PILATES FOR THE MIND:

 What is it?

 We go to the gym to develop a strong, healthy and resilient body. In order to live happily, we also need to develop a strong, healthy and resilient mind.     Pilates for the Mind is a practical, mindfulness training program for health practitioners. It is a workout for the mind!

Modern science combined with the digital age has resulted in an explosion of knowledge. If you want to know anything, just Google it!  Unfortunately, the opposite is true with wisdom. You only have to look at what is happening in society to see that wisdom is rare. 

Stress, depression, anxiety and mental illnesses are skyrocketing. Relationships are breaking down, addictions are rife, we spray our food with poison, deprive the body of nutrition, worship entertainers and sport stars as our gods, and endlessly chase pleasure, thinking that it will make us happy. 

 Our own minds are our greatest enemy.  To find true happiness, peace, and freedom from the tyranny of stress, we need to draw on wisdom to learn how to tame our mind, and to start using it beneficially.  The more we develop this ability, the more effective we are as holistic health practitioners.

Why is wisdom so important?

 Wisdom is the intelligent insight that allows us to live truly and happily. It is described as being more precious than the most precious jewels. Shakespeare called it “noble reason”.

 Knowledge of things such as the function of the human body constantly changes and is always incomplete. Conversely, wisdom has the quality of timeless endurance. It can be applied in the life of every person, irrespective of time and place.  Wisdom yields understanding of what it is to be a human being, what limits us and what makes us miserable. We do not need to learn to be happy, calm and free because that is our natural state, but rather we need to learn how not to be stressed, unhappy and bound.

 Wisdom shines a light on the root causes of suffering.  True healers exude wisdom.

What is the aim of the program?

My intention for this mentoring program is to help you grow in wisdom and mindfulness so that you can master the art of walking through life more freely, happily and peacefully.  Then, having gained a degree of mastery, you will be confident to teach your patients to do the same. 

What you teach from your own experience is far more powerful than anything taught from theory.  In the same way that mastery of playing tennis only comes from regular practice of every aspect of the game and not from simply reading a book about tennis, so it is with growing in wisdom. You only gain life mastery through mindful awareness and persistently applying age-old wisdom principles in daily life. To continue the tennis analogy, once you are a competent player, you can then be a coach, but not before.

Why me?

My experience in clinical practice spans 20 years and my mode of practice was initially driven by the scientific approach. By far, the biggest shift in both my personal and professional life happened when I seriously began to engage with practical philosophy. The literal definition of philosophy is ‘the love of wisdom’ and practical philosophy involves attempting to apply wisdom in everyday life.

 Some 15 years ago, I set the intention that I would find a way to experience peace and happiness in all things, independent of circumstances. It was a very big intention to set, especially since, for much of my life, I had been plagued by transient depression and anxiety. As a result of setting that intention, I found great teachers who lovingly mentored me in the practical application wisdom in everyday day life. I was encouraged to establish the practice of daily meditation, and taught to foster the ability to watch my own mind and to examine every assumption.

Since embarking on this path, meditation has become the pillar of my life and I have regularly mentored many small groups in practical philosophy. This approach has flowed quite naturally into my clinical practice as a tool for creating a shift with my stressed, depressed and anxious patients.

As a passionate teacher, I’ve developed simple, practical ways of conveying profound principles so that they are easily understood, and as a consequence, many of my patients have experienced life changing shifts.

One of the most common comments I get from my patients is “Why hasn’t anyone shown us these things before?”  The simple reason is that as a society, we have become fixated on science and forgotten about wisdom.  Knowing the difference that the practical application of wisdom has made both to my own life and to those of my patients, I would love to share this knowledge with all health practitioners, to enable the benefits to flow far and wide.

How does the program work?

• The initial 4-week program is comprised of 4, 1-hour consultations, either in person or via digital means
• The program is individually tailored to you, your present circumstances and your current understanding
• A range of principles will be taught and explored and each week, practical exercises will be given for you to apply in your daily life so that you can discover for yourself the truth and validity of what is presented. There is nothing for you to do except keep and open mind. Neither accept nor reject what is presented, but simply play with it in your daily experience to determine if it is useful for you.
• Each session will provide ample opportunity for both input and discussion
• The program is intended to set you on a path of inner discovery, to broaden your perspective and to give simple practical tools for living more happily and peacefully in every aspect of your life.

How much does it cost?

Because I believe so strongly in the value of this program to create a ripple effect of goodness in the world, I am offering it for free.  My consultation rate is $160 per hour and so the program could be charged at at $640, but you are free to do the program at no charge or to pay any amount according to how highly you value it.  It is entirely up to you.

 What next?

 If what you have read has sparked an interest in you, please please provide your details below and request discovery call.