I wound up in the UCLA Emergency Room for five days, diagnosed with a brain hemorrhage. Though unable to move and barely able to speak, bombarded day and night with blinding lights, noise and the tumult of the ER, I was in bliss. Everyone who attended to me - the orderly who brought my bed pan, the nurse who changed my IV, and the young intern in charge of my care - were my angels. I overflowed with gratitude.

I was in what I now recognize as total presence, or 'being without trying'. Doctors told me that had I panicked the night of my injury, I probably would have died. My choice to surrender saved my life: When I gave up trying, life took care of me.

This state of grace continued for months. Even when I could barely walk, could neither remember my last thought nor complete a full sentence, and my head hurt, I was free - free to be in the moment, to listen to my body's precise instructions for healing, and to love life. I was recovering from what I now refer to as the 'tyranny of trying'. To support my recovery, I made a conscious agreement to stop trying to please anyone, including myself.

Now, three years later, this agreement has become a way of life. If I forget and slip back into the old habit, my body immediately responds with an ouch - such as a headache, a tightness in the back, or a feeling of overwhelm. This response reminds me to return to what my colleague, Lee Glickstein, calls 'Relational Presence' - a state of simply being with what is, without trying.

From this perspective, life is mysterious, surprising, and always offering new opportunities to grow. In response to life's invitation, I have just expanded my business to teach others how to experience Relational Presence. A certified facilitator of Lee's process, Speaking Circles, I am offering circles at my home office. Every other week people gather together to learn how to be in front of an audience without trying, and...without fear. In the safety of these circles, they are discovering how to speak authentically, naturally, and effortlessly.

If you would like to learn more about Speaking Circles, please check out www.speakingcircles.com or contact us for an invitation to our next circle.

~ Linda

The Founder's Church of Religious Science,
Los Angeles, CA
Cost: $30
For tickets: Call 213-388-9733

If you have been unable to attend Linda's workshops, here is another opportunity to experience one.

In this interactive seminar, Linda will guide you to access your authenticity and unlock your inner genius. You will learn to identify something that's not working for you, determine what's REALLY going on, and uncover a limiting belief or thought. She then will support you to shift this thinking pattern so you can take powerful, focused action and improve your life.

For more information go to http://www.founderschurch.org/08a.Calendar.html

In 1980 Sensory Awareness changed my life. It helped me to reawaken my childlike curiosity and reconnect with the pleasure of being in my body. Stefan is a brilliant and gifted teacher of this work. I highly recommend his workshop to anyone who wants to be more present and in the moment. If you are new to the work and would like to get a taste of it before you sign up for a whole weekend, come to the introductory class on Friday night.

An introduction to Sensory Awareness
Friday, November 9, 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Hari's RIE Studio, Santa Monica, CA
Cost: $10

It is easy to be present - if we are interested in what is happening in the moment. Concentration is not a matter of training but rather an experience of connection that comes from curiosity. Through Sensory Awareness we can rekindle our childlike sense of wonder and realize the freshness of now.

Weekend Workshop:
Two Oceans: Gravity and Air
Saturday, November 10, 9:30 am - Sunday, November 11, 4:30 pm
Hari's RIE Studio, Santa Monica, CA
Cost: $175

Both gravity and air surround us and spread through us - we live in these two life-giving oceans much like fish in water. Most of the time, though, we move through them quite unconsciously, usually acknowledging their presence only when we fight the former or grasp for the latter. In this Sensory Awareness workshop, we will move in and with these interwoven realms, supported by the firm ground of the earth.

Click HERE for more information and to register,
or email Stefan