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Cushion Wisdom

Mar 2, 2022

Journey of 1,000 Hugs

“Can you promise I will come back?” says Bilbo.
“No, but if you do, you will not be the same,” replies Gandolf.

In the beginning I enjoyed our small quarantine pod of four. Each Saturday late afternoon we came together for a gourmet meal, Star Trek Catan and a robust conversation. It was the only in-person social event of the week for almost 1.5 years.

The weekdays kept us working in our home offices coaching, teaching and running Mindfulness Coaching School virtually.

This flexible coaching lifestyle kept us safe and worked well. As a learned extrovert, I relish opportunities to be a full-on introvert with my books, research, writings and music. And yet even though the pandemic offered much inner growth and reflection, it also offered outer growth to the tune of 20 extra Pandemic Pounds.

Through coaching I became aware food was replacing in-person hugs. Once I realized it was hugs I was jones-ing for and not food, I asked myself daily on the meditation cushion, “How can I get my hugging needs met?”

I sat and listened to what arose

At first my Monkey Mind with its’ chaos and my Inner Critic with its’ Fixed Mindset kept interfering. Yet both fell away when I approached the specific agenda of getting my hugging needs met. With focus, presence and a Beginner’s Mind, I learned to cultivate mental plasticity with an Infinite Mindset.

Following the breadcrumbs

Sitting on my meditation cushion one morning at 4am an image arose. I saw myself traveling on open roads in North America and hugging students, faculty and clients along the way! This is how The Journey of 1,000 Hugs began to take form.

Similarly, seven years earlier in 2015, Mindfulness Coaching School manifested. It’s why I often call meditation and my blog, Cushion Wisdom. I hadn’t planned on creating a school, and yet I followed the breadcrumbs that arose during meditation and mindfulness practices. One coaching class became 18 coaching classes just like one hug becomes The Journey of a 1,000 Hugs.

Hugs in times of war

May 14, 2018, I witnessed Ukrainians and Russians laughing together. I know they would have hugged if we hadn’t been in a webinar. It was the opening day of the ICF International Coaching Week. I gave a presentation to both ICF chapters organized by two coaching friends, Nikolay (Shyfan) Mykolasia and Ivan Smirnov.

My presentation was on mindfulness, love, understanding and connectedness. The Russian and Ukrainian coaches were warm-hearted, eager to learn and together shared much laughter. It was the most fun I’d had presenting at ICF chapters. This experience continues to live in my heart.

Fast forward four years to Thursday, February 24, 2022. The Journey of 1,000 Hugs took on a new importance and meaning: Russia invaded Ukraine.

The Three Treasures Practice
for
All Peoples of the World

As a coach who is committed to walking her talk, the last eight days since the invasion I have been steeping myself in the Three Treasures Practice.  It was developed many years ago by Mac Dryden, ACC and myself as antidotes for grief and loss. If you would find it helpful, please practice these alchemical mantras with me.

Find a place to sit. Inhale and exhale deeply. Settle in. Imagine all Peoples of the World in your mind’s eye. Say and repeat the six mantras below:

•May all Peoples of the World now be filled with loving kindness.
•May all Peoples of the World now be safe and protected.
•May all Peoples of the World now be resilient in mind and body.
•May all Peoples of the World now live with ease and joy.
•May all Peoples of the World celebrate our differences.
•May all Peoples of the World hug a thousand times more.

With a deep bow of respect to all sentient beings,
Ann-Marie
~~~
This song reached deep into my heart.  I wanted to share it with you.
Holly Near: Send In a Thousand Grandmothers

~~~
The Journey of a 1,000 Hugs has begun!  In celebration of my 70th year and the school’s 7th year I’ll be traveling and comfort camping in my Tesla as well as periodic stays at B & B’s. Join me! I would love to meet up with you.

Next journey: From Santa Fe to Albuquerque to Tucson,to Marfa, Texas!

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Skillful Means was a great course for learning the coaching skills for the first time or brushing up on the skills you’ve been using in your practice for a while. I enjoyed watching Ann-Marie demonstrate the coaching skills through practice sessions in class. Would definitely recommend to anyone no matter where they are in their coaching career.
Stephanie Lentini, ACCSouth Lake Tahoe, CA
NVC is an incredible tool to utilize for my coaching practice but also to enhance and enjoy more fully my life and the one of the people around me. Srdjan is an incredible human being and a teacher. His gift is to be able to share his knowledge with authenticity and vulnerability. He is embodying NVC and he inspired me deeply. THANK YOU Read more
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This [Business Alchemy] is the course I was waiting for to help me understand what it takes to be an entrepreneur. The combination of theory, nuts & bolts business and marketing concepts and hands-on instruction for creating a web page is magical! It really is alchemy!
Robin OlsonStudent CoachBryan, TX
Great starting point for anyone who would like to see how coaching works and how to stretch yourself to achieve more!
Srdjan VukcevicFounder and CEO, Blue CoachPodgorica, Montenegro
STRETCH does just that…it stretches your understanding of what a coach is/does, it stretches your thoughts and insights about yourself and your journey and it stretches your bonds with your classmates to learn from their collective experiences and knowledge. This was an enlightening and thoroughly enjoyable class that really pushed you to think from a variety of perspectives and to also really think about who you are, the story you tell and why. I am sad it is over.
Lara T. AbreuStudent CoachPleasanton, California
Simply put, when I was taught coaching by a popular institute, I learned to coach thoughts and feelings. When I was taught The Dynamic Trio: EMDR, Positive Psychology, and Somatic Coaching at MCS, I learned how to feel those feelings and release them. The mind and body connected; this was the missing link for me.
Moira ClearyStudent CoachJohns Creek, GA
This was an amazing class that helped me develop better communication tools as a coach. Meg is a wonderful and knowledgeable instructor. I loved the poems she read at the start of each class! Thank you.
El Khansa Kaicer, Ph.D, LMFTLos Angeles, California
This class exceeded all my expectations. A must have class for all coaches, no matter what your path is! This was my first detailed exposure to NVC and I fell in Love! Communication is basic and the most important part of relationship, connection and belonging. This opens up deeper level of connection which leads towards love and peace. Srdjan is one of the finest human being I came across. His calm, positive and joyous presence was reflective of NVC in practice. In each class we were able to learn by observing him being ‘NVC carrier’ for all 90 mins. Being a master of NVC he created safe place for  learning. His modesty, kindness and compassion not only made it easy for us to open up and participate in class he held is in safe place and made us feel supported. He was able to bring best from all of us. He made learning joyous and excited. No matter what we brought to table, he took us forward from where we were and utilized every sentence spoken into a learning experience. I have no d… Read more
Dolly Anadkat Ph.D., PCC, PGDCH Practicing Coach for over 10 years
Ann-Marie is a fabulous teacher and mentor. She is a superb coach who models coaching skills and mindset throughout the learning process. Coaching is an exciting profession and Ann-Marie’s passion for coaching is contagious. I have made more changes in my life in the 6 months I’ve been taking classes with Ann-Marie than I have ever made in an entire year. I am now more confident and more energized in my work. I am so happy that I’ve taken the leap into coaching with Ann-Marie leading the way!
Christy EndicottLICSW, Psychotherapist, Wellness/Mindfulness Coach
This school has changed my life in a incredibly positive way. MCS speaks to my soul, and I am more present with my clients, my partner, my children and in my life because of what I’ve learned at MCS. I get so excited when the academic calendar is released, I feel so grateful for this school and I am so thankful that I have found this school.
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