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Website Archive:
Featured Guest Interview: Ricky Tran, Yogi Extrodinaire
Why Did the Passing of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson Touch Us So Deeply? By Dr. Jeanine Spiral Dynamics - 4 short videos with Dr. Jeanine Book Recommendation: Making Peace With God: The Journey of a Course in Miracles Student by Pauline Edward Global Illumination Council July 15, 2009 Guest on radio show "Love or Fear" ACIM Luna Fitness profile & article Nutrition for the Three Intelligences: Mind, Body and Spirit by Dr. Jeanine http://www.lunafitnessoftempe.com/ ~SDS~ For a free consultation please complete: http://tinyurl.com/p74bls and return via email: jeanine@simplydivinesolutions.com for a free and truly no obligation session! ~SDS~ Book Recommendation
Making Peace with God: The Journey of A Course in Miracles Student by Pauline Edward I simply could not put this book down. I highly recommend this book to any serious spiritual seeker. Ms. Edward's journey has been a compelling and deeply introspective one. This book will take you on a wonderful quest from simplistic ideas about spirituality to a heartfelt homecoming to peace and love. This is a wonderfully written offering. If you are interested in metaphysics and particularly A Course in Miracles, this book should not be missed. Making Peace with God chronicles Pauline Edward’s early childhood in Saguenay Lac Saint-Jean Canada where she attended Catholic school and also commences a journey of intense spiritual introspection. It is a nuanced voyage during which she courageously continues on a trajectory to make peace with God, all the while never knowing if or how each step will inform the next. Each leg of the process affects her personal, professional and romantic life. Her driving desire to find God is invariably first and foremost most important to her and her life reflects the inner vicissitudes she experiences.
I was deeply moved by the honesty and humility portrayed in this book by the author. Similar to any determined spiritual pilgrim, Ms. Edward explores most every spiritual philosophy that comes her way. Perhaps because she is extremely bright and naturally introspective, she takes an earnest look at each of the metaphysical perspectives she comes across and forensically evaluates them. She is ever steadfast and never gives up, no matter her life circumstances. Unyielding on her life path, I was inspired by the way she had truly awakened to her call and has unwaveringly dedicated her life to answering that call.
Some of my favorite parts of the narrative were the use of A Course in Miracles quotes throughout the book which elucidated aspects of her life. I also enjoyed Ms. Edward's recounting of her life as an adolescent and young adult, relating challenges that impacted her life experiences and therefore her ideas about the transpersonal. The book closes with the author embracing A Course in Miracles as a homecoming to her ultimate truth and making the peace with God which has heretofore eluded her. The conclusion of the book also explores some of the central themes of A Course in Miracles. Ms. Edward demonstrates to the reader that the application and integration of the A Course in Miracles perspective has been the most resonant spiritual path that she has found to date.
Easefully
and beautifully written, Making Peace with God was a true joy to read.
Several times I stopped reading to call friends in order to share with
them some of the nuggets of insight and wisdom I found while reading
this treasure. My hope is that this book will have a very wide distribution
in order that those on a spiritual quest will be inspired and fortified
for their own spiritual exploration. ~SDS~ Did you know that coaching undertaken to enhance your business is tax deductible? In the U.S., all continuing education undertaken to maintain and improve business and professional skills are tax deductible. (Treas.Reg. 1-162-5, Coughlin vs. Commissioner 203F 2d 307) Alma Answer Update: Coaches are utilizing The Alma Answers! 21 Sacred Soul Steps to Divine Solutions e-course as a curriculum for their client groups. The groups are held over a 21 week period utilizing one sacred step per week. Each day includes homework, extra credit work if desired and a bibliography. Clients buy the Alma Answers from Dr. Jeanine at the $99.00 rate and coaches charge their regular group or workshop fees. ~SDS~ Gift
certificates are available ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Looking
for something to read or for an inspiring video to watch? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Spiral Dynamics (4 Short Vignettes)
Global Illumination Council July 15, 2009 Guest on radio show "Love or Fear" ACIM
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Worldwide Women Around the World: Transitioning, Transforming & Transcending ~*~August/September 2009~*~ Thank you for being a part of this simply divine community! Please share us with your community! Do email us and let us know what you think. We wish this newsletter to be both a Divine and interactive experience. | |
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Yoga with Ricky Tran
JA: Ricky you are truly an amazing yoga teacher. Intuitively, I know you will be recognized as a great yogi because of the tenor of your work. How did you get interested and started with yoga? RT: Thank you Dr. Jeannine! I remember stumbling into my first yoga class as a college student at the University of North Texas sometime between 2000 and 2002. I was curious to see why the cute girls were doing yoga… and I wanted to see the cute girls! I don’t remember much about the class other than we used blankets to sleep at the end of class and it was very gentle and relaxing. I did not take a yoga class again for a few years. In January of 2006, I was in bad shape, physically and mentally. I was recovering from a methamphetamine habit. I wanted to make a resolution to get fit and healthy, but I didn’t want to join a gym. I think I was ready for something more than just a body workout, so I gave yoga another try. I searched online for a yoga studio that was close enough to the house for me to consistently show up. I enjoyed the practice so much that I committed to paying a monthly due for one year. Little did I know that the decision I made to commit to yoga for one year would forever change my life.
JA: How long did it take for you to get “hooked” on yoga? RT: I began to get hooked after the first class! In the beginning, all I remembered was I felt like a new person after each and every class. I can confidently say that after about 6 months of consistent practice, I was officially hooked. I was able to abandon all desire to get high on amphetamines after 6 months! I wanted to keep practicing yoga to see what else would happen to me, and by the time one year had passed, I was able to quit smoking cigarettes too! Through the practice of yoga, I was able to observe how I react to pain and pleasure. Once we learn to manage our relationships and associations to pain and pleasure, we can begin to manage our decisions or choices, which ultimately determine our destinies! This realization comes when we start to lose the identification with our sense cravings, body and ego. We begin to realize the nature of our true Self, which is who we really are.
JA: What have been some of the gifts of your yoga practice? RT: There are so many gifts from the yoga practice. Most of us (in the West) begin a yoga practice seeking a better body. It’s all about the physical in the beginning. We want to be tone and look good. If we continue to practice, we realize that there are gifts beyond the physical. We begin to realize that the most important gifts of the yoga practice is not what we can see on the outside, but what happens to us on the inside. The chance to observe the observer is probably one of the most important gifts the practice has given me. Other gifts of the practice include the ability to keep the mind calm and steady under stress and radiant health. I also value the humility that one experiences in yoga practice. It’s always nice to be humbled. The greatest gift from the practice is the ability to be present without judgment or expectations. Once I had realized this, everything ordinary became extraordinary, including my yoga practice!
JA: What type of yoga do you practice? RT: I practice Hatha Yoga and Raja Yoga. Hatha yoga is like an umbrella that includes any form of physical yoga such as asana or postures. At this time, my favorite style of practice is Vinyasa Krama, Ashtanga Vinyasa or an Ashtanga-influenced practice. Vinyasa actually means variations and it is understood that asana or postures are performed in a sequential order, flowing from one posture to the next with correct breathing. Sometimes we hold poses for a few breaths. Krama means to sequence the asana/postures in an orderly way. In other words, there is a method to the sequencing. I also enjoy taking Iyengar or Iyengar-influenced systems on occasion. Other aspects of Hatha Yoga are yogic breathing exercises called pranayama, kriya (cleansing acts), concentration and meditation. Raja yoga is in essence, yoga of the mind… or meditation. The ancient yogic text by a yogic sage named Svatmarama (15th century) called the Hatha Yoga Pradipika (Light on Yoga) draws no hard distinction between Hatha Yoga and Raja Yoga. Hatha Yoga prepares the yogi for Raja Yoga. The aim of yoga as stated by Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra 1.2 is “yogas chitta vritti nirodah”, or “Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind.” For the highest level yogi, the aim of yoga is to move the mind towards complete stillness.
JA: Is having a teacher (s) important to your practice? If so, why? RT: Absolutely! This is especially important when we begin the yoga practice. Yoga means to unite, integrate or add. If we are doing yoga, then we are adding our life experiences together, one moment at a time. Yoga is life and life is Yoga! The qualified teacher has traveled the path. They are like a tour guide. It is easy to make things difficult and it is difficult to make things easy. A good teacher can help make difficult things easy! They can tell you which paths to take and which to avoid, because they have traveled the path. A good teacher is one that will point the way and let you have your own experience. As helpful as a good book or DVD may be, nothing can replace a qualified teacher. A good teacher doesn’t only show you how to perform asana, but they give you spiritual or life guidance. I believe that a yoga teacher must first be a yogi. Nowadays, there are so many “teachers” out there that sometimes it takes a while to find one that resonates with our own values. Never quit seeking. Sometimes we outgrow our teachers, and ultimately, we find that the only teacher that truly matters is the teacher within each of us.
JA: Where do you see yourself going/becoming/growing with your practice? RT: I see myself becoming more and more grounded in the nature of my true Self. I want to become the embodiment of pure joy and love. I am not attached to the outcome of my yoga practice, though I hope to truly levitate one day. Label me crazy!
JA: What can people do to get started with yoga? RT: I recommend buying something! That usually works for the Westerner. It sounds contradictory, but I suggest buying a yoga mat and a yoga outfit. Many of us are self-conscious and we need to feel that we are looking good in a class with other yogis. I have found that it’s a lot easier to get up and go to yoga class once we are dressed for action! Secondly, sample many classes and studios until you find a teacher or studio that you like. COMMIT to showing up to 2-3 classes a week for one month. Schedule it in your planner like a doctor’s appointment and treat it with the same importance and urgency. Show up without fail and you are 80% closer to success. Woody Allen says, “80% of success is [merely] showing up.” When you show up to yoga class, practice yoga like no one is watching. Leave the ego at the door. Do this and you may become a yoga junkie, just like me!
JA: What do you know now that you wish you would have known “then” about yoga or your practice?
RT: This is a tough question. The greatest gift from the practice is the realization that if I practiced (on and off the mat) without judgment or expectations, amazing things will begin to happen. If I had known that in the beginning, I’m sure my journey would have been quite different. Would all of the realizations along the way have been so profound to me? Would I be where I am today? I don’t know that I wish I would have known then what I know now. Everything is perfect, past present and future.
JA: How can people have an opportunity to study under your guidance and learn more about your teaching?
RT: Thank you for asking! There are many ways. 1. www.YogaVibes.com – COMING SOON! Take my class titled “A Journey into Bliss” online in the comfort of your home or studio AT YOUR CONVENIENCE. YogaVibes launches in late August 2009, and if the company does well, I may offer more classes on that site. I may also record talks on many things yoga related as we see fit. 2. www.rickytranyoga.com – My intention is to travel the world and lead workshops and retreats, so stay updated by visiting my site and subscribe to my mailing list. 3. www.facebook.com – Interact with me and receive all updates on upcoming events by joining my yoga fan page here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ricky-Tran-Yoga/125037880459?ref=s 4. www.yogajunkietour.com – I also have a blog where I post images and such. I am also working on creating a 200 hour Yoga Alliance compliant teacher training program for people who want to deepen their practice and/or to begin a journey towards teaching others. I will hopefully make this available sometime in 2010. JA: Thanks a million Ricky. I know many will be inspired by you! Thanks for taking this time today to share.
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For a free consultation please complete: http://tinyurl.com/p74bls and return via email: jeanine@simplydivinesolutions.com for a free and truly no obligation session! Why Did the Passing of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson Touch Us So Deeply? By Dr. Jeanine
There were many more subtle factors that touched me about Michael. Aside from being a really cute boy, the songs he sang provided a narrative for my own development, teaching me about love. The songs “Stop the Love You Save”, “I’ll Be There" and “I Want You Back” offered me clues about the nuances of relationships. His unique talent modeled for me what was possible and was a shinning example of human potential even at an early age. I listened to my Jackson 5 album and eight track tape until my record was too scratched to listen to and the 8 track player became obsolete. My college boyfriend bought me the Thriller album and being a dancer I tried to figure out the Thriller chorography for fun. Thriller was a phenomenon and once again put the bright spotlight back on now adult Michael. It was then that “The King of Pop” moniker began to take hold. For me, the “Black or White” song became an anthem for my inter-racial relationship and “Man in the Mirror” provided heartfelt lyrics for the social changes I passionately wanted to make as a social worker. "The Way You Make Me Feel" still makes me smile and excites for me those feelings of being in love. Sadly, as a social worker for the LA County Department of Mental Health, I remember the surreal buzz around the accusations made towards Michael who by then had become enigmatic and reclusive. In the office, I would overhear details of the investigations which always left me feeling disconcerted. Unfortunately, the song “Leave Me Alone” seemed to say it all and its lyrics shared little in common with the innocent and idealistic lyrics I once heard from the Jackson 5. Similarly, Farrah Fawcett was a huge beauty icon for all of us in the 70s. I didn’t know any 13 year old girls that didn’t in some way try to copy the Farrah feathered hair style. In earnest, I took a photo of Farrah to my hairstylist who offered to create a variation of the Farrah hairstyle for me. I was completely deflated at the thought that my hair could not be made to resemble Farrah’s exactly. I felt burdened by the injustice of it. I didn’t have blond hair, thick hair or wavy hair, which made my morning efforts with the curling iron laborious. I admit that I stayed home from school on several occasions simply because I couldn’t get the Farrah feathered hair down. At my school, when having a particularly good hair day it was customary to compliment your friend by approaching her with a simple “Farrah”. In the late 70s at my junior high school a loftier compliment would be hard to think of. Farrah impacted our idea of beauty in the 70s as those before us had thought of Marilyn Monroe in the 50s and 60s. What was it that we were all were so captivated by and made us so covetous? Arguably, there were other actresses and personalities more physically beautiful. Feature for feature fellow Charlie’s Angel Jaclyn Smith was perhaps prettier, but she didn’t enliven our spirits or spark our imagination like the big grinned beauty sitting in front of the striped Mexican blanket. For me at least, it was in part the indomitable spirit which jumped off the television screen. During her one season of Charlie’s Angels her character Jill Monroe reached out to us with her blinding smile, bouncing mane of hair and her tanned, carefree and fit California girl (although a Texan) good looks. It wasn’t just the Charlie’s Angel’s Farrah with her overt sensuality that caught my attention. Two of Farrah’s movies touched me deeply: Extremities and The Burning Bed. The movie Extremities helped me deal with some of my own personal traumas by providing a context to help me grapple with feelings of victimization and retribution. I was riveted by The Burning Bed specifically because it spoke to the plight of so many disempowered women who have to make impossible choices. The stories that she choose to tell were deeply thought provoking and moving. Farrah was always appreciated as beautiful, but following her performance in these movies there was a deeper appreciation for her as a talented and intelligent actress as well. The recent Farrah’s Story chronicling Farrah’s cancer challenges I felt showed Farrah at her most beautiful. At 60+, she was truly more radiant and luminous than ever. Whether she was having a snowball fight with Alana Stewart at a cancer treatment center in Germany, celebrating a final Christmas with Marianne Williamson or even shaving off her beautiful trademark locks, she glowed just as she did in the 1970s. As I always suspected, her beauty was really about the radiant energy she projected outward and had much less to do with standards of beauty. Most of us were shaken up on Thursday June 25th 2009 when Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson passed away. Many of us felt we had lost some important reference points, two people who had awakened and inspired something in ourselves. Our histories seemed entangled. Somehow these iconic figures became a part of our personal narrative. Like anyone we know well we knew they weren’t perfect people and didn’t have perfect lives. What many of us will choose to focus on is what they added to our lives. Perhaps this is an opportunity to really appreciate all those around us who offer something to smile about. 
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