Essence of Life - year one of the SMI education
In the Essence of Life education, we will explore the different aspects of presence that underpin key aspects of a healthy and productive life, such as confidence, grounding, vitality, courage, peace, power, compassion, loving-kindness, curiosity, happiness, and freedom, which all have their roots in awareness of presence.
Through these explorations, we will make these key aspects of life more active in our personal lives and resolve any issues we may have around these.
The education is based on a combination of ancient wisdom traditions and modern-day cognitive science.
The Essence of Life education includes
- 24 three-hour sessions throughout the year - you can get an overview of the program's content below.
- recordings of presentations and exercise instructions from each session - so you can stay in the loop even if you have to miss a session
- a supportive community of like-minded individuals
- a complimentary one-on-one session that you can schedule at your convenience,
- access to an online chatroom where I, Claus Springborg, will be available to answer any questions that may arise during the program
- access to the online course Transforming Self-Criticism.
If you are interested in participating in the Essence of Life education, please email info@sensingmind.com.
I will be happy to have a conversation with you to determine if this program is right for you.
Module 1: On Support, Grounding & Confidence (White Essence)
When we experience this dimension of presence, we feel rooted, grounded in the present moment, and deeply supported. This essence gives us the capacity to feel at ease, supported, and in touch with presence in the midst of our daily life. Here we know essential will and confidence. White essence brings resolution to issues of over-efforting and feelings of deficiency. We experience feeling centred in ourselves, and we are neither distracted by our thoughts, emotions and impulses nor by the external world.
Learning objectives
- Exploring the somatic ground of grounding and support
- Identifying unsupportive patterns of seeking support
- Exploring the role of neutrality in self-development
- Working with issues around over-efforting
- Dealing with performance anxiety
- Working with issues around commitment
Module 2: On Strength, Courage & Vitality (Red Essence)
When we experience this dimension of presence, we feel strong, courageous, and passionately alive. This essence gives us the capacity to meet our life challenges and opportunities with a feeling of strength, capacity, and enthusiasm. Red essence brings resolution to our issues around anger and the fear of separation. We experience a sense of expansion and the courage to move on.
Learning objectives
- Exploring the somatic ground of strength, courage, and vitality
- Identifying counter-productive ways of reaching for strength, courage, and vitality
- Exploring the role of vital energy in self-development
- Working anger and frustration as a doorway to being
- Working with separation anxiety
Module 3: On Peace & Power (Black Essence)
When we experience this dimension of presence, we feel profoundly peaceful and intimate. This essence erases our worrying and over-active mind and settles us into a depth of peace and tranquillity. Black essence allows us to meet and resolve our issues around the fear of death, doubt and hate. We experience stillness, peace of mind, and direct knowing. We gain access to our inner protector of essence – the defender of being.
Learning objectives
- Exploring the somatic ground of peace
- Identifying counter-productive ways of reaching for peace
- Exploring the role of absence in self-development
- Working with hatred as a doorway to being
- Working with issues around power
- Working ideas about death
Module 4: On Compassion & Loving-Kindness (Green Essence)
When we experience this dimension of presence, we feel bathed in kindness, gentleness, and compassion. This essence gives us the capacity to meet our inner experience with loving-kindness, acceptance, and gentleness. Green essence acts as an inner balm, soothing our sorrows and sadness. We experience compassion for ourselves and others. We can tolerate vulnerability and woundedness and stay with it with healing awareness in our hearts.
Learning objectives
- Exploring the somatic ground of compassion and loving-kindness
- Identifying counter-productive approaches to compassion
- Exploring the role of tenderness in self-development
- Exploring the role of pain and suffering in self-development
- Working with sadness as a doorway to being
- Working with issues around vulnerability
Module 5: On Joy & Happiness (Yellow Essence)
When we experience this dimension of presence, we feel exquisitely happy and light-hearted. This essence releases the burdens and heaviness in our hearts and gives us the capacity to celebrate and live joyously. Yellow essence resolves our issues around false loyalty, our complex mind, as well as issues around our wishing and wanting. We experience the lightness and simplicity of being, and we leave the shell of our parents’ imprints.
Learning objectives
- Exploring the somatic ground of joy and happiness
- Identifying counter-productive ways of reaching for joy and happiness
- Exploring the role of curiosity and humour in self-development
- Working with desire, wishes and wants as a doorways to being
- Working with issues around seriousness
- Working with issues around loyalty, guilt, and fear of leaving your loved ones behind
Module 6: On Freedom & Openness (Space)
When we experience the dimensions of space, we feel beautifully open, expansive, clear and free. Our mind without content is simply clear and open space. Space brings a natural capacity for change. At the same time, it is a stabiliser for the open, clear mind. Space erases the limitations, self-images, and constrictions of our past conditioning. With space, we experience the freedom and openness of being.
Learning objectives
- Exploring the somatic ground of freedom
- Identifying patterns of seeking freedom that enslaves
- Using openness and receptivity in self-development
- Working with openness as a stabilising factor
- Working with issues around change and impermanence
- Introduction to working with self-concepts
