9 Guidelines For Spiritual Coaching

Spirituality coaching is more than creating goals and holding someone accountable. Spirituality coaching takes into account the whole person, that is, mind, body and spirit. Spirituality coaching focuses on one's essential well being that can only be accessed from one's Inner Core, one's essence. The aim of spirituality coaching is true and lasting transformation, and a true congruence between one's inter behavior and outer behavior, allowing one to show up in integrity and authentically. The following nine spiritual guidelines can serve as a foundation for spirituality coaching.

1. I AM A CELL IN THE BODY OF HUMANITY. Like the acres of sage in a desert that are connected by a single root, I know that I have a connection with, and an impact on, on every other cell in this body called Humanity. I know my thoughts, words and actions affect all the cells in this body. I am aware my thoughts, words, and actions are either "healing" or "killing" these other cells. I operate on the belief that all of life is relationship, and that how I treat one person is reflected out to every individual on the planet in some way, shape or form. I know the planetary impact of my thoughts as I know a butterfly flapping its wings in Japan can cause a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico.

"How are my thoughts healing or killing someone right here, right now?" guides and makes me consciously aware of my spiritual responsibility in every one of my day-to-day interactions.

2. I EXPERIENCE ALL OF LIFE AS DIVINE. I respect the humanity of each person I know and meet; I am aware that everyone possesses a spark of divinity. I make warm and embracing eye contact and refer to each individual by name when referring to him or her directly and indirectly. I first choose to relate to each person as divine, and only then do I relate to them in their "role" as a client, a neighbor, a direct report, a manager, a leader, a clerk, a wife, a child, an athlete, a coach, a clerk, a repair person, etc. I refrain from referring to individuals as "my client", "my 2:00, "the guy who", etc.

"Am I seeing this person with the eyes of Spirit; am I speaking with the voice of Spirit; am I listening with the ears or Spirit?" guides me to consciously connect with another's divine humanity.

3. I MANIFEST AUTHENTICITY THROUGH HONESTY, SINCERITY AND RESPONSIBILITY. I am first responsible for "walking the talk," and so I consciously monitor my own behaviors and performance and refrain from judging another's motives, intentions or behaviors.

"Am I 'being' and 'doing' honestly, sincerely and responsibly right here, right now in my relationship with myself and with others?" guides me to be consciously conscious of living from a place of integrity and authenticity.

4. THE PRACTICE OF PRESENCE ALLOWS THE SPACE FOR EVERYONE TO BE HIMSELF OR HERSELF. Presence allows me to be in my body, inside rather than in my mind, to be in the moment, in the Now. In presence, I am not in the past or future. I am not judging, evaluating or being "mental". I am still and focused. In every interaction, I set my intention to quiet my mind and open my heart through the action of presence. I serve as the space in which coaching happens. "Out beyond the ideas of rightdoing and wrongdoing, there is a field; I'll meet you there." (Rumi)

"Is it OK to allow whatever arises in this space, in this moment?" allows me to "go inside" to find inner wisdom, inner knowing and understanding, and insights into my BE-ings and DO-ings in every relationship and interaction.

5. EVERYONE IS EXACTLY WHERE THEY SHOULD BE AT THIS TIME, IN THIS PLACE, ON THE PLANET. It is not my job, role or responsibility to "fix", "change" or tell anyone "what's best for her or him." Each person is exactly where he or she needs to be in the evolution of his or her consciousness right now. Each person has all the answers inside himself or herself. Everyone comes to find right action, right knowing and right understanding from within. My choice is to serve and support others to look inside to discover what they need to know. Whenever a client is in an "I don't know" situation, rather than tell or suggest, I ask: (1) "Is it OK not to know?" (2) "How does it feel not to know?" or (3) "What if you did know?" I have no wanting or needing to fix, make the "right" suggestion, have an answer, and be the coach-turned-consultant. For me, this is acting with honesty, sincerity and responsibility to myself and another to just be the space and be present, in the Now, and allow whatever arises in the other to arise, knowing that their "answer" or "solution" or next step" will naturally emerge.

"Is it OK to be where I am right now?" helps me discover and explore if my need for "control" forces me to gravitate away from my true and real self.

6. EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE OF MY LIFE IS AN INTERACTION OF SPIRIT WITH MY SOUL. I know there is no such thing as luck, circumstance or coincidence. Every thing happens for a reason. I am consistently receiving lessons and teachings.

"I'm curious about this," encourages my continued practice of inquiry and reflection to delve more deeply into conscious awareness and understanding of my self as I continue on my journey as a coach and Earth Human.

7. CIRCUMSTANCES HAPPEN "FOR" US, NOT "TO" US. I remove my self from a "victim consciousness" and "martyrdom" perspective. Blame, jealousy, defensiveness, and resentment are not a part of the fabric of who I am. I am grateful and appreciative of every circumstance, event and person that I meet on my path.

"So, what's the learning here?" guides my responses to life and enhances my personal and professional growth and development.

8. GREET EVERYONE WITH A WARM SMILE. A smile of greeting is a gift of appreciation. There are no "little people", anywhere, who I can ignore or be insensitive toward.

"What seems to be separating me from you?" reminds me that I am in alignment with everyone with whom I come into contact.

9. SPIRITUALITY IS A LOT LIKE BEING PREGNANT. Either I am or I'm not. I can't be "a little bit" pregnant, nor can I be "a little bit" spiritual. If I'm not coming from a place of spirituality, i.e., my Essential Self, what's getting in the way? Ego? Limiting thoughts and beliefs? Sabotaging self-images or self-concepts? Regret because I'm living in the past, or fear, anxiety and worry about the future?

"What will it take for me to come from my essence and align my outer behavior and inner behavior as one?" reminds me to let go of my ego and "little self" as I continue my journey toward transformation.

So, spirituality in coaching and being coached is not a matter of convenience. One needs to be aware of the discrepancy between genuine spirituality (which comes from Essence and divinity) and counterfeit spirituality (which is an "ego ideal" of what it means of be spiritual) that one puts on like a robe when meeting with a person being coached, or in fact, with anyone.

These spiritual guidelines for coaching serve to inform one's coaching practice and one's life. When individuals make an honest and sincere effort to allow these spiritual guidelines for coaching to be the beacon that drives the direction of their practice, they and their clients most often experience greater inner peace, harmony, balance and well-being at work, at home and at play.

Peter G. Vajda, Ph.D, is co-founder of SpiritHeart, an Atlanta, GA firm specializing in coaching, counseling and facilitating. Peter focuses on personal, business and relationship coaching. He can be reached at 770-804-9125 and pvajda@spiritheart.net

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Coaching Information:

Related Articles

What To Do? Lifes Big Question
We've all experienced the same thing at important crossroads in our life when big changes were underway. Often, we find ourselves feeling panic and frozen in time, possibly with indecision, waiting and wondering: Which way to go?; How will things turn out? Sometimes, you just don't know what to do.
Parts that Make the Whole? or Not
There are many parts that make up you.There's the Musical You, the Friendly You, the Amazing You, the Genius You, the Calm You, the Peaceful You, and many more parts that make up who you are - much like an identity check list:All round good guy/gal part - checkUniquely amazing you part - checkWitty and intelligent part - checkLovable and charming part - checkMoody and indecisive part - who me??? Never?Selfish and greedy part - not me! Never?Self opinionated - Nope, not me! Never?We all have wonderful attributes; we also have parts not so wonderful which we'd rather keep hidden but really, it's okay to acknowledge we have both.
You Can Get There From Here
But first you've got to raise your standards.I know at some point you had big dreams.
Buyer Beware: Choose A Business Coach Carefully To Get The Results You Want
Consider this scenario. A colleague suggests you get a business coach.
The Right Time and Place
(Channelled)Roy?I am sending you this quote from Sōtō Zen, Dōgen's Shōbōgenzō Zuimonki, please read it.Once someone advised Dōgen to go to Easter Japan if he wanted to see Buddhism prosper.
Burn-Out ...Whats Next?
If you feel the heat of burn-out, it is possible to stop the fire before it stops you. Burn-out burns out confidence trust hope Burn-out can burn up your job your marriage your friendships There is a simple strategy for helping yourself prevent burn-out, especially if you are a person with more responsibilities than choices.
Executive Coaching and the American President
Perhaps no one better than a former U.S.
Automatic Brain Works Overtime For You
Use all of your brain to be your most effective."Running on Automatic" is what I call the ability to visualize what you need to have happen.
Is Your Life In Motion?
Ever since the Internet bubble and the 9/11 terrorist attacks, I've seen many people; including friends and family lose their jobs and/or personal fortunes overnight. The struggling economy has been merciless on the job market.
Trump University - Why Success Education Is Important
Trump University recently unveiled offers a bonanza of success secrets, success tips and success insights.Donald Trump, of the Apprentice says "The one sure way to success is to know everything you can about what you do", these words capture the true reason why Trump University exists.
Six Steps for Creating Work-Life Balance
Today an increasing number of us are experiencing burnout, low productivity, insomnia, and stress related illnesses?undoubtedly due to a lack of balance between our work and personal lives. It's time to look at how we can create greater balance in our work and personal lives.
Helping Relationships: Understanding the Helpee
One of the most distressing observations I have made among my social work colleagues, is the overwhelming proclivity on the part of many of us so-called helpers, to lack understanding and sensitivity to the position helpees are in when they agree to accept intervention.Many of us take "professionalism" out of context and become more of a burden to families than a helping resource.
Guilt: Is it Getting in the Way of Your Self-Care?
When Do We Usually Feel Guilty? When:We're not feeling ok about who we are.We're not feeling ok about the choices we're making.
Attitude is Contagious - Would Anybody Want Yours?
Are you using the Life Potential you have been given? Or are you just existing?We have all inherited standards, traits, habits, perceptions, and expectations based on what our parents, teachers, and peers taught us. We have allowed these to grow as a result of whatever we then learned as adults, and they continue to grow with whatever we feed our minds.
Business Career, Executive Coaching Article - Leadership: Understanding the Human Condition
"Nothing is more practical than for people to deepen themselves. The more you understand the human condition the more effective you are as a businessperson.
Whats Wrong with Life Coaching?
As a Life Coach I quickly identified most individuals wanted to achieve a particular goal or ambition and tried it themselves without success, and unfortunatley were still reluctant to get any help. So, I started 'A Life Coaching' a company which provides individuals with the tools, skills and processes to Life Coach themselves.
Can I Be My Own ADD Coach?
Quite often I am in contact with people who discuss acting as an ADD Coach for their child or spouse. While supporting and helping loved ones with ADD is a great idea, acting as an ADD Coach really isn't a great idea.
Whats in it for me if I Hire A Coach?
1. An unshakable foundation:Create and build your life from the ground up.
Do You Really Need A Home Business Mentor?
Having a mentor can mean the difference between success and failure if you want to have a successful Internet home business.Many of you have dreamed of owning your own Internet business, and have probably been involved in countless opportunities, and succeeded at none.
How Does Sports Coaching Differ from Corporate Coaching?
Athletes Versus EmployeesMost athletes are young, open to improvement, eager to learn and anxious to receive what a coach can provide. For the athlete, there is a defined season and something tangible to compete for.