Articles

Interview by Gaura Krsna Dasa
Unusual Coaching Session
Friendly Mind

Interview by Gaura Krsna dasa, Bhakti Sastri teacher

(Mayapur Institite for Higher Education and Training and ISKCON London) with Akrura dasa (Gita Coaching London)

Gaura Krsna dasa: What is it that coaching offers other than Krsna consciousness? Isn't Krsna consciousness just enough for our personal improvement or development, to just know the Gita and advance in Krsna consciousness?

Akrura dasa: As far as I have seen, the way we train devotees sometimes tends to make them too dependent on their superiors. Coaching helps devotees become self-reliant, self-responsible, even self-motivated. It helps them become strong sooner. Coaching, from the very start, tries to tap into their own resources, potential, dormant Krsna consciousness, or spiritual intelligence. It helps them take initiative and responsibility from the very beginning.

GKd: Does it not develop too much independence, because we are supposed to be taking shelter of guru, Krsna, devotees, temple president? Is there a danger that people could become too independent?

Ad: Excellent question! Very relevant for ISKCON devotees. Yes, there is a danger that devotees can become too independent. Therefore, Krsna conscious coaching or Gita Coaching must be designed and conducted in such a way that devotees always have a proper understanding based on the scriptures. They should properly understand what is their position and situation; what does it mean to be self-responsible; how they are accountable to their authorities; how dependency on Krsna or Krsna's mercy is the basis of success; how to effectively take help from sadhus, sastras and gurus; and how "run one's own airplane".

Bhagavad-gita says that we are not the doer, so we should understand that.
We are getting the ability to act and achieve from Krsna. We also need Krsna's representatives to help us. We should remember this always and be grateful for this. So we must have good grounding in the sastras. At least in the basics, like the Bhagavad-gita. Gita Coaching is based on the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam.

The fact that we are using coaching skills doesn't mean that we want to deviate. Some of those skills are: listening, asking relevant questions, summarising, giving feedback, giving suggestions, turning problems into opportunities, challenging respectfully. I think that all these things are already in the scriptures. It's just that we are now using them very consciously and intentionally to spiritually advance and to help devotees succeed.

GKd: I can also see that coaching can sometimes slip into counselling. Is this a danger?

Ad: Yes, there is a danger. A Krsna conscious coach has to be skilled enough or aware enough to notice when coaching is slipping into counselling.
Counselling deals more with the past, with hurt emotions, psychological problems, or past traumas. Coaching is more focused on the present and the future and on using devotee's intelligence and the mind to his or her advantage. If a devotee needs serious psychological help, he or she has to seek assistance somewhere else.

GKd: It's becoming apperent to me that there are four areas that we have to make sure are included. Firstly, we have to be well grounded in the Krsna conscious philosophy, so that we can apply coaching to that. Secondly, in order to coach others, we have to be properly trained in coaching. Thirdly, we have to actually be coached ourselves, to get an experience of it. And fourthly, we have to implement it and coach others. In order to keep progressing, we need to continuosly be acting on these four areas.

Ad: Exactly. Well said. Coaching is a very systematic process and it requires a lot of self-discipline. We need to prepare for each coaching session. We need to be sure that we know what our coachee's issues are and be well prepared to deal with them. Pre-work and post-work are highly important. You need to prepare for the session and you also need to make notes after the session and think about ideas how to help a devotee in the next session. Jot your ideas down and bring them to the session to remind yourself. Coaching is a wonderful service. It maximizes serving a particular devotee in a one-to-one situation. It maximizes the benefit and the value for the devotee being coached.

Unusual Coaching Session

I had an interesting coaching session in one European ISKCON temple about two weeks ago.

A devotee came and mentioned a particular problem.

I asked the devotee to imagine being an expert on this kind of problem and to offer some advice and solutions to his client (himself).

I left the room for a few minutes.

When I came back, the devotee was smiling, showing me 5-6 ideas about how to solve the problem.

Now, I said, go back to your original identity and give me 10 best excuses why these solutions can't be implemented.

I left the room again for a while.

When I came back, the devotee was laughing almost uncontrollably, having found solutions himself and clearly seeing his habit of self-sabotage.

I said, do you know that you can CHOOSE which of the two people you want to be - the solutions one or the excuses one?

I said, this is your whole life, right there on paper, and it all came from you, both things came from you.

The devotee laughed even more and was SO happy!

When I came back to that temple several days later, I saw the devotee engaged in service looking high-spirited and bright.

Friendly Mind

In this article I will speak about the science of the mind. Especially about when the mind is a friend and when an enemy. Bhagavad-gita As It Is says:
“One must deliver himself with the help of his mind, and not degrade himself. The mind is the friend of the conditioned soul, and his enemy as well.” (Bg 6.5)
Many people practice yoga in the Western world, in order to improve their health or to achieve peace of mind. My spiritual teacher Srila Prabhupada wrote that the purpose of the yoga system is to control the mind and to draw it away from attachment to sense objects. Modern yoga societies and clubs don’t teach that the purpose of the yoga system is to control the mind.
There are five sense objects: rupa (form), sparsa (touch), sabda (sound), gandha (smell), and rasa (taste). Our sense of smell, taste, sight, hearing and touch, are all attracted with those sense objects.
The phenomena that happens between the senses and the sense objects is like a chemical reaction. It’s happening automatically and we are mainly unconscious of it. Bhagavad-gita helps us to understand that how this is taking place, how the senses are attracted to the sense objects automatically, spontaneously. Click here to continue....