Patrick-Fleury.jpg

Patrick Fleury

<h4
 id="h-patrick-fleury-has-been-on-an-inner-journey-from-a-young-age-looking-back-after-50-years-of-heartfulness-practice-he-shares-the-importance-of-a-spiritual-guide-and-the-transmission-and-grace-that-flow-as-a-result-of-the-guide-s-presence">
 PATRICK FLEURY
 has been on an inner journey from a young age. Looking back, after 50 years of Heartfulness practice, he shares
 the importance of a spiritual Guide, and the Transmission and Grace that flow as a result of the Guide’s
 presence.
</h4>



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I was 13 when I first met God and experienced merging with the Divine. The moment was decisive for the continuation
 of my spiritual quest. The Lord had shown me the goal to be reached.&nbsp;



I did a lot of research in both Eastern and Western spiritualities, and at 17 I realized that “knowing” was not
 enough. I was fed up with reading about spirituality, yogis, mystics, saints, and masters. I wanted to “live” what
 they were talking about.&nbsp;I had concluded that only meditation, contemplation, and prayer would enable me to do
 that, so I started meditating on the&nbsp;third eye chakra. After one experience, where I explored several
 dimensions, all of which went to infinity, I realized that I needed a guide, otherwise I might get lost in these
 immensities.&nbsp;



But how could I find such a teacher? So I simply asked God.&nbsp;



My mother used to say, “When the disciple is ready, the master will come.” I meditated every day for twenty minutes
 with my parents, until my prayer was answered. After a few months, I came across the Heartfulness way and its guide
 Ram Chandra, Babuji. I experimented, testing this meditation on the heart. At that time, I only had contact with the
 Transmission (pranahuti). I would receive it constantly, feeling it was nourishing my soul deeply.&nbsp;




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In 1976, four years after starting, I met Babuji, the source of this blessed Transmission. The first time I meditated
 with him was at the Heartfulness Center in Nice. I was literally carried away. I had met my Master and I was not
 going to leave him. Six months later, I went to his home in Shahjahanpur, India. There we would spend the whole day
 and often part of the night near him, sitting on his veranda. We were out of time, completely contented.



I understood much later that in Babuji’s presence we were at the Center, in God. Grace flowed down on us regularly,
 in waves. It surpassed even the fabulous Transmission. I became aware of the blessing that a living Master
 represents.&nbsp;



After that, every year, my wife Alberta and I would spend a month near him. But it was the meeting with Babuji in
 1978 that really triggered it all. At the end of each stay at his place, we felt spiritually satisfied. On the day
 of our departure in 1978, we went to thank him for all he had given us so abundantly. Seeing our gratitude, Babuji
 asked if we wanted to meditate. I naively replied that it was not necessary, that we only wished to thank him for
 all he had given us, adding that we had already been blessed with so much. He beckoned to us to sit facing him and
 the meditation began. Instantly, he gave me the experience of divine infinite love, and I knew this was what I had
 been longing for all my life without even knowing it.



Thus, my quest for God had been totally re-oriented by Babuji. It now went through the love and surrender that
 manifested for my Master. The inner journey took a superluminal speed. My daily practice changed. I purified my
 heart so that it would become a sacred temple where I could be in the presence of the Beloved. I discovered the
 immense value of a Master who had realized the Ultimate. The progress was fabulous and Babuji enabled me to reach
 the states of liberation and realization at a relatively young age. But the quest for the Ultimate was not yet over.
 It is infinite, eternal.&nbsp;



In 1976, in France, Babuji permitted me to be a Heartfulness trainer. I saw with enthusiasm the advancement of others
 who practice meditation. Through all these years, I have been blessed to travel the world teaching Heartfulness. It
 is an effective, universal method. I have realized that the light in the heart is common to all, whatever the
 continent, culture, or religion. We just need help to access the source of this light in the heart, and Transmission
 (Pranahuti) gives that direct experience. It brings about a great transformation of the being, a balanced
 life, and a remarkable equanimity.&nbsp;



I was amazed that the instructions Babuji gave us to practice Heartfulness all fitted on one page. But what a
 page!&nbsp;



Babuji used to say, “God is simple and the means to realize Him must be simple too.” He also said, “Silence is the
 language of God.”&nbsp; I invite you to share this Silence in the depth of your heart.



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Fabulous Transmission

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Paul Stamets

The grand recyclers

Paul is an American sociologist and bioethicist. He is a professor at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and served for 15 years as the Bioethicist for NASA. He is Editor-In-Chief of AJOB Neuroscience, the official Journal of the International Neuroethics Society (INS), and a director of INS.&nbsp;

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Paul Wolpe

<h4 style="text-align:justify;">PAUL WOLPE lives and breathes ethics. He speaks with one of his ex-students and one of our editors, KASHISH KALWANI, about how we rely on ethical decision in everyday life—at work, in our families, and also for ourselves. Also, how ethics, values and morals are connected, and how it is very rarely about right and wrong.</h4>KK: To break the ice, tell us three fun facts about yourself.PW: Fact number one: My father was a rabbi, two of my three brothers are rabbis, and one of my two daughters is a rabbi. I am surrounded by spiritual people. Fact number two: I put myself through graduate school as a massage therapist. Fact number three: I have a hang gliding license.KK: Wow, that’s cool.How would you define ethics in the simplest way?PW: My definition of ethics is not in textbooks or the dictionary: Ethics is how we determine, express, and assess our values in the world. Morality is how we establish, maintain, and conduct our relationships as expressions of those values.KK: &nbsp;I remember you sharing that on the first day of class. It’s not about what is right and wrong, but a conflict of two rights. That really struck a chord with me.PW: I think we’re taught about ethics incorrectly. We’re taught it’s about determining right and wrong, and sometimes it is. With children, you need to set the fundamentals: It’s wrong to steal, it’s wrong to be violent, it’s wrong to lie in certain cases. But once you’ve got those fundamentals down, the rest of your life is spent figuring out a different question: I have a set of values I want to express in the world, so what do I do when they come into conflict? That’s what ethical dilemmas are. They’re rarely about right and wrong. We phrase it as, “What’s the right thing to do here?”, but what we really mean is, “What’s the best right thing to do here?” because there’s not just one right thing, there are many right things to do.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Ethics is how we determine, express, and&nbsp; assess our values in the world.&nbsp; Morality is how we establish, maintain, and&nbsp; conduct our relationships as expressions of those values.</h4><hr>I teach ethics to doctors, and give them cases about conflicts of values. The patient wants to do one thing, while another thing is in their best interest; a patient’s autonomy is a good value, a doctor’s responsibility to take care of their patients is a good value, and they can’t both be honored. How do you get to the best right thing to do?There are certainly wrong things you can do, like killing the patient so you don’t have to worry about it. But there are usually a range of right things you can do. Being mature is about trying to figure out what the best right answers are.KK: &nbsp;That’s a great example. What inspired you to pursue a career in bioethics, and what has been the most rewarding aspect of it?PW: I’ve got an overdeveloped sense of justice. Trying to figure out when people are expressing their highest best qualities is something I’ve always done. It’s part of my personality. I was always interested in science, medicine, and technology. Putting those things together, there was this wonderful field called bioethics.Now it is a really well-known field, but back then it was pretty obscure. What’s so wonderful about bioethics? Once you develop an expertise, you can apply it to anything. Any business has ethical challenges; any group has ethical challenges, internally and in relationship with the world. If ethics is how we express our values in the world, then every interaction we have has ethical elements to it.&nbsp;Deciding how a business is going to treat its customers and employees, how safe its products will be, how safe its workplace will be, how it’s going to advertise and where, how it’s going to manufacture its goods in another country with cheaper labor, where the laws don’t protect workers well; each of these is an ethical decision. Businesses are making ethical decisions all the time. Professionals are making ethical decisions all the time. Individual business owners are too. In our relationships—with friends, with partners, with parents, when we walk into a store and talk to a clerk—there is always an ethical element.You asked what is the most rewarding part. In my career, I was bioethics advisor to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). I was bioethics advisor to Planned Parenthood Federation of America, I was on committees in Canada to give out millions of dollars of state funds to worthy projects. I have sat with the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala. I’ve met famous singers and directors. I never expected where ethics was going to take me. I thought I was getting into an academic profession and never thought my career would allow me to do many of the things I’ve done.KK: &nbsp;A lot of our readers are young adults. How can we think ethically in everyday life situations? Given that there are wars going on and climate change happening, what is the importance of ethics in the life of a young adult?PW: Ethics is challenging. It’s not simple and it’s not easy. Many times, the ethical thing is painful and means you don’t get some other desirable outcome. For businesses to do the ethical thing might mean losing money. For me to do the ethical thing might mean turning down an opportunity, or turning down income, or losing a friend. We joke and say ethics is not for sissies.It’s easy to make casual ethical decisions. It’s when we’re faced with a situation where doing the best right thing means giving up something else significant that we often fail. We all do it, but it’s particularly problematic when big businesses do it, governments do it, people with power do it. Part of what defines a leader for me is taking the responsibility to do the best right thing for an organization, a country, or a group. It’s a hard standard to keep, and we see it failing over and over again.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">In our relationships- with friends, with partners,&nbsp; with parents, when we walk into a store and talk to a clerk— there is always an ethical element.</h4><hr>KK:&nbsp; How do we make an ethical choice in daily life, then?PW: We teach a methodology to businesses on how to make ethical choices. It’s a little different than how we make ethical choices in our individual lives. Very often, we know what the ethical choice is, but the struggle is, “Do I really have the courage to do what I think is right?” There are situations where the right ethical choice is controversial or problematic, where none of the choices seem completely right. That’s an ethical dilemma. Very often they require compromise. That’s when we tend to talk them over with friends and loved ones.<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/right_wrong_ethics2_0384260e4a.webp" alt="right-wrong-ethics2.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_right_wrong_ethics2_0384260e4a.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_right_wrong_ethics2_0384260e4a.webp 600w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/right_wrong_ethics2_0384260e4a.webp 600w," sizes="100vw">After studying ethics for a long time, the expertise we develop is to take apart an ethical situation into its pieces and clarify. For example, I do rounds three or four or five times a year with the OB-GYN residents, they send me their ethical dilemmas, then we talk about them. They have trouble teasing out what is a social issue, a clinical issue, a legal issue, an ethical issue; they’re wrapped up together. I help them take it apart, because the ethical piece is the conflict in values. And that’s different from the clinical, social, and legal pieces. Until you have clarity about that, it’s hard to see what to do. Sometimes it helps to start by clarifying values: “What do I think is the value I should be honoring? Is it patient autonomy, or the best interests of the patient?”In the United States in the 21st century, it’s patient autonomy. That’s what the country’s decided is the value we’re going to honor. It’s not true in every country. In some countries, a physician will override a patient if they think what the patient is doing is not in their best interests. In the US it used to be that way too, but we made a decision to prioritize the value of individual choice. It’s not about us being right, and another country being wrong. We have a best right choice, while another country based on its traditions, its history, its values, its religious background, its political beliefs, etc., says, “We think the best right choice is to do what’s in the best interest of that patient in view of the people who really understand medicine. And, eventually, we believe the patient will thank us, even though right now they may not.” And that’s a defensible, ethical position.We try as parents to give our children an ethical compass, because most of the time when we make decisions we don’t sit and analyze them and take them apart. We intuitively do what we think is best. Developing a good intuitive ethical center; part of the job of parents with their children is to teach them how to do that.KK: I have so many follow up questions. One question is: Do you feel guilty for some decisions? You mentioned that you talk with nurses and you teach doctors. What if your own bias affects their understanding?Another question is about parents teaching their kids an ethical compass: Will the bias of parents with their traumas be passed on to their kids, influencing their decisions?PW: We all have biases. In the ethics community, we believe that, for difficult and complex decisions, we need to talk about them in groups. During Covid, I was President of the Association of Bioethics Program Directors, which encompasses every organization that runs a bioethics program in the US. There were so many tough decisions we had to make.At the beginning, we thought they might run out of ventilators at certain hospitals. We were writing policies for hospitals on who would get ventilators if there was a shortage. I started an every-two-week phone call of all the bioethics presidents and leaders of centers. We discussed all these things, and ended up publishing papers on those questions.While I was at NASA, space flight was evolving from being centralized in a government agency, to happening in private space agencies all over the world. We brought together a group of ethicists and people in the private and commercial fields, because there are a lot of ethical questions about putting bodies up into space and doing experiments on those bodies. Bodies in space are a scarce resource.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">So we bring together people with a wide range of experience, coming from many different fields, cultures, religions, and backgrounds, then debate these questions and try to come up with the best policies we can.&nbsp; Then we publish a paper somewhere so that other people can read them.</h4><hr>When commercial companies start putting bodies in space, pharmaceutical companies, medical instrumentation companies, and commercial device companies will want to send up instruments and experiment on those bodies. NASA has a well-developed process for that, but the commercial companies do not.So we bring together people with a wide range of experience, coming from many different fields, cultures, religions, and backgrounds, then debate these questions and try to come up with the best policies we can. Then we publish a paper somewhere so that other people can read them.When it comes to individual ethics, or teaching children, it’s not just parents; kids learn ethics from their peers, schools, and religious institutions. The best thing we can do is to understand that we all have biases. When children learn different values and ideas outside the family, entertain them in a serious non-defensive and nonjudgmental way. Don’t immediately have a kneejerk reaction and say, “Oh my God, this is wrong!” Entertaining and discussing ideas have helped children develop a critical sense and a critical judgment about ethical values. It’s a tough job being a parent.KK: &nbsp;Is there anything more you’d like to share with our readers?PW: One of the most difficult things around our values is protecting them. We feel like anyone who challenges our values is threatening us at a deep level. Listening to another person’s articulation of their values is often threatening. Many of the fights in the world are really about a blind unwillingness to entertain the values of the other side. We defend our values by branding them as right, and the values of others as wrong, evil, or misguided. So we’re back to the beginning! This violates the whole idea that ethics is about conflicts of values, and people prioritize values differently.Deep listening to the other person is a skill we can develop. If I wanted to leave a message it would be that we need more deep listening in the world right now.<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/right_wrong_ethics3_a3a754ae26.webp" alt="right-wrong-ethics3.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_right_wrong_ethics3_a3a754ae26.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_right_wrong_ethics3_a3a754ae26.webp 600w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/right_wrong_ethics3_a3a754ae26.webp 600w," sizes="100vw">KK:&nbsp; I feel that listening is such a powerful tool, clearing lots of misunderstanding and miscommunication. &nbsp;What is next for you?PW: I’m stepping down as director of my center in June and building a new center for conflict resolution, mediation, and peacebuilding at Emory. I’ll be traveling on sabbatical next year to Oslo, Geneva, The Hague, and other places, talking to people in different conflict resolution centers, and trying to build some innovative models.KK: That’s great. Thank you for taking the time for this.&nbsp;

Right, wrong, and the morals of ethics

Paulo Coelho

Gentleness

Experience

Paulo has been a tennis instructor in Italy for 25 years and is an international ATP coach. He has also been a Heartfulness practitioner for 30 years. His passions include physical activity in nature, writing and rock music.

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Paulo Lezzelle

<h4></h4>
 PAOLO LEZZELLE draws simple parallels between Heartfulness and sport, in this article
 focusing primarily on authenticity and creativity.
</h4>

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<h2 class="has-text-align-center has-text-color" style="color: #b46d33">
 What I call “mine”
</h2>

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 “Education is that which remains, if one has forgotten everything he
 learned at school.” quoted by Albert Einstein


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<h4 class="has-text-color" style="color: #95b22c">
 A story
</h4>


 In my personal opinion John McEnroe has been the greatest tennis genius of all
 time, superior even to Roger Federer. McEnroe didn’t play better tennis than
 Federer, which is quite impossible, but his game was so original,
 unpredictable, creative and extraordinarily talented, that no one was ever
 able to imitate him. In contrast, in the course of time many Federer imitators
 have appeared on the scene, some of them very highly ranked, while Federer
 remained the most successful and elegant player. Nonetheless, John, that
 quick-tempered brat from New York, was simply unique.



 After a fast escalation to become the top seed in tennis, and after keeping
 that position for some years, John got a little lost in the meanderings of
 life and went down the ladder. His friend and epic rival, Bjorn Borg, had quit
 the scene at quite a young age and in the meantime true war machines were
 emerging, like Ivan Lendl, who based their strength on extremely strict
 programs for athletic training, diet, concentration, and care for all aspects
 of the game. All this was relatively new for the ’80s. In sport in general,
 there was still a lot of space for a level of lightness, for a kind of poetry,
 and for moral values to be upheld. The world of sport was full of human
 stories that maybe today would sound ridiculous. Since those days everything
 has slowly degraded, but this is another subject.



 When our friend John tried to take back the throne, he was unprepared for the
 new wave of merciless competitors. He realized that he was short of the mark
 in aspects of the game where others now surpassed him, and this included the
 planning of yearly tournaments. So he made a resolution to follow the way of
 hard training: gym workouts, diet, strict life conduct, and all that the task
 required.



 He climbed back, but not as much as he wished. Not to number one. He was still
 one of the best players in the world, but he was unable to pass a certain
 threshold. Things being as they were, he realized that the harsh regime wasn’t
 meant for him and he decided to follow his instinct. So he went back to
 hamburgers, fish and chips with beer, and a schedule of tournaments chosen
 among the cities of the world he enjoyed. He restarted to play his beloved
 guitar. He also restarted to quarrel with umpires and opponents whenever he
 felt like it. Last, but not least, as part of the show, some racquets were
 smashed on the ground when he lost points. Within a few months he was back on
 top.


Ladies and gentlemen, John McEnroe!

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 <figure>
 <img
 width="400"
 height="515"
 alt=""
 class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/heartfulnesds_sport_part3_2_18c96e6616.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-11T10:53:19.188Z"
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 </figure>
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<h4 class="has-text-color" style="color: #95b22c">
 Love what you do
</h4>


 The world of sport is replete with such stories. After all, all the themes are
 a hint to one thing: You can study as much as you wish, you can be committed,
 you can train hard and cover all your shirts with sweat, but there will always
 be two parameters that matter more than anything else:


Number one, enjoy and love what you do.


 Number two, whatever you learn has to become intimately yours, so much
 interiorized and mastered that you can even dare to break the classic
 technical and tactical standards of action and display something that belongs
 to you and you alone. Only then will you have the right to call what you know
 and do “mine.”



 I’m lucky to be friends with an athletics trainer who has trained top tennis
 players and football teams like Milan and Juventus. One day I asked him what
 it is above all that determines change and improvement in a specific
 performance. I’ve asked the same question to many good trainers, but his
 answer pleased me the most.


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<hr />

<h5 class="has-text-align-center has-text-color" style="color: #95b22c">
 Whatever you learn has to become intimately yours, 
 so much interiorized and mastered that you can even dare to break the
 classic technical and tactical standards of action and display something
 that belongs to you and you alone.
</h5>

<hr />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 In short, he explained that even though it may seem that an exhausting amount
 of repetition will give good results, it is not really so. Why? Because if the
 very change we are struggling for is not known as “good and pleasant” within
 our personal neurological map, it will not work. As a result, in a difficult
 moment of a match (or trial), we will return to old patterns because they are
 the ones we know better. The old style gives us a sense of confidence,
 notwithstanding the fact that we know it isn’t the most effective.



 In other words, Ivan Lendl’s harsh training, while giving results, will not
 work if it is not heartily welcomed and enjoyed. It was good for him but not
 for others. Rather, it may be better to do less, possibly in a more creative
 way. We must always take into account the charge of stress and frustration
 that any kind of activity brings with it. It could even suppress the talent of
 a youth who is by nature more delicate and less bold than others, who may
 require longer to emerge, with more emotional experience in the sporting
 field.


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 <img
 width="321"
 height="325"
 alt=""
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<h4>
 What is mine?
</h4>


 This topic of what is “mine” in sport brings us straight to another field,
 where “I” and “mine” have a fundamental value, but not an egotistic value –
 the field of spirituality. If meditating with great fervor was enough, if
 following a master blindly was enough, if participating in important events
 was enough, we could all have been masters a long time ago! Obviously it’s not
 like that, and it shall never be like that. Unfortunately, we need to repeat
 the very same things before we understand. We need to go off course, to boast
 uselessly, and to get confused. We also need to deceive ourselves into
 believing that all the efforts we have made – often with admirable tenacity –
 were not so great, because perhaps they were not lived in true joy, passion
 and love.



 In a sense it’s like saying, “Well, I did a lot, but it was not my way, it was
 not really me.” I think this is why the great Masters are always able to
 surprise us and puzzle us. In their behavior there is never a dogmatic, static
 truth, but whatever they do they can absolutely call it “mine.”


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<hr />

Heartfulness sport - part 3

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<h4>
 <spanundefined
 >PAOLO LEZZELLE draws simple parallels
 between the Heartfulness system and sport, in this article focusing
 primarily on how we master time.
 
</h4>

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<h3 style="text-align: center">
 Time, Timing, Timelessness
</h3>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 <spanundefined
 >I wish to speak about one of my favorite topics in the sporting field,
 which is a “sense of time” or, more appropriately, timing. I’ve always
 been fascinated by it since I was a child watching sports on TV. Of
 course, I could not understand it in detail way back then, but I sensed
 that any kind of athletic action was strongly determined by the capacity
 of the athlete to catch the right moment to do something. Be it running,
 jumping, or hitting a ball, it seemed to me that the basic dynamics was
 the same, namely, to be there in the right way at the right moment. I
 didn’t know it, but this is what timing is in its essence.


 <spanundefined
 >Later on, as a tennis trainer, I could give a sound meaning to these
 observations, and come to understand the importance of this aspect of
 sport, which in my opinion is hidden behind more apparent aspects.
 Needless to say, I’m deeply grateful to some extraordinary mentors whom
 I’ve been so lucky to meet.


 <spanundefined
 >Oddly enough, the topic of timing is very much related to the topic of
 strength. Assuming that there are different types of strength (I won’t go
 into detail), it may appear that specific physical acts require a lot of
 strength to be performed successfully, which implies muscular mass. But it
 is not so. Most efforts, even the hardest, are much easier if performed
 with synchronicity among body segments. This means that the kinetic chains
 performing the act function without interruption, with smoothness and at
 the right time (kinetic chains are interlinked muscular groups).


 <spanundefined
 >This synchronicity is mainly responsible for strength or energy.
 Therefore, the right timing is the factor that reduces effort and enhances
 the endeavor of the whole performance.


 <spanundefined
 >Then magic can happen! The more we become familiar with this mechanism,
 the more we seem to enter a dimension where time is sort of suspended.
 Slowly we realize that it is no more a question of timing, and becomes
 instead a kind of timeless matter.


 <spanundefined
 >We could propose an equation:
 


 <spanundefined style="color: #ff0000"
 >More timing = more feeling of timelessness.


 <spanundefined
 >That is to say, less and less effort. Personally, I find it
 fantastic!


 <spanundefined
 >Any sportsperson knows that when they find themselves out of tune, out of
 synchrony, for any reason, they start making mistakes. At that point there
 is only one thing to do: slow down. Slowing down allows us to regain the
 necessary detachment to restart afresh. There is no other way. When you
 are fighting against time (as in biology, so in sport) you will never
 win!

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 <img
 decoding="async"
 alt="Heartfulness-sport-part2-2"
 class="lazyload w-100"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Heartfulness_sport_part2_2_bd2dba3170.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T09:41:49.013Z"
 />

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 <spanundefined
 >This question of time, in all its permutations, is a theme innate to life
 itself. It appears obvious. Life can often appear to be incessant
 confusion, a continuous weaving of so many things, often out of our
 control. Viewed from this perspective, sport is an invaluable
 teacher.


 <spanundefined
 >There is a time to study, a time to ponder, a time to be idle, a time to
 have fun, etc. Timing is so precious, even in apparently small things; in
 conversation for instance, there is a time to speak and a time to listen.
 Good radio DJs are expert in this. Even in cooking, time is essential.
 Needless to say that in music timing is everything!


 <spanundefined
 >So also in life, as in sport, we should not apply too much strength to
 reach a result. On the contrary we should do the right things in the right
 way at the right time. The formula is the same.


 <spanundefined
 >The right predisposition to timing is also acquired through the practice
 of meditation. It helps us find an easy flow of things (the famous “here
 and now” of atavic memory), the functional juxtaposition of the many
 elements of chaos, where we can perceive more clearly the best solution to
 follow with the least effort. A good practice always promotes good timing.
 If we are touched by grace and this daily timing takes us by the hand to
 lead us gently into the dimension of timelessness, then it all gets a
 lighter and wonderful tinge.

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<hr />

<h5 style="text-align: center">
 <spanundefined style="color: #ff0000"
 >The right predisposition to timing is also 
 acquired through the practice of meditation. 
 It helps us find an easy flow of things 
 (the famous “here and now” of atavic memory), 
 the functional juxtaposition of the many elements of chaos, 
 where we can perceive more clearly 
 the best solution to follow with the least effort.
</h5>

<hr />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

 <img
 decoding="async"
 alt="Heartfulness-sport-part2"
 class="lazyload w-100"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Heartfulness_sport_part2_3_13ddea10ed.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T09:42:57.144Z"
 />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

 <spanundefined
 >After many years of practice in both sport and meditation, I can say that
 a sporting practitioner, who wants to reach a certain level of performance
 without implementing a meditation discipline, will find insurmountable
 barriers sooner or later. His or her work will look like a computer
 painting – beautiful, excellent perhaps, but alas without a soul.


 <spanundefined
 >Time and space are interlinked. Spiritual masters tell us this all the
 time, Einstein explained it to us, and toddlers prove it to us while they
 innocently play lost in their joyful present. And novice Yoga
 practitioners can also get lost in meditation, finding themselves in an
 undefined elsewhere, still keeping a certain state of presence. We can’t
 explain what it was, but it was beyond space and time. From time to
 timing, and going beyond into timelessness.

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<hr />

<h4 style="text-align: center">
 Article by
 <spanundefined
 >PAOLO LEZZELLE
</h4>

<hr />

Heartfulness sport – part 2

<hr class="vertical-space1" />
<h3 style="text-align: center">
 BALANCE AND PASSION
</h3>
<hr class="vertical-space1" />
<h4>
 PAOLO LEZZELLE draws simple parallels
 between the Heartfulness system and sport in this article focusing primarily
 on balance, relaxation, feeling, joy and passion.
</h4>
<hr class="vertical-space1" />

 I wish to draw some simple parallels between aspects of the Heartfulness
 practices and sport, although to really do justice to this would require a
 long time and extensive research, because each reflection seems to attract
 another one. So the themes presented in this series are approached in general
 terms, since the peculiarities of any single sport are innumerable. The
 implicit invitation to sports people of all kinds and levels is to start these
 practices and dive deeper into Heartfulness to find the hidden pearls.


 The goal of Yoga is the condition of balance. It is difficult to achieve
 because it is not a defined, fixed, and constant condition that we can
 acquire. It rather seems to be something which constantly eludes us. The more
 we try to make it a concrete thing, the more it slips away from us. It’s one
 of the innumerable mysteries of the spiritual quest. Balance exists, or rather
 it can exist in anything, but it does not exist by itself, per se. Wonderful!


 Similarly, in sport, balance is critical. Here too it is the goal par
 excellence. It is made up of many things, a lot of qualities put together;
 while in another way, it’s made up of nothing at all! To feel that we are in
 balance means to feel that this “nothing” is so perfect in itself that we are
 in need of nothing else.


 Total balance, in sport and in the spiritual context, is therefore very
 difficult to preserve in time, because it is a light and intangible condition.


<hr class="vertical-space1" />
<img
 
 alt="heartfulness-sport"
 class="lazyload w-100"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/heartfulness_sport2_18f5c8152c.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-07T09:11:58.665Z"
/>
&nbsp;
<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 Many of us have already experienced the surprise and gratitude that result
 from extraordinary experiences in meditation – sometimes in the form of very
 subtle spirit, other times in the form of a true opening to higher knowledge,
 to where our limit permits. But alas! We are also familiar with the inability
 to keep those conditions for any period of time, for many reasons. A sad waste
 indeed.


 In sport it is the same. Be it a fast- or long-duration sport, it’s the
 condition of focus and full involvement that makes the difference. We try to
 allow this condition to take hold of us and let it act by itself, on our
 behalf, so to say. In sport, as in music, it is called being “in the flow,”
 letting what is beautiful in us manifest freely.


 If meditation is a constant education in higher perception, practice in sport
 is the preparation to be ready in any sense for competition, the true testing
 ground of our attainment.


 The Heartfulness method speaks of technique, perseverance and sincere
 commitment, but most of all it speaks of feelings. Were our feelings not our
 major guides, it would be an empty container, and sooner or later it would
 become a sterile, boring routine.


 Putting together technique and sensitive introspection is not a simple job.
 Some people find it easier to rely on one approach, others prefer the other
 way. If we think about the evolution of the innumerable training methods of
 the last twenty years, we find that they seem to swing between two opposite
 extremes – technical improvement on one side and incentive to inner perception
 on the other. In the middle is a bit of everything.


 A high-level athlete can draw what they need in the moment, relying on pure
 instinct as well as on specific acquired capacities. Throughout this process,
 a relaxed condition is an important prerequisite.


 All sports need a basal condition of relaxation. By this, I don’t mean
 comfortable and passive inactivity, either mental or physical, for example,
 when we are sunbathing. On the contrary, it’s being in a clear and tranquil
 state of presence to whatever happens inside and around us. It is not by
 chance that in Heartfulness we have a technique of relaxation to be performed
 before meditation.

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<hr />

<h5 style="text-align: center">
 Most sports require the right mix of strength,
 endurance, reactivity, fluency, and much more.
 These are needed both in practice and competition.
</h5>

<hr />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

 Most sports require the right mix of strength, endurance, reactivity, fluency,
 and much more. These are needed both in practice and competition. Furthermore,
 we need the Queenly ability – the ability to change. I would say that this is
 an art more than an ability. Getting out of our comfort zone, finding new
 motivation to train at the next level, looking for different strategies in
 competition … few sportspeople have a natural talent for these assets, though
 they can learn with serious dedication.


 We need to change to improve. Yes, but it is easier said than done!
 Unfortunately, we know how much our habits and complexities keep us stagnating
 in the same trends, despite our efforts. In the sporting field, this often
 happens because we make the mistake of seeking change only through hard work
 and extreme abnegation.


 Work is essential, of course, but the way is another: There is no real change
 without joy and passion. Even at the level of the nervous system, it’s only
 pleasure that brings forth the acceptance of new modalities, not fatigue.
 Undesired efforts and exhausting training sessions can give good results in
 the short term (though with an extensive amount of energy that sooner or later
 will present the bill), but it’s only passion that makes barriers appear
 exciting and makes the long road look like a joyful and enriching journey.


<hr class="vertical-space1" />
<img
 decoding="async"
 alt="heartfulness-sport"
 class="w-100 lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/heartfulness_sport3_00e7b28d89.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-07T09:13:09.394Z"
/>
&nbsp;
<hr class="vertical-space1" />


<hr />

<h5 style="text-align: center">
 For a practitioner committed
 to the spiritual quest,
 and for athletes who give
 themselves totally to the sport,
 to be in the condition of balance
 is like piercing effortlessly
 through a hurdle-ridden maze,
 always pointing higher despite results.
</h5>

<hr />


<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 All this and much more comes under the umbrella of balance. To perceive it as
 a strength having its own life within us, guiding us out into the world, is
 true manna. For a practitioner committed to the spiritual quest, and for
 athletes who give themselves totally to the sport, to be in the condition of
 balance is like piercing effortlessly through a hurdle-ridden maze, always
 pointing higher despite results.

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<hr />

<h4 style="text-align: center">Article by PAOLO LEZZELLE</h4>

<hr />

Heartfulness sport - part 1

<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h4>PAULO LEZZELLE looks at the noble value sport has as a human endeavor, and how we can all benefit from the quest for wellbeing, aspiration and continuous improvement.</h4>
Since time immemorial, through the expression of our bodies, humans have sought a way to transcend the mere physical and athletic aspects in an effort to perceive their inner resources. This quest for higher levels of self-knowledge has always been there, more or less conscious at different degrees.
The Olympic Games, born from the ancient Greek philosophy, are just an example, maybe the highest in the symbolic sense. The same could be said about the noble tradition of the martial arts of the Far East, or the relatively recent tradition of sports connected to the conquest of mountains.
In any kind of sport, there has certainly always been a latent aspiration to draw the best out of ourselves, and thus reach a sort of realization. In this context, it seems that the word “expression” goes hand in hand with the word “aspiration.” We could say that sport is that very activity which allows us to express ourselves in a full, powerful, and genuine way, the prime impulse being aspiration.
Through the body, we go inside into an abstract dimension. And through this we emerge out again to improve our performance in the physical field. It is a perpetual work of osmosis, where the planes compenetrate and dialogue to find the balance of all forces. And this is but one of the beauties of sport.
Sport is a living thing – more than living! Despite the level of performance, be it a weekend amateur or a professional, sport awakens vital and beneficial energies in every sense: physically, mentally, and emotionally. There is likely no other activity in the material plane that can produce such a sense of well-being as sport can do. And this can be experienced in any sport, the choices being very vast.
Together with music, sport is a show that gives true and beautiful emotions. Empathizing with high-level athletes is easy, because it is absolutely clear that what comes to our perception is much more than a mere run or a goal or a winning shot. Real admiration is then aroused in us, an admiration for intangible qualities that now come true in concrete form, either seen on the screen or live. How we would like to feel the same in our own way!
In essence, sport is like a mirror, and is a very powerful instrument of growth which can open up to a learning process that goes on and on and on. Sport is one of the few situations where we cannot bluff, because the results speak for themselves! It is just an inexorable truth and it applies to any level concerned. Sport compels us to take stock of what we are and humbly come to terms with it. It’s all there: What is your potential? How can you express your potential? What are your shortcomings? What motivates you to persevere?
To go beyond limits doesn’t necessarily mean breaking records. Not at all! That is not the real goal of all efforts. Anybody can exceed a limit, not the one pre-fixed by some standards or by a specimen, but their own, whatever that is. That’s where the real challenge lies, and it’s a wonderful, exciting, intriguing, funny, and evolutionary challenge. That’s where sport acquires its noble value.
When we witness a great performance, where the outcome is determined by such noble qualities more than physical prowess, then it becomes clear from where it all starts – the heart. Be it a team or single sport, it is always the same energy which really makes the difference. Courage, strength, perseverance, trust, introspection, generosity, group spirit, selflessness – all of these qualities come from the heart.
<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Article by PAULO LEZZELLE</h4>
<hr>

The beauty of sport

Pawo is a Bhutanese filmmaker and photographer. His film, Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom (2019), was nominated for Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards, and had its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival.

Pawo-Choyning-Dorji.jpg

Pawo Choyning Dorji

<h4>
 PAWO CHOYNING DORJI
 is a Bhutanese filmmaker and photographer. His film,
 Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom (2019), was nominated for Best
 International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards, and had its
 world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival. Pawo speaks with
 PURNIMA RAMAKRISHNAN
 about the making of Lunana, the teachings of Buddha that
 inspired major parts of the film, and his hopes and wishes for young
 people today.
 </h4>

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 
 Q: Thank you so much for joining me.
 

 
 PCD: Thank
 you for having me, Purnima.
 

 
 Q: How did the idea of Lunana come about?
 

 
 PCD: I grew
 up outside Bhutan, as my father was a diplomat. I was born in India, and
 lived in Europe, the Middle East, and America. After finishing college,
 I returned to India and joined a Buddhist monastery in Himachal Pradesh.
 And after all that, I returned to Bhutan.
 

 
 Bhutan is very guarded about exposure to the outside world, so a lot of
 Bhutanese wonder what the rest of the world is like. When I returned, I
 went through the same journey as the protagonist of the film. He is
 reintroduced to his culture and falls in love with it. There is a lot of
 my own story in the film.
 

 
 One inspiration was the younger population seeking life in Western
 developed countries like Australia, Canada, and America. In Bhutan, we
 are going through that right now. Thousands leave, seeking happiness.
 

 
 I thought, “If our people are seeking life in the urban glittering
 lights of Western civilization, I will create a story where the
 protagonist goes to the opposite end of the spectrum. Let me take this
 protagonist to the remotest, most desolate place in Bhutan. ”That
 happens to be Lunana. In our language, Lunana means “the dark valley,”
 because it is so far.
 

 
 So the theme was: could we really discover in the shadows and darkness
 what we are longing for and so desperately seeking in the light? We
 could have cheated on the location, making the movie in a village with
 electricity and road connection, but I didn’t want to do that. I wanted
 us all to go through the experience and live in the darkness. I felt
 that it would then translate into the film. It is almost a docu-feature.
 

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 <div class="block-image">
 <figure>
 <img
 alt="image1"
 width="700"
 height="617"
 class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/image1_700x617_53a48d34d7.jpeg?updated_at=2023-04-11T09:32:03.034Z"
 />
 </figure>
 </div>

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 
 Q: Lunana is a spark of inspiration. I can’t associate the
 word “darkness” with it.
 

 
 In many ancient traditions, a teacher is given importance next only
 to God. You don’t really know God, but you know the teacher who can
 take you where you need to go. You chose to portray the protagonist as
 a teacher, rather than a doctor, a social worker, or any other noble
 profession. That aspect has a deep significance. Can you tell me why
 you made that choice?
 

 
 PCD: There
 are two reasons. One is exactly as you say. Bhutan’s culture, tradition,
 and spirituality are based on Buddhism. And the teacher-student
 relationship is very important. We have this name “Dalai Lama” meaning
 “root teacher.” The root teacher takes the most important position in
 our life. So, I made the protagonist a teacher as he holds the most
 important role in Bhutanese culture and society, yet he is not happy and
 he wants to leave.
 

 
 The second reason is that I am trying to bring reality into my films.
 Reality is my inspiration. In the Bhutan of today, there are two common
 things. One is that most young people are leaving for Australia. The
 second is that most of the people who are quitting their jobs are
 teachers.
 

 
 I had many different aspirations. One was to tell the story of Bhutan,
 and another was to highlight and preserve our disappearing traditions.
 Yet another was to reach out to the teachers who are quitting their jobs
 every year. I told my friends that if I can save one teacher from giving
 up their profession, it would mean more than any award the film
 received.
 

 
 Q:That is a very noble idea. There is another interesting thing I
 observed in your film. Today we live in an age of excess. We produce
 more food than we can eat and we dump the excess food. We fight wars
 for trivial matters and aspire for space habitation, and yet you show
 in your movie that there are extremely joyful people living amongst us
 who do not have shoes or electricity, and who do not know how to use a
 toothbrush.
 

 
 While the gap is vast, and I cannot even fathom how it could be
 bridged, you very sublimely, subtly, and creatively bring this “social
 activism” to the forefront. My heart is deeply touched. Did you
 consciously think of these things, or did it just emerge?
 

 
 PCD: I am a
 lover of Bhutan. I made this film as a love letter from Bhutan to the
 rest of the world. I wanted to showcase and celebrate our culture and
 our traditions. I grew up outside Bhutan in a very materialistic world,
 where, as you said, there is a lot of excess. Where many people are not
 happy. Bhutan advertises itself as a happy country, and there is some
 truth in that. Unfortunately, we are losing touch with that because we
 too are falling into the race to modernize, the race to become worldly.
 Bhutan’s traditions are rooted in Buddha’s teachings. Buddha always
 talked about wishing all beings to be happy.
 

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 <div class="block-image">
 <figure>
 <img
 width="600"
 height="750"
 alt="love-letter-from-bhutan3"
 class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/love_letter_from_bhutan3_27b2dc7748.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-11T09:33:00.643Z"
 />
 </figure>
 </div>

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 
 But what is true happiness? In this movie, I wanted to touch upon what
 happiness is for the people of Lunana. It is really two things. One is
 contentment. Contentment is a person saying, “I have enough.” He is much
 wealthier than any rich person. A rich person is never content, always
 longing for more and more, so they are never happy. In Lunana, the
 people have very little, yet they are content. Their lives are full.
 They are not rich but they are wealthy people.
 

 
 Buddha also taught that we must accept impermanence. Much happiness
 comes from that acceptance because everything is always changing. When
 we are attached to those things that are changing, then we will not be
 happy.
 

 
 So I really wanted to put across these two teachings of contentment and
 acceptance.
 

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 <hr />

 <h4 class="has-text-align-center">
 Much happiness comes from acceptance because everything is
 always changing. When we are attached to those things that
 are changing, then we will not be happy.
 </h4>

 <hr />

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 <div class="block-image">
 <figure>
 <img
 width="400"
 height="591"
 alt="love-letter-from-bhutan4"
 class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/love_letter_from_bhutan4_8dce6c003c.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-11T09:33:39.621Z"
 />
 </figure>
 </div>

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 
 Q:The stark difference that you brought out between wealth and
 richness is a very poignant message.
 

 
 Spoiler alert: for those of you who have not yet watched the movie
 and wish to do so, please stop here, otherwise, continue
 reading.
 

 
 The protagonist leaves Bhutan for Australia toward the end of the
 movie. I was waiting with bated breath to see what he would do. I
 thought he would have a change of heart and stay back in Lunana to
 educate the poor children. But he left. I was surprised, yet I felt
 relieved that it was realistic, not like a Hollywood movie where the
 impossible happens. The ending made me weep. So, why did you choose
 for Ugyen to leave Bhutan?
 

 
 PCD:
 Because my movies reflect reality! In a real story, Ugyen would leave.
 He has passion and ambition.
 

 
 The second reason is the magic of storytelling, of cinema. If he had
 stayed in Lunana, the story would have ended there. He stayed for the
 kids. He stayed for his yak. He stayed for the girl, Saldon. That would
 be the end of it. But by Ugyen going to Australia, and singing the song
 he learned in Lunana in the club in Australia, the story continues. When
 the movie ends you wonder, “What did Ugyen do? He sang that song. Does
 it mean he will go back to Lunana?”With that thought, each viewer
 creates their own ending. Then it becomes a much more personal journey.
 

 
 Lord Buddha said that the art of storytelling is the creation of
 illusion to connect us to reality. And that is also cinema. We create
 illusory stories and illusory emotions and imaginary story lines to
 connect us to reality. My hope is that the audience can relate to their
 own journeys in life.
 

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 <div class="block-image">
 <figure>
 <img
 width="700"
 height="467"
 alt="love-letter-from-bhutan2"
 class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/love_letter_from_bhutan2_700x467_4f47fe1c65.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-11T09:34:23.063Z"
 />
 </figure>
 </div>

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 
 Q: That is eye opening, Pawo. Lunana will always be close to my
 heart. It talks about the choices we make, our accountability, and the
 repercussions of our decisions. I hope and wish that all young people
 will watch this movie.
 

 
 I would like to ask if you have any message for young people
 today.
 

 
 PCD: I hope
 you will watch Lunana. It is a small film that my team and I made in the
 world’s remotest classroom, dependent completely on solar power. We made
 it with no money, and it went from the world’s remotest classroom to the
 Academy Awards. At the Academy Awards, I did not represent Bhutan, or
 myself, or this film. I represented every struggling filmmaker,
 storytellers who at times do not have the confidence to believe they can
 make it. If a film like ours can make it, if you put your heart into it,
 if you have the passion, there is the possibility to make it. That is
 how amazing this world is.
 

 
 Second, I am from Bhutan and I am a Buddhist. I want to share something
 about my culture and my spirituality. Buddha said that among all the
 animal footprints, the elephant’s footprint is the most majestic,
 powerful, and inspiring. Likewise, the Buddha said that among all the
 thoughts we might have, the thought of impermanence is the most majestic
 and inspiring.
 

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 <hr />

 <h4 class="has-text-align-center">
 My advice to young people is to reflect on impermanence, accept
 impermanence and change, and use them as tools for your
 career.
 </h4>

 <hr />

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 
 Why I am saying this is because the world we live in has taught us to be
 competitive and worldly; thoughts like impermanence are rare. They are
 looked down upon and considered useless and a waste of time. But it is
 impermanence that makes everything possible. Everything is constantly
 changing. Impermanence doesn’t mean the end. Impermanence means change.
 Impermanence means that if you do not have something, perhaps you will
 have it. Impermanence means that a little film powered by solar
 batteries and yak dung from the mountains of the Himalayas can make it
 to the Academy Awards.
 

 
 So, my advice to young people is to reflect on impermanence, accept
 impermanence and change, and use them as tools for your career.
 

 
 Q: Thank you, Pawo, for your wisdom.
 

 
 PCD: Thank
 you.

A love letter from Bhutan

Pema-Chodron.jpg

Pema Chödrön

Truth

The sacredness of life

We have a choice

Meditation

The present moment

Peter is a pioneer in the field of professional life coaching, and is the co-founder of the Coach for Life Institute. He has been the co-creator of many coaching and learning models during the last 30 years and has trained over 3,500 people to be professional coaches, all over the world. He is the 2005 recipient of the ICF’s Global Peace Award, and was one of their first Master Certified Coaches.

PeterJReding.jpg

PETER J. REDING

<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h4>In October 2019, PETER J. REDING spoke with VICTOR KANNAN about being a pioneer in the field of professional Life Coaching. In
 part 1, they speak about the role of helping people to be authentic and raising awareness.</h4>

<hr class="vertical-space1">

VK: Peter, thanks for joining me. We’re having a great day
 here in Atlanta; it’s pretty nice, sunny and cool and comfortable.
PR: Same here in Orlando, Florida. And Happy Diwali
 to you and to those who are celebrating that today around the world.
VK: Yeah, this is Happy Diwali. The world is becoming a
 smaller place, with everybody celebrating each other’s sources of joy.
PR: That’s absolutely true, and the world needs as
 much light as it can possibly get, so this is a particularly happy time for the world and not just for the Indian
 people who are celebrating Diwali.
VK: Thanks Peter. You’re a coaching profession pioneer,
 teaching holistic coaching since 1996. You’re also one of the founders of the Association of Coach Training
 Organization, and you have a book to your credit called Positively Brilliant Self Mastery: Reclaim Your Authentic
 Self Now. So you have enough in your DNA as a Life Coach. I would like to start off by asking, what is a life coach,
 what do you do as a life coach?
PR: A life coach is really a facilitator of
 awareness of the client. We tend not to give it bias, we’re not mentors per se, we’re not educators, nor are we
 parental authority figures. A professional coach will ask questions to reveal to the client who they really are, and
 what they really want to do, and what brings a sense of satisfaction, completion, fulfilment to the client. Then we
 ask the client if they’re willing to do that. So I’m in the business of raising awareness.
VK: That’s a pretty broad base. In terms of raising
 awareness for a CXO, who’s supposedly already aware, how does that happen? When they advance, do they become less
 aware? Or is it the general risk of life?
PR: A CXO is still human. They get caught up in the
 busy-ness of life and they forget who they really are in many cases. So, if you’re human then get a life coach.
VK: What in your experience are the keys to success for a
 CXO? I thought they are the “aware” people already, and yet you’re raising their awareness.
PR: I’ve been one, first of all, and I’ve trained
 thousands of CXOs, and as you may well know yourself, they are generally task oriented. They’re there to get the job
 done; they’re there to produce results. And if you think about the number of hours they spend in “getting it done,”
 it’s an external drive, mostly. There are exceptions; CXOs who are hugely compassionate human beings. They come from
 the heart, from the soul, they come from a place of supporting individuals as a sense of humanity. But, I would
 propose to you, there are more CXOs around the world that are driven by the external “What’ve you produced for me
 lately?” “Where are the results?” “How come this isn’t done?” “You’ve dropped the ball.” And so, in the coaching
 relationship, its “Who are you?” and “How do you want to bring your most authentic self to your work?”
So then there is an internal drive; an internal passion, compassion, that comes through
 and still gets the stuff done. I’m not saying that CXOs need to switch hundred percent over to Heartfulness. For me
 it’s a both/and, not an either/or situation, and it’s again raising that level of awareness for the individual on an
 on-going basis. It says, “What’s the right thing to do here from the place of humanity?” “What’s the right thing to do
 in terms of …?” “Yes, let’s get the job done, but let’s recognize that we’re working with people who are mothers and
 fathers, who have great responsibilities beyond their work.” And if they’re in the wrong position, then let’s bring
 that to the awareness of the employee and to the CXO and reposition them – find a place where they can bring their
 passion, their strengths, their natural God-given gifts and talents, to a different job, as opposed to the one they’re
 suffering in right now.
And this goes on. I don’t know if you noticed, but learning continues throughout life.
 So, it’s kind of like that angel on your shoulder that says, “Is this what you really want to do?” “Is there a better
 way?” “Is there a way of bringing more of your authenticity into these negotiations, into letting this man go?” That’s
 what we’re talking about here.
VK: You talk quite a bit about authenticity. And I’m
 reminded of an interaction that I had with my spiritual Guide when I asked him once if he had any tips for me so
 that I could progress faster. He said, “Be yourself.” It was quite a long time ago, and that has helped me just be
 myself. I understand it’s very difficult to coach a person who’s pretentious, but what do you mean by authentic
 Self? And also, you’re talking about authentic transformation, so what do you mean by Self and transformation that
 are authentic?
PR: That’s a great question. It’s a compound
 question, actually, so let me decouple it just a little bit. Authentic transformation – transformation mostly – around
 the world, and this includes South America and North America, India and Asia, has the connotation of “You’re not okay
 the way you are. I want to transform you into ______” – it could be a better employee, a better communicator, a better
 parent, a better spouse, a better citizen of the world. Actually I have a bit of a pushback with the word
 “transformation,” but the way I use it is a deep, personal, back to who you really are. In the words of your spiritual
 Guide, “Be yourself.” Exactly “what and who am I?” is at the core of that question. Am I the product of my parenting?
 Am I the product of being an American citizen? Am I the product of being in the generation I am? Am I the product of
 the education I received, and all the influences around me? You know, you have to do this or you have to learn this in
 order to be successful, to be accepted, to be loved. So, for me the “who I am?” is a much, much deeper place. It’s a
 very spiritual place, it’s “who did my Creator make me to be?” What have I been endowed with from that creator
 (whatever name you give the creator)?
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<img class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Transforming_Awareness2_5f529227a9.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T08:22:45.571Z" />

<hr class="vertical-space1">
Now, in order to be true to that, comes the authenticity part. To what degree am I
 honoring those innate gifts? Not the skills and talents that I’ve learned because I had to learn them, but the natural
 innate God-given gifts and talents that I have been endowed with? Am I developing those? Am I using them in my work?
 To what degree? Am I true to my life’s purpose? By life’s purpose, I mean in all my different roles – as an educator,
 as a coach, as a spouse, as a brother, as a son, as a citizen of the world?
The third case is core values. Everybody in the world lives by values. My question, has
 always been, “Yes, I’m living by values, I’m living with a purpose, I’m utilizing strengths that I have; but whose
 strengths, whose purpose, and whose values? Are they the values of my generation, are they the values of my parents?”
 Again, it is not all bad. I’m not pointing a finger and saying, “Mom and dad really screwed up.”
And, are they my core endowed values from my creator in terms of my most authentic way
 of being? So, I come back full circle to authenticity.
So, transformation is not so much to be somebody different for the sake of my job, or
 because of what somebody wants from me in the current situation, but to what degree am I living in alignment with who
 I’m meant to be?
Deep, deep dive. There’s a lot of internal returning to my true Self, what I call now my
 core Self, as opposed to my adapted or adopted self. And therein lies the challenge. It’s life-long learning and a
 life-long course correction to what degree am I authentic, to what degree have I drifted away from that sense of
 authenticity.
That’s the absolute core of my work, why God put Peter on the planet. I support people
 to find that core Self.
VK: I love that a lot. People are not brave enough and
 honest enough to confront this primal issue of authenticity, and I don’t think there can be any combination of
 success and happiness without authenticity. Some may be successful, but at the end of the day if they’re not
 authentic I think happiness will elude them.
PR: I totally agree with that, one hundred percent.

VK: Peter, where does acceptance come into the picture?
 Because acceptance has got a big role to play in authenticity, does it not? And not just the “aware” part.

PR: Acceptance, first and foremost,
 self-acceptance. “I screwed up, I’m human. I hope I can do better the next time.” Again, awareness! Am I aware that I
 screwed up, or that I didn’t follow the path of authenticity? So it’s self-acceptance, and when I find I’m more and
 more self-accepting, then coming back to coach or to a CXO, or a good friend, I can hold a bigger space for them.
I have more compassion for being human. I have compassion for “it’s not all perfect,
 it’s not going to be one hundred percent, absolutely straight arrow authenticity.” I strive for that, personally, and
 I understand when you say it takes a lot of courage to be yourself.
I read something by Whoopi Goldberg many, many years ago that said the hardest thing
 you’ll ever do in your life is be yourself. I think that’s a true statement. It takes courage to stand up to parents:
 “Mom, dad, I don’t want to be a doctor. I don’t like medicine, I don’t like autopsies, I don’t like biopsies, I don’t
 like this, that and the other, and I’m not particularly good at all the science that is necessary.” Wow, huge courage
 for a kid of 18 years old, heading off to university. I tip my cap, because at 18 I didn’t have that courage. That’s
 something I developed later, in the latter half of my life.
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<img class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Transforming_Awareness3_94db5d4c0a.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T08:24:23.850Z" />

<hr class="vertical-space1">
VK: But to have that choice is a privilege, Peter, because
 growing up I just needed to get admission into any college, leave alone the subject or career I wanted to choose.
 I’m talking about 35 to 40 years ago.
PR: Right.
VK: Today this is a problem because there is choice. And
 so, there are desires from the point of view of the parents, and fears and concerns on the part of the children.
 That puts them at odds, and they have to develop courage. So, is courage a necessary thing when you have a choice,
 when you have choices to make? If there was no choice where is the question of courage?
PR: In my experience, in businesses and
 organizations there are international surveys at least 2 or 3 times a year that talk about employee engagement, or the
 lack of employee engagement. So now we have a system worldwide, a universal humanity thing, where parents out of the
 goodness of their heart want their kids to succeed. They want them to be happy, they want them to be good citizens,
 they want them to be good contributors to their communities. I don’t believe any parent wakes up in the middle of the
 night and goes, “Let’s see, what can we do to screw up Peter so that he needs therapy at 35 years old.”
That was not the case with my parents. They loved me and I loved them. Well, they don’t
 know what they don’t know, and it’s generational because that’s the way my parents treated me, and I turned out pretty
 good and my great-great grandparents, and so on. There’s a genuine love that a parent has for their child, for them to
 succeed, for them to avoid the pitfalls, traumas and dramas of their childhood, their career choices, their choice of
 partner etc.
Nowadays, courage is required at all points of life, not just for the 18 year old; it’s
 also for the 22 year old, the 30 and 35 year old, to break the pattern of what society or peer pressure wants from
 them and say, “That doesn’t suit me, that doesn’t conform to what I need to do for myself, to honor who I am.” When
 they don’t know who they are in the first place it’s a guessing game of trial and error: “Let me try this … nah… that
 didn’t work. Let me try this … that didn’t work. Let me try this … that feels a little bit better, maybe I’ll stay
 with that one a little longer.”
So, the question of courage when there’s no choice: Well, for one, I believe that
 there’s always a choice, and again it is tied into the courage of making that choice, and pushing back on bosses,
 parents, society, peer pressure, my buddy’s from B-School etc. In the modern world, there are billions of choices that
 are facing all of us right now, not just kids. Again, it comes back to transformation. Am I transforming to a norm in
 all of those choices? For instance, I need to get so many likes on my Facebook or Instagram posts because that’s what
 the social media peer group is measured by. Am I making a choice to come into alignment with who I’m meant to be, who
 I was designed by my creator to be? That conversation really isn’t taking place, not a lot in the world around me.
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<img class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Transforming_Awareness4_05c06b45ee.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T08:25:44.007Z" />

<hr class="vertical-space1">


<hr>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">One of the sayings that I’ve always shared in my classes
 is, 
 “You’ll never go wrong being your authentic self; 
 you’ll never go wrong in being your authentic self.”
</h5>


<hr>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
In our coach training some 8 years ago, at the end of a self-discovery process, one
 gentleman in India said, “Wow, this is an accurate description of my original self,” what you and I are talking about,
 the authentic self.
One of the sayings that I’ve always shared in my classes is, “You’ll never go wrong
 being your authentic self; you’ll never go wrong in being your authentic self.”
VK: That’s very powerful, Peter.
<hr class="vertical-space1">
To be continued.
<hr class="vertical-space1">


<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Interviewed by VICTOR KANNAN 
 Illustrations by JASMEE RATHOD</h4>


<hr>

Transforming awareness: being a life coach - part 1

Transforming awareness: being a life coach - part 2

Peter is said to have the ‘gift of melody’. His love and enthusiasm for the creative process, self-exploration, the healing arts and the natural world continues to inspire his composing and recording. In a career spanning over 3 decades, he has recorded over 60 albums, has written scores for over 100 television and film productions including 11 On- and Off-Broadway plays, and has received many awards and honors, including 13 Grammy nominations and a Grammy Award for Dancing On Water. His music has uplifted, soothed, healed and inspired the lives of millions.

Peter-Kater.jpg

Peter Kater

<h4>PETER KATER experiences the essence of true freedom while on his paddle board
 in the early morning off the island of Maui. His first of many encounters with a humpback whale, an ambassador of
 the sacred and free, is for him a wonderful opportunity to explore the unknown.</h4>

When I first moved to Maui in 2007 I learned to paddle board and I can honestly say that
 the ocean experiences I’ve had since have changed my life. Here is a recap of one of my first such adventures.
I headed out on my paddle board very early one morning looking for an experience. The
 ocean and winds were calm so I ventured further out than normal, and probably further than would have been advisable
 given that the sun had not yet risen and I was the only one in the water as far as I could see. But I really wanted
 an experience.
I paddled for a while, breathing deeply into the fears that sometimes surfaced in my
 mind and stomach. Fears about sharks and unexpected winds, and my own vulnerability and mortality. As soon as one
 set of inner disturbances or ripples of fear dispersed, another surfaced. But I kept breathing into them and
 relaxing my body and mind. Setting my sights on the horizon as I paddled forward, I kept breathing, waiting
 patiently for the layers of thoughts to disintegrate so that I could simply be present.
Finally the thought surfaced, “I’m so far from shore!”
 Then I looked down at my feet standing on top of my beautiful red striped board and I thought, “But I am here,
 standing on my board!”

<img class="w-100"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/somehtingsacred2_1_5040eee2f6.jpg" alt="" width="834"
 height="444" />

Life isn’t on the shore. Life isn’t elsewhere. It’s here. Like it or not, wherever we
 go, there we are. And I was here, simply standing on my board, holding my paddle, somewhere out on the ocean with
 Maui’s shore far in the distance. That is all. And that was the last of my distracting thoughts for that morning.

I asked myself, “What was I was searching for out here in the ocean, alone, so early in
 the morning? And the thought occurred to me, “Something sacred, something free.”
I wanted to touch on something that was intrinsically just it-Self. Something completely
 free and wild. Something that was not defined by its productivity or assigned some relative value or worth based on
 what it did or didn’t do. Something that didn't need to practice being.
<hr>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">
 Something completely free and wild.
 Something that was not defined
 by its productivity or assigned
 some relative value or worth
 based on what it did or didn’t do.
 Something that didn’t need to
 practice being.
 </h5>
<hr>
I wanted an experience that could remind and reconnect me with the essential part of
 myself that existed before all the concepts, ideals and values were layered upon me. I wanted to experience the part
 of me that transcended even the loftiest and most well-meaning of spiritual aspirations. Spiritual ideals, values
 and concepts are merely vehicles to guide and transport us to a place where they are no longer useful or relevant.
 They are only stepping stones, not a destination. I wanted to experience something natural. I wanted to feel true
 freedom. I wanted to experience my essence.
We hug our concepts and beliefs close to ourselves, like a favorite soft blanket
 protecting us from the cold. We hug it so close that we don’t realize we’ve not only blanketed our eyes but our
 hearts as well. Even the most comforting, well-meaning thoughts and intentions can blind and separate us from what
 is present and right in front of us. It’s like forgetting it is spring and still carrying the blanket and snow boots
 needed in winter. Being here was very different than anywhere I’d ever been so far in my life. And being here
 required a lot more breathing and letting go.
<img class="img-float-left has-img-center-in-mobile"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/somehtingsacred3_1_28df9c07ed.jpg" alt="" width="339"
 height="474" />True inspiration comes from venturing into the unknown, a new territory. It comes from letting
 go, into a new awareness.
A new breath. You have to be willing to let go of what you know, of what is familiar, to
 relinquish control and experience something new with open eyes and open heart.
I’d started paddling out on my board, hugging my identity, concepts, fears and
 aspirations close to me. One by one I dropped them into the ocean, and they submerged. I became more and more
 vulnerable and present as I disarmed myself of my illusion of separateness and identity.
Finally, as I stood alone on my board a mile or more offshore, watching the sunrise
 shimmering brightly over the crater peak of Maui, I heard it. A huge, wet exhale. The sound of water and air
 spraying out with one giant breath into the atmosphere. Compared to the quiet lapping of water on my board, this new
 sound was like a freight train blowing its whistle into the dawn. As I heard it again I turned to look, and I saw
 it! It’s dark long rolling back, surfacing up along the water and then many yards later, rolling back into the
 ocean. It rolled and rolled, submerging like a giant sea serpent from some mythological fairytale. It gracefully
 sliced through the water until it completely submerged with a playful slap of its tail fin. This beautiful humpback
 whale, less than 30 feet away, was now heading directly towards me.
This is what I was looking for: first an encounter with myself, and then with a living,
 breathing ambassador of something sacred and free. The whale just is. A giant symbol of the unknown, from a world I
 could only peer into for a few seconds at a time. Yet, at that moment, we shared the same water and breathed the
 same air.
I saw it’s huge amazing body slice through the water over and over again. In between
 paddling hard to keep up with it, I also sat patiently, quietly, waiting for it to resurface again for the air that
 we both shared. In some ways the waiting and listening was my favorite part.
The air was thick with mystery and anticipation. I submerged my head into the water to
 listen to its whale song and couldn’t believe how loud and clear it was. The whale surfaced and submerged a few more
 times before heading further out to sea. I had gone as far out as my mind could tolerate and slowly paddled back to
 shore.
That was one of my very first experiences with the humpback whales that migrate from
 Alaska to Maui from December to April every year, to mate and have offspring. Since then I’ve had dozens and dozens
 of amazing experiences with them. Their ancient intelligence is palpable, as is the beautiful aloha energy of Maui.
 I am grateful to live in a place where their presence is so strong and frequent. It has changed my life.

Excerpts from the author’s blog <a style="color: #cc8b4a;"
 href="https://peterkater.com/something-sacredsomething-free/" target="_blank"
 rel="noopener noreferrer">https://peterkater.com/something-sacredsomething-free/</a>.
 Reprinted with permission.
<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Article by PETER KATER</h4>
<hr>

Something sacred, something free

<h4>PETER KATER is a Grammy Award-winning musician and author, who also conducts
 musical, healing and creative retreats in beautiful natural settings. Here he talks with MEGHANA ANAND about communicating feelings and ideas through music.</h4>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
Q: Hi Peter. What does music mean to you? How did your journey begin?
PK:&nbsp;Music for me is a way to communicate
 feelings and ideas that are not easily put into words. When I was a child I didn’t really want to be a musician; my
 mother made me take piano lessons. But after 10 or 12 years I started to enjoy it. I found that it was very soothing
 and healing for me to play for myself. I did a lot of improvising even when I was a teenager, and I started writing
 my own songs also when I was pretty young. But I really played for myself. Sure it was cool in high school, but
 after I was out on my own I was really mostly doing it for myself. Other people always encouraged me to play
 publicly, and I would wonder, “Really, you think I should play in this place?” And they would say, “Yes, yes, you
 should do it.” So I would. One thing just led to another. I always had my own unique style – it’s good to be
 yourself.
Honestly, I now enjoy it more than ever. After all these years I’m starting to come into
 the fullness of myself, and express that musically in a way that is more complete. I am now talking about the
 creative process. The creative process is a process of self-acceptance and it’s a process of compassion,
 spontaneity, listening very closely and deeply to yourself, and to what you hear and feel. There is no censoring.

Music is a very interesting path. In my opinion, it’s a very spiritual path.
Q: You play music for the healing arts. Can you elaborate on that?
PK:&nbsp;I was always into the healing arts,
 meaning I personally always loved any kind of healing process, any kind of organic bodywork, whether it was massage
 or something deeper. I have always enjoyed therapy of different kinds, but as far as my music being healing, I never
 tried to play healing music. I never tried to affect anyone in a way that would be healing. All I have tried to do
 is show up authentically.
There’s a saying that I love (I don’t know who coined it): “Authenticity heals.” If we
 are authentic, where we are, at any given moment, and transparent in a way that’s genuine, authentic, it heals us
 and all of a sudden we change. It’s like taking something from the dark and shining light on it. If we say, “Oh, I’m
 feeling frustrated,” or “I’m feeling grief,” or “I’m feeling angry,” or “I’m feeling nervous” – whatever the truth
 is about that moment – if we can express that in a real way then it’s transformative.
So when I play the piano, I just want to tell the truth. I just want to express what’s
 really true for me in that moment, and when I express that then I feel differently. Then I have to express what’s
 true for me in the next moment, what’s true for me now and now and now and now. That becomes a natural unraveling
 process that I could never orchestrate with my mind. It just organically wells up. And if I allow it to flow, it
 takes me to some place where I need to go, but I don’t really or necessarily plan that. Does that make sense?
Q: Absolutely. I totally relate to that. You started your career in music playing jazz,
 which was contemporary and mainstream. So how did the transition happen into the healing arts? Did you face any
 challenges, internally and externally?
PK:&nbsp;Well, I went through a period of only
 improvising for about 6 years, between the ages of 18 and 24. Then I had the opportunity to make an album, and so I
 decided to compose the songs for the album, because I wanted to be able to play songs from it. And I released my
 first album called Spirit. It was very close to home; it was very much me. It was a solo piano album.
The album did well, but I received some criticism from other musicians around saying,
 “Oh, he doesn’t really know how to play jazz. He doesn’t know how to do this,” and I felt challenged. So in my next
 album I incorporated other musicians, some jazz, and I started writing melodies that were catchy and commercial. And
 that record charted in the USA in the top 20 of National Airplay Contemporary Jazz charts.
I thought, “Well, that was pretty easy!” So for the next few records I wrote more and
 more contemporary jazz songs, almost just to prove that I could do it if I wanted to. And I had several top 10
 records in a row, but I was really not that happy with it. I would play at jazz festivals and I would feel, “This is
 not working. This doesn’t feel like me.”
One day I heard a cassette by R. Carlos Nakai, who is a Native American flautist. The
 Native American flute is so beautiful, so soulful, simple and earthy. So I started playing along with it on the
 piano. And I thought, “Well, this sounds great,” the piano and the flute. So I contacted him to see about doing a
 project together. I thought it was just going to be a little aside, just a simple project that I would enjoy for
 myself. I didn’t really think anyone would care about it. And to my surprise when the record came out – the first
 album was called Natives – it became very popular, selling 5 to 10 times as many as my contemporary jazz albums. And
 it felt more authentically me than the jazz stuff.
So that gave me a big permission to be more myself, and to stop trying to be someone
 else. The direction went back to where I started, with my spirit, back inside, being who I am, naturally. Working
 with Carlos was an invitation to do that.
Q: How do you overcome the challenges and biases that you may face trying to be
 yourself, while following your heart’s pursuit?
PK:&nbsp;I almost feel that sometimes the world is
 like a distraction and misleading, when we focus on the outside. We have to be in the world and we have to
 participate, but I think we need to take our direction from inside. And we can find it in ourselves. It takes time,
 but we all have this inner voice that is always questioning: “Is that the right thing?” When you have an idea and
 you’re excited about it, but then you start to doubt, the mind is talking.
When I speak with musicians I respect, we all agree that it’s that first thought, that
 initial spark of an idea, that is the true idea. And all the thoughts that come after that – wondering,
 second-guessing, doubting – is the mind. That’s the world coming in and undermining our natural essence, our natural
 intuition. So when I’m playing or improvising, I’m always saying yes. I get an idea, and I say yes. Yes, yes, yes,
 yes. I find that when I start second-guessing myself, I feel like I go off the path. So for me playing the piano is
 about not thinking. It is almost like meditating, you know, very spontaneous. I used to meditate a lot many years
 ago. I was very, very disciplined. I would fast a lot, I would chant, and I would do all these things to quiet my
 mind. But I find now that playing the piano is the most honest and true thing I can possibly do, because really it’s
 in the music that my mind is completely quiet and I’m just being. I’m listening and being. And the more I do that,
 the better I feel in my daily life as well. It kind of bleeds into my life.
<img alt="authentic-communication" 
 class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/authentic_communication2_1c47b93c40.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-07T12:28:50.354Z">

Q: Peter, you have played and worked with some very big names in the industry, like
 John Denver, Dan Fogelberg and now with Carlos Nakai. How has the experience been?
PK:&nbsp;Beautiful! I was a big John Denver and Dan
 Fogelberg fan when I was younger. So working with them was really sweet. But I have to say that playing with R.
 Carlos Nakai and Dominic Miller, who is Sting’s guitarist, and Tina Guo, who is a fantastic cellist, and Snatam
 Kaur, who is a beautiful vocalist, is where I really found this connection, because none of us really want to
 discuss or rehearse the music. We want to find a way to just be present with each other and really listen to each
 other. The musicians who have been doing it for a long time realize that creativity is not about doing something;
 it’s about listening, being very open and very receptive. It’s letting creativity flow, rather than thinking that we
 need to do something to create it. Creation and creativity are everywhere. This Earth is the ultimate manifestation
 of creativity. We live in creativity. So from my perspective, the way to be a part of that creativity is to be very
 receptive and listen deeply. And not judge, and not question. You know what I’m saying?
Q: Yes. It’s wonderful.
PK:&nbsp;And also breathing. I do a lot of Internet
 performances where I talk with the audience quite a bit, and people ask me, “What are you doing? What are you
 thinking when you’re playing the piano?” And my response, that first thing is, “Don’t think.” The second thing is,
 “Am I breathing? And where in my body am I breathing? Where can I breathe into? Where in my body is it tight so I
 can relax? Is my stomach, my abdomen relaxed?” Those are very important things, because if we’re tight, if we’re not
 breathing, and if we’re in our head, then we’re stuck. So that’s important to me. And you know what I like to do? I
 like people to lie under the piano while I’m playing!
Q: Really? Okay.
PK:&nbsp;Yes! No matter where I’m playing – at a
 home concert or on stage – I invite people to come up and lie under the piano. I feel them under there, and I
 breathe into it. I connect with them and then I improvise just for them. I transfer the energy – them to me, me to
 them – circulating the energy. And people have beautiful experiences.
Q: That’s very interesting. Do you often do that with your son also?
PK:&nbsp;For my son, listening to my music is like
 breathing, as he’s heard it all his life. He doesn’t need to go under the piano; it’s actually part of him. He’s
 actually a very talented guitarist. He is only 14 years old, but he is becoming a very good guitarist.
Q: How did you feel winning the Grammy in 2017?
PK:&nbsp;Well, it was very exciting. It was
 especially interesting because that was my 13th nomination! I had not won the previous 12 years, so when I did win
 it was actually quite shocking and very exhilarating. To be honest, I did have a premonition. And it was the first
 year that I also took my son to the Grammy’s, because he was old enough to go and appreciate. It was great. I have
 to admit that winning the Grammy gave me the sense of even more permission to be myself. Even though I had worked
 through a lot of the need or desire to prove something to someone, I think winning the Grammy was the stamp or the
 proof of what I believe in. Now I play even more from the heart, even more exploring and trying new things, just
 letting it go.
Q: So what next for Peter Kater?
PK:&nbsp;You know what I really love doing? It’s
 the retreats. They are so much fun, and people have such great experiences. They’re very intimate. There are usually
 10 to 20 people per retreat. We spend a week together in a beautiful place, either in Hawaii or in Montana. All
 needs are taken care of, like food, massage, and being in nature, in a beautiful setting. And every day I play the
 piano for them for at least an hour, sometimes two hours. I invite guest musicians to come at night. We do little
 exercises in being present and authentic. I talk a lot about what happens when we show up with ourselves, being
 really present with ourselves and with someone else, and removing the sense of inhibition or the feeling that we
 can’t be authentic. We create a very safe space where people can take a risk and say, “This is who I am,” and
 embrace themselves and show who they are to the others at the retreat. It’s not heavy. It’s not serious. But it’s
 very free and very loving, and within a day or two people are having an amazing time. After a week people feel like
 they’ve made life-long friends, and no one wants to leave! I started doing these retreats during the last year or
 two, and I love them. You really get to know everyone. People experience a lot of feelings, a lot of things come up,
 and – I don’t like to use the word too much – a lot of ‘healing’ does happen even though no one is trying to make it
 happen. It happens on its own. When we’re authentic and genuine and transparent, healing happens by itself.
Q: Last question. What is the significance of listening in your life, especially in
 your field of music?
PK:&nbsp;It’s everything. Listening is one of the
 most important things we can learn how to do: listen to ourselves, listen to nature, listen to each other, listen to
 our hearts, listen to what our bodies are doing – all that stuff. We get so wrapped up in doing: Doing, doing,
 doing, and not being. And that’s basically what we try to do in the retreats. We focus on just being and listening,
 and getting out of our heads. Listening is the main ingredient in creating music. People think they have to try to
 be creative or they have to have creative ideas and thoughts. I don’t believe that. I really think that if we are
 quiet enough, to where we can actually open up and listen to what’s already going on, then things will just happen.
 I can never make myself play the piano if I don’t want to. I love being in nature. For me being in nature is the
 easiest place to open up and be present.
<img alt="authentic-communication" 
 class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/authentic_communication3_8b32602ec5.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-07T12:29:43.505Z">

Q: It’s been wonderful talking to you, Peter, and I really want to thank you for taking
 time out of your busy schedule to talk to us.
PK:&nbsp;You’re so welcome. Thank you for reaching out.
Join me… 
 in the presence of Trees. 
 Where the Earth beckons&nbsp;a deeper listen 
 As it draws you down into its peace. &nbsp; 
 Join me… on the edge 
 of the known and unfamiliar. 
 In the company of intimate strangers. &nbsp; 
 Join me… for an eternal moment 
 Within the eye of spiraling time. 
 As we reclaim what we’ve lost. &nbsp; 
 Join me… in loving emancipation 
 In blinding night and blinding light. 
 To awaken once more and again. &nbsp; 

—Peter Kater
<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Interview by MEGHANA ANAND</h4>
<hr>

The art of authentic communication and listening

Peter is a forester in the best sense of the word – protecting the ancient forests of Germany rather than logging them. He is the author of a number of books, including The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World, which was a New York Times bestseller. His latest book, The Heartbeat of Trees: Embracing Our Ancient Bonds with Forests and Nature, will be released in June 2021.

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Peter Wohlleben

Our bond with trees

Pierre is a DJ, producer, high-end fashion collaborator, club-headliner, certified yoga teacher, and meditation trainer. He introduced the KaRavan concept of combining music, yoga, and meditation into the Eternal Journey. He is now introducing luxury fragrances, writing a new chapter of the Eternal Journey.

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Pierre Ravan

<h4>Q: You are a successful DJ who also lives a spiritual life. What does spirituality mean to you?
 </h4>
 
 We read that spirituality is about living inwardly and being in the ‘present’ moment. What does that really mean
 in practical life? Where is that ‘inside’ in us where we should live? How can we feel it? Can we ultimately
 reach it?” . The answer is simple: Spirituality is the science of the heart.
 When we learn to connect with it we will find that everything is there. Most
 amazingly we find out that we are all connected to each other through our hearts. When we tune ourselves to the
 same frequency, we will be in the same vibratory plane where we are all one. It is like being in a big nightclub
 and tuning ourselves to the sound that the DJ is playing, enjoying ourselves.
 When we have less resistance in our hearts, we let go and become a part of that
 journey. Then we become unified as one single entity, lost in the music. But what is the force behind this
 unity? It is obviously love; having no prejudice towards others.
 <h4 style="text-align: justify;">Q: Is it challenging to have a disciplined spiritual practice and also be
 in the club scene?</h4>
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 </h4>
 To live spiritually, you need to overcome desires. You can enjoy good food and good
 life, but you cannot be driven by them. The art is to live in the world but not be driven by temptations, and
 that is a tough call because at the human level we are tempted and we have desires. There is nothing wrong in
 saying something is beautiful, but wanting to possess it all the time is something else. So it is all about
 attitude towards life.
 Attitude is important in everything, even your meditation practice. If you don’t
 have the right attitude you will still cheat people, because you still have that element of impurity in you. If
 you go to a dance club and judge people because you meditate and they do not, that is wrong. First of all you
 did not have to go, and also there you can be an example. Without even opening your mouth, people will recognise
 something special about you and be attracted by that.
 People respect you a lot when they see that on one hand you are with them, but at
 the same time you have your own priorities. For example they say, “It is 4 a.m. and he goes to his room to
 meditate, to reset what is happening in his system before sleeping.”
 As a musician you are exposed to so many things – sex, drugs and alcohol. I am
 convinced that even highly elevated people who can resist alcohol and drugs would still struggle with sexual
 attraction, as it is a strong pull.&nbsp; So it has been the downfall of many. The trick is not to lose sight of
 where you are going, so you do not lose the inner connection with that anchor.
 <h4 style="text-align: justify;">Q: What do you hope to achieve?</h4>
 We need to find a way of balancing the inner and outer life, and I feel that
 spirituality is the only way. I think balance in life is a huge art. So if spirituality teaches people how to
 achieve that, the work is done. I feel it is achievable.
 Whether I am a teacher, a banker, a gardener, a baker, or whatever, I am here to
 fulfil the call of Nature. We do not have to be a priest or a master to become the conduit of Nature’s work.
 There are a lot of beautiful souls out there, but we do not have the capacity to
 realise it. It is in our inability to see this that we judge the world and people. Wherever we find ourselves we
 need to be like a candle to see and attract people. Sometimes I feel that people on the dance floor are more
 connected than those in an ashram. It is not about where you are.
 We need not give up life and joy. No! Without joy, good humour and laughter there is
 no spirituality. Spirituality is joy. We misunderstand spirituality. It is the freedom of a bird with the two
 wings of balance. It is hard work! Life is work!
 If I were to achieve one thing, one state, it would be that I am at peace with
 myself. I think that is the ultimate. In that, ‘balance’ is vital; outer and inner balance. The outer deals with
 material life, with work, society, family, etc. Then I find an inner way, a guide, something in me, in my heart
 to which I give my full trust and faith. This is not giving up freedom. If I have faith, and the willpower to
 use that faith, and the patience and I do the work, I realise, “Wow! Life is not so difficult!”
 The moment we are in balance and in tune, then we go, “Ahhh! I see things so
 differently,” and we wonder, “How come I could not see this before?” We no longer see problems; we see things
 totally differently, and our level of acceptance goes up. We accept fully with our heart, although not blindly,
 and when that happens, everything changes again. So life is a fascinating school!
 I think a Master is a person who is in tune with Nature, so he can see and feel
 Nature. He does not even know what he knows. That is so beautiful. He is so in tune that he is not even aware.
 It is so spontaneous. To me the ultimate goal is to become one with yourself, where you are so much in tune with
 yourself that you are not even aware.
 <h4 style="text-align: justify;">Q:&nbsp;&nbsp; How does all of this relate to your work as a DJ with the
 younger generation?</h4>
 People who come to a dance club come for different reasons. One is to get relief
 from the pressure and tension of life. Now imagine if they could find an alternative means of relief,
 intoxication and trance. By turning inside and connecting to the Source inside themselves, they can find it.
 That is the real ecstasy. And my experience is that the more we rely on drugs to achieve trance, the more we
 lose our ability to do it naturally.
 Youth need to learn that while they are here to enjoy life, they also need to make
 that inner connection. Meditation is the first step.
 If you don’t know yourself, understand yourself and love yourself, then what is
 life? Knowing why am I here … all this comes from within.
 <h4 style="text-align: justify;">Q: Thousands of people dance at your concerts. What drives you?
 </h4>
 I never understood love. I feel I am so much in love. If you ask me with what, I
 don’t know. I feel there is a power that affects me deeply. I have learnt that love is love. You cannot even
 describe it. I realise that love is the only way. Until we develop love in us, life is a big struggle.
 <h4 style="text-align: justify;">Q: Tell us about music. How are music and spirituality connected?
 </h4>
 I love this saying by Hazrat Inayat Khan that, “Music is nothing less than the
 picture of the Beloved.” Music is ultimately about tuning the soul.
 Through music you can work and connect with many people, because when they come to
 listen and dance they have no resistance. In a club they are totally open. That is why I see music as a very
 potential means for connecting and that is why at forty-six I am still a DJ.&nbsp; After each concert I need to
 rest for one week because I give my everything.
 <h4 style="text-align: justify;">Q: Tell us more about your work as a DJ.</h4>
 For the past twenty-five years, I have been involved in the world of music and
 nightlife. I consider myself a successful DJ and producer and I am trying to be part of the evolution of the
 club scene. I have met so many beautiful souls who gather in that place I call the club, where language and
 preaching are not involved. Through music they celebrate life, joy and love.
 If we look at the roots of the club culture, we find that the main purpose was to
 create an atmosphere where people could put aside all their differences, leave behind their problems, and come
 to a place with no resistance, letting themselves being carried away by the music. Was that achieved? Did they
 get satisfaction? The answer in most cases is no. Why? Because drugs and alcohol were there. Instead of learning
 to connect inwardly through the heart to the main Source of Life, people relied on a false feeling of temporary
 intoxication and ultimately the inner connection was lost. This is far away from feeling the true peace and
 ecstasy.
 <h4 style="text-align: justify;">Q: What is the solution to restore this frequency?</h4>
 As far as my own experience as a DJ is concerned, I feel that clubbing can be like a
 group meditation where no one is being judged. Through music, people tune their hearts to the same vibratory
 dimension. By looking inside, the real intoxication which is permanent and subtle can be achieved. That can
 happen only when there is love, for themselves and for everybody around – all connected to the same source of
 existence.
 We can be courageous, experience the inner Self and reach this ecstasy, simply by tuning to the heart.
 
 <hr>
 
 <h4 style="text-align: center;">Interview with&nbsp;PIERRE RAVAN</h4>
 
 <hr>

Tuning the Soul

<h4>PIERRE RAVAN is interviewed by ELIZABETH DENLEY about the launch of his new brand, Eternal Journey, starting with 3 exquisite perfumes designed to keep you in tune with the natural rhythms of the day.</h4>Q: Hi Pierre. Tell us about your new perfume range.PR: Thank you. First there’s the brand, Eternal Journey, which was inspired by my spiritual path. I believe that life creates life, and it is an eternal journey.&nbsp;&nbsp;When we created this brand, we wanted to have different products and we started with fragrances. Because of my musical background and luxury background, I wanted to create something that covers the whole 24 hours of the day, and this is also linked with the circle of the eternal journey.&nbsp;When this first collection of three fragrances was created, we wanted to evoke the feelings from the time we wake up in the morning, then into the afternoon, through the night, and till we wake up the next morning. The journey never stops.&nbsp;I believe in the idea of trinity, so the first fragrance is Sunrise to Sunset, the second is Sunset to Midnight, and third is Midnight to Sunrise. With all 3 we are closing the circle through the 24 hours.When we use a perfume, we want it to correspond to the time of day. Even scientifically, we know that when we wake up, when the night becomes day, our breathing shifts so that we move from left nostril dominant breathing to right nostril dominant breathing. The first perfume, Sunrise to Sunset, has been created to activate and facilitate this transition. So the olfactory family of this fragrance has two very important ingredients – orange blossom, neroli, and a woodier petit-grain. Together, they facilitate the shift, while still maintaining a meditative mood.In the morning, you may do yoga, walk your dog, go for a bicycle ride, or go to the forest to pick mushrooms – whatever is your morning ritual, you can use this perfume. At that time of day, you don’t need something spicy; it would disturb others and your own inner condition.&nbsp;Later, when you come home and take a shower, you need something more active. So the second perfume we created is Sunset to Midnight. It is spicier, more sensual, while still creating a meditative mood. One of the main ingredients is frankincense and another is myrrh. And so as not to give the feeling of being in church, I added saffron from Iran, a little marshmallow, which gives sweetness, and a little patchouli and vetiver. This combination gives the sensual, spiritual, fresh, and warm, which correspond to the day’s activities.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">What is spirituality? It is when you do everything from the heart.&nbsp; Then you are connected with your inner self,&nbsp; and through that you lead your life.&nbsp;</h4><hr><figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/eternal_journey2_afa999fc31.webp" alt="eternal-journey2.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_eternal_journey2_afa999fc31.webp 149w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/small_eternal_journey2_afa999fc31.webp 478w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/medium_eternal_journey2_afa999fc31.webp 717w," sizes="100vw"></figure>The third fragrance, Midnight to Sunrise, is for night time, going out to dinner, the opera, a party, etc. It is designed to create a presence. It contains a lot of woody spices, like cashmere, sandalwood (the best quality sandalwood from Australia), black pepper, and oud (the best quality oud from Vietnam). The formula was created so that the oud kicks in after 20 minutes. That way it is not a woody-dominated perfume.We also created the 3 formulas so that each one blends with the others, creating a 24-hour atmosphere and evolution. That is the whole concept.<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/eternal_journey3_ba20be3828.webp" alt="eternal-journey3.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_eternal_journey3_ba20be3828.webp 244w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/small_eternal_journey3_ba20be3828.webp 500w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/medium_eternal_journey3_ba20be3828.webp 750w," sizes="100vw"></figure> Q: Pierre, where can people buy these fragrances?PR:&nbsp;In India, we are launching them with the company, Baccarose, through their Parcos shops. We selected 50 shops across India to introduce this brand along with our storytelling. &nbsp;What is the story they will tell? It is a marriage of luxury, spirituality, entertainment, and well-being. We have incorporated all these elements into the perfumes. You will also see this in the packaging, which uses glass and organic wood.&nbsp;Eternal Journey is a gender fluid product. Without even considering gender we created this perfume, so it is for everyone. It evokes all the feelings.Q: Some people would say that spirituality and luxury don’t go together. How do they fit, in your view?PR:&nbsp;I personally do not see them as separate. In spirituality we can incorporate luxury, and vice versa. What is spirituality? It is when you do everything from the heart. Then you are connected with your inner self, and through that you lead your life. What is luxury? In my understanding, a luxury item is something unique and precious. Imagine, if you create something of luxury with your heart, you make something that is not only consistent it’s also permanent. So the people who are using the product will be affected by how profound and how deep it is.&nbsp;On top of that, with my musical background, I am aware that all sound and vibration also creates an effect. Imagine a perfume that you can hear while you smell it. Our sense of smell has a big role to play for us in memory and nostalgia, and so does music. If we blend these together, the journey is complete.Q: Thank you Pierre, we wish you all the best with your perfume launch.&nbsp;PR:&nbsp;Thank you Elizabeth.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Photographs by RASMUS MOGENSEN</h4><hr>

Eternal journey

Pir Zia is a Sufi scholar, meditation teach, and the spiritual leader of the Inayati Order (www.inayatiorder.org), an interfaith mystical fellowship carrying on his grandfather’s teachings. He is the author of Mingled Waters, Saracen Chivalry, and Immortality.

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Pir Zia Inayat Khan

<h4 style="text-align:justify;">PIR ZIA INAYAT KHAN, the esteemed Sufi scholar and key luminary of the 2024 Global Spirituality Mahotsav at Kanha Shanti Vanam, describes the Sufi concept of the “Invisible Gardens” of our lives.</h4>I can hardly imagine a more perfect place for the convening of the Global Spirituality Mahotsav than Kanha Shanti Vanam. Imagine, just eight years ago, this land was all dust, and now we see the result of the care given to the land by the venerable Daaji and the Heartfulness community. It is something of a miracle.The meditation hall is impressive no doubt; but to me, much more impressive are the gardens here—the trees that have been planted, the endangered plants that have been collected, the cultivation that is happening, so that this Vanam can truly be a living garden. Daaji has brought endangered species here, and when trees are about to be cut down elsewhere, he has them dug up and transplanted here so that they may live on. This can be a paradigm for the whole country and for the whole world.While we may find ourselves appreciating these visible gardens, the ones we see with our own eyes, here we also find invisible gardens as well. The Sufis speak of four spiritual gardens.<h4 style="text-align:justify;">The Garden of Deeds</h4>The first of these is called the Garden of Deeds, and this is the place where we rediscover everything that we have put out into the world. The world is like a dome-whatever we say re-echoes and bounces back to us eventually. If we want to find generosity, be generous. If we want to find kindness, be kind. Whatever we bring to the world, sooner or later will circle back and return to us. But we have to be careful when we cultivate our “garden of deeds” not to take pride in those deeds. May it be that the left hand does not know what the right hand has given.The great Hazrat Rabi’a Basri used to walk around with a bucket of water in one hand and a torch in the other hand, and people would ask, “Why are you carrying these things?” She answered, “I want to burn down the garden of paradise and quench the fires of hell, so that those who worship you will worship you for your own sake, and not for any reward.”<h4 style="text-align:justify;">The Garden of Friends</h4>And so we move beyond the Garden of Deeds, and come to the Garden of the Friends of God. This is the garden of the legacy of the Holy Prophet and the sages who have brought wisdom to this world. In this garden, we seek to follow in their footsteps and to realize that although these great beings may come from many different traditions, they all ultimately bring one message—the message of the Divine Consciousness that is seeking its fulfillment in our lives and in this world. We come close to the prophets when we live a life of service.<h4 style="text-align:justify;">The Garden of Names</h4>Going further, we come to the Garden of the Names, the names of God. In our world, the Divine Being is known by many names. Whichever name we choose, if we give our whole heart to it, we will be lifted up by it. In this invisible realm, the Garden of Names, it is said that the angels plant trees whenever human beings intone the name of God. One day, someone saw that an angel was no longer watering their tree or caring for it, and they asked why that tree was being neglected. The angel answered that humans on Earth had stopped reciting the name; they were not glorifying the name. And until they did, it would not be possible to nurture this garden.&nbsp;That is the possibility that exists for all of us—to ensure these trees in the garden of the invisible world continue to grow and thrive. That can only occur when we, with hearts full of love, dedicate ourselves to the glorification of the one to whom we belong.&nbsp;<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/invisible_gardens2_6e6d29df20.webp" alt="invisible-gardens2.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_invisible_gardens2_6e6d29df20.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_invisible_gardens2_6e6d29df20.webp 508w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/invisible_gardens2_6e6d29df20.webp 508w," sizes="100vw"><h4 style="text-align:justify;">The Garden of the One</h4>Finally, there is a fourth garden, the Garden of the One.&nbsp; A seeker went to that door and a voice asked, “Who is there?”&nbsp; The seeker answered, “I am here, Beloved.”&nbsp; The voice replied, “Then go away.”&nbsp; The seeker went away, and continued his search and meditation for many years, until finally he returned and once again the voice met him with the same question as before.&nbsp; This time, the seeker answered, “You are here.”&nbsp; Then the seeker entered and there was no seeker and no sought, there was no lover or beloved, there was only the “One” forever and ever.May this garden of Kanha Shanti Vanam continue to flourish under the benevolent guidance of Daaji. May the gardens of our own lives—The Garden of Deeds, The Garden of the Friends of God, The Garden of the Divine Names, and The Garden of the One—proliferate throughout this world so that we all may live in paradise. Amin.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">May the gardens of our own lives— The Garden of Deeds, The Garden of the Friends of God,&nbsp; The Garden of the Divine Names, and The Garden of the One —proliferate throughout this world&nbsp; so that we all may live in paradise.&nbsp;</h4><hr>

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