A Day In Your Life…
How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.
– Anne Frank
I hope you all had a marvelous holiday!
We now stand on the precipice of 2012 and one of my most favorite times of year.I’ve always been a fan of what the new year brings, what it means and how it is such a wonderful opportunity for reflection and refocus. Even before Christmas I start to feel the excitement of the coming starting over.
I always think of this time of the year as a gift to each of us, winter is doing it’s work to make us rest and turn inward, the approaching spring brings a whisper of things new beckoning and things familiar being open to adjustment. The beauty of it is, as Helen Keller put it, that we don’t have to wait for the iconic New Year, we can begin any time, right now, tomorrow…anytime is an chance to start making change.
And so…I offer you 3 things in hopes that you will consider making a change for yourself in the new year:
First, come with me…
Take a journey to a day in YOURlife at the teacher’s retreat…
Waking:
The bed you’re in, although not your own, feels soft and embracing as you slowly unfurl from a heavy night’s sleep. It takes you a moment to remember that you are not at home. You turn to look out the window and see low-hanging mist around the pine trees, the red and gold glimmer of a nearby shrine. Silently you are affirmed that you have made a choice to be here with your fellow teachers on a journey of renewal and growth. You have a feeling of being welcomed, supported and encouraged to nurture your creative heart, your authentic self and you know you are in the right place.
Gathering:
The morning has been gentle, and you find yourself relishing the fact that you don’t have to rush to get anything done. As you made your way to breakfast, wrapped in your favorite sweater and boots, you encountered a deer eating at the edge of the grass. Already you can feel the rightness of taking time for yourself. During breakfast you are surprised at how easily connection and conversation comes between you and the other teachers. You find yourself sharing and listening more intently than usual. Breakfast is perfect, all you could ask for. Without hurrying you prepare to make your way to the first morning group session. There is apprehension, a little uncertainty, but that too is a welcome feeling. You are here to look more closely at your work, your path and your intentions. You are here to let more of your authentic self shine through and to bring that into being of greater service. You are here to take care of what is at the heart of your work – you.
Exploring:
The morning session and proceeding reflection time is partly familiar and partly jolting and new. You take comfort in those things you already do in your teaching and work life, feeling supported in what you are doing right. But after the morning’s meditation and explorations you begin to suspect there is so much more to reveal. It’s exciting, thrilling even, emotional, frightening and deeply right. You decide to let go of what you don’t know and be fully present with seeing what comes. The other teachers share your fears, your challenges, your successes and you realize that this is what’s been missing – a like-minded community. You go about your practice and journaling in earnest, but with a sense of humor and lightness. What will the rest of the retreat hold in store for you? You feel safe with not knowing.
Resting:
You are walking back to your room after a fresh and wonderfully wholesome meal, letting it all soak in. The air is chilly but refreshing. The sun has burned off part of the coastal fog. It’s only midday, but somehow you feel light and heavy, tired and vibrant all at the same time. Everything around you is still, peaceful. You realize how much you needed this time away. You remember how you were unsure at first about the dedicatedsilent times, but now it seems easy, perfect. Your bed beckons you for a nap and you chuckle a little thinking how long it’s been since you’ve napped in the middle of the day.
Rejuvenating:
Before the afternoon group sessions you take a hike, partly to wake up and partly to enjoy your beautiful surroundings. Your one-on-one session is tomorrow and the following day you are getting a massage, so hiking seems just the right choice. As you walk everything feels purposeful; every tree in its right place, every sound in its right time. You find yourself thinking about how so much of what you teach is how to create harmony in the body and realize that it’s more than just that. The body is only one piece of the puzzle. Here and now you can be present to every step you take, all your thoughts, your emotions, as well as how your body feels and this is complete. Why don’t you do this more often, you think. When you are taking care of all of you, that is harmony. And you feel it now.
Learning:
The afternoon and evening sessions are invigorating as you continue to get to know the teachers around you. You are working on finding out how you’ve been authentic and inauthentic in your work and much is revealed. You listen to the others and see yourself in them, their comments giving you greater insights into things you had never thought much about. Right away you put those insights into practice, solidifying them and making them your own; you are given ideas and tools for making a change in your teaching and your business right now, and that’s exciting. So much has shifted already.
Resting:
It has been a full day. You’ve rested more than you can remember, but you are also filled up with new possibilities and knowledge. Everything about the day has been rewarding, if sometimes unexpected. But you realize the best things are usually those you are not planning for. It’s time to settle into your room and maybe chat with your bunk-mate, or perhaps you will read the book you brought. How long has it been since you’ve read a book just for you? You are giddy at the prospect. To think you have four more wonderful days of this! It feels good to take care of yourself like this, to be really looking at your work and your teaching…there’s usually just so little time at home, in the midst of it all. Not for the first time you thank yourself for making the decision to come.
Second, the Retreat Agenda
Third, in celebration of 2012 …
Get $100 Off your registration!
Because I am so sure this retreat is going to make a huge difference for your teaching and your business, I wanted to make sure you could make it. So, you can get an additional $100 by doing one simple thing:
* All you have to do is invite a friend to come on the retreat with you! Contact me via email before Jan. 3rdand I will give you each $100 off your registration!*
How are you showing up? Why are you showing up? Why do you teach? What IS teaching? Why do you care? This is Skillful Teaching: A Whole-person approach to being an expert teacher, not an expert technician. There's a difference. Want to know what it is?