| LIVING IN
BALANCE as a COUPLE: Exploring The Sacred Path of Deep Relationship |
This special gathering welcomes couples who are yearning to connect more deeply with themselves, each other, and their world. Honoring the complex and sacred dimensions of living in balance as a couple in these most intense times, the natural rhythms of our days will offer a rare opportunity to slow down to the speed of life and to give attention to nurturing ourselves and our relationships.
NOTE: To add to the richness of this special event, we ask that you register only if both you and your partner feel truly drawn to join us for the gift of this unique opportunity for renewing and deepening your relationship. |
| True Nature: Awakening to the Presence, Practice, and Power of Peace July 26-July 31 2003 (Saturday dinner - Thursday lunch) at Indralaya on Orcas Island, Washington with Joel & Michelle Levey
|
At a time when world events magnify the importance of being anchored deeply, as well as acting wisely, this integrated retreat experience will offer inspiration, guidance, and supportive spiritual community for coming home to our true selves. Drawing inspiration from numerous wisdom traditions, we will learn and practice simple and accessible meditative tools for deepening our awareness, insight, and compassion, to open the heart, clear the mind, and allow for living in a peaceful and free way. By learning to mindfully observe the self — in the midst of interaction as well as in silence —we can discover our true nature and nourish the ground out of which liberative wisdom, transformative compassion, and sustainable peace will flourish and grow. In this spirit, stillness and time alone will be balanced and integrated with time together and in nature. There will also be unstructured time for hiking, personal reflection and integration, reading, resting, swimming, or walking the short distance to the village of Eastsound. The Dalai Lama was once asked what advice he would
give to an ordinary Western person concerned about discovering his or
her inner nature. He replied: "Try to get at least some time of
quiet and relaxation to investigate the inner world. Certain experiences
are reached simply through a kind of direct feeling." For information contact: oif@rockisland.com or visit www.indralaya.org |
| Ethics, Psychophysiology & the Sacred: Multi-dimensional methods for Creating Wholeness in a Chaotic World. A Personal & Professional Development Course for Helping Professionals Sponsored by the Biofeedback Society of Kansas with Washburn University's Departments of Nursing, Psychology, and Social Work. April 18–19, 2003 with Dr. Joel Levey & Michelle Levey |
FRIDAY EVENING: An Inside Out Approach for Finding Clarity, Compassion and Courage in Troubling Times. An Introduction to discovering and creating balance and harmony in our professional and personal lives in an environment of increasing chaos. This program will be open to the public and oriented to professionals, students and lay-public. SATURDAY EVENING: Ethics, Psychophysiology & the Sacred: Multidimensional methods for creating wholeness in a chaotic world. Through a combination of didactic presentations and experiential learning we will invite deeper reflection and exploration, and offer a wealth of profoundly practical insights and skills to equip participants to increase their resilience and capacity to bring a deeper wisdom to their lives and work. This highly experiential and interactive workshop will provide a rare opportunity for attendees to:
As educators, helping professionals, students, and citizens in these uncertain and turbulent times, we are all challenged and invited to develop a greater capacity to embody, express, and inspire the strengths and qualities necessary to grow and thrive. Like musicians, each of us approaches the art of our helping profession in our own unique way and the "music" of our work reflects who we are, what we know, and what we care for. To succeed in this important work, it is essential that we deepen our sense of wholeness, authenticity, and inner peace within our selves so that we might serve to inspire, counsel, and guide others. Drawing insights, anecdotes, and applications from laboratory research, clinical practice, and biofeedback work with NASA, leading medical centers and universities, a wide variety of corporate clients, advanced leadership development, coaching Olympic Gold and World Class athletes, training elite Special Forces troops, and working with children in schools, the Leveys will share a myriad of stories and inspirations from their own multidisciplinary/multidimensional experience. For more information contact Ken Hagen at (785) 233-7138 or Peter Parks at peterparks@cox.net |
| High Performance Leadership and Resilience: A Special Course for MBA Students at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, India, Fall semester of 2002 Taught by Dr. Joel Levey and Michelle Levey |
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Learning to thrive — and not just survive-in the midst of pressure and change is an evolutionary art known and practiced by men and women who are high-performing and resilient leaders. As leaders in these turbulent times, it is essential to complement our education in the outer disciplines of business and technology with the inner disciplines and technologies necessary for continually increasing our capacity to bring a deeper wisdom to our work and to the communities that we serve. The ever increasing complexity and intensity of these times challenge leaders to develop their inner human resources and raise their "resilience quotient." For leaders truly committed to living and working at higher levels of effectiveness and sustainability, having a deep understanding of the principles and disciplines of high-performance is simply no longer optional-it is essential. COURSE OBJECTIVES: The learning goals and objectives of this course are for leaders-students to:
The focus of this course will be on integrating conceptual and experiential learning through lecture, facilitated inquiry, dialogue, experiential learning, course readings and assignments. Our goal is to introduce students to profoundly practical skills and knowledge that have application for leaders in any organization. |
| The
Power of Peace August 10 – 15, 2002
|
A special retreat amidst the natural beauty of Indralaya on Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands. In these times of intensity and complexity, danger and opportunity, it is perhaps more important than ever that we learn and practice the inner and outer arts and sciences of cultivating peace and resilience within ourselves and for our world. In recognition of this need and in celebration of the 75th anniversary of Indralaya, Joel & Michelle Levey return to Indralaya to guide this timely retreat exploring the disciplines necessary to develop our capacity for maintaining our clarity, peace and presence in order to bring a deeper wisdom, compassion, and effectiveness to responding to the changes, challenges, and opportunities of our lives and world. Our days together will include inspiring talks and meditations, discussion, and times of silence amidst a sanctuary of inspiring and pristine natural beauty, and the support of community of kindred souls. Silence and heartfelt sharing will be balanced with time alone in nature and time together, interactive exercises, dialogue, stillness and moving meditations. There will also be unstructured time for hiking, personal reflection, reading, resting, swimming, or walks a short distance to the village of Eastsound, and also a visit to the stunning views from the summit of Mt. Constitution and a hike through the old-growth rainforests of Moran State Park. This retreat offers a special opportunity to explore the following integral themes for deepening our wisdom, compassion, creativity, power, peace, and resilience:
Indralaya was founded upon the principles of "promoting harmony among all peoples, and the comparative study of religion, philosophy, and science, so that we may better understand ourselves and our place in the universe." In this spirit of honoring and integrating the inner and the outer dimensions of our lives, this retreat will weave together the teachings of various wisdom traditions, insights from contemporary brain science research, and the timeless themes of peace-making, non-violence, and deep ecology. Come prepared to learn and discover new insights, inspirations, and practices for honoring your highest potential and the profound interconnectedness of all that lives. |
| Inner and Outer Adventures in Paradise: A Gathering of Friends June 29 – July 7, 2002 |
Join Joel and Michelle Levey this summer for a tropical adventure in the Aloha Spirit on the Big Island of Hawaii, the “Healing Island.” This special gathering offers a rare and precious opportunity for renewal, deep reflection, and deep connection with yourself and your loved ones in community with other kindred souls in a place of extraordinary pristine natural beauty. We envision that the deep natural rhythms of our days together will offer a rare blend of:
We will gather at The Sanctuary at Kohala Potala, a refuge at Malama Ka’Aina Farms. This place of profound natural beauty is graced with lush tropical gardens, organic orchards, paths and fish ponds, Balianese-Japanese-Mongolian inspired house, decks, and 30’ round yurt, towering stands of timber bamboo and rolling fields with sweeping views of Maui across the blue Pacific Ocean. On a clear day you can also see the islands of Molokini, Kahoolawe, and Lanai. Situated near the birth place of King Kamehameha on the remote north coast of the Big Island of Hawaii, “mauka” (upcountry) from the villages of Hawi and Kapa’au, The Sanctuary is nestled on the lower slopes of the North Kohala Mountains. This rural region is far from the tourist buzz and is treasured as an eco-tourist paradise with the longest stretch of natural, undeveloped coastline in all of the Hawaiian Islands, spectacular valleys and cliffs, and a myriad of sacred sites rich in the mana and history of the Hawaiian people. Likely adventures include: hikes through Pololu Valley, explorings the ancient Hawaiian village at Lapakahi, snorkling in the sacred waters and coral reefs off Mahukona, a visit to an ancient navigational heiau, a pilgrimage to King Kamehamea’s meditation heiau, and a trek through lush rainforests and bamboo lined trails along the Waipio Valley rim. The Sanctuary design offers an inspiring opportunity to witness the principles of permaculture—a system of living, building, and planting in harmony with complex forces of nature—and to consider how these principles can apply to developing greater vitality, health, and sustainability in your own life, family, community, or organization. While our inclination is to focus our forays on the north part of the Island and not get wound up driving long distances, depending on the inclinations of our group other possible adventures may include: visits to Paleaku Peace Gardens and to Honaunau, The City of Refuge, Volcano National Park’s lava flow, Kilauea Iki and Halema’uma’u Craters; Akaka Falls; Kalopa Rainforest Reserve, snorkeling at Kealakekua Bay, and swimming with sea turtles—and perhaps dolphins (as we have on our last couple of Island gatherings.) Is this an appropriate “family vacation”? Perhaps. Our vision for this retreat is to provide a nurturing and supportive environment where all present have the opportunity to taste the sweetness of living in harmony in community, with the land, embraced by the Mystery together. Living together in a “semi-tribal” manner, we envision times of silence and times of heartfelt sharing, times alone and times in community together. It is important that the individuals, couples, or families who join us for this gathering will be respectful of and supportive of this vision, and we welcome you if you are drawn to such an adventure. Summer time in Hawaii is a glorious time, with many flowers and fruits in season and generally great weather. Likely temperatures are a comfortable 70º to 85º. The ocean is much warmer than during the winter and you can stay in the water for a long time without getting chilled. |
| Resilience, Reflection and Wisdom at Work: A Gathering of Inspired Leaders June 15 – 23, 2002 |
This special gathering will draw together leaders from various organizations for an inspiring time of renewal, dialogue and deep reflection regarding what is most essential for our success as leaders in these times of great uncertainty-danger-and-opportunity. The natural rhythm of our days together will offer a rare blend of:
We will gather at The Sanctuary at Kohala Potala, a refuge at Malama Ka’Aina Farms. This place of profound natural beauty is graced with lush tropical gardens, organic orchards, paths and fish ponds, Balianese-Japanese-Mongolian inspired house, decks, and 30’ round yurt, towering stands of timber bamboo and rolling fields with sweeping views of Maui across the blue Pacific Ocean. On a clear day you can also see the islands of Molokini, Kahoolawe, and Lanai. Situated near the birth place of King Kamehameha on the remote north coast of the Big Island of Hawaii, “mauka” (upcountry) from the villages of Hawi and Kapa’au, The Sanctuary is nestled on the lower slopes of the North Kohala Mountains. This rural region is far from the tourist buzz and is treasured as an eco-tourist paradise with the longest stretch of natural, undeveloped coastline in all of the Hawaiian Islands, spectacular valleys and cliffs, and a myriad of sacred sites rich in the mana and history of the Hawaiian people. Likely adventures include: hikes through Pololu Valley, explorings the ancient Hawaiian village at Lapakahi, snorkling in the sacred waters and coral reefs off Mahukona, a visit to an ancient navigational heiau, a pilgrimage to King Kamehamea’s meditation heiau, and a trek through lush rainforests and bamboo lined trails along the Waipio Valley rim. The Sanctuary design offers an inspiring opportunity to witness the principles of permaculture — a system of living, building, and planting in harmony with complex forces of nature — and to consider how these principles can apply to developing greater vitality, health, and sustainability in your own life, family, community, or organization. While our inclination is to focus our forays on the north part of the Island and not get wound up driving long distances, depending on the inclinations of our group other possible adventures may include: visits to Paleaku Peace Gardens and to Honaunau, The City of Refuge, Volcano National Park’s lava flow, Kilauea Iki and Halema’uma’u Craters; Akaka Falls; Kalopa Rainforest Reserve, snorkeling at Kealakekua Bay, and swimming with sea turtles — and perhaps dolphins (as we have on our last couple of Island gatherings.) Summer time in Hawaii is a glorious time, with many flowers and fruits in season and generally great weather. Likely temperatures are a comfortable 70º to 85º. The ocean is much warmer than during the winter and you can stay in the water for a long time without getting chilled. |
| An Invitation for a Deeper Conversation for Work-Life Professionals Regarding The Many Dimensions of Our Humanity at Work April 30, 2002 |
A Special Event for the NW Association for Work-Life Professionals (NW-AWLP) At our last AWLP session Deborah Jacroux from Microsoft Work-Life Coordinator at Microsoft invited/challenged us to consider a deeper conversation regarding the issues that are at the heart of our work as stewards of Life-Work Balance initiatives in our organizations. This session will be hosted by Deborah Jacroux and facilitated by Dr. Joel & Michelle Levey and offers a thoughtful response to this invitation. Success in stewarding life-work balance initiatives spans numerous domains/disciplines. In this dynamic and inspiring session, Dr. Joel & Michelle Levey and Deborah Jacroux will invite us to reflect upon an Integral Model of Life-Work Balance and to consider the deeper issues and questions that are at the heart and soul of our work as stewards of work-life balance initiatives in our organizations. As a learning community our dialogue will explore:
Drawing insights from their work with leaders and teams in over 200 organizations around the globe, the Leveys will share data, anecdotes, and strategies for understanding and integrating these themes and principles into your life and work. Affirming emerging trends from Senge, the Society for Organizational Learning, and other leading edge research will also be explored. Join us for this dynamic, informative, and inspiring session to think and talk more deeply with your colleagues about these vital dimensions of our work as stewards of lifework balance initiatives in our own organizations and communities. |
| Leadership, Organizational Health, & Our Potentials for Extra-Ordinary Work: Integral Approaches for Bringing a Deeper Wisdom to Life-Work March 18, 2002 |
Today's worldwide crisis in leadership invites us take Havel's advice to heart and to reflect upon ways that we can further this r/evolution of consciousness within ourselves and in order to bring a deeper wisdom to our work and to the organizations and communities that we serve. For over 30 years Joel & Michelle Levey's pioneering work has inspired leaders in hundreds of organizations around the globe to seriously explore the vital synergy between their inner and outer work. Drawing insights from their research on Corporate Culture & Organizational Health, their Biocybernautic training for the US Army Green Berets' secret Jedi Warrior project, advanced leadership development in dozens of leading organizations, breakthrough intuitive research projects at Weyerhaueser and Monsanto, and other "interesting" projects, Joel & Michelle will invite us to consider the highest potentials we can bring forth within ourselves and those we serve. Join us for this inspiring evening of deep reflection and generative dialogue. Pacific Northwest OD Network (PNODN) |
| Putting Health & Productivity to Work September 25, 2001 |
A conference presented by the Institute for Health & Productivity Management with Dr. Joel Levey and Michelle Levey, Chairpersons for the Center for Corporate Culture & Organizational Health at Institute for Health & Productivity Management and founders of InnerWork Technologies, Inc. and Ron Sacchi, Business architect, Intel-Intraprise Bank. As the complexity and pressures on organizations and their employees continues to increase, the importance of organizational culture is growing in recognition and importance. Culture and the "mental health ergonomics" of the work place has a large influence on the total health and performance of workers, especially in the new or "next economy." This highly informative and interactive session will provide inspiring insights, data, and examples that demonstrates the impact of culture on employee health, satisfaction, retention, and bottom-line business performance and corporate success. |
| All My Relations: Awakening to Wisdom, Compassion, & Profound Interrelationship August 18–23, 2001 |
A contemplative retreat exploring the spirit of community and deep ecology through the practices of meditation, inquiry, and dialogue. Weaving inspirations from ancient and modern traditions of contemplative practice, deep-ecology, and noetic sciences, Joel and Michelle Levey will guide you in a sequence of treasured and time honored practices for deepening the wisdom, wonder, creativity and compassion you bring to your every day life, work and relationships. This unique retreat offers a special opportunity to:
Drawing insights from over 60 years of combined study, research, and practice with many of the greatest leaders, scientists, and contemplative teachers of our times, Michelle and Joel will introduce a wealth of profound practices for deepening our sense of interconnectedness and interdependence; awakening greater wisdom & compassion; discerning the multidimensionality of ourselves and our world; and deepening our appreciation of the Mystery and profound intelligence within us and around us. |
| Resilience: A Tool Kit for Living & Working with Dynamic Balance in Turbulent Times July 25, 2001 |
A workshop presented by Dr. Joel Levey and Michelle Levey, sponsored by eLuminate Benefit Systems exclusively for Qualcomm. Learning to thrive — and not just survive-in the midst of pressure and change is an evolutionary art known and practiced by people who are resilient. In these turbulent times the practice of these skills are no longer an option for those who are committed to living and working with a high quality of effectiveness and sustainability. This dynamic workshop offers a tool-kit for increasing your resilience and learning to balance, focus, and develop yourself amidst the changes, challenges, and pressures of your life-work. Drawing insights from their work with NASA, the Green Berets, Olympic & world-class athletes, World Bank, HP, Intel, Sun, Giga, and leaders in high-tech organizations around the globe, the Leveys will inspire you with practical skills and tools to bring a deeper wisdom to work. Join us for this dynamic and highly interactive workshop to learn and explore:
This workshop will demonstrate the use of state of the art PC based neuro-feedback equipment that measures and displays levels of stress and personal mastery. Some participants will have the opportunity to "plug-in" and demonstrate to the audience that the inner disciplines of mind/body self-mastery can produce measurable learning in a very short time. Bring your questions, and come prepared to explore a variety of themes that will help you to bring a deeper more essential and embodied wisdom to work in today's exciting and challenging world. A copy of the Leveys' book Living in Balance: A Dynamic Approach for Creating Harmony & Wholeness in Chaotic Times (foreword by the Dalai Lama-a Book of the Month Club main selection) will be available for each workshop attendee. "Resilience is the ability to respond to extreme stress with extraordinary competence. Numerous studies cite qualities such as intelligence, emotional flexibility, independence, sensitivity, curiosity, and the willingness to reach out for love and support as central components of resilience. Other protective factors include introspection, altruism, self-awareness, a sense of humor, optimism in the face of adversity, and a willingness to rely upon one's own inner resources. Resilient people believe they have the ability to exercise some measure of control no matter how dire the circumstances in which they find themselves. Because they are committed to living as fully as possible, they develop their talents and abilities, acquire a high degree of personal discipline, and are willing to fight to preserve their own souls." |
| Workshop at the 10th Annual SYSTEMS THINKING IN ACTION Conference October 23–25, 2000
|
This highly informative and interactive session invites participants to explore and stretch their own mental models regar ding leadership, personal mastery, culture, and high-level organizational performance, and gain insights to apply in their own lives and organizations. Sponsored by Pegasus Communications. Session Content. This session will focus most directly on the role of Personal Mastery and leadership development as a highly leveraged strategy to strengthen our leaders’ capacity to deal with the complexity of implementing large-scale change. We will also demonstrate how this focus helped us to leverage Peter Senge’s five Disciplines as models, tools, and catalysts for the change process. Case Study. This session will offer a dynamic and inspiring case study that is very much supportive of the conference theme of "Managing Organizational Complexity." Our presentation on The Leader’s New Work at Intuit Customer Support will offer insights, data, and experiential learning for participants. We will offer insights regarding our assessment of organizational needs, our program design, and change strategy, and our rationale for emphasizing Personal Mastery as the core strategy for bringing the other 4 disciplines alive in the day-to-day work lives of our leaders. Anticipated Learnings. Participants in this session will learn:
Workshop Format. This dynamic, informative, interactive and experiential case study will involve participants in a dynamic inquiry regarding how the principles and practices used at Intuit Customer Support can be applied or adapted to their own lives and to their work as leaders managing complex change in other organizations. Our format will include presentation, discussion, experiential exercises, demonstrations, and inquiry regarding participant’s questions.
This session is geared for colleagues who are looking for the next frontier in their personal and organizational development and will speak most directly to those who are competent, proficient, or have some mastery with the 5 disciplines. It will inspire and stretch the minds of novices and advanced beginners who choose to attend. Variations on this presentation have been presented at the Alliance for Work-Life Professionals National Conference in 1999, at WIN conferences at Hewlett-Packard and at HP Labs, and numerous other corporate and organizational venues by Joel and Michelle Levey. The case study was presented to the Innovation Learning Collaborative for the Healthcare Forum in Los Angeles in 1999 and at the ITSMA Marketing 1999 Conference and Symposium. |
| An Exploration of Living in Balance July 10–17, 1999 |
An exploration of Living in Balance — with ourselves, each other, and our world. The vision ans spirit of this adventure. Our intention in offering this special retreat is to provide a rare opportunity for personal renewal and inner work amidst some of the most stunning natural beauty on the planet. In this spirit we invite you to join us on this adventure with other kindred souls who share a yearning to live and learn in greater harmony and mindfulness. For many people 1999 promises to be a year of deep reflection regarding the priorities and directions for our lives, and the course we choose to set as we cross the threshold into the new millennium. Most of us have been unreasonably busy in our work, and our health, relationships, and spirits are yearning for us to call a "whoa!" — to slow down for a while, and connect more deeply with ourselves, our loved ones, with nature, and with the wholeness, mystery, and creative spirit that inspires our lives. A yearning for resilience, deep reflection, wholeness, nature, connection, self-mastery, and spiritual renewal is voiced with increasing frequency in our work with leaders and teams in the stressful, high-tech market place in which we work. The learning expedition. Likely adventures that await us include:
We will also offer:
Our Invitation. Due to the limited size for this retreat (12 to 16 people) we are selectively circulating this invitation to colleagues, friends, and clients from around the globe who have expressed an interest in spending more focused time with us exploring the synergy between personal, organizational, and community development and transformation. We invite you to share this with friends and colleagues in your networks for whom you think this may be a timely opportunity. If we end up with a large waiting list, we will consider offering more retreats sometime in the near future. As we have discussed with some of you, we are also open to offering a series of quarterly weekend inquiries for communities that would like to develop a greater continuity of practice and integration of this unique work. |
This
revitalizing experience will weave together time alone & time together,
time for being in nature & in community, meditations, conversations,
silence and dialogue, plus many adventures to explore the natural wonders
and sacred sites of the Big Island.
