alignment

Part of the Great Big Dreams e-seminar I am doing with Christine Kane is a group phone call every Sunday. Today we talked about those things that happen at just the right time, in just the right way that they seem like a gift from the universe. Jung called this synchronicity. One of my main yoga teachers, Aadil Palkhivala, would say this is a result of following your dharma. My more logical-scientific minded friends would describe them as coincidences. Judith Lasater, the yoga teacher renowned for her approach to restorative yoga, calls it Grace:

Grace is active all the time around me. The variable is my ability to sense this Grace, not whether Grace exists or whether or not it can express itself to me once in a while...

One of the most profound experiences of Grace I have had happened in the Spring of 1970. I was finished taking graduate courses toward my MA and I could no longer continue employment as a Teaching Assistant in the department so I needed a new job. As I was walking near the University one day, I was strongly drawn to go into the student YMCA-YWCA. I had never been in there before. I told the receptionist I was there to apply for a job. All work stopped in the office and everyone turned toward me in stony silence. Apparently the staff had decided just an hour before to hire a new Program Associate but hadn't even written the job description yet. I ended up getting the job and one of the perks was free yoga classes. After my first class I was hooked,began practicing daily on my own and 10 months later took over the yoga program with 200 people a week in it. I have been teaching ever since.

If I hadn't followed that hunch, i.e., been lead by Grace, I probably wouldn't have gone into the Y or maybe even started yoga at all. My whole life changed in that moment of Grace.

Erich Schiffmann, another respected yoga teacher, in his book, Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness, talks about tuning in to our inner guidance:

And as your understanding enlarges, as you trust, go with the flow, and do and be as you are prompted from within, you'll realize that life is not random nor governed by chance. Things will start happening more smoothly. You'll become "lucky."

I definitely have a skeptical side. But I'm starting to think there is something to this. Here is how I ended up in coaching:

1. Three people in the span of two weeks ask me, "Have you ever thought about being a life coach?" To which I guffaw, not really knowing what a life coach is, but knowing that Dr. Phil calls himself a Life Strategist and I don't like Dr. Phil much at all and would not like to be even faintly associated with him. Besides, what would all my friends, skeptical like me (and my cohorts in Dr.Phil mockery), think?

2. My husband, going through a career transition, is given a gift of some sessions with a coach by one of his friends. He doesn't want to use them, so I go instead - curious to check out what this is all about, anyway. At the end of my first session, the coach asks me, "Have you ever thought of going into coaching?"

3. I am reading one of my favourite blogs, Superhero Journal, and Andrea comes out of the closet about being a life coach and addresses some of the same fears I had. Which makes me realize, I am really interested in this but I am stopping myself because of fear of what others will think. Which is really stupid.

4. I look into different coach training programs, talk to people who have taken them and decide on the same program Andrea did - I like the fact that it is a hands-on training (many are online only) and that it is available in Vancouver. And it has a stellar reputation. But it is a bit pricey. And I don't have the money.

5. My principal offers me a position on my staff as a goaltender - supporting other teachers with their professional growth plans. As compensation, I will get money for my professional development to spend as I please. The amount of pro-d money happens to equal the amount I would need to pay the tuition for the coach training.

And here I am. To be continued...

Comments

[kimberlyvo]

I like Lasster's idea--as a skeptic, I tend to believe less that there's a force out there guiding us, but that doesn't mean we can't put ourselves in the position to take advantage of opportunities that arise.

Have you ever looked at the Richard Wiseman stuff?

http://www.amazon.com/LUCK-FACTOR-Richard-Wiseman/dp/0786869143

"From Publishers Weekly
Filled with real-life stories from hundreds of interviews; inspirational quotes from the likes of Benjamin Franklin and Oprah Winfrey; and graphed research data from his eight-year study of luck, Wiseman's book promises to offer "a scientifically proven way to understand, control, and increase your luck." While many believe luck is a mystical force influenced by superstitious rituals, Wiseman, psychology chair at the University of Herfordshire in England, claims lucky people simply possess four basic psychological traits unlucky people don't: the ability to maximize chance opportunities, to listen to "gut feelings," to expect good fortune and to see the bright side of bad luck. Questionnaires and exercises offer guidance on how to acquire or enhance luckiness while keeping a "luck journal" and incorporating techniques to increase intuition, stop negative self-fulfilling prophecies and learn how to effectively network. The format is marked by redundant chapter summaries, but Wiseman's upbeat, charismatic tone might persuade even skeptical readers of the transformative effect luck can have in their personal and professional lives."

Here's a piece that was published in Skeptical Inquirer:
http://www.richardwiseman.com/resources/The_Luck_Factor.pdf

[liannemarie]

Oooo - that sounds right up my alley, Kimberly. Thanks for the recommendation - I've put in a request for the book at my library.