January 6, 2009 at 6:23 pm (Abundance, Personal Growth, World events and issues, coaching, holistic practitioners, soul driven, spirituality)
Tags: A New Year prayer, alternative medicine, business success, complimentary medicine, energy, gratitude, gratitude for family and friends, gratitude for what we have now, health, holistic, holistic practitioner, KeystoClarity! Coach, life coach, Louise Crooks, melanie at yogaphoria, retreats, sanctuary, small business owner, spiritual thoughts for the New Year, tea lounge, wellness, yoga, yoga instructor, yoga studio in New Hope PA, yoga studio on PA/NJ border, yogaphoria
My friend Melanie, and owner of Yogaphoria, in New Hope PA, shared in their latest newsletter some beautiful thoughts that were heartfelt and reflected my own feelings about life right now as we go throught the challenges that are presented to us all sides, accepting what really matters as we go into 2009! I would love to share it with you….
She wrote:
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New Year’s Prayer
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As I opened my eyes this New Year’s morning, warm in my bed, peaceful and quiet, the first thing my eyes focused on was a beautiful painting given to me by our beloved Abigail Boehm. It is one she had painted for my birthday. It’s a soft dreamy picture of a star-like figure in subtle tones of blues and golds. In the center of the painting are the words “Absolute attention is prayer.” The words are not bold, no, quite the opposite. They come at your eyes as a whisper would come to your ears. They draw your focus to them in remembrance of the gentle qualities prayer can hold. The painting is kind, soft, and loving, just as Abigail is and it holds the perfect mantra for the year to come.
Later that day, I went to Abigail and Kevin’s house for their traditional New Year’s day pot luck. A group of people had followed her other tradition of jumping into the river earlier that day and everyone came back to her house to get warm and be fed. Of course, I thought about joining in on that polar bear tradition for a moment but wisely changed my mind. As we all sat at Abigail and Kevin’s chatting about the freezing cold river, the delicious food, and the up coming plans for the year ahead, the thought “absolute attention is prayer” kept coming to my mind. There we were, all cozy and warm just being with each other like a modern day Norman Rockwell painting. Paying attention to each other’s thoughts and words and laughter. It’s in those moments you realize, THAT’S IT. That’s all there is…no matter what. Even when the world is going crazy around us…that’s it. Where we choose to place our absolute attention determines our lives. To give absolute attention to the present turns our whole life into a prayer. To bask in the love and friendship of each other is as great a prayer or meditation as any other. Perhaps even better.
What a metaphor that day was. Going from the freezing cold rapid waters of the river to the absolute warmth and attention of each other says it all. If we really stopped to think about it, is there anything more we need? Aren’t all our greatest moments about experiencing the love of each other in the fullest?
The evening came to a close and everyone gathered up their coats and plates and headed back out into the cold…and it was cold! Abigail and I stopped at the door and hugged. She looked at me with those pure blue angel-like eyes and with full attention said “I love you…happy new year.” I said the same in return. As I walked out the door, the wind and cold hit me hard, but I wasn’t sure what made my eyes fill with tears. Was it the cold on my face or the warmth in my heart? Did it matter? I just put all my attention on how wonderful I felt and sent out a prayer that each and everyone of us has a whole year of feeling that blessed.
Much love and many blessings,
Melanie
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You hope you found it as profound as I did. You can find their website at www.yogaphoria.com They have a beautiful space, where they do yoga, they have a tea lounge and a sanctuary for all who visit!
Warmly,
Coach Louise
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January 1, 2009 at 4:56 pm (Personal Growth, World events and issues, coaching, soul driven, vision)
Tags: book by David Oliver Relin, book by Greg Mortenson, coach, coaching, David Oliver Relin, education in Pakistan and Afghanistan, energy, finishing what we've started, focus, goals, Greg Mortenson, journalist Relin, Louise Crooks, love in a Islamic world, New York Times bestseller, promoting peace as a way to prevent acts of terrorism education solving ignorance poverty extremism and lack of education, purpose, respecting different cultures and religions, review of inspiring book, secular schools solve problems with extremist education in madrassa, soul, success, Three Cups of Tea, vision
A true act of heroism.
I am ‘wowed’ by the book I have just put down (I really couldn’t put it down for the 2/3 days it took me to read it!) Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. I am so inspired by the work and bravery of Greg Mortenson and the people he has banded together in the extraordinary effort to promote world peace by bringing education to children in Pakistan and Afghanistan!
As a coach I see how he has had the ability to keep moving forward despite roadblocks and failures ultimately leading to amazing outcomes! I recognise how difficult this must have been particularly when he often faced these challenges alone and in extremely difficult and adverse physical and mental conditions. Greg is a true hero. Anyone who needs inspiration to keep moving forward in what their doing, whatever it is, will find it in this story.
I am uplifted and inspired and not only that, now more educated, as to the cause of terrorism coming from the hotbeds of extremism, poverty, ignorance and lack of education. And that Greg, who tackled this issue from a perspective of peace and intellect, initially alone, has made and continues to make a huge difference to many many impoverished people, as well as contributing to the worlds safety in a way that comes from love and compassion, not hate and retribution. We all have something to learn from him.
I believe he is part of what has become a tipping point worldwide towards hope, love, compassion and collaboration to create the lives, the world and the planet we want.
I implore you to read this book! Not only is it a gripping story of Greg’s experiences but also of his vision of what’s possible, and how one person can make a difference!
Greg, thank you for being the person that you are, and thank you to all that circulate in Greg’s hemisphere for the support and contributions and sacrifices you have made, to make what he has done, possible.
In gratitude and inspiration,
Coach Louise
For information to the Central Asia Institute or to find out what you can do to make a difference, click on www.ikat.org or www.penniesforpeace.org , or email info@threecupsoftea.com
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November 26, 2008 at 11:11 am (World events and issues, alternative medicine, coaching, complimentary medicine, holistic practitioners, infertility, soul driven business, spirituality, vision, wellness)
Tags: being part of the consciousness, coaching, gratitude, gratitude journal, James O'Dea, life coach, Louise Crooks, raising consciousness, thanksgiving, world is changing
a moment of gratitude
Great Rivers of Gratitude, from James O’Dea
Your body loves gratitude! Not a superficial “oh gee, thanks” but a
deep, heart-connected appreciation that carries love and acceptance
from a place of higher consciousness and well-being.
Your body loves it because it washes away the biochemistry of stress
and insufficiency and replaces it with the alchemy of flow and
emotional warmth. The resonance from gratefulness warms both the giver
and receiver; it generates a field of appreciation sometimes referred
to as limbic resonance. In the field of appreciation, we create a
healing and reviving antidote to psycho-toxins such as “I don’t have
time,” “I don’t have enough,” or “I am drained.”
Each trickle of gratitude blesses us with its affirmation that we have
all we need in consciousness itself to gather our strength and honor
life. Each stream of gratitude clears out the corrosive toxins of
stress and anxiety in your body and becomes a gift to yourself and to
others.
Now visualize great rivers of gratitude coming together as we turn
collectively to face the hour in which we live. “With all of its sham,
drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world,” wrote Max
Ehrmann. Even in the face of war, violence, and severe climate
imbalance, Christopher Fry declared, “Thank God that our time is now,
when wrong comes up to meet us everywhere.” We can be grateful that we
are here in this time of earth challenges with an unquenchable sense of
hope and with a steadfast belief in our human capacity to heal, to
renew and even to go beyond what seemed our most persistent
limitations.
So I say let the gratitude flow. We are ready for the challenges that
exist now and that lie ahead. Let these great rivers of our deepest
intention flow towards a polarized and distracted world and cleanse it
with the power of love. We come from all races, all creeds, all
socio-political backgrounds with one unifying feeling of gratitude for
life, for consciousness, and for a new evolutionary path forward. We
come with gratitude for every being that came before us. We have been
given an epic moment in the journey of life on earth to bring our
greatest scientific knowledge together with our deepest spiritual
insight to change the course of history. If you ever thought you were
insignificant, consider how you are now needed in this great shift. And
be grateful that you were given such a role and such a time to live in.
Thank you, thank you for what each one of you does to step up and to
raise the consciousness of the citizens of this world. Thank you for
feeding these great rivers, even in the face of wounding and denial.
Thank you for being you.
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November 17, 2008 at 12:20 pm (ICF Conference, ICF Conference Montreal 2008, World events and issues, coaching, soul driven business, vision)
Tags: business coaching, coaching, global awareness, ICF, ICF Conference Montreal 2008, International Coaching Federation conference, life coaching, Louise Crooks, Matthieu Ricard, NJPCA, personal coaching, Peter Senge, Verdana Shiva, we can make a difference
Wow I can’t believe the ICF conference is over, it went so quickly! Now I am back in NJ I can start blogging regularly again! I thought I would blog every day at the ICF, but soon realised that was going to be difficult – with time and energy being the two things getting in the way. Kudos to Lynn Schaber from the NJPCA who managed to post to our Yahoo Group website every day!
The ICF Conference in Montreal was wonderful, if any coach is asking themselves whether its worth going, I would say definitely. You to get marinate in the soup of coaching! There were 1400 participants, and I met some wonderful people there who are doing great things. It so amazing to be part of that.
The main theme through Super Session Keynote Speakers was about global unity and awareness, being able to do something to help our planet and each other to make it the place we really want. This is from physical and spiritual standpoint. Verdana Shiva really highlighted all the major things that we as the human race are doing to the earth’s resources and how we can take responsibility in our own small way! She said, every time you use electricity or do something that depletes the planet’s energy, think of it as ‘a puff of smoke’ off the coal burning that makes the majority of the world’s energy. We can make a difference by the choices we make.
Peter Senge, a wonderful author, also spoke about the difference we can make from a socially responsible view of cultural development in organisations and society. That we can have sustainable businesses, with happy people if we go about it the right way.
Matthieu Ricard, a French Buddhist, the right hand man to the Dalai Lama, was fascinating. He spoke about how it is possible to raise our level of happiness, even when we experience the ups and downs of normal human emotions. Through the practice of meditation, your awareness, consciousness, and the opportunity to communicate with your soul, raise the brain wave activity in your brain to a level which has been scientifically proved to create happiness. He shared his scientific research with us, and it was mindblowing to see how meditation could effect us on so many levels. Just in relieving stress, the cortisol levels drop dramatically as one example. He was an inspiration.
There was so much on offer during the break out sessions. I got to experience and enjoy a Drumming Circle, and am now inspired to start one in my area! We had amazing speakers discussing ways to grow your business, and I got a lot of value from that. Also I got some CCEU’s attending Wisdom Circles where MCC coaches from around the world would coach each other in front of the room. This was a wonderful opportunity to explore the ICF guiding principles, as well as seeing really experienced coaches in action. There was so much more!
I took away that this experience can really deepen my skills as a coach, as well as connect with like-minded individuals setting the intention to create amazing lives on a global scale! I am now really looking forward to the next ICF conference which will be in Orlando Dec 2-5th 2009!
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November 10, 2008 at 11:19 pm (World events and issues, alternative medicine, complimentary medicine, holistic, holistic practitioners, soul driven business, spirituality, wellness)
Tags: alternative medicine, bio-energy, Brandon Bays, cellular healing, coaching, complimentary medicine, energetic medicine, healing modalities, holistic, integrative medicine, Louise Crooks, molecular healing, physical and emotional healing, practioner, spirtual awakening, The Journey
We can take responsibility for our emotional and physical healing
My husband and I had the wonderful opportunity to help facilitate The Journey weekend in New Jersey this last weekend. What really first attracted us to help out was that Brandon herself (the founder) was doing the training! We had an amazing time. It reiterated to me how important it is to let everyone know that they can take charge of their own emotional and physical healing in a very powerful way. The extra big bonus is that if you are on your own spiritual journey, The Journey accelerates it and really creates a beautiful space for your own awakening. If you are interested in find out more look at www.thejourney.com The amount of stories I hear of people healing from emotional trauma to diseases that predict death, is amazing. Especially cancer! But so many other things too. We had the opportunity to hang out with Brandon, which was amazing. She is truly an inspiration. So I came back exhausted, but really wonderfully reconnected with my soul. I am now making a commitment to do more of the The Journeys workshops and support the initial weekend, because the effect on people’s lives (as well as my own) is amazing. I encourage you to check it out for yourself!
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November 2, 2008 at 11:04 pm (World events and issues, business, holistic, soul driven business)
Tags: acai berry, blogtalkradio, business coach, Chris Verde, Coach Dara, coaching business owners in the healing community, drumming circle, Expo, gratitude, healing by sound, Human Design, Jill McCrane, KeystoClarity! Coach, Louise Crooks, MAT, Mind Body Spirit Holistic Expo, muscle atrophy, powerful experience, sense of wonder, small business coach, supplement drinks
Today was a wonderful day. I decided not to participate as a vendor but just to wander around the expo talking to people in general. And I was lucky enough to have my Brazilian friend Daniela accompany me (she is a massage therapist and reiki practitioner). What I found was a bunch of amazing people, who were all so connected with their art, gift, or purpose. It really reminded me of why I feel so inspired to coach this genre of people. The connection I felt was deep and often from the soul. When I coach a holistic practitioner or coach, who is their business, who lives their life like this, the opportunity to release unrealised potential is enormous. Coaching people in the healing community, to become even better at what they do, so they can share it with more people, is becoming my life’s work. The reward is great for them and for me.
I found a couple of wonderful people, who will guest on my KTC radio show – a woman who runs drumming circle workshops, and another is heals by sound, Energy work is truly incredible. My peers Coach Dara and Gabrielle, were there, both specialising in Human Design - a fascinating exercise on revealing different aspects of yourself, through various modalities rolled into one. (can’t wait to try that out Dara!) Another peer, Chris Verde was there talking about MAT, his business of helping people recover the use of muscles – through stimulating blood flow to atrophied muscle. Fascinating work. The potential for healing was revealed in so many interesting ways, and showed differents paths as an option to integrate with conventional medicine, or as an alternative.
Whether you’re taking steps to drink juice made from the Acai Berry to improve health, or reviving muscle before resorting to irreversable surgery, the awareness that there are many options available to us is enormously valuable.
Congratulations to all the vendors at the Expo today, and a big one to Jill McCrane, who pulled off an amazing event. My feelings of gratitude and connection were overwhelming today as I walked out the doors, to return home.
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October 21, 2008 at 10:07 pm (World events and issues, soul driven business, vision)
Tags: acupuncture, alternative medicine, clarity, coaching, complimentary medicine, creating intentions, have an important message to share, heart driven, heart felt goals, holistic practitioner, Inspired Speaker, integrated medicine, intentions, keynote speaker, KeystoClarity! Coach, life coach, Louise Crooks, Marcia Weider, messenger, mission, mission statement, purpose, soul purpose, speaking engagements, vision, vision board, workshops, writing a book
What is your path?
What do I mean by ‘a message’? As a coach or holistic practitioner or a business owner who serves others, generally what you are doing is for a reason. Did something happen to you that caused pain and suffering? My friend Julie, is an acupuncturist and herbalist because she was terribly afflicted with occular migraine, and she was cured by acupunture – she left a spectacular career in the corporate world to give to others. A gift came from her trying experience. She is now focused on giving her knowledge, experience and expertise to others. She helps women fall pregnant who have infertility issues, she has treated me for that and for migraines, she is an enormous help to cancer patients, relieving their pain.
We might also be clued into what our message or mission might be if we feel passionate or incensed about something. When was a time you felt really excited or happy, what things do you do, or have you done, that make you feel good? If you can identify what those are, you are that much closer to knowing what your purpose or message is.
I was at a seminar held by my friend and colleague Marcia Wieder, America’s Dream Coach, called Inspired Speaker this last week. Besides having an amazing experience, it became very evident to me that there are a lot of people who have an important message to share, because of their own experiences. One woman, Teena, talked about being a cancer survivor, twice. She had shared how some of her friends had told her how inspiring her story was, and that she should write a book. As we talked, it became evident that she had a very important message, one that could save lives and give hope – that she had a responsibility to write, speak or share her message in some way. She had been looking at writing a book from the point of view of ‘who am I to write a book?’ but ultimately she realised it was not about her, she had a responsibility that was bigger than her.
Have you identified what your message or mission is? and are you making it your responsibility to share it with the world?
Warmly,
Coach Louise
PS: Coaching is a powerful method to help identify what your message or purpose or vision for life is! Who is your partner in getting clarity around this? You might have a responsibility to share what your experience has been. I invite you to contact me for a free consultation!
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October 13, 2008 at 2:57 pm (World events and issues, coaching, spirituality)
Tags: death and grief, Grief, grieving, Louise Crooks, sadness when someone dies, sadness when someone passes, The Journey
The sun sets on all things, but life continues to renew itself...
Grief is probably the most painful experience anyone will have, and at some point in time we will all experience it. The subject of grief comes up for me, as I grieve the passing of my last grandparent, Madge Morrow, one of 3 grandparents I have lost this last year. I was discussing the idea with my other half as we went for a walk in the fall colours in the woods today. Such a wonderful place to feel a sense of peace and connectedness. My thoughts were that when emotions are too painful to bear, we want to stuff them, and put them away, pretend theyr’e not there etc. but the catch to that is that we never fully let go of those strong emotions because we haven’t allowed ourselves to feel them fully. This might sound a bit strange to some of you, but bear with me… I realised I was doing this as I was walking, because I don’t like feeling this way, the sadness is too painful to bear. However I recognised from some of the work I had done with The Journey, this was not a path of healing and letting go, that I was on. I was feeling impatient with myself for not being able to pep myself up, and ’snap out of it’, and then I realised – I need to embrace these strong emotions to be able feel them properly and then let them go. Only by doing that will I be able to let them go. It stopped me in my tracks! So today has become a day to nurture myself, to remember my grandmother and all that we had together, and to do it with purpose. Knowing this too, shall pass.
Bless all of you who are grieving right now… Remember we are all connected.
Warmly,
Louise
www.thejourney.com
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October 8, 2008 at 11:19 pm (World events and issues, soul driven business, spirituality)
Tags: a movement, awakening, enviromental issues, green business, holistic, holistic practitioners, Louise Crooks, making a difference, save the world, soul driven business, spiritual business, spirituality, the shift, wholistic
Preservation... we can all contribute!
Dear Friends -
This is an exciting time on our planet. We have a chance to live ‘where the rubber meets the road’ and be the pioneers of a new global civilization based on consciousness, harmony, social justice and sustainability.
Below is a link to a trailer for a movie being created by some powerful ‘movers and shakers’ like you and me who are paving this path of global transformation with love, energy and enthusiasm.
Enjoy the clip and if you’re inclined, add your energy and inspiration – the specific difference you have come here to make – as live out our finest intent and fulfill the promise of an evolutionary journey in human consciousness.
We’ve all come here, now, quite purposefully. It is our time. http://www.theshiftmovie.com
moving forward,
Coach Louise
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