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 Blending the wisdom of Eastern Psychology
with the
demands of contemporary western lifestyles
A Natural Approach to Mental Wellness taught by Gregg Krech Resources and Discussion forum for those who have attended the ToDo Institute Summer Residential Program A self directed online course to provide CEU's to social workers
A distance learning course on the theme Renewing Your Relationship A course to help you find your purpose and live more purposely each day of your life. Naikan: The Japanese Art of Self-Reflection. A one month practice course on gratitude and grace for the Thanksgiving season.
Taking Action: A distance learning support program to help you move forward on an unfinished project Working with Your Attention Thirty Thousand Days: A Journal for Purposeful Living
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Most of us assume that our experience of life is based on our circumstances. If we win the lottery we experience life as wonderful. If we are stuck in traffic, we experience life as frustrating. But we all know people whose experience does not seem to be dictated by their circumstances -- they are joyful despite monumental challenges or, on the other hand, are disheartened despite wealth, privilege and opportunity.
The most important key to experience is attention, not circumstance.
 Starting on April 4, Gregg Krech will be conducting the ToDo Institute’s annual distance learning course:
Working with Your Attention
http://www.todoinstitute.org/ldlp_attention.html
This program is designed to not only teach you about attention, but to actually improve your attention skills. Many of the exercises are integrated into your day to day life. They don't require extra time, just conscious effort and mindfulness.
Gregg Krech, a leading authority on Japanese Psychology, has been teaching attention skills for the past twenty years. His work has appeared in numerous magazines, as well as on National Public Radio.
Working with Your Attention
a distance learning program
April 4 – May 3, 2012
“Your experience of life is not based on your life,
but on what you pay attention to.”
- Gregg Krech
Here's a sample article published in Experience Life magazine
http://www.experiencelifemag.com/issues/april-2007/life-wisdom/direct-your-attention.php
Pilar Gerasimo, editor of Experience Life magazine, interviewed Gregg here:
http://www.todoinstitute.com/library/public/mastering_the_skills_of_attention_audio_part_i.php
The poet and doctor William Carlos Williams used to carry a notepad around with him in which he listed "Things I noticed today that I've missed until today." This is an example of an exercise that can revitalize our experience in life and connect us with the freshness that is inherent in every moment. The way we use our attention permeates almost every aspect of our lives -- influencing our safety, competence, ability to concentrate, mental health, spiritual practice, even our relationships with our loved ones.
We generally offer this program just once a year, so please register now if you are interested in the 2012 program. (For those in our Certification track, please note that this program is a required component of our certification process and won’t be offered again until April 2013.).
You can register online by going to:
http://www.todoinstitutebooks.com/working-with-your-attentionbrfont-size1idistance-learning-programifontbr-br-course-tuition-p-61.html
Here’s to moments of mindfulness and presence!
The ToDo Institute team
todo@todoinstitute.com
(802) 453-4440 / (800) 950-6034
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Renewing Your Relationship Course - Starts Monday, Feb. 17th
Relationships offer us a golden opportunity to grow up. In fact, they give us countless opportunities. But unless we’re careful and thoughtful, it’s easy to mistake these opportunities for headaches and hassles. 
What many of us want from our relationships is smooth sailing. We want support and comfort, respect and good cheer. In fact, much of the time we expect love to unfold on a well-paved path. When we trip on rocks that suddenly appear and trudge up hills when we’re already tired we can easily conclude that something has gone amiss. Love’s gone wrong. Or, more to the point, our partner needs to get with the program and shape up.
But how our partners conduct themselves is really not our business and is out of our control. How we conduct ourselves is exclusively our business and is one of the only things that we can control.
If you would like to strengthen your relationship and seize the opportunity to grow along the way, please join us for our annual Renewing your Relationship program which starts on Feb. 17th. This 30 day distance learning program will provide you with a wealth of resources and practices that you can cultivate in your day to day relationship.
This year we are delighted to include a guest conference call with Susan Page, author of Why Talking is Not Enough. Susan’s work has been featured on Oprah, Good Morning America, CNN and Donahue. Her perspective on spiritual partnerships dovetails beautifully with ours, and we know she will add an exciting dimension to the course.
When you regsiter, you’ll receive a CD, a great collection of readings (both paper and on-line), and a calendar of daily exercises. You’ll also be part of an online community with other program participants that can add a rich sense of camaraderie and support. And the cost of this month-long program is about the price of one counseling session ($72 for members; $87 for non-members).
This is a practice course, which means we don't just study the ideas but actually put them into practice. Relationships are an extraordinary vehicle for personal training. As Zen teacher, Charlotte Joko Beck says, “intimate relationships provide the clearest mirror we can find.”
Linda Anderson Krech, LICSW, will be conducting the program. Linda has more than 20 years experience teaching Japanese Psychology and is the author of numerous articles on family, parenting and relationships. She has been married to Gregg Krech for 20 years and is well-versed in both the blessings and the challenges of love.
Please join us for this month-long adventure in love and partnership.
For registration or information, email todo@todoinstitute.com
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It may not come as a surprise to hear that New Year’s resolutions don’t work – at least for more than 90% of those who make them. You’ll hear a lot of discussion about how to make better resolutions: write them down, be specific, make them realistic. But this doesn’t really address the more fundamental issue – we need to have the self-discipline to make changes in the way we are living. And most of us are living a feeling-centered life, rather than a purpose-centered life. No matter how skillful we are at making resolutions, this fundamental issue still has to be addressed. As long as our lives are tossed to and fro by the tides of our feeling states, we remain relatively incapable of doing what we say we will do.
So to make important changes, we need to shift to a more purpose-centered life. Living with more purpose isn’t just about keeping a few New Year’s resolutions -- it’s about putting our energy towards what truly matters and making wise and conscious choices about how we use our time. And it’s about taking action.
At the beginning of each year I teach a month-long course called Living on Purpose. It’s designed to help you clarify your purposes and to stay on track. It addresses issues like procrastination and self-discipline and incorporates ideas from people like Viktor Frankl, Stephen Covey, Albert Schweitzer and Richard Leider. This is a course about direction – about finding direction, setting direction, and staying on course. There are readings, daily exercises, audio, video and a course discussion forum.
If the idea of a more purpose-centered life appeals to you, I invite you to join me in this course which begins Monday, January 9, 2012. As a New Year’s gift, the ToDo Institute is offering a $7 discount for those who register no later than midnight on January 2nd.
ToDo Institute Members - $65 (with discount), Non-members $80 (with discount)
Register Online
or email todo@todoinstitute.com
The Living on Purpose course is a great way to get off to a good start the New Year. The course also offers 16 credits towards the ToDo Institute's Certification program.
Best wishes to you for a wonderful year filled with good health and new adventures.
- Gregg Krech
Note: When you register online, include the promotional code “new year” in the comment box when you checkout.
The discount will not show up online, but will be deducted by us before we charge your credit card. |
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Expressing gratitude is transformative, just as transformative as expressing complaint. Imagine an experiment involving two people. One is asked to spend ten minutes each morning and evening expressing gratitude (there is always something to be grateful for), while the other is asked to spend the same amount of time practicing complaining (there is, after all, always something to complain about). . . Guaranteed, at the end of that year the person practicing complaining will have deeply reaffirmed all his negative stuff rather than having let it go, while the one practicing gratitude will be a very grateful person. What you practice is what you are; practice and the goal of practice are identical, cause and effect are one reality. Expressing gratitude can, indeed, change our way of seeing ourselves and the world.
- John Daido Loori Roshi
On Thursday, November 10, we will begin the 16th annual Month of Self-Reflection distance learning program.
The program is conducted by Gregg Krech, a leading expert in Japanese Psychology and author of the award-winning book, Naikan: Gratitude, Grace and the Japanese Art of Self-reflection. Gregg will lead participants through a month of daily practice that will help us reflect on our lives and cultivate an authentic Thanksgiving spirit as we approach the holidays.
Research has shown that our brains have a "negative bias." This means they react more to problems, difficulties and traumas than to positive experiences. If we go to a gathering where nearly everyone is friendly and kind to us, but one person is difficult, we may focus on that one encounter and allow it to cast a shadow over everything else. 
We can counter this negative bias in two ways: skillful attention and self-reflection. These two elements are the foundation of our Month of Self-Reflection.
This program requires an average commitment of about 30 minutes per day, yet even such a limited amount of time can have a profound impact on our attitude, relationships and understanding of our life. You'll receive a journal, with a month of daily exercises, a copy of Gregg's Naikan book (or an alternate selection), and access to a global community of participants with whom you can share your experiences, ideas and comments. Resource materials, including audio and video, are available through our course website.
Self-reflection and skillful attention are profound skills . They can change the nature of our most important relationships and change our overall experience of life. This course offers powerful opportunities for personal growth, psychological health and spiritual awareness. It’s a wonderful way to cultivate an authentic sense of gratitude as we move into the holiday season. We invite you to accompany us on this month-long journey.
You can register by phone (802) 453-4440 or online through the ToDo Institute bookstore: Register online. Space is limited.
Thank you. |
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“Give up on yourself.
Begin taking action now, while being neurotic or imperfect, or a procrastinator or unhealthy or lazy or any other label by which you inaccurately describe yourself. Go ahead and be the best imperfect person you can be and get started on those things you want to accomplish before you die.”
- Shoma Morita, M.D. |
