In my one-on-one work and my workshops, people are often surprised when I talk about all my daily struggles; and I am equally surprised that they are so surprised.
'You mean you lose your temper too?' 'So you don't always wake up at 5am for hours of devout practice?'
I teach best to others my own lessons, my own struggles and my own transformations.
Becoming a teacher does not imply perfection or a transcendence of the human condition, and it is a dangerous thing when a teacher or their students think so.
We must understand that those of us that really take on the path of personal development experience more raw humanness than others do.
We ask to see it, to not be sheltered from it, even if it is painful to experience.
A photo exemplifying some of my 'humanness'
So, yes I still lose my temper, yes I still get tired. I still bottom-out at times, I still have my addictions and compulsive behaviors, I still go unconscious and reactive.
But these things happen less and less- shorter duration and reduced intensity. The grip of old energies loosens as it loses importance. A natural process resulting from effective and consistent practice.
And, there is an invaluable pay-off: along with facing the painful human stuff comes more and more authentic, heart-centered, conscious and inspired me!
By facing one, I gain access to the other. More energy, more relaxation, more clarity, more success. And most importantly, more fulfillment and freedom.
Through effective and consistent practice, I watch my center of gravity shift from what I have been, into what I know I am, expressed as what I am becoming.
It's super raw, super real, and the only true game in town. And it's what I am committed to.
So, if you want a real-live human being to help you along the path- someone that lives his own lessons, is down to earth and field tested- I'm your trainer and guide.
In full embrace of humanness,
Eka, aka SuperSpark
You know that moment when out of nowhere, life delivers you a surprise punch in the gut?
A moment where something fundamental changes for the worse, and your whole system goes into shock- trying its hardest to resist acknowledging what has just happened?
And yet it happened, and now you have to deal with it. And HOW you deal with it in those precious first moments makes all the difference of outcome.
I want to share with you a very difficult experience I had in June- my own personally tailored punch in the gut and what I had to do regain control.
So in June I was down in LA training with my Siberian teacher. Every morning we would go to the beach to run, swim and do yoga practices.
On one of these mornings, I took off my engagement ring to go swimming (Zoë gave me a family wedding band when we got engaged), putting it in a pocket that I thought was safe.
It wasn't =(
After my swim and yogas, I realized what had happened.My friend and I searched the sands back and forth; and even though I was very energized and focused from the practices, each moment of not finding it increased the weight in my heart and stomach, as well as the berating inner voice of failure.
Oh the sickening feeling of something terrible and unavoidable.
No one had died or gotten hurt; I didn't lose my life's savings...I know things could have been worse.But at the time, I felt like the biggest f-up in the world- losing a family heirloom and my symbol of soul-level commitment with Zoë.
After a time of searching, I was so numbed and in such a state of depressed energy that I simply gave up. We went back to the place we were staying and I just collapsed on the floor.
But, I knew I needed to call Zoë. So I somehow got up the energy to walk outside and make the call.She was not upset that I lost the ring, she was upset that I gave up so easily. She knew I was better than that- knew I had persistence and power and was living up to neither. She believed in me and called me forth through her powerful and loving words of encouragement.
Without any doubt, she told me this, and sparked my own inner fire. At first it was just a glimmer of possibility...an opening into a different kind of energy.
After we talked I felt my inner state beginning to change.Now, one of my focuses and specialties is the 'anti-crisis arts' (how to break 'bottoming-out' depression and anxiety, and shift back into a resourceful state for empowered action), but never had I tried this in such a difficult situation.
Luckily, between Zoë's inspiring words and my embodied past training, I began to return to my resourceful Self. I did a few quick anti-crisis (empowerment) practices and visualized myself finding the ring.It was like I was coming awake after being long unconscious. I saw possibilities; I felt inspired; I began to act.
I found a professional ring-finder in the area, went back to the beach, mapped out the area I knew it was in, and found the ring within 20 minutes. I gratefully gave the man $200 (who let's you pay what you feel the reuniting is worth).
My two take-home lessons:
- Having a partner that believes in your best self is a blessing beyond value.
- The anti-crisis arts are also a blessing beyond value.
Though this instance was a unique and personal challenge, the experience of crisis is shared by all of us.
So here's the question:
How quickly can you recover from an unanticipated life twist? How reliably can you return to a resourceful state and begin meeting your challenge in an empowered way?
The good news is that systems exist that are very skilled at this.
Apply for a free Ignition Session to explore how the anti-crisis arts can empower your career, your relationships and your life.
And head over to Inner Hero Yoga to find classes and events near you to learn these amazing arts in a group practice setting.
Thanks for letting me share my challenging tale of crisis and empowerment. I hold you in the same place of inner strength and possibility.
Keep on rocking your awesome,
SuperSpark
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