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Your three-hour flight turns into an airport nightmare with delays.
You barely get through the door and your mother says she doesn’t like your hair, and are you really planning on wearing that to dinner?
You’re tired of people asking when you’re going to get married and start a family.
You have a reunion coming up and suddenly the 8 pounds you lost don’t feel like enough.
You love what you do, can’t explain it, and are barely making ends meet. Everyone wants to know when you’ll get a real job.
You don’t even need others to make you feel bad, your mind-chatter is enough to cause misery.
You feel yourself shrinking smaller and smaller or wishing you could. Avoiding – or engaging in – the same tired battles. Having another drink. Hiding out with the computer.
What really happened is, you got hooked.
The Tibetan word for that is shenpa. Most of the time shenpa is translated as “attachment.” Pema Chodron translates it as hooked, or how we get hooked. It’s a whole process of experiencing something that rubs us the wrong way then falling into a nearly automatic chain reaction.
Holidays are practically shenpa symposiums. Expectations are hyped and energy is overextended. Old family patterns are in full swing. Our insecurities are on parade, and the people who push our buttons seem to know them all.
I’ll bet you can stop right now and think of at least one sticky subject, one dysfunctional interaction, and one hurtful story that is likely to darken your holiday happiness. Am I right?
Even though we clearly know many of our patterns, still we end up getting hooked. Our shenpa chain reaction goes into overdrive. Mind-chatter, fighting, withdrawing, eating, hurting. Whatever our fall-back habitual response, we do it. And then we beat ourselves up even more by asking why we haven’t learned, why we set ourselves up for this time after time.
What if you could learn to be present without getting hooked? What if you knew a way to attend to yourself with love and compassion? A way to be mindful in the moment instead of unconsciously repeating hurtful old patterns?
It IS in your power to free yourself from the hooks, the habitual patterns and the hurts.
This program will show you how.
- You’ll learn how you get hooked and why it happens. Become a shenpa detective. See how active it is in your own life and why you want to break the patterns.
- Learn to tune into your body so you know what shepa feels like. Get clear on your personal shenpa chain reaction. What are your habitual responses and do they still serve you?
- Recognize when you’re hooked and how to respond to others in that moment of recognition. Remove the hurt before it can do serious emotional damage. (No more fuming over the experience for hours or days on end)
- Hold the moment with love and compassion. Coming face to face with your hooks can be uncomfortable. I’ll give lots of loving kindness reminders throughout the program.
- What’s coming up for you? Are there places you’re stuck? Things you don’t understand? Live calls and a private forum give you an opportunity to be heard and get your questions answered. We’ll also be sure to celebrate our success stories and our growing awareness.
- As the program continues, you’ll work more deeply and learn to stop the chain reaction before it starts.
- Along the way you’ll discover more ease and spaciousness. You’ll develop a sense of inner safety that allows your heart to soften and shine. With continued practice you’ll discover a fearless heart –and it’s yours!
This program is about investigating the ways you get hooked and working with your mind to choose how you want to think and act, instead of falling into habitual responses. Join us for a lot of love, wisdom and laughter as we explore the mindfulness practice of shenpa.
This program is for you if:
- You’re kind and sensitive, but sometimes you feel those are liabilities instead of assets.
- You want to spend time with family and friends without reenacting old dysfunctional patterns.
- You know it hurts your heart, but you agonize for hours over things you said and did or things that happened to you.
- You’re excited to explore a mindfulness practice that will give you skills to stay present, without getting hooked.
- You thrive on interaction. You’re ready to engage, share your insights and your questions, on the forum and on our calls.
- Or not. You might not be big on public sharing, but you’re highly directed towards self-discovery. Even if we don’t hear from you, you’ll always be part of the group. You’re welcome in any way that’s right for you.
- You want to make a difference in the world, and you know that consistency is key to authentic change. Being clear, cultivating a heart of happiness, and acting mindfully are tremendous gifts to bring to the world.
Shenpa doesn’t end with the holidays. Once you join, you have permanent, continuing access to the learning site and the forum. Our first group call is scheduled for Monday, January 4th, at 2 p.m. eastern time. (It will be recorded if you can’t make the call.) Future calls will be listed on the learning site. There will be additional check-in calls throughout the year.
Here’s what you get:
- Online learning environment – No more buying a program, downloading, and forgetting about it
- Permanent access to the group site plus all future updates at no additional cost
- Private forum for you & other program participants
- 2 pre-recorded content calls to listen to at your convenience
- 3 live Q & A calls (These will also be recorded.)
And there’s more:
- Bonus Additional live calls scattered throughout the year to re-connect and reinvigorate your shenpa mindfulness practice. Revisit previous calls and listen to any recordings you may have missed.
- Bonus “Shoot The Shenpa” call between myself Andrew Lightheart, friend and meditation practitioner. Listen to this not to be missed, free-form conversation about how we both use shenpa practice in our lives.
- Plus Unannounced bonuses – Just because I like to shower people with gifts
Private sessions available, 6 program participants only.
As a special bonus, I am offering 1 hour of private consultation for the added cost of $150. This consultation is available for the first 6 people who take me up on it. It must be scheduled between between now and March 1, and you must be paid in full before your private session. Use your session to talk about this specific program, other meditation practices you are engaged in, or how to approach personal situations you are experiencing with mindfulness, loving kindness and compassion.
The private consultation costs $150 in addition to the program price. It may not be for you and that’s completely OK. However, if it does call to you, please know this is the only opportunity to work with me one-on-one right now. In the past, people found me by word of mouth (no advertising) and my rate was $375 for individual sessions. The $150 session is both a limited time opportunity and a limited time price.
What else do you need to know?
What if I can’t make it to a call? All calls will be recorded. (Fingers crossed and technology willing.)
Why should I listen to you? Hopefully you have a sense of who I am from reading this blog or seeing my tweets on twitter. I’ve been meditating since 1988 (if not longer!) took my first Buddhist vows in 2001 and continue to center my life around practices for clarity, compassion, and loving-kindness. I share these teachings as an enthusiastic explorer, someone who may be a bit more experienced with the path, but not a guru.
Do I have to be a Buddhist to do this program? Not at all. There is nothing inherently Buddhist in this program and nothing that would conflict with your belief system.
Have I forgotten anything? Use the contact page to send me any additional questions.