Satori Moments And The Journey Of A Coach
Self-awareness through self-reflection and resilience are two simple and foundational qualities that have the potential to steer us through life and any adversities with positivity. They help us make informed decisions towards making a more tolerant and compassionate world.
However, they do take some time and effort to develop. I like to refer to a commonly used metaphor to describe life –“life is like driving a four-wheel vehicle, where the rear and the side-view mirrors show us what is behind us, and the front windshield shows what lies ahead of us. While it is equally important to know what is behind or on the side to manoeuvre effectively, the core focus certainly needs to be to move forward at the right place and at the right time.” While our past may define our identity and the future of our prospective identity, it is far more important for us to respond effectively to the present. The decisions we make are far wiser when made with the present moment awareness, no matter how challenging the situation of the near future or historical context may be.
These positive and sometimes life changing decisions are nothing but the result of our timely tapping into our conscience—these are referred to as Satori Moments of insights. When I deliberated on a metaphor for coaching, I thought of Satori awakening– which is an experience where the person becomes aware of the reality and accepts truth– as it is– without any biases. All answers lie within us; and a coach enables the thinking of finding solutions within to help the coachee/client define the path for greatness. At first the coach undergoes the transformation and then enables profoundly liberating experience for the coachee by allowing them(using a gender neutral pronoun) to find their own answers through their own insights and acceptance of truth, through a desired shift in perception towards achieving their goals and higher purpose.
As a coach I tap into these insights every time I self-reflect and I am able to achieve that through complete emptiness which comes from acceptance of everything as is. And every time I hold space for my coachees from this stance, I am able to help them in their journey with utmost comfort and effectiveness. Complete emptiness or nothingness is also key to enlightenment, which implies our ability to detach ourself from everything that happens inside our minds. One also needs to be in the awareness that attachment to the desire for insightful moments can also stop ones personal growth progress. A coach helps his coachees find their own reasons to let go of the things they can’t control so that they can experience their own moments of inspiration in the space that the coach holds for them. These ‘Aha’ moments can be had at any point of time- I’ve had some of my insights during walking alone or post meditation when it’s just me, my breath and utter silence- or sometimes on a day when I sit back, immersed in reading personal growth articles- enjoying holding space for myself post that.
My Satori moments help me not just in taking rational steps but also enable me in taking a compassionate stance towards my own home coming which is a prerequisite of being able to hold space for a coachee in the coaching process.
A coach also helps the coachees manoeuvre through their Kensho Moments, by helping them overcome their limiting beliefs which block their journey towards a compelling future. A coach may or may not have gone through the awakenings from the Kensho Moments themselves (gender neutral pronoun), although experience of Kensho Moments can be a very liberating and profound experience if one can come out of adversities with positive outcomes for self and others.
So the first step on the path towards personal growth is to start with the self-awareness journey, and eventually one can start tapping the insights from Satori moments; although this may not be the same for everyone as everyone’s journey of personal growth and insightful moments is different. And with the awareness that– ‘Journey of a coach is a journey of a human being’, I tread on it with the trust that the universe has my back and all good and not so pleasant experiences are the building blocks on my path towards achieving what I set out to achieve— I share my thoughts today.
Last but not the least, when I am effortlessly in present moment awareness, I don’t have to wait for insights to make informed choices because if I do so, I not only block my spiritual progress but I also decrease the effects of all that I have accomplished on my personal growth journey. I repeat this –“even attachment to the desire for insightful moments is a factor that may stops our personal growth progress”.
I would love to share my personal story with you of my practice of self-reflection and the transformations it has brought to my life. Here’s a link to the blog and the book I co-authored– https://shakhhsiyat.com/a-moment-of-gratitude/ Metaphorically, I chose to be the driver who drove my vehicle with full present moment awareness. And this helped me through all the difficult times in life.
Today I am also an extremely satisfied person. I have made a difference in impacting many lives of people caught up in self-doubt and struggling with their limiting beliefs and self-imposed limitations. I now believe that the tools to create a better tomorrow are within us. Sometimes it may take longer, but it is worth the wait. Therefore, I say to myself and to you– “Hold on to that dream of yours while you work towards it through challenges- with self-awareness and with right guidance. The breakthrough is just around the corner, and it is mighty! And you will be even gladder when you see the reality of your dreams come through”.
We all have witnessed the challenges of the ‘COVID-19 Pandemic’–While one hand, I think it had brought a much-needed pause to our busy lifestyles, it had also exposed our deepest vulnerabilities. Our relationships are continuing to witness a sea change and I believe that we all need to start trusting that such testing times are the foundation stones of our character and make the choices that best suit our human existence and society at large.
With this, I would like to share the acronym from my #steerframework. It will be a guiding force for you to STEER you through the challenging times:
S – Self-Transformation: Adopt self-awareness, self -reflection and self-belief; also practise the art of listening to your inner voice- ‘Journey inwards is the journey forward.’
T – Trustworthiness: Stay invested in relationships and build networks on the foundation of trust. Trust helps people to honestly ask for help and feel safe despite disclosing their vulnerabilities. Stay invested in relationships and build networks that believe in regeneration of mother earth and the power of the Universe.
E – Effectiveness: Practice mindfulness, have an organised lifestyle, learn to appreciate small-things and practice gratitude.
E – Emotional Intelligence and Empathy: Practice understanding the needs of others as if they were your own. Know that acts of kindness give us the highest levels of happiness and psychological well-being.
R – Resilience: Develop resilience to face unforeseen contingencies. Resilience is a powerful quality to have, as resilient individuals are likely to be less stressed and less anxious in adversities.
We have the resources within us! #leadfromwithin
Rritu Rana
rriturana@shakhhsiyat.com