The
Consciousness Collaborative Update
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Register for Upcoming Classes & Events
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Special Guest Speaker
Sept. 14th 
Michael Neill We are thrilled to announce that Genius Catalyst, Michael Neill will be offering a free teleclass to our community on September 14th. This will kick off a new monthly teleclass series offered by The Consciousness Collaborative. Michael Neill authored the best-selling Effortless Success audio program, Feel Happy Now!, You Can Have What You Want, and most recently, Supercoach: Ten Secrets to Transform Anyone's Life. Two years ago, he launched the Supercoach Academy, a place where coaches and other difference makers could learn the principles behind Transformative Coaching. The Academy faculty is comprised of superstars in the industry, with a new (and for the foreseeable future, final) class series beginning in January. Don't miss this opportunity to listen in live to Michael Neill live, as he presents this exclusive teleclass to The Consciousness Collaborative Community. Curious about Michael Neill and what he has to offer? Visit his website or check out one of his many video snippets. Free Public Event! Sept. 14th Teleclass Guest Instructor: Michael Neill 7-8pm (eastern time) Register On-Line (for your personal dial-in number and access code) |
What's Next?! Registration Deadline 
What holds you back from your personal What's Next?! Even when we clearly visualize our possibilities, we all get pulled off course or sidetracked with detours occasionally. If you could be shown a path back to your essential self, the clear voice within who is willing to take risks and trusts that no matter what happens, you will still be okay, would you be interested in owning that map?
The What's Next?! Workshop offers both the map and an opportunity to walk the path to your essential self again and again. It is designed to support your ability to connect with your core self and the unique gifts that manifest from the essence of your being. From this place, you may truly live the life you want. The essential self is the only part of you who can take conscious steps to your personal What's Next?! Through this program, creator and facilitator, Joanne Lutz, provides a process with compassionate support and encouraging guidance for you to manifest your best self, and meet, with clarity, whatever may be next for you.
Wonder if this program yields real results? Read what past participants say about their experience.
Registration for the Autumn Series closes September 14th. Don't miss this opportunity to launch yourself on your true path.
What's Next?! Workshop
Beginning September
23rd & 24th
(see full schedule)
Facilitated by
Joanne Lutz
Register On-Line Today!
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Recipe
of the
Month
Asian
Watercress
Salad
Prep Time: 7 mins
Yields: 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 bunch of washed watercress
- 1 cup grated carrots
- 1 cup of baked tofu
- 1-1/2 tablespoons of toasted sesame oil
- 2/3 tablespoon of umeboshi plum vinegar or other vinegar
Directions:
1. Tear watercress into desirable size pieces.
2. Mix with carrots in a salad bowl.
3. Drizzle sesame oil and vinegar over salad and toss.
4. Dice tofu into bite size strips.
5. Serve in individual salad bowls and sprinkle tofu on top of each and serve.
-Contributed by
Nathalie Blitz
of Vitamin N
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My husband reads part of a "good for you" book everyday at breakfast. For two weeks, the book on the porch table was "The Aladdin Factor" by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen. I stared at it for those fourteen days, before I finally picked it up. Then, I couldn't put it down. In addition to some fun and provocative exercises, the book is filled with anecdotal stories of what people believe about asking for help and the amazing things that happen when we move through the fear that blocks us and request what we want.
This read dovetailed nicely with a recent audio presentation I listened to of "Supercoach" author, Michael Neill. He spoke of the "internal gatekeeper" that lives within each of us. This voice prevents us from asking for something in anticipation of what the answer might be. So rather than meeting the real life gatekeeper who guards the castle or sits at the reception desk, we engage the protector within who keeps us from feeling badly about someone telling us "no." In turn, we simply never take the outward action step to ask for the help, kindness, dinner date, discount, or support we would like.
I sometimes have trouble asking for what I want or need. My internal gatekeeper adamantly holds me back from making the query, particularly when my vulnerability feels at stake. Other times, I ask but not with my true voice. Unfailingly, my attempts to morph my language into what I believe someone else may want to hear, rather than what is completely true to me, falls flat. My experience with Michael Neill's Creating the Impossible program in July was an excellent reminder for me - a reminder of the gatekeeper...the chameleon...and the power of my own true, vulnerable voice.
As part of my personal "Impossible" goal, I invited Michael Neill to join The Consciousness Collaborative. His talent, charisma, and wisdom would be greatly welcomed by the existing members and I believe you, as part of our community, would have tremendous appreciation for what he offers. In return, Michael would have the opportunity to grow his audience by 10%, simply by saying "yes."
It took me a couple of weeks to get past my internal gatekeeper, even to pose the question. Once I did, my first attempt at asking him was dreadful! It almost could have been one of those canned letters you pay for on the internet. Truly, chameleon mode does not work for me!
Then I had the benefit of working with a dynamic coach from Belgium, studying as Michael's apprentice this year. Cecile Chabot listened to my enthusiasm, compared it to my invitation, and asked me over and over, "why didn't you say THAT in the letter?" Encouraged by Cecile's clarity, I sent Michael a private email in my own true voice. The moment I hit the send key, I felt completely in me. It was the difference between walking around wearing a sticky Halloween mask and the feeling of a freshly washed face.
The result of my letter to him (you may read it here), was an offer from Michael Neill to host a one hour free teleclass for our community! This incredible opportunity, while not what I had requested, manifested from the combination of my willingness to take a risk, and Michael's generosity. If the internal gatekeeper and the chameleon ruled the day, I would not be able to share this exciting news with you. (Read below for teleclass details and registration.)
Because this process held such power for me, I'd like to share with you a key ingredient I learned to successfully asking for whatever I may want. I allow myself ask and then let go of any attachment to the result. By releasing any held expectations, I am free to ask for anything. Since practicing this mysterious recipe is still new, it feels both daring and fun. I encourage you to give it a try. If it helps, imagine you've just rubbed Aladdin's lamp and the genie has appeared before you...now, you do the magic part...and ask!
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 Fitness Support:
Celebrating Success???
They claim you teach what you need to learn. This article was almost never written, conveniently, because I was avoiding it. Now I realize, this topic sits right at my growing edge.
Being a hard worker bee comes easily to me. I enjoy feeling I have achieved something when I work hard and complete the tasks on my "to do" list. It's in my wiring. Where the wires cross and short out, though, is in acknowledging my accomplishments. Instead, good worker bee that I am, I move onto the next goal as if I didn't even complete the first one. Sad, isn't it? I'm missing a vital part of the manifestation process - celebration!
For instance, last month I brought to fulfillment a major fitness goal and a major organization goal. Hmm...even now, I don't give them each room to breathe in their own sentence...still a work in progress. So, let's try again...
Fitness goal completed: I rewardingly ran a ½ marathon in August. I've done this only once before, but a fairly recent ankle injury made this ½ marathon much tougher to train for, and still I did it! (my medal is pictured above) And for a little perspective, I don't even like to run.
Organizational goal completed: I successfully organized my financial papers for tax purposes. This painful task usually gets put on hold until April rolls around, and inevitably, they are a complete mess. Well, a complete mess is being very kind in describing the disorganization...which makes this achievement even more gratifying!
Recently, I've wondered why I dismiss these successes. Even asking the question allows me greater space to enjoy my accomplishments, because it heightens my awareness. It's similar to savoring a nice meal. I need to eat to supply my body with nutrition, but if I don't pay attention, I miss out on each pleasurable bite of 'Chilean sea bass' and the sense of satisfaction I feel after mindfully eating a delicious dinner.
As a personal trainer, my job calls upon me to point out my clients' achievements so they may notice and honor their successes, be directed to the next fitness goal in their program, and last but definitely not least, enjoy and delight in the way they move, feel and look with their improved bodies. I realized, if I'm inviting my clients to appreciate their unique accomplishments, I might do well to extend the invitation to myself. Walking the talk benefits me tremendously and provides a model of integrity to my clients. Then, I am not asking them to do something that I am unwilling to do myself.
So, I offer this invitation to you, too. Once you achieve a fitness goal, allow yourself the space to feel better, more at ease, and delight in the joy of having set your mind and body to achieve something that stretched your comfort zone. I encourage you to take a step back this month and think of at least one thing you are proud to have achieved, from making it to the gym successfully twice a week for the last month to finally achieving your ideal weight.
Look at the work it took to get you there, how you challenged yourself and persevered. Then take it all in. Notice and appreciate the support and inspiration you received from others who helped clear your path combined with your personal dedication. Doesn't this feel good? I think it's worthy of a few deep breaths...Ahh...
With the power of your success and appreciation of your accomplishment supporting you, your internal engine will be fully fueled to tackle the next goal. But, as I've now learned, celebrating is a vital part of the cycle. Mindfully enjoy celebrating your successes!
-Contributed by Lisa Andrews of Equilibrium Retreats |
Release Your Inner Athlete 
Treat yourself to an Equilibrium Retreat
November 11th - 13th
This November join Lisa Andrews as she facilitates an Equilibrium Retreat at the beautiful PGA National Resort and Spa in West Palm Beach, Florida. Each retreat invites participants of all levels to connect with their physical, emotional, and mindful health and vitality. Through vigorous physical practice - designed to bring you into balance, increased breath awareness, clarified goals, and a genuine connection with self, participants experience increased energy and leave with training ideas and tools to use in daily life at home. Lisa's unique program reveals, for each person, the obstacles blocking the path to fully living life and maximizing the athlete within.
As a guide to your inner athlete, Lisa's focused attention to detail sets her apart in the personal training world. And most importantly, she practices what she preaches about life balance. During this retreat, she will provide both support and a model for how to incorporate into each day of work, time for play, meditation, and inward reflection.
Wondering what might be involved in a typical retreat day? Take a peek at a "sample day" or contact Lisa directly for answers to all of your Equilibrium Retreat related questions.
Equilibrium Retreats with Lisa Andrews November 11th - 13th PGA National Resort and Spa West Palm Beach, FL Register On-Line Advance registration discount available thru October 1st! |
Road of False Hope 
"You are a hope-creating mechanism, and this hope-creating mechanism is the ego. So what is to be done? In fact, there is nothing to be done. You only need clearer eyes, more perceptive eyes, more penetrating eyes. All that is needed is to have a fresh look about you, your being, at whatsoever you have been doing, hoping - a fresh look. And I say to you, in that fresh look, in that innocent look, ego drops by itself, of its own accord. It is the easiest phenomenon, and at the same time the most difficult." - Osho, My Way: The Way Of The White Clouds My dad tells this story. He, my mom, and I took a family trip to Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah, much of which we spent driving in the desert between scenic locations. Pouty and 15, sitting in the back seat against the door, I had my headphones on for most of the journey listening to one of my favorite bands, Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR), when we passed a sign for The Green River. CCR wrote a song called Green River...there's a sign for Green River...I became instantly certain that we were about to pass the legendary locale of this legendary song. Pulling off my headphones, which surprised them immensely, I called out, "We have to stop!" My dad gripped the wheel tightly (he had a slight time issue, writing out the day's agenda in pencil several days earlier) and stated, "There must be 10,000 Green Rivers!" But I insisted. I knew in every fiber of my body that I was right. This was the one. To his credit, he amused me and took the exit and, as he puts it, "We get there and it's this muddy little stream in a dumpy city with a sign that says Green River." At the time, I grunted and told him, "Well, it COULD be the location," and I asked him to take a picture just in case (above). Something nagging told me it wasn't, but I held on tightly to the possibility.
How often do we convince ourselves of what we want to see? Fifteen, bored, wanting to be anywhere else, I had latched on to a potentially transcendent experience of standing where an idol once stood. It was just what I wanted to believe. This story is one moment, but I could pick many from my life where this is true, where I put the blinders on to what was right in front of me to see what I wanted to see. For me, it's a way of escape and one that, when I follow this path, usually leads me to a few minutes of hoping something will be better followed by disappointment and loss at it not being true. I am where I am, still stuck in the back seat and somehow a little more frustrated at a world that doesn't give me what I want. Osho talks about all hopes being false-that our hope takes us out of this moment, this experience, and puts us into a space of wishing for a future where things are better than right now. And that can lead us to great disappointment and pain. Thich Nhat Hanh speaks of the beauty of this moment like a flower that contains all of existence-the sun, the wind, the rain, the earth, all exist in this one little plant, this one little flower that we are breathing in. Each moment is a flower for us to simply be with, no need to escape.
One last note: A quick check of Wikipedia and a referenced article reveals that the lead singer of CCR, John Fogerty, wrote the song about a place his family frequented in his youth...in Winters, CA. I can let that one go. Join me for the next monthly meditation in Arlington on September 21st. -Contributed by Jamie Thurber |
Meditation of the Month
Mantra for Success
Seeking out this month's meditation, I notice we've rarely explored a mantra meditation. A mantra is a sound or series of sounds that are used as a focal point in meditation. Often the words have a conscious intention, even if the sounds themselves are gibberish.
Other meditations use physical actions or visual aides to quiet the mind. A mantra meditation uses the series of sounds and the intention of their meaning for that same purpose. The sounds may be spoken aloud or silently in your head. It is not the noise that matters, it is the commitment to continually and gently come back to the "words" when the mind wanders (and it inevitably will!) that allows a oneness with self.
In The Big Leap, author Gay Hendricks shares "The Ultimate Success Mantra: A Central Guiding Intention." He describes the Ultimate Success Mantra (USM) as "a set of instructions to your conscious and unconscious mind, designed to inform all your actions and decisions."
These are Hendrick's instructions directly from the book:
"...find a place where you can sit quietly for five to ten minutes. Close your eyes, and rest for a minute or so until your system settles down. Once every fifteen to twenty seconds, whisper the USM softly to yourself; say the words quietly in your mind, like a faint thought. You don't need to pronounce the words distinctly, as long as you can feel the concept of the USM."
The USM Hendricks refers to is this:
"I expand in abundance, success, and love every day, as I inspire those around me to do the same."
He says, "It will go like this:
- Whisper the USM softly to yourself. (It takes me five to seven seconds to do this.)
- Pause and rest with an open mind for ten to fifteen seconds. (this is about the time is takes for two slow, easy breaths.)
- Whisper the USM softly to yourself again.
- Pause and rest with an open mind for ten to fifteen seconds.
- Continue like this for five to ten minutes.
- When you feel you're at a good stopping place, pause and rest for a minute or two before returning to your normal activities."
May you enjoy a highly successful month full of abundance, love, and inspiration. |
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