Don’t ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. - Harold Whitman
In 2021 Chopra Global launched its premier certification program, the Chopra Well-being Coaching Certification. The Chopra Coaching Certification Program is the third and final certification on the Teacher’s Path, drawing on the knowledge, experience, and wisdom gained in both the Chopra Meditation and Chopra Health Certification Programs.
But what exactly is Chopra Well-being Coaching? Coaching is a multifaceted experience that encompasses a professional role, a way of being, and a spiritual path. As coaches, we provide knowledge and guidance, assisting clients along the path to wellness, fulfillment, and awakening.
Coaching is a vehicle for transformation that serves the evolution of all humanity. It increases well-being through expanded awareness, a deeper connection with others, and a profound sense of purpose. Coaching, therefore, is the expression of one’s Dharma. It’s also a way of life that, through a commitment to ongoing growth and responsibly guiding others toward their highest self, is a spiritual path unto itself. Well-being coaching is dharma in action.
At the most fundamental level, coaches are facilitators of transformation in all areas of life – career, relationships, health, and spirituality. Through the coaching relationship, they compassionately nurture the client’s divinity and help guide them through the four phases of change:
Dissolving – The dissolution of old, unproductive habits and behaviors that triggers a loss of an old identity.
Imagining – The envisioning of a new life and visualizing the specific details of the world they want to live in.
Reforming – The implementation of new ideas to help fill the gap in identity; a period of trial and error to discover strategies that will result in positive outcomes.
Full Flight – Upon dissolving the old identity, imagined a new one, reformed ideas into a new pattern, a new identity becomes stable.
However, it’s important to recognize that coaches don’t force the client or determine what needs to change. A guiding principle in coaching is that the client is the expert in their own life. A coach is a partner, an uplifter, and a spiritual friend to keep them moving in the direction of their goal and dharma. In this sense, a Chopra Coach is similar to what in Gaelic is referred to as an Anam Cara or a Soul (Anam) Friend (Cara). It represents the forming of a special bond that allows us to bring out the best in another.
Chopra Coaching is a unique approach to well-being coaching in that it combines the wisdom of meditation and Ayurveda with effective and reliable coaching psychology, tools, and practices. Chopra Coaching is a blend of both performance coaching (creating a successful outcome by reaching objective, measurable goals) and developmental coaching (cultivating new capacities and competencies).
The Chopra Coaching Model is a nested framework that contains four tiers. Since Chopra Coaching is rooted in awareness, Meditation is the most foundational layer of the model. Meditation creates the awareness that serves as the container within which coaching takes place. The next layer consists of Ayurvedic Lifestyle Practices to help the client move toward increased mind-body balance. Coaching is personalized to each client’s mind-body constitution or dosha to assist the client in better understanding their own nature as they move toward increased well-being.
Going deeper, the Chopra Coach draws on Five Core Coaching Skills:
At the deepest level of the Chopra Coaching model, lie the Four Cornerstones:
Chopra Coaching is meant to guide individuals from where they are to where they want to be. Clients come from all walks of life and during a variety of stages of life, however, they typically fall into one of three categories:
As the third of the Chopra Certifications, becoming a Chopra Well-being Coach begins with having completed both the Chopra Meditation and Chopra Health Certifications. This provides the intellectual and instructional foundation which coaches will draw upon with their clients. Chopra teachers are already living the life-changing practices of meditation and the Ayurvedic lifestyle, so they are uniquely prepared to integrate Vedic wisdom into the coaching practice.
The coaching certification program consists of two elements: Chopra Coaching Enrichment and Chopra Coaching Certification. In the Enrichment program, future coaches learn the foundations of the coaching role, program specifics, the Chopra Coaching model, and the fundamental skills of presence, relationship, listening, and questions, and reflections.
Once the Enrichment Program has been completed successfully, the coach-in-training moves into the Chopra Coaching Certification. The certification is where the real practice begins. During the certification, students first personally experience specific lessons on the four cornerstones of purpose, intention, meaning, and shadow and then learn how to coach them to their practice clients in both structured and improvisational formats.
At the end of the certification process, coaches will have read, watched, and completed 12 program lessons, logged 24 hours of practice coaching, submitted logs of their sessions, submitted and passed a 30-minute practice coaching video assessment, and passed a final examination prior to being certified as official Chopra Well-being Coaches.
Both the coaching Enrichment and Certification programs consist of robust E-learning sessions, live interactive webinars with lead certification mentor Pete Kirchmer, cohort webinars with fellow coaches and mentors, multiple downloadable resources to be used with clients, and monthly group meditations. All in all, the Chopra Coaching certification platform provides future coaches with an extremely thorough and well-rounded combination of theory and practice to set coaches up for success.
In a world in desperate need of healing, the Chopra Coaching Certification serves as a new and powerful vehicle for teachers drawn to guide others toward the light of wellbeing and expanded awareness. If you’re looking to serve the world through your dharma, this may be the path for you.
In the next article in this series, we’ll take a more in-depth tour of the Chopra Coaching Enrichment Program. Stay tuned!
Follow along in this new article series exploring the author's experience on the path to becoming a Chopra Well-being Coach.
Read more articles in the series:
Chopra Coaching: My Path Through the Enrichment Program
Want to play a role in helping others thrive? Learn more about the Chopra Coaching Certification Program.
In 2021 Chopra Global launched its premier certification program, the Chopra Well-being Coaching Certification. The Chopra Coaching Certification Program is the third and final certification on the Teacher’s Path, drawing on the knowledge, experience, and wisdom gained in both the Chopra Meditation and Chopra Health Certification Programs.
But what exactly is Chopra Well-being Coaching? Coaching is a multifaceted experience that encompasses a professional role, a way of being, and a spiritual path. As coaches, we provide knowledge and guidance, assisting clients along the path to wellness, fulfillment, and awakening.
Coaching is a vehicle for transformation that serves the evolution of all humanity. It increases well-being through expanded awareness, a deeper connection with others, and a profound sense of purpose. Coaching, therefore, is the expression of one’s Dharma. It’s also a way of life that, through a commitment to ongoing growth and responsibly guiding others toward their highest self, is a spiritual path unto itself. Well-being coaching is dharma in action.
Agents of Change
At the most fundamental level, coaches are facilitators of transformation in all areas of life – career, relationships, health, and spirituality. Through the coaching relationship, they compassionately nurture the client’s divinity and help guide them through the four phases of change:
Dissolving – The dissolution of old, unproductive habits and behaviors that triggers a loss of an old identity.
Imagining – The envisioning of a new life and visualizing the specific details of the world they want to live in.
Reforming – The implementation of new ideas to help fill the gap in identity; a period of trial and error to discover strategies that will result in positive outcomes.
Full Flight – Upon dissolving the old identity, imagined a new one, reformed ideas into a new pattern, a new identity becomes stable.
However, it’s important to recognize that coaches don’t force the client or determine what needs to change. A guiding principle in coaching is that the client is the expert in their own life. A coach is a partner, an uplifter, and a spiritual friend to keep them moving in the direction of their goal and dharma. In this sense, a Chopra Coach is similar to what in Gaelic is referred to as an Anam Cara or a Soul (Anam) Friend (Cara). It represents the forming of a special bond that allows us to bring out the best in another.
The Chopra Coaching Model
Chopra Coaching is a unique approach to well-being coaching in that it combines the wisdom of meditation and Ayurveda with effective and reliable coaching psychology, tools, and practices. Chopra Coaching is a blend of both performance coaching (creating a successful outcome by reaching objective, measurable goals) and developmental coaching (cultivating new capacities and competencies).
The Chopra Coaching Model is a nested framework that contains four tiers. Since Chopra Coaching is rooted in awareness, Meditation is the most foundational layer of the model. Meditation creates the awareness that serves as the container within which coaching takes place. The next layer consists of Ayurvedic Lifestyle Practices to help the client move toward increased mind-body balance. Coaching is personalized to each client’s mind-body constitution or dosha to assist the client in better understanding their own nature as they move toward increased well-being.
Going deeper, the Chopra Coach draws on Five Core Coaching Skills:
- Presence – The ability to simply be, free from judgment; allowing the session to unfold in its own unique way. Coaches hold space for their clients so they can be authentic, vulnerable, and open to the process of transformation.
- Reflections – A coach helps the client see themselves as others do. Soul reflections allow the client to see themselves fully.
- Questions – The coach asks powerful questions to help the client tap into their soul, awaken to higher levels of awareness, and explore the unconscious.
- Listening – Mindful listening is a superpower that allows a coach to perceive subtle shifts in energy and discover hidden clues and coachable moments to better serve a client’s growth.
- Relationships – Unlike other relationships, coaching is primarily a one-way street in service of the client. Transitioning between the roles of coach and teacher, coaches follow the spontaneous flow of the session to determine how best to assist the client.
At the deepest level of the Chopra Coaching model, lie the Four Cornerstones:
- Purpose – A thorough exploration into who we are and why we’re here.
- Intention – Setting intentions and aligning ourselves in ways that lead to their fulfillment.
- Meaning – Understanding the “Whys” behind our actions and how our beliefs may be liming our potential.
- Shadow – Unmasking and clearing emotional toxicity that inhibits growth.
Types of Clients
Chopra Coaching is meant to guide individuals from where they are to where they want to be. Clients come from all walks of life and during a variety of stages of life, however, they typically fall into one of three categories:
- The Recoverer. Recoverers are in a process of healing from a traumatic event, injury, illness, addiction, or another form of suffering. They often seek a coach for guidance in recovery, integration, and moving forward into a greater state of overall wellbeing.
- The Improver. Improvers wish to enhance the quality of their lives and are often consciously seeking a pathway to increased balance, fulfillment, and happiness. Improvers may look to a coach to help with insights and transformational practices leading to a more grounded wellbeing lifestyle.
- The Spiritual Seeker. Seekers are actively pursuing their inner calling but may be feeling a disconnection from their higher self. A spiritual seeker may look to a coach to help realign to their dharma or remove obstacles on the path to expanded awareness.
The Chopra Coaching Certification Process
As the third of the Chopra Certifications, becoming a Chopra Well-being Coach begins with having completed both the Chopra Meditation and Chopra Health Certifications. This provides the intellectual and instructional foundation which coaches will draw upon with their clients. Chopra teachers are already living the life-changing practices of meditation and the Ayurvedic lifestyle, so they are uniquely prepared to integrate Vedic wisdom into the coaching practice.
The coaching certification program consists of two elements: Chopra Coaching Enrichment and Chopra Coaching Certification. In the Enrichment program, future coaches learn the foundations of the coaching role, program specifics, the Chopra Coaching model, and the fundamental skills of presence, relationship, listening, and questions, and reflections.
Once the Enrichment Program has been completed successfully, the coach-in-training moves into the Chopra Coaching Certification. The certification is where the real practice begins. During the certification, students first personally experience specific lessons on the four cornerstones of purpose, intention, meaning, and shadow and then learn how to coach them to their practice clients in both structured and improvisational formats.
At the end of the certification process, coaches will have read, watched, and completed 12 program lessons, logged 24 hours of practice coaching, submitted logs of their sessions, submitted and passed a 30-minute practice coaching video assessment, and passed a final examination prior to being certified as official Chopra Well-being Coaches.
Both the coaching Enrichment and Certification programs consist of robust E-learning sessions, live interactive webinars with lead certification mentor Pete Kirchmer, cohort webinars with fellow coaches and mentors, multiple downloadable resources to be used with clients, and monthly group meditations. All in all, the Chopra Coaching certification platform provides future coaches with an extremely thorough and well-rounded combination of theory and practice to set coaches up for success.
In a world in desperate need of healing, the Chopra Coaching Certification serves as a new and powerful vehicle for teachers drawn to guide others toward the light of wellbeing and expanded awareness. If you’re looking to serve the world through your dharma, this may be the path for you.
In the next article in this series, we’ll take a more in-depth tour of the Chopra Coaching Enrichment Program. Stay tuned!
Follow along in this new article series exploring the author's experience on the path to becoming a Chopra Well-being Coach.
Read more articles in the series:
Chopra Coaching: My Path Through the Enrichment Program
Want to play a role in helping others thrive? Learn more about the Chopra Coaching Certification Program.