embrace and practice. Along with opening to a deeper experience of being, I have an abiding passion for slowing down and creative expression. Extensive research and personal experience indicate a profound link between slowing down and creative expression. When I say “slowing down” I do not necessarily mean doing less; in many cases it actually means being much more productive and creative in all areas of life. Artists and athletes know the experience of quiet mind, and moving within and from such space which often initiates peak and optimal performance. When I speak of slowing down, I am talking about slowing the mind down, so that you are no longer subject to the tyranny of thought. A busy mind is an unproductive mind, a mind that lacks the capacity for creative, intuitive expression and optimal performance. All you have to do is look on the faces of children at free play (meaning no adult interference) and you will see the joy, passion and clarity of mind that so many of us long for. The reason why I slow down and engage timeless wisdom practices is so that I spend more and more “time” in the space and silence of the Self. Side-benefits include an increased ability to concentrate and experience creative expression and happiness. More and more, I am surprised to learn how many people simply have either no awareness practice, or an inconsistent practice for slowing down their over-scheduled lives and cultivating a deeper dimension of being from which to engage life. As a meditation teacher and life coach I hear many stories… some about being in the flow, some about profound states of stillness and unity, others about joy and achievement, and many about the struggle for such. I’d like to share one story from the last year of coaching conversation which stunned me. A highly successful and well-known management consultant and I were part of a team created to work on a piece of business. The project never came to fruition. The guy approached me and asked about having coffee. We set a time to meet. There was something about me that he didn’t get, he said. “A bizarre combination of intensity, passion and stillness,” he said. The man is a world-beater; he gets his identity from what he does. I like him. After about an hour, I could tell he wanted something but wasn’t quite sure how to ask. So I said, “How can I help you?” He shared about being somewhat tired and a few private matters. Finally I said, “When did you last take time for rest and renewal?” He spoke about family vacations, conferences at prestigious resorts where he’d gathered with peers from the leadership development and management consultant industries, and other sorts of adventures. “No, no,” I said, “Rest and renewal by yourself, with yourself, for yourself.” He did not understand. So I pulled the slow-down sword from my hip and asked, “When is the last time you spent a day or a weekend or a week completely alone resting and renewing?” “Alone?” “Yes, Alone.” A tear formed under his right eye. “87.” We sat in silence. He continued to cry then left and I haven’t heard from him since. Too much, way too much of his identity comes from “making it happen” to ever slow down and really look at who he is, what he’s doing, and where’s he’s headed. Twenty-one years (three seven-year soul cycles) is a long, long time to not stop, take a break and reflect, and renew. I imagine each of us can relate to this man’s story in some way. I certainly can. Real change, inner transformation begins when we commit to begin to slow down our minds. I have to be willing to look at the chattering, chattering, chattering that can keep me on the fear-driven tread mill. Change implies a certain amount of uncertainty. For most people, fear arises as we move from what is known to what is unknown. Almost every retreat I go on, I must first face my mind, and see things as they are. Believe me it’s not easy to stop. That’s why folks don’t. But the more I do so, the more I am able to remain present in my life and enjoy the benefits of such. What I have noticed is that I require less time renewing and retreating as the mind is not so unnecessarily active, thus I access the abundant energy of the present moment. This summer, I offer you a Slow-Down Challenge Click here and choose one of these three slow-down practices and make it a component of your summer. ENJOY! Note to reader: The above story is factual and shaped in a fashion that maintains client confidentiality and anonymity.BODY-CENTERED BREAKS (BCBs)The Body-Centered Break is a body-focused inquiry and awareness meditation lasting only two minutes and done whenever and wherever you are in your day. Benefits as described by coaching clients include: calmness of mind, overall sense of well-being, sharpened mental focus, reduced anxiety, increased ability of autonomous nervous system to recover rapidly from stress, and an increased capacity for learning. CLICK here for an audio-guided BCB at any time you feel the need to slow down and center into yourself. Enjoy the Benefits NOW! NEW Body-Centered Breaks Body-Centered Break (BCB) History Legs and Feet The Maserati HeartBeat Sitting in Your Seat The Pause SHARED WISDOMSlow down, you move too fast, you gotta let the morning last… kicking down the cobblestones…
POEMThe Waking I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow. We think by feeling. What is there to know? Of those so close beside me, which are you? Light takes the Tree; but who can tell us how? Great Nature has another thing to do This shaking keeps me steady. I should know.
INQUIRYWhat is fear? WONDERINGHow does praise lead to the same slippery slope as blame? RIGHT ACTIONSlow down.
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© 2008 Sean Casey LeClaire, all rights reserved. |
