International Association of Coaching Blog

Tools for Coaching Mastery

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Higher Being, Part Two: The Koshas
by Deborah Williamson

In the March/April 2011 VOICE, I introduced the concepts of human being and Higher Being as I use them in my signature style of Yoga Life Coaching™. This month, I'll share more about the foundation of this idea, which is harvested directly from what are known in the yogic world as the koshas, or layers of self. The koshas exist to expand our world and to help us connect to others around us.

Before we begin, let's quickly review the difference between human and Higher Being.

Higher Being is a state in which you and your clients have:

• NO misunderstandings
• NO limits
• Endless energy
• Abundant time/sense of timelessness

Human being is the exact opposite. It is the state of mind where the obstacles of time, money, poor resources and argumentative people lurk around every corner to prevent growth, possibility, accomplishment or forward motion.

Obviously, one state is more enjoyable than the other. And, surprisingly to some, the shift from human being to Higher Being can happen in an instant, without any change in circumstance, wealth, intelligence, talent or ability.

This is where the koshas come in. Koshas are like energetic sheaths that surround us; five layers that relate to enlightenment and the quest for the true self. While some believe that enlightenment is something that you must suffer and strive for over the course of many lifetimes, I believe that we get it in bits and pieces every day. The koshas are the map that leads us inward to who we truly are—unencumbered, beautiful, joyful and capable—and whether you know it or not, you already experience them on a daily basis.

See the diagram below. Each circle represents a sheath, or layer, on the way inward to Higher Being.
 

 
We are born into the physical world, which is the outermost layer (kosha). Our body awareness is the entry point to the process of reaching enlightenment. As we start to notice our bodies, we begin to feel and become aware of breath and sensation and emotions (the energetic realm). From here, we observe, search for and assign meaning, entering the mental realm. As we go deeper, we experience understanding and true knowing without judgment or extraneous thought, moving through insight (where we reflect) and bliss (where we know all we need to know) until we finally reach the still point at center, or THE SELF. The second we are at the center and have the conscious thought of, "Here I am! I did it! I am now enlightened," we are bounced right back out to the physical layer, and we begin again. In other words, the second we are thinking about something versus experiencing it, we are missing it.

In those moments at the very center of the circle at the layer of self, we have no wrong understanding, no limits; we have endless energy and endless time. We are not observing, thinking about or naming the external world. We see without assigning meaning, and we know all we need to know. Here's an example:

Let's say you're driving down a country road and notice a heifer munching on some juicy piece of pasture. What might happen next? You probably assign a name (meaning) to the object, and think that word ("cow"). You might even point at the cow and speak the word aloud: "There's a cow!"

When you're living from your Higher Being, on the other hand, you see the cow but you don't feel compelled to name it, know it or announce it. You just see it as it is without assigning meaning.

Why is this relevant to life coaching? Because both you and your clients will spend time assigning meaning to circumstances, objects and people. You are viewing these things through filters and they are colored by those filters. When you reach the center kosha at your true self, all filters are removed. You see without judgment and can choose from a place of endless possibility. Isn't this what you want for your clients? Clarity of vision? Possibilities? Confident knowing? I know I do.

THAT is the shift your clients can have. That is the shift YOU can have as you practice moving in towards that innermost layer of self. Each time we move inward, we get to stay a little longer. Because the truth is, you (and your clients) really do know all that you need to know. Even though we all bounce in and out of knowing, we have the answers, the ability and the talent; we have all that we need to accomplish and contribute powerfully. Recognizing that fact is the first step to real and tangible life shifts.

 

Yoga Life Coach™ and Master Teacher Deborah Williamson travels the world to teach, speak and coach with humor and deep humanity. Debbie's signature brand of Yoga Life Coaching™ evolved from over 20 years of coaching and wellness industry experience. Visit www.deborahwilliamson.com for upcoming Yoga Life Coach™ Certification Programs and more.

Our Baby was Born! – Announcing the first Chinese book demonstrating the spirit of the IAC Coaching Masteries®

The first Chinese book composed with the spirit of IAC Coaching Masteries^® was born last month!

Led by Coach Bonnie Chan (IAC- CC), the IAC Hong Kong Chapter meets monthly to share and exchange ideas about the applications of coaching in life and work. With fresh fruit juice or coffee and pieces of sweet cakes, everyone feels thrilled and energised upon leaving. In our gathering in October 2009, the idea of writing a coaching book was initiated in this atmosphere.

The book was a co-creation by seven coaches in Hong Kong who have different specialties. Each of the nine chapters in the book is a personal story of one coach, showing his or her path of learning and experiencing coaching, as it manifests the spirit of one particular IAC Coaching Mastery. The authentic sharing is a lively demonstration of how the Masteries are applied in our lives, with the hope that the reader will resonate with the reading.. Each chapter also includes some suggested questions about that Mastery and somes examples of real life learning to support the reader's digestion and application.

Through the process of writing this book together, we experienced a strong trust, openness, respect, acceptance, appreciation and support within our team, which in itself demonstrates the strong power of coaching. During one stimulating process of brainstorming, we created this poem:

Life is like an onion,
As we peel we weep
The more we peel the more our true beauty reveals,
Like flowers in full blossom celebrating each and every word of good news.

We found that the process of peeling an onion resembles that of coaching, as the coachee discovers and reveals more and more about his or her life, and by the end experiences healthy benefits for their development.

The book launch party was held in May with great success. Guests had a very special time sharing the joy of the birth of the book, as well as learning more about the Masteries through funny interactive games. What was most inspiring was that the participants sensed the positive energy and creative spirit of the coaches, which prompted them to want to understand more about coaching. It is so exciting to hear that our readers feel motivated and energised after reading a few chapters, as they shared in the forum: www.facebook.com/OnionCoach.

According to Bob Tschannen-Moran, the President of IAC, “The book is a treasure both for professional coaches seeking to improve our practice and for anyone who is seeking to unleash and actualize their own potential in life and work.”

We had a common goal in writing this book: the hope that our authentic stories would call for more people to join our journey and actualize our dreams of “one person, one coach.” We do hope that the book will be translated into many languages and widely read.

We would also like to take this chance to express our gratitude to IAC President Bob Tschannen-Moran and Past-President Angela Spaxman, who supported us by writing the preface of the book.

 

 

Karen Au is a Consultant in Corporate Training and a Personal Development Coach, dedicated to supporting people to excel and thrive in their personal and professional lives. One of her lifelong missions is to build the culture of collaboration and appreciation in every organization. You may contact her at karen@apexinstitute.com.

 

 

 

   

Lessons from the Certifiers

 

More About Our Certifiers
by Natalie Tucker Miller, IAC-CC

Q: What can you tell me about the certifiers' professional backgrounds, how and why they got into coaching? What is most satisfying to them about being a coach? What they perceive to be their greatest challenge in coaching others? Do they have any suggestions, tips or resources for me in my continuing development as a coach?

A: This is such a refreshing question! Since receiving it, I’ve asked this question of the IAC certifiers so I could speak for us all as I write this. As I summarized the answers, I found there were many commonalities in our thoughts about coaching. We all thank you for providing an opportunity to reflect on where we are today and the paths we each took to get here.

We come from diverse backgrounds: education, finance, engineering, art and training. The biggest hurdle with transitioning to coaching from any profession is recognizing the specific skills that set coaching apart from other professions. Although there are some similarities in the methodologies of some professions compared to coaching methodologies, there are several differences as well. The certifiers were not immune to this challenge!

All of us trained extensively, either by attending a coach training school that focused on coaching mastery, enlisting the help of a mentor, or joining study groups and coaching triads. Some of us did all of the above or at least a combination of some of them. What we all have in common is a passion for coaching and a desire to provide the most powerful coaching possible. This led us to train rigorously. I found that many of my fellow certifiers felt as I did: coach training did not seem like work. Coaching, as any profession, is a calling. Each of us reached that conclusion about ourselves at one point or another during our journey.

The most rewarding part of coaching as well as being an IAC certifier is the ability to help people grow while we continue to hone our craft and contribute to the evolution of coaching worldwide. As one certifier noted, "I get to help people nurture their spirits every day, and I always feel more alive and vibrant myself after coaching someone." We all agreed that the possibility that we are making a difference in someone’s life is the greatest reward.

Interestingly, for some of the certifiers the greatest challenge isn’t during coaching sessions, rather it is sensing that someone could really benefit from coaching, yet they are resistant to begin. As for coaching itself, the Masteries themselves provide such great guidance that challenges for the coach are all but eliminated. Powerful! Here is an example from one certifier of how using the Masteries can achieve that: "My greatest challenge in coaching occurs when I see a situation so clearly, I sometimes I get a little stuck on one way of looking at things. When I notice this happening, I remind myself that rather than coaxing my client over the bridge, to instead cross over the bridge and meet the client where they are and see what happens from that space." This speaks beautifully to how the Masteries guide the coach, the coaching and the client. Mastery #8, Inviting Possibility, is defined as "Creating an environment that allows ideas, options and opportunities to emerge," which this certifier can simultaneously do for herself as well as her client! Win-win! Grow-grow!

Continued coaching development is a lifelong learning opportunity. As people change and evolve, so does the way we relate with people. To quote Maya Angelou, "When we know better, we do better," and that is certainly true in coaching. Ongoing practice is crucial as you grow your coaching practice, whether it is coaching a client, another (buddy) coach or a friend. Don’t be afraid to enlist the help of Mastery #1 whereby you acknowledge your own humanity with your clients. From a certifier: "One of my first coaches, who had been coaching for eight years at the time, shared her philosophy that I’ve embraced through my career. She said 'I am still a beginner coach.' What a wonderful way to recognize that mastery is not an end point, but an ongoing quest!"

Additionally, here are some more ideas from the certifiers about continued coaching development: [Members, continue reading]

To join the IAC, click here.

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Do you have a question that you’d like to ask the certifiers? Submit your questions here: http://certifiedcoachblog.typepad.com/blog/ask-the-certifiers.html.

Natalie Tucker Miller, IAC-CC, is the Lead Certifier and a certifying examiner at the IAC, as well as Past-President. Natalie is founder of Ageless-Sages.com Publishing (www.ageless-sages.com), and creator of the literary genre, Picture Books for Elders™.

 

Please send your questions on the IAC Coaching Masteries^® and the certification process to certification@certifiedcoach.org.

The Real Reason to Manage Your Time

by Claire Tompkins

We all have to do lists in some form or another to keep us on track with all we have to accomplish. If the list is long (and it probably is!) we have our various ways of prioritizing it as the day or week goes on.

Making effective to do lists and determining which things to do when are critical skills to have if you want to get things done effectively. When we're busy, though, we blindly follow our to do list without stopping to ask why those tasks are on it.

Let's look more closely at some of the common things that "land" on our list, investigate how they got there and look at how you can manage them differently.

1) Volunteering

When you work for yourself, tasks aren't delegated to you in the traditional way. Sometimes you take them on yourself by volunteering, in both professional or personal capacities. If you're the kind of person who doesn't like to say no, you can get overwhelmed with this kind of work. Even if it's rewarding and enjoyable, there's only so much you can do without compromising yourself.

Make sure that it's clear what's expected of you volunteer-wise and what you're willing to do. This could be quantified in terms of tasks you'll complete or number of hours you'll devote.

2) Coordinating with vendors and colleagues

When you're working with vendors or colleagues, it's critical to be clear about what each of you will do. For your own peace of mind, you'll want to keep these tasks in the big picture of your overall task list, to make sure you're not taking on more than you meant to.

3) Busy work

It's tempting to fill your list with simple tasks. We like them because we know how to do them and they're quick. They're especially gratifying if you're also working on some complex, long-term projects where you're not always certain what to do and the payoff is delayed.

Tasks like this can be appealing because they involve a variety of activities and don't challenge your attention span. These things may indeed need to be done, like invoicing clients or ordering supplies, but not at the expense of your important work. Batch these to do's for greater efficiency or save them for when your mind doesn't need to be its sharpest.

Is it truly urgent?

Task with short deadlines focus your attention keenly. When it's clear that something bad might happen today if you don't do something, you're pretty motivated to do it. The problem is that a lot of urgent tasks come from manufactured urgency. They seem a lot more imperative than they are and often could easily have been done before they became critical.

You may have heard of Stephen Covey's time management quadrants. This matrix divides up task into urgent and important, not urgent but important, urgent but not important, and not urgent or important.

We commonly get suckered into the "urgent but not important" quadrant. The very urgency of such tasks makes us skip over assessing their significance because there's no time to do so. If you find yourself in this quadrant, you may feel productive but what you're doing is not the important stuff. Just because you're busy it doesn't mean you're really accomplishing anything.

Fake urgencies can be product or service solicitations (the prices goes up tomorrow!), getting caught up in client chaos, not wanting to miss anything on Twitter or Facebook, or feeling the need to respond to email the moment you receive it.

Make it a practice to dig deeper. Regularly ask yourself "what am I doing and why am I doing it?" That's the basis for any other time management tricks you learn. Those questions will help you get dead wood off your to do list and help you plan ahead to avoid time consuming crises.

Time management skills are useful for getting things done competently. But there's no point to increasing your productivity if what you're producing doesn't really matter. What time management is really about is making sure that you spend the hours and days of your life engaged in activities that are meaningful to you.

 

Professional organizer Claire Tompkins specializes in creating customized organizing techniques. By addressing her clients' unique needs, she provides solutions that make their lives easier with more free time to do what they love. Get her report "30 Minutes to Less Clutter on Your Desk" with your free ezine subscription.

From the Editor

Linda

Welcome to the June 2011 issue of the IAC VOICE!

We have a nice treat today, hearing from Vice President Susan R. Meyer. She updates us on the important work of The Coach Initiative and invites us all to be involved in their efforts.

Our featured member benefit this month is Lockton Affinity, with a cautionary note about the real risks that coaches face every day.

In Living the Masteries, Alison Davis has partnered again with Alberto Calderón to explore Mastery #4.

Alison's column includes a quote from Nina East, former Lead Certifier for the IAC. Nina is also our guest author for the Inside Scoop column this month. Lead Certifier Natalie Tucker Miller culled our blog archives for this gem that covers Mastery #4 as well as Mastery #9—two "new" Masteries that are still challenging certification applicants.

Our feature coaching article this month is a new submission from regular contributor Sue Johnston. Whether coaches or clients, she explains, we can be wrong about being right.

Our 2011 submission guidelines for the VOICE are available on the website. Submissions are welcome anytime through the month.

Please contact me with your article ideas and your feedback about this issue. Enjoy!

Warm wishes,
Linda

Linda Dessau, CPCC
Editor, IAC^® VOICE
Email: voice@certifiedcoach.org
www.contentmasteryguide.com

P.S. Are you on Twitter? You can follow our VOICE authors and columnists as well as some of the IAC BOG members. Simply visit http://twitter.com/lindadessau/iac-voice-contributors or subscribe to the list from your Twitter account.