Soul Coaching – Unleashing the Power of Spirit

Recently I posted a question to a coaching forum to hear how others in the field viewed coaching and its role in bringing the human spirit alive. The question I asked was:

How does coaching inspire to bring the soul and spirit alive?

One person replied, “Oooh! Coaching lets the sparks fly! This is what I live for as a coach, that point when that shift occurs after they’ve peeled back the layers.” I have no doubt there have been times when you have felt the same way—I certainly have. It’s precisely those wondrous moments in the coaching conversation, when spirit takes flight, which makes our chosen profession so utterly satisfying.

Yet the more I sat with the question I asked, the more I realized that the question itself does not go deep enough. Does coaching inspire the human spirit? Yes! (But this is readily obvious to those in the profession).

How does coaching inspire the human spirit to flourish? This is also relatively known; every good coach will have a number of personal stories which exemplify how the coaching process enables the human spirit to come alive. In asking the question I did—asking into the space where the answers are already known—I couldn’t help but feel that I missed the question that needed to be asked.

Instead, what is the question around which there is an unknown? To put it another way, what needs to be known that is now not known, and that if known would benefit and enhance a coach’s capacities to bring the human spirit alive?

To rephrase and simplify, perhaps this is the essential question I am asking:

What is it that I don’t know, that if I knew and practiced it, would expand my ability to bring the human spirit and soul alive through my coaching?

I like this question, and I invite you to join me and sit with it for a moment.

The challenge in answering the question is that we don’t know what we don’t know. So how do we come to know?

In Deep Coaching, which is soul coaching, we hold to the axiom that all one’s answers lie within. That does not mean that the answer is always right there, immediately accessible. What it means is that when I nurture the right conditions within myself, I foster the potential that what is unknown will begin to emerge and become known in my conscious mind.

For me those conditions are connected to what I call the rhythm of life and spirit. (When you reflect on it, you will notice that the realm of spirit has a unique tempo and rhythm: it flows in a most unhurried manner, sometimes faster, sometimes slower, sometimes jubilant, sometimes soft, sometimes gushing, sometimes spacious but always grounded and connected.)

As I ponder the question of what I need to know, it makes sense for me to take a few deep breaths, quiet my mind, and turn within to the spirit of my being to invite it to show me what I need to know. Where else but to spirit should we turn for guidance on working with spirit?

If you desire to understand what more you can do to bring the human spirit and soul alive in your life and work, allow yourself this moment of pause and connect within to the spirit that is alive in your being.

Take a few breathes, release any tension in your mind and body, let your thoughts go still, open your mind, heart, and will, and invite the spirit of your being to show you what you need to know. Stay with it for as long as you’d like, staying alert to new insights and wisdom arising in you.

{ Pause your reading now and listen within }

What came up for you? What new possibilities do you see that you may have not seen before?

Let me share with you what came to me as I took that same moment of pause. This appeared like a lesson projected onto the screen of my mind, and I captured it with pen as best I could:

The human spirit lies not in the mind but in the soul. The human spirit is an outworking of the soul, an expression of its creative capacities and aspirations in the world. And when the soul is unleashed, it is magnificent. It dances and soars. To see it is to marvel at what humanity is capable of.

You can even hold the phrase “soul coaching” in mind during your sessions, and you will notice a subtle shift towards the deeper realm – literally towards the ‘heart of the matter.’

Unleash the power of soul in your sessions and you will free the human spirit.

Then notice what is happening for your clients. Notice how they come alive and shine, a glow that can only be had when the soul comes alive. Listen for this, nurture this, and all will be well.

A lesson for the ages. Maybe at some level I already knew this, but still, I’m glad I asked a better question. And I’m glad I turned within to show me the way to enhance soul in my coaching.

Now comes the fun part, putting this wisdom into action and reveling in the joy and magic that will surely come of it.