[Catalyst 3 - 2016] Valentine's Day & Body Intelligence

By Stephen Dinan, founder and CEO of The Shift Network

Happy Valentine’s Day! In many countries around the world Valentine’s Day is celebrated by people expressing love and gratitude for one another.

All of us at The Shift Network want to express our love and gratitude for you. We thank you for being part of this bold initiative to co-create a world that is more loving, kind and compassionate, a world that works for all as we awaken to our divinity and take meaningful action.

A big part of creating a more loving world is being able to fully embody our divinity. Too often, we think of our bodies as machines that help us keep going -- instead of honoring them as divine expressions of our wondrous universe and the source of loving presence that allows us to fully engage in our lives.

This is why we are creating the annual Body Intelligence Summit — helping you access new levels of vitality, creativity and joy by becoming more deeply and deliciously embodied. (To register free, click here.)

The Body Intelligence Summit will be happening February 16–19 and we've got a terrific lineup of speakers including Eileen Fisher, Dean Ornish, Gay & Katie Hendricks, Shiva Rea, Russ Hudson, Jon Eisman and others. We want to thank our Body Intelligence Summit hosts Gay & Katie, along with Lamara Heartwell and Mark Metz, for bringing together such a powerful group of world-renowned speakers and educators.

In this edition of The Catalyst, we have two wonderful articles to help you become fully embodied — one by Kathlyn Hendricks and Lamara Heartwell and the other by our own Kelly Walsh. We also have an insightful piece about shamanic practices for gratitude from Michael Stone and a beautiful article about love submitted by community member Heather Marlow in England.

Our Member Profiles are about the stunning Persian dancer and summit speaker Banafsheh Sayyad and a tribute to post-modern dance pioneer Anna Halprin.

For those who celebrate Valentine's Day, we'd like to share with you a complimentary recording from the Winter of WellnessThe Energies of Love — featuring Donna Eden and David Feinstein (pioneers in energy medicine and energy psychology) – click here. Also, in our Featured Media, we have a blog and video about the heart’s intuitive intelligence. (See Featured Media)

And, we want to know What’s your favorite way to connect to your body’s deep wisdom? Please post a few sentences on this topic on our Facebook page and read what other Shift Network community members are sharing too – click here.

Our Shift Philanthropy focuses on The Body Positive which teaches people how to overcome conflicts with their bodies; our Partner Spotlight is the The Foundation for Conscious Living; and, our Featured Artist is the angelic singer Mary Isis.

We also want to congratulate our friend Tommy Rosen on the launch of Recovery 2.0: Move Beyond Addiction and Upgrade Your Life — a free online event February 17–21, 2016 — click here (See Movement News)

This is also the last call to join my beloved wife Devaa Haley Mitchell and me, along with Philip Hellmich and friends, for a A Sacred Pilgrimage into the Soul of India — February 29 – March 14, 2016 click here. We have an amazing group of enlightened people traveling with us!

Finally, here is an important update for people in the US: there is significant momentum and bi-partisan support for criminal justice reform via Senate bill S. 2123, the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015. We encourage U.S. citizens to get involved by contacting your representative. (See Movement News)

A free recording — The Energies of Love — featuring Donna Eden and David Feinstein (pioneers in energy medicine and energy psychology).

They'll show you how to:

  • Tune into the energies generated by your body, mind and spirit and use them to feed your love.
  • Stop an argument in its tracks with techniques that will instantly shift the energies between you; and,
  • Turn your differences into opportunities for deeper connection and recovering passion.

Your Heart’s Intuitive Intelligence: Discover the Science Behind Intuition (with video)
By Jessa Hurley

Have you ever experienced a time when you just knew something was about to take place, and then sure enough — bam! — you see it happen right before your eyes? To learn more, click here.

Your Voice:

We want to know What’s your favorite way to connect to your body’s deep wisdom? Please post a few sentences on this topic on our Facebook page and read what other Shift Network community members are sharing too – click here.

3 Secrets for Unleashing Your Body's Potential for More Freedom, Flow & Fulfillment (with Video!)
By Kathlyn Hendricks and Lamara Heartwell

You likely already know, deep in your bones, that there is so much more available to you than a fear-focused, adrenaline-fueled, “disembodied” way of living...

Most people have heard that Emotional Intelligence (“EQ”) has recently been recognized as an essential key for success and fulfillment in life. And now, we’re discovering that our intelligence encompasses not only our brains and our feelings — but our entire body.

To read more, click here.

Your Body Will Thank You (When You Do These 4 Things)
By Kelly Walsh

Did you know even moderate lifestyle changes can dramatically impact your health and wellbeing, and may even reverse chronic disease?

Over the past 40 years, research by preventive medicine pioneer Dean Ornish, M.D. — along with hundreds of correlating studies — has shown that we hold tremendous power to affect our own health (and happiness).

To read more – click here.

Discover a Shamanic Way of Living with 2 Simple Gratitude Practices
By Michael Stone

It's so easy in our terminally busy lives to take the miracles that surround us for granted....

We worry about our future; will I have enough money, time, love?

We get caught up in fear, doubt and anxiety; and we rush around missing the life that is disappearing in the wake of our motion.

Shamans always begin and end all ceremonies and every day with expressing gratitude for the ancestors, the elements, the directions, all the nature beings and the life they have been given.

What we hold in lack increases, just as what we are grateful for grows.

To read more, click here

Bringing the Connection with Love into Your Daily Life
By Heater Marlow

Beyond all actions
Beyond all words
Beyond all thoughts
Is the Supreme Silence.

It is in this Silent Space
That the potential of all is held
The Unity of life is realized and experienced.

To read more, click here.

Alchemy of the Dance
By Banafsheh Sayyad (Photos by Mehri Sahihi)

Many of us are terrified of embodiment. We can’t face our broken hearts, the chaos in our minds or the pain in our bodies. We yearn instead for transcendental bliss. Every chance we get, we go off into the beautiful light instead of choosing to face the continually unnerving yet miraculous experience of living that light in our bodies. In this way we continue to separate the realm of the soul from the body.

As far back as I remember, I had two great passions — one for the Divine and one for dance. My whole life has been a search in how to bring these two into direct sacred marriage. The road to this marriage has been long, fierce and difficult yet very rewarding - a road in which I immersed myself in different styles of dance and mystical teachings in my search for this unity of soul and body, spirit and matter, through which I have come to create the style that I perform and teach today, called Dance of Oneness.

To read more, click here.

95th birthday tribute to Anna Halprin, postmodern dance pioneer
By Rachel Howard (First published in SFGate)

Anna Halprin is considered one of the genesis of post modern dance, where she introduced new ideas of intentional body movement. We want to honor Anna by bringing attention to this beautiful article that tells her story.

Fifteen years ago, choreographer Anna Halprin opened the door to her mountainside home in Kentfield, buck naked. “Just a moment!” she said impishly to a startled reporter, and slipped on a kimono.

This time around, on a recent weekday, the 94-year-old Halprin is fully dressed in a turquoise tunic and silver necklace, but her uninhibited way of being is still obvious. Relaxed from a morning regimen of lap-swimming and hula hoops, she takes a seat overlooking the famous “dance deck” at her Marin County home, where in the ’50s and ’60s she essentially invented postmodern dance.

To read more, click here.

Support Criminal Justice Reform in the United States

There is significant momentum and bi-partisan support for criminal justice reform via Senate bill S. 2123, the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015. Mass incarceration has escalated since the 1980s tough-on-crime era and the numbers are staggering. The US houses 2.2 million prisoners — five times as many as 30 years ago. This is not due to an increase in crime rates but due to changes in state and federal sentencing laws. Young black men are disproportionately affected; more black men are imprisoned today than were enslaved in 1850. African Americans serve nearly as much time in prison for nonviolent drug offenses (58.7 months) as whites do for violent offenses (61.7 months).

The new bill will give judges more discretion to consider the whole person, will reduce mandatory minimum sentences and lower the population of federal prisons. Call your senator today and ask them to support passage of this very important social justice legislation. Capitol switchboard: 800-826-3688

Please join the Recovery 2.0 Conference! This is a FREE global online event from February 17–21, 2016, bringing together the voices of 25 experts and thought leaders on recovery and addiction. The conference is hosted by Tommy Rosen, the author of the acclaimed book: Recovery 2.0: Move Beyond Addiction and Upgrade Your Life. You'll get access to cutting-edge interviews full of inspirational, spiritual, medical and practical approaches to overcoming addictions of all kinds. There is hope. You will leave more aware, more empowered, and with the tools you need for successful recovery, optimal health and a life of fulfilling purpose... beyond addiction! Register free for the live-streaming video conference.

A Sacred Pilgrimage into the Soul of India — 14 Days on the Banks of the Holy Ganges and into the Heart of Joy, Yoga and Devoted Service — February 29 to March 14, 2016. Join His Holiness Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji, Sadhvi Bhagwati Saraswati, Stephen Dinan, Devaa Haley Mitchell, Philip Hellmich, Sandra de Castro Buffington, Karuna Ashley, Kurt Johnson, AmyJo Mattheis, Julia Maryanska and other Shift Network community members. In this journey of a lifetime, we will be participating in the International Yoga Festival, Kumbh Mela, Holy Arti Ceremonies, service activities and more. To learn more, click here.

February is African American History Month. The U.S. Government has created a free educational resource to be used by individuals, schools and community groups. To learn more, click here.

The Gandhi King Season for Nonviolence (SNV) commences on January 30, in cities across the globe. The annual 64 day campaign, co-founded in 1998 by Dr. Arun Gandhi and The Association for Global New Thought (AGNT), is an educational, media and grassroots awareness campaign spanning the January 30 and April 4 memorial anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. To learn about the many ways you, your school and community can participate, click here.

Join us for a weekend yoga retreat with meditation and talks about nonviolence. Where: Mount Madonna Center, Watsonville, CA. Hosted by a team of peacebuilders from the Metta Center: Michael Nagler, Stephanie Van Hook, Stephanie Knox-Cubbon, Kimberlyn David. To learn more, click here.

Free: Nonviolence for Beginners, the free online 8-week course by Metta Center. To learn more, click here. We wish you much success in contributing peace to the world!

Praxis / Mondragon Study Tour — May 22–28, Mondragon, Spain — Praxis Peace Institute offers the most comprehensive study/tour available at the Mondragón Cooperatives in the Basque region of Spain. Developed over nine years, this program includes in-depth lectures at Mondragón Educational Center (Otalora), visits to Mondragón cooperative businesses, an R&D center, Mondragón University, Mondragón Bank HQ, the Basque Culinary Arts University (part of Mondragón University), the Basque Parliament where we have a special session with the Director of the Department of Peace, and much more. Details on our website - click here.

Alliance for Peacebuilding (AfP) 2016 Annual ConferenceMay 24 to 26, 2016 — Washington, DC — AfP’s 2016 Annual Conference will examine the newest developments in the peacebuilding field, and will capture the “view from the edges,” where peacebuilding is innovating, “looking around corners,” and scanning the horizon to revolutionize the field. The Annual Conference serves as dynamic space for AfP members to network with the broader peace and security community, including funders, policymakers, members of the military, and professionals from a broad range of related disciplines, such as development, human rights, and environmental protection. The conference provides unique opportunities for to exchange ideas, reflect on international crises, discuss the most important issues in the peacebuilding field, and develop collaborative projects. To learn more, click here.

Turn Your Mate into Your Soulmate — Learn how to reignite love and passion in your relationship with Arielle Ford! Watch this free video and get sneak peek chapters from her new book, Turn Your Mate into Your Soulmate. It’s one thing to fall in love and get married. It is quite another thing to have a marriage you love. This is the true purpose of Turn Your Mate into Your Soulmate. Click here to watch the free video.

The Happiness Track — Drawing on the latest findings from the fields of cognitive psychology and neuroscience — research on happiness, resilience, willpower, compassion, positive stress, creativity, mindfulness — Dr. Emma Seppälä, science director of Stanford University's Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education, shows that finding happiness and fulfillment may, in fact, be the most productive thing we can do to thrive professionally. Filled with practical advice on how to apply these scientific findings to our daily lives, The Happiness Track is a life-changing guide to fast tracking our success and creating the anxiety-free life we want. For more information, click here.

Fine Lines: Vladimir Nabokov’s Scientific Art — Kurt Johnson is co-editor of a new book from Yale University Press on genius in the arts and science: Fine Lines. The book examines, with additional world-class essayists and copious illustrations, the "fine lines" between the muses of art and science — the worlds of subjective and objective "knowing". Famed Russian-American novelist, and scientist, Vladimir Nabokov looms primary, in a detailed probing of the multi-levels of the human drama in his famous books Lolita, Pale Fire, Ada, and the like. This complexity is juxtaposed with previously unseen materials from his 3000 pages of scientific journaling (from archives at the New York Public Library and Harvard). To learn more, click here.

The Spiritual Life TV Channel features free wisdom teachings from many spiritual traditions and gives a practical focus that shows how a person can use these teachings to live a more spiritual life. New videos feature: James O’Dea, Edgar Mitchell, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Marilyn Schlitz, Gleen Mullin, Stephen Dinan, Philip Hellmich, and more! To learn more, click here.

Awake: The Life of Yogananda — DVDs available with subtitles in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, German, Dutch and Japanese. Plus there are new film showings in Australia and United States! You also can bring Awaketo your yoga studio or community. To learn more click here. (The filmmakers were interviewed in the Yoga Day Summit, the recording is available for free.)

World Peace Library — Free Resource — Be sure to take advantage of the World Peace Library, a wide-ranging resource on peace newly compiled by the Shift Network: It contains more than 300 inspiring talks and mini-workshops from individuals such as Archbishop Tutu, Nobel Laureate Jody Williams, Jane Goodall, Deepak Chopra, James O'Dea, Karen Armstrong, Chief Phil Lane and many more. With neuroscientists and lamas, faith-based activists and political leaders, this Library offers something for all in their peacebuilding efforts. The Shift Network has made the World Peace Library a free resource for all and encourages its use to promote peace in your families, schools, and wider community.

If you have an announcement to share, please write: editor@theshiftnetwork.com.

2016 Catalyst:
(#3, 2/14) (#2, 1/31) (#1, 1/17)

2015 Catalyst:
(#25, 12/20)
(#24, 12/6) (#23, 11/23) (#22, 11/08) (#21, 10/25)
(#20, 10/11) (#19, 9/27) (#18, 9/12) (#17, 8/30) (#16, 8/16)
(#15, 8/2) (#14, 7/19) (#13, 7/5) (#12, 6/20) (#11, 6/7)
(#10, 5/24) (#9, 5/10) (#8, 4/26) (#7, 4/5) (#6, 3/21)
(#5, 3/15) (#4, 2/22) (#3, 2/8) (#2, 1/25) (#1, 1/11)

2014 Catalyst:
(#26, 12/28)
(#25, 12/14) (#24, 11/30) (#23, 11/16) (#22, 11/1) (#21, 10/19)
(#20, 10/5) (#19, 9/21) (#18, 9/14) (#17, 9/01) (#16, 8/17)
(#15, 8/3) (#14, 7/20) (#13, 7/4) (#12, 6/15) (#11, 6/1)
(#10, 5/18) (#9, 5/4) (#8, 4/20) (#7, 4/6) (#6, 3/23)
(#5, 3/9) (#4, 2/22) (#3, 2/8) (#2, 1/26) (#1, 1/12)

2013 Catalyst:
(#22, 12/14) (#21, 11/30)
(#20, 11/16) (#19, 11/3) (#18, 10/20) (#17, 10/6) (#16, 9/21)
(#15, 9/8) (#14, 8/25) (#13, 8/4) (#12, 7/21) (#11, 7/7)
(#10, 6/16) (#9, 6/2) (#8, 5/12) (#7, 4/28) (#6, 4/14)
(#5, 3/24) (#4, 2/24) (#3, 2/9) (#2, 1/26) (#1, 1/13)

Birth 2012 Catalyst:
(#15, 12/9) (#14, 12/1) (#13, 11/22) (#12, 11/10) (#11, 11/3)
(#10, 10/20) (#9, 10/6) (#8, 9/16) (#7, 9/8) (#6, 8/25)
(#5, 8/16) (#4, 8/4) (#3, 7/28) (#2, 7/21) (#1, 7/14)

 

2016 Issue 3 • Feb 14

The Shift Catalyst is a bi-weekly ezine for conscious change, powered by The Shift Network.

If you received this Catalyst from a friend, click here to subscribe!

•  Shift Network Update
•  Featured Media
•  Featured Articles
•  Profiles
•  Movement News
•  Action of the Week
•  Shift Spotlight
•  Shift Philanthropy
•  Partner Spotlight
•  Featured Artist
•  Allies of the Shift
•  Back Issues

Like Us. Collaborate!

Reflect on your favorite ways to connect to your body’s wisdom and then share those insights with a loved one. If you like, you can share them with The Shift Network community Facebook page – click here.

How to Use the Enneagram for Awakening Balancing Instinctual Drives in Your Soul’s Evolution — A Free Virtual Event Featuring Renowned Enneagram Teacher Russ Hudson — Deepen your self-understanding, explore how your instincts connect to your higher nature, and receive wisdom on your journey of liberation. February 17, 2016 at 5:30pm Pacific

Liberating the Goddesses in You Deepening Your Life’s Journey Through the Wisdom of 7 Feminine Archetypes — With Feminine Psychology Pioneer & Author of Goddesses in Everywoman Jean Shinoda Bolen, MD — Liberate your natural and full expression by accessing goddess archetypes that elevate your self-awareness, reveal your life’s purpose and inspire you to live more authentically. New 10-Week Live Training Starts Wednesday, February 17, 2016

The HeartMath System Unleashing Your Heart’s Transformative Power for a Life of Radiant Health, Deeper Love & Enhanced Intuition
With The HeartMath Solution Co-author Howard Martin Journey into the depths of your heart to increase your ability to embody unconditional love, boost your immune system, improve your performance, and tune in with the intuitive signals of the universe. New Live Audio Training Starts Tuesday, February 23, 2016

The Charge Activation Training Healing & Liberating The Full Power of Your Life Force — A 7-month Training with the #1 Bestselling Expert on the Chakra System Dr. Anodea Judith — Expand your energy, accelerate your personal evolution, and build your capacity to access the full spectrum of your life force. New Live Program Starts Tuesday, February 23, 2016

More Upcoming Events: (all subject to change)

February
• Terry Patten 7-week course

March
• Transforming Aging Summit
• Plant Medicine Summit
• Russ Hudson 7-week course
• Mirabai Starr 7-week course
• Katie Hendricks 7-week course
• Luisah Teish 7-week course
• Ron Pevny 7-week course
• Andrew Harvey 10-week course
• Michael Stone 14-week program

April
• Earth Day Summit
• Mark Matousek 7-week course
• Mingtong Gu 7-week course
• Donna Eden 12-week course
• Robert Moss 6-month program
• Caroline Casey 7-month program

May
• Earth Day Summit
• David Crow 7-week course
• Arden Reece 7-week course
• Andrew Harvey 9-month program


The Body Positive teaches people how to overcome conflicts with their bodies so they can lead happier, more productive lives. They are dedicated to inspiring youth and adults to value their health, unique beauty, and identity so they can use their vital resources of time, energy, and intellect to make positive changes in their own lives and in the world. To learn more, click here.

The Foundation for Conscious Living is a non-profit organization committed to embodied Authenticity, Response-Ability, and Appreciation in partnership, community, politics, society, and the planet. The Foundation has grown out of Gay and Katie Hendricks’ 80+ years combined experience, exploration, and expertise in conscious living and loving. To learn more, click here.

Mary Isis
By Eleanor Tara

Mary Isis is an Earth-inspired angelic singer who produces and performs sacred medicine music, often accompanied by her guitar or ukelele. Her inspiration comes from her passion for sustainability, mentoring youth and working with healing plant medicines. Her most recent album, All Praise, is a collection of profoundly gorgeous songs that have come to her in powerful moments. They will simultaneously melt your heart and awaken you. Personal favorites are "Ancient Reminders" and "Earth's Child." To learn more about Mary, click here. To listen to her beautiful music, click here.

Peace Through Commerce

Evolutionary Leaders

The Foundation for Conscious Evolution

The Shift Movie

Humanity's Team

Green America

The National Peace Academy

Sacred Centers

Center for Sacred Studies

International Cities of Peace

Agape International Spiritual Center

Gaiafield Project

Click here to apply for inclusion above.