Life Coach Training - Retreat Items

The training will be held at the beautiful Pepper Tree Retreat in Ojai, California. This lovely setting, a real oasis of peace, is the former home of the great mystic J. Krishnamurti, who was an extraordinarily clear and masterful teacher of spiritual awakening. We have chosen the site for its beauty, privacy, comfort, the energy that Krishnamurti set forth, and the consciousness of the people who now manage it. I believe you will find the site perfect for our gathering. For all information about the resort, including driving directions, visit www.peppertreeretreat.com

Make your travel plans to arrive at the Pepper Tree Retreat in the early afternoon on Wednesday, September 15. Check-in will be from 2 – 4 pm, followed by an orientation at 4 PM. Ojai is about a 1 ½- 2 hour drive from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) (possibly more depending on traffic), and about an hour and a quarter from Santa Barbara. Flights into LAX are generally more frequent and less expensive than flights into Santa Barbara.

If you fly into LAX you can either rent a car, take a shuttle, or share a limo or rental car with other participants. The Super Shuttle number is 800 BLUE VAN and their website is http://www.supershuttle.com/ContactUs.aspx . The cost is $117.00 one-way. If you wish to share a rental car or limo with other participants (which most people do), let us know and we will do our best to connect you with others who would like to do the same.

Due to the nature of the Life Coach Training, it is important that the entire group begin and end together, so please no late arrivals or early departures. Please allow sufficient time to get from the airport and back to it in a peaceful, easeful manner.

Your payment for the retreat includes three delicious vegetarian meals prepared daily by a local chef. This is a strictly vegetarian retreat center and no meat is allowed on the premises, but town is only 5 minutes away if you would like to supplement your meals. If you would like to bring your own snacks, please check to see if the room you are in has a refrigerator in it. Some do and some do not.

You will awake amidst the peaceful view of mountains that have made Ojai an attractive destination for so many. The community has long been known as a haven for artists, musicians, spiritual aspirants, and health enthusiasts. A village of about 8,000, Ojai is a vibrant place with so much natural beauty that it gained fame decades ago when the area was photographed to represent Shangri-La in the 1939 movie, The Lost Horizon.

Our first group gathering each day will a guided group meditation. This is a powerful time for you to align with your spiritual source and join energetically with your co-participants.

We will have three training sessions each day that will enable you to step masterfully into your coaching practice, as a profession or an adjunct to your current or envisioned work. We will meet in the morning after breakfast from 9:00 am until 12:30. After lunch, we will have free time to rest, get outdoors, or connect with each other, and meet again as a group from 4 to 6 PM. Dinner will be at 6 PM, followed by an evening program. The sessions will support you to get clear on your intentions for your unique coaching path, bolster your confidence, build specific skills to achieve practical, observable results with clients, expand your practice, and have fun in the process. At the retreat we will also enjoy group bonding that will be a source of rich support for you and your program partners during the retreat and long afterward.

During the sessions you will have plenty of opportunities to practice your coaching skills and receive feedback from me and the other participants. I will also work one-to-one with each of you during the group sessions. There will be a natural, progressive, easy unfolding, and you will have realizations that will help you personally and professionally.

Also present at the retreat will be a group of graduates of previous programs, around 8-10 in number. They are coming to refresh, reinforce, and expand their coaching skills and practice; reconnect for bonding and friendship; and to support you in your coaching growth. They will be available to share their experiences with you and answer any questions about their coaching path, as well as create new friendships with those in your training group. You will have the opportunity to attend future life coach training retreats as a graduate if you like. They will be attending in a supportive fashion; you and your group will be the primary recipients of the training.

We invite you to be fully present at the retreat, and to not attempt to conduct your home life or your business from the retreat. If you are generally busy with family, relationship, or business management, the retreat is a powerful opportunity for you to step back and discover who you are, what you want, and where you are headed, independent of your regular routine and interactions. It will be a great opportunity to recharge and renew your spirit. There is no television available at the retreat center.

So please plan to focus on being at the retreat and minimize any interactions with home or business. All of us doing this will make the experience even more meaningful.

September weather in Ojai tends will likely be warm and dry. Temperatures may rise to the 90’s or higher (with little or no humidity). So bring light clothing, perhaps with some slightly warmer just in case the temperature drops at night. Dress for the retreat is comfortable and casual.

Here are a few items I will ask you to please bring to the retreat, for your benefit and that of the group:

2. A personally meaningful item for the invocation table we will co-create. This can be anything that inspires you or has symbolic significance to you, such as a photo of loved one(s); a gift you received; a stone; a feather; piece of jewelry; or whatever you feel guided to bring. You can take it home at the end of the program.

3. Any informational or promotional materials related to your coaching career or aspirations. For example, business card, brochure, CD/DVD; photo(s); web address; or anything else that makes a statement about what you do or would like to do. If you don't already have a professional piece produced, just mock up a rough draft on your own.

Thanks for your participation. This is going to be awesome!