Energy For Life

Happy 2012!!

As we enter this auspicious new year, I am remembering the famous quotes: “Be the change you want to see in the world,” and “Let there be peace in the world, and let it begin with me.” My intention for 2012 is to make my own personal changes (just met with a fitness coach, for example!), align with my best self and serve as a hopeful example for others. What changes do you want to see in the world and what peace/piece of this do you want to take responsibility and ownership of this year?? We are all called to something….what’s your deep desire??

Check out this inspiring ten-minute video: “Change for a Dollar”!

Please feel free to let me know your intentions for change in 2012, by email, phone (303-796-7004), in person, or in the comment section.

As predicted, this is time of great polarization and upheaval. Many of my clients, students, neighbors and extended family feel the societal downward pull into fear, fatigue, anxiety, depression, resignation, misbehavior, dishonesty, deception, illness, instability and terror. The younger generations seem so confused about what life is really about and how they can make a difference. They long for models and guidance. I call on myself daily to raise my own awareness/wakefulness, to choose my thoughts, words and actions with utmost care, and be present to participate fully in each moment. How can we serve as models for our young people and our peers? Let’s rise to the challenge!

“Be Your Best Self: Yoga for Families” is my new book, soon to be released, that I wrote with my daughter and granddaughter, as a contribution to serve the next generations. We offer some practical, healthy ways to take care of ourselves and build family closeness.

This book title reflects my spiritual longing. How can I awaken to who my “best self” is and energize the ability to manifest what is best in any moment?? Many of us are calling on ourselves to be/ do the same. The five chapters of the book share yoga practices and other methods to be flowing, be flexible, be strong, be balanced and be calm.

Hopefully, we can move through 2012 as the change we want to see and make peace with ourselves and with those in our sphere of influence.

Be well,
Ruth Sharon

In our last newsletter, I identified some key components of life coaching. Today I want to reveal the essence of my work as a psychologist, life coach and retreat guide and to indicate my overarching goal with all of my clients.

For me, the crowning glory is a knowing that far exceeds mere intellectual or philosophical understanding and goes well beyond peak/elevated experiences. It involves a deep, cellular realization that each of us is much more than the sum of our parts, traits, experiences, achievements and possessions. My true nature or essence transcends my body, intellect, personality and successes. This surface “stuff” of my life reflects things about me but does not define me.

Like virtually everyone, I still fall into the ego-trappings of both pride and shame; I just don’t get stuck or lost in any of those thoughts or sentiments anymore. I have surpassed many of our culture’s standards or benchmarks, while falling short of others. While each of my virtues, attainments and shortcomings characterizes something about me, none of those items or even the composite do justice to uncovering who I really am! In reality, I am limitless.

So, while I work with people on whatever issues they want to address and at whatever level they are in their development, I am ultimately most interested in shining at least some light on the transcendent truth of our being. Those who sincerely engage in the “deep work” have a shot at discovering the one real treasure.

Jim Sharon

BEING REAL

During our monthly sessions, my top-notch spiritual guide often raises a rigorous or evocative question and suggests that I inquire into it over the course of the month.  Most recently she asked me to consider “where I’m coming from,” i.e. my intentions, as I go about my daily activities, e.g. in praying and in interactions with family, friends, clients, networking relationships, etc.  As is usually the case, this broad question opened into many specific, self-confronting questions as I engaged with it.  For example, “am I doing or saying this more out of love or service or to get something from this person?”  Similarly, “is this a sincere prayer of gratitude that is deepening my connection with The Divine, or am I primarily seeking G-d’s favor, protection,” etc.?

This form of self-scrutiny is designed to gradually, yet steadily efface my ego and develop consistent attitudes and actions involving authentic connection.  My truth is that I welcomethe challenge, although, of course, I don’t always like what I face in myself.  I recognize that in the gritty process of examining my underlying motives or manipulations to be “right,” to control win, look “good,” appear clever/witty, charming, etc., I inevitably strengthen my character.

Then a bigger question surfaces:  “What of significance am I consciously building through my daily attunements?  The answer that lights me up the most right now is a substantial financial contribution to programs such as summer camp and college that further enrich my young granddaughter, who proves gifted in so many areas of life.  On the heels of that passionate goal, I know that I want to advance my talented son’s filmmaking and to work more actively toward Mideast peacemaking and sustainable development projects in third world nations.

Here’s to fruitful soul-searching!

Jim Sharon

I hope everyone is getting as excited for our retreat as we are. It will be a great opportunity to start off the new decade on the right track without your past holding your back. Here is a little teaser about what to expect:

SPRING WEEKEND RETREAT:  April 23 – 25

3 P’s:  PRESENCE, PURPOSE AND PEACE

Facilitated by Jim Sharon, Ed.D.

Licensed Psychologist, Certified Life Coach and Retreat Guide

You are invited to join a small group to experience a rejuvenating, enriching weekend retreat at a deluxe hotel in an elegant setting.  The retreat involves a wide variety of practices (interspersed with a lot of rest) specially designed to expand your sense of presence, purpose and  peace in daily life.  These 3 P’s are foundational qualities of vitality, love and fulfillment.  Most activities will be completed in solitude; a few will be done as a group.

Get a sense of the retreat at the upcoming RETREAT SAMPLER (see description below).

Primary Retreat Benefits:

• Experience centeredness and renewed vitality
• Garner inner strength, resilience and flexibility
• Enhance life balance
• Clarify what is most important and meaningful to you in life
• Realize your special virtues
• Develop goals aligned with your core commitments
• Deepen your appreciation of your inner beauty

When: Friday, April 23, 7:00 pm – Sunday, April 25, 1:00 pm
Where: The Inverness Hotel and Conference Center
200 Inverness Drive W., Englewood, CO 80112
Tuition: $1175 if registered by April 10; $1295 after April 10
A $250 nonrefundable deposit is required to reserve your slot.

A payment plan is available upon request.

Fee includes:

• Pre-retreat meeting to acquaint you with the retreat process
• Printed materials
• Luxury hotel room for each person and five full meals
• Retreat guidance:  15 structured hours in five 3-hour blocks
• Group debriefing during each meal
• Post-retreat consultation for personalized follow-through
• Special discounts for optional continued coaching

Information:
Contact Jim Sharon: (303) 796-7004 or docjimsharon@yahoo.com

Register Now:
Register for the Spring Weekend Retreat online at Eventbrite or send a check payable to:
Energy for Life
6162 S. Kearney Street
Centennial, CO 80111

RETREAT SAMPLER

This seminar will provide a taste of the weekend retreat.  You will engage in various practices that activate awareness and growth in each of the “3 P” retreat themes described above.

You are welcome to attend the Sampler without registering for the retreat.

When: Thursday, March 18, 7:00 – 9:30 pm
Where: The Inverness Hotel and Conference Center
200 Inverness Drive W., Englewood, CO 80112
Tuition: $25 by March 15^th; $30 at the door

Fee may be applied to the April retreat or to an individual coaching session

Register Now:
Register for the Retreat Sampler online at Eventbrite or send a check payable to:
Energy for Life
6162 S. Kearney Street
Centennial, CO 80111

I woke up with a smile in my heart this morning.   Last night my 20-year old daughter, Alyssa, and I practiced yoga and meditation together in our living room,  She is just beginning the yoga teacher training program at Samadhi Yoga Center in Denver!  What a deep sense of joy I feel in sharing yoga with Alyssa!

I have been practicing yoga since 1974!!   I have such vivid memories of the early days before kids — husband Jim and I quieting down at sunset in our small living room, lighting candles, putting on serene music,  breathing, stretching with yoga poses, meditating.  Then cooking a nutritious, vegetarian meal and sharing about our day.  Life was very simple then!

As our lives became more complicated and stressful, yoga has always been here for me to center, refresh and strengthen myself.  Yoga practice has helped me recover from numerous injuries (car accidents and falls), difficult situations, deaths of family/friends, anxieties, etc. Yoga is my Friend!!

Jim and I feel the satisfaction of raising all 3 children with the principles and practices of healthy, conscious living that yoga provides.  Joining with our other spiritual practices and traditions (Jewish heritage, Sufi attunement), we have provided a universal home for our family.

Now, in 2010, I am still teaching and practicing yoga, finding the benefits help me age gracefully and joyfully. My granddaughter Hannah (age 4), my daughters Alaina and Alyssa and I often share yoga poses in the living room and discuss/practice the value of breathing, centering and clearing ourselves. Son Michael, 21, at the Colorado Film School, helped me produce the DVD “Yoga for Life” and CD “Meditation for Life”. We have plans to develop streaming videos of monthly yoga challenges I offer my students at 24-Hour Fitness in Centennial.  Tune in later for that!

As a counselor and wellness coach (www.energyforlife.us) I use yoga regularly to help clients –with stress, mind-body alignment, clearing old traumas, strengthening, balancing, empowering, healing.  Yoga therapy is helpful with children as well–I will blog about those stories another time!

So with great pleasure, I invite you to my home to share Yoga Day on Saturday, Jan. 23, from 11 am -1 pm. We will settle in, breathe, meditate, visualize, learn about and clear our chakras/ energy system, and share a potluck healthy lunch.  Please RSVP to me at 303-796-7004 or email to energyforlife111@yahoo.com.  Directions to my house when you RSVP. $10 donation suggested.

Namaste!

Ruth

During a planned personal retreat, you withdraw from ordinary life activities.  However, contrary to fleeing from yourself, in such retreats you would arrange to have a sustained “date” with yourself, free from everyday distractions.  Indeed, doing so requires discipline and rigor, but a well-guided personal retreat can be one of the most meaningful and beautiful encounters you will ever experience in your life!  You can discover some incredible things about yourself!

Many businesses and agencies have adopted a retreat format for team-building purposes, such as enhancing staff morale, cohesiveness and synergy.  A carefully designed personal retreat creates a similar effect in that it integrates key aspects or dimensions of oneself.

For about the past 20 years I have been closely observing our society becoming more and more externally oriented.  In addition to our tendency to identify ourselves by our roles and titles, many of us are consumed by long work weeks, media and technology.  The result is an insidiously compromised inner life and considerable imbalance.  The refrain in one of Olivia Newton John’s well-know songs pointedly laments:  “I’ve been to paradise, never been to me.”

Through my work as a counselor, life coach and wellness consultant since the 1970′s, I have been fulfilling a deep “calling” to facilitate people’s efforts to integrate core aspects of themselves.  For some folks, the motivation to do inner work stems from considerable pain in their lives; others experience a wellspring of longing to claim their true nature.

By virtue of nearly 30 years involvement in numerous forms of intensive training (including taking retreats), I feel that I have received the greatest of all gifts:  the profound realization that the whole universe potentially resides inside each one of us.  Our minds find that statement to be completely absurd/preposterous or unfathomable, but highly developed hearts and souls can bask in the utter magnificence of that wisdom.

Guided, structured retreats that I offer provide you with the rare opportunity to at least get a glimpse–perhaps a strong sense–of the above-stated “secret of secrets,” which is also implied in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s famous quote:  “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”

Join me, yourself and several others at the lovely Inverness Hotel in Englewood, CO, Friday evening, January 29 to early Sunday afternoon, January 31 for your own special retreat.

Learn more…http://energyforlife.us/blog/?page_id=8

THE SPLENDOR OF RETREATS

by Jim Sharon, Ed.D.

Having derived so much value from my participation in both personal and group retreats for many years, I enthusiastically decided this year to “share the wealth” with others.  Retreats provide an extended period of time away from the numerous distractions of everyday life, where you can delight in the wonder of your senses and be in awe of nature.  Besides getting rejuvenated, you gain a very special opportunity to clarify what is most important to you in your life.  During the retreat process, you encounter core questions, such as:

• Who am I underneath all of my roles and persona?
• How can I be more fully alive?
• What am I truly called to do that would serve others and deeply satisfy and fulfill me?

Retreats that I facilitate are designed to create energy and vitality, including awakening and refreshing the senses.  These retreats evoke new insights and perspectives; they deepen your sense of meaning and offer clear future direction.  While working with a wide variety of tailored practices, you receive a reflection of your inner beauty and power.  Upon completing the retreat, you are likely to feel eager to “dive headlong” into life and to savor your experiences!

For details concerning two forthcoming weekend winter retreats entitled  3 P’s:  Presence, Purpose and Peace, please click on the Events tab at the top of this page.

Jim Sharon, Ed.D.

Licensed Psychologist and Certified Life Coach

www.energyforlife.us

(303) 796-7004