The first “Love is a Miracle” weekend workshop of the
year is in one month: April 11-13, 2014. There will be one other, August 22-24.
I don’t need a HAI workshop
Folks sometimes tell me, “A HAI workshop? Thanks but I don't need one.” I guess they see a HAI workshop as a means to
curing them of a condition and they don’t need fixing.
But fixing people is
rarely HAI's job. Much more often
I've watched a HAI facilitator pave the way for a person to discover that they
don’t have to think of themselves as broken.
I’ll be the first to proclaim that I don’t need a HAI
workshop. I also don't need delicious
food. But why exist on bland and deny
myself the gift? Don’t I think I’m worth
it?
In fact exploring our
thoughts and noticing how they affect us is one of many tools HAI offers
along with exercises that provide an opportunity to practice new thoughts.
Here are some other benefits of a HAI workshop:
HAI looks at fear,
not to teach how to get over it but rather how to use it. Fears often point to opportunities for
growth. HAI offers tools for us to
notice our fears, how they are different… or similar… to excitement. HAI offers me skills to notice when fear
limits my choices.
My
father hated dogs. Little ones were
yappy ankle biters and big ones were dangerous.
He reacted to a bark with a raised hand and a raised voice. Dogs usually responded in kind, validating
his fear. He once told me that as a
child he’d been bitten by a dog. And
although he lived with that knowledge, he never changed his attitude. He maneuvered around dogs when he could, and
stayed in fear when he couldn't. My
father didn't need a HAI workshop to get from birth to death. But if he had ever wanted to expand on his
choices, if he had wanted to learn to be comfortable around dogs, if he had
ever wanted to enjoy the company of a dog, then a HAI workshop would have
helped.
HAI looks at choice,
offering tools to notice my choices, see where they serve and where not, and
how I can live in greater choice. I
don’t know anyone who would not benefit from expanding on the moment to moment
choices of daily life.
If I don’t need more choice in my life, I don’t need a HAI
workshop. I can manage very comfortably
from now until I die. But isn't comfort
seductive? It seems safer to hang back
and not snatch at the risks life offers us.
As Stan Dale used to say, avoiding risk is like living in a plush-lined
coffin.
HAI doesn't require
dogma. There is actually very little one needs to believe in order to
benefit from HAI. It is not about
beliefs, but about skills. Chakras, God,
meridians, atheism, or extra terrestrials – your beliefs are none of HAI's
business; and most importantly there is no need to follow the preaching of some
guru.
HAI does hold some fundamental beliefs that match mine. I believe all people are beautiful at their
core. I believe that there is only love
or violence, and that even violence is a cry for love. I believe that there are better ways to deal
with conflict than guilt and blame. I
believe I am my perfect partner, that I am responsible for my behaviour and you
are responsible for yours.
HAI creates community,
bringing folks together with the common aim of replacing ignorance and fear
with awareness and love; a community where folks can experience an expansion of
intimacy instead of contraction; where we can create a space for our partner to
be who they are, and for us to be who we are so we can spend more time with
family, partners, workmates and friends in an atmosphere of safety and trust.
HAI creates miracles. I’m ever amazed by how many have told me
their lives have been changed by the “Love is a Miracle” workshop. I've attended HAI for more than a dozen years
and they still have a powerful impact.
Each one affords me an opportunity to put my learning into
practice.
But it isn't for everyone.
I have met those who've walked away from the workshop saying,
“Nope. Not for me.” I don’t know what makes us different. I can only speak for myself, and I think what
creates this match is my curiosity about people, about myself in
particular. What makes me tick has been
a guiding beacon for my path of growth.
For me it all boils down to this: if I’m not on a path of
personal growth then a HAI workshop is wasted on me. But if I am into moving, changing, exploring,
then a HAI workshop is a perfect place to grow, to discover and incorporate new
behaviours.
So if you decide that you don’t need one but might want to
give yourself the gift of a HAI workshop, please get in touch.
Love,
Eric
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