LIVING DHARMA SPIRITUAL COACHING with Carla Brennan
Carla will be unavailable for coaching during her year-long sabbatical retreat starting September 2012.
DHARMA refers to the teachings of the Buddha and to the universal law of awakening through developing awareness and insight. LIVINGDHARMA has two related meanings. One refers to the ongoing inquiry: How do we fully live the Dharma teachings? How does our life become an expression of the Dharma? How do we practice the Dharma in every moment and every activity? The other meaning refers to the fresh, dynamic, authentic truth of this living moment not encumbered by past teachings, traditions or historical record. LIVING DHARMA SPIRITUAL COACHING is the opportunity to receive guidance and support to bring the Dharma alive in your daily life. We will use Buddhist teachings and psychology as the foundation for developing clarity and open-heartedness. Each session will be an exploration of what is blocking expression of your true nature. We will use conversation, meditation and inquiry to enhance mindfulness, presence and insight. Living Dharma Spiritual Coaching is for people who have a meditation practice and are deeply committed to their spiritual awakening.
SPIRITUAL COACHING MAY HELP YOU: • Integrate formal and informal mindfulness practices into daily life to create an authentic spiritual path that includes work, family and relationships • Work skillfully with chronic patterns of fear, anxiety, anger and other “demons” • Live with more harmony, integrity, compassion and freedom • Develop awareness and a deep presence • Use dharma wisdom through a particularly difficult experience (for example: grief, loss, or illness) • See more clearly the conditioned reactivity patterns that lead to creating suffering and that keep us stuck • Release oneself from the limited identification with the ego-self and personality • Create an authentic life beyond the superficial pull of liking and disliking, success and failure, acceptance and rejection, pain and pleasure • Explore patterns of self-judgement (including the inner “spiritual top dog” who judges your practice and abilities) and find greater self-acceptance • Address patterns of “spiritual bypassing” where you may be misusing spiritual practices and concepts to repress or avoid your real inner work
WHAT IT ISN’T This is not traditional psychotherapy. It may be helpful to use spiritual coaching as a complementary approach in addition to regular psychotherapeutic work.
FORMAT The basic session is a 50-minute “hour”. Sessions can be scheduled as-needed, or on an occasional, monthly, or weekly basis. Because I travel frequently, long-term weekly sessions are not usually possible. There may be periods (a month or more) when I may be unavailable due to retreats or travel.
PHONE Telephone sessions can also be arranged at mutually convenient times. These can be particularly useful when one of us is out of town. The rate for these are the same as face-to-face sessions.
LOCATION 6060 GRAHAM HILL ROAD, FELTON; Zayante Depot, Corner of Zayante Road and Graham Hill Road, Felton. The office is on the second floor above the Sheriffs Office. It is about a 8 minute drive from the Denny’s on Ocean Street in Santa Cruz.
FEE The rate for a session is $80. A sliding scale is available from $50-80.
CONTACT INFORMATION To arrange a meeting, call Carla at 831-212-6641 or email: brennan.carla@gmail.com
