Daniel Lally
* 420 hour mindfulness-based Hakomi® body-centered psychotherapy training
* Jin Shin Do® BodyMind Acupressure™ certification
* Yoga certification
* Water Aerobics certification
* Master Reiki certification
* Wu Dang Chi Gong practice since 1990
* Progressive relaxation since 1987
* Dream interviewing technique since 1985
* BA University of Notre Dame
* Jin Shin Do® BodyMind Acupressure™ certification
* Yoga certification
* Water Aerobics certification
* Master Reiki certification
* Wu Dang Chi Gong practice since 1990
* Progressive relaxation since 1987
* Dream interviewing technique since 1985
* BA University of Notre Dame
My Journey
We've all had experiences of intuition and zen-like moments: thinking of someone and they call; answers out of thin air; knowing what pitch was coming.
My first such moment was a mysterious shipwreck long ago.
My first such moment was a mysterious shipwreck long ago.
Adapted from a story by Ambrose Bierce, that fascinating tale gave me chills every time at age 8, and still does. On some level, I think that a deeper part of me sensed that it was a sign of things to come.
The following year at age 9, what I thought was a an easy climb up a rock wall in my neighborhood ended up with me dangling by my fingertips 20 feet up, panicked and thinking: "I'm going to die!"
But mid-thought my body vaulted up onto the ledge with a surge of energy, and seconds later I was standing on top, quivering but unhurt.
I biked home in shock and bewildered. What had just happened? Adrenaline? Divine intervention? It felt like something had overshadowed me quicker than lightning, and to this day I can still feel where my body lit up like a christmas tree.
But at age 9, how do you talk about that?
I never told anyone for fear of having my wings clipped, and the event soon faded as I moved on to some other adventure. But later that year, dad took me to see the Jonathan Livingston Seagull movie, and on some level my questions began to be answered. And although he never said the words, between that movie and the Bermuda Triangle books on his bookshelf, I took it as permission to explore outside the box.
My first zen-like moment in high school was the "headache" acu-point that my friend Paul Kopp showed me. Instantly my headache vanished as I felt a strange sensation - what some call chi - drain down from my head, neck and shoulders. That feeling really got my attention.
The zen-like moments continued in high school sports: taking off running to catch a ball before it was hit; intuiting a pass before it was thrown and intercepting it. Although I was quick, I was not so much athletic as sensitive, and I was just as surprised as anyone when my body did certain things.
At 16 I broke a wrist in football practice and it didn't heal right, but a decade later that hand was the first place I ever felt chi. So the injury was both a lucky break and a turning point on my journey - in the direction of healing.
That same year a teacher guided our class into an experience of progressive relaxation. I was stunned: it was my first conscious experience of my inner life and another huge shift in the direction of healing.
Around the same time, mom shared one of her books with me - Hope for the Flowers by Trina Paulus - about caterpillars leaving behind the past, going within and transforming into the butterfly they are meant to be. It was the perfect book at the perfect time, and I am so grateful for my mom's help with my transformation.
Fast forward a few years to the many magical moments of my college sophmore year in France. There I was introduced to my second Richard Bach book - Illusions - and John Heider's The Tao of Leadership while traveling with my friend Marianne Herb. The magic was kept alive after homecoming with dad's copy of Golf in the Kingdom by Michael Murphy - one of my all time favorites about the deeper realm - and seeing Back to the Future with mom.
I still thank my lucky stars for the zen-like moment that occurred the following year, when - still in culture shock - I had to guess on a section of multiple-choice questions in a final exam. At first I panicked, but then a strange feeling came over me that whispered: “put down ‘B’ for all of them.” I did, and as it turned out, “coincidentally,” 19 out of 20 of the answers actually were B.
I like to think of that moment as getting an A in divine intervention.
A few months before college graduation I had my second experience of progressive relaxation with my dad's copy of Barrie Konicov's relaxation ecording. I felt the same exquisite relief as years before in high school, and emerged from that experience consciously choosing a path of healing.
Following mom's lead, my sister and I were introduced to a family system healing group the summer before I went to France, and a few years later I resumed that approach, delving into what John Bradshaw calls "original pain/original justice" work. For the next several years I breathed my way through powerful experiences of family of origin "maps" and "sculpts," and learned about messages, family system roles and rules, emotions, wounds and patterns, transactional analysis and other ways to understand and bring healing to generational family dynamics. During that time, I became deeply aware of the pervasiveness of shaming, violence, abuse and passive-aggression, especially that of wounded classmates and family of origin, and uts impact on me. And in a therapeutic environment - what some call a safe container - having a safe harbor to feel and voice long-repressed emotion - without fear of anyone shaming me or trying to take it away - is one of the greatest gifts I have ever received.
(If any of that strikes a chord with you, I invite you to read this short excerpt from an essay by Robert Bly and another resource is John Bradshaw's Homecoming series from PBS, and seek support in that direction.)
So with all that, it occurs to me that a good metaphor for my life's journey is my willingness to "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea," like the old TV series.
The following year at age 9, what I thought was a an easy climb up a rock wall in my neighborhood ended up with me dangling by my fingertips 20 feet up, panicked and thinking: "I'm going to die!"
But mid-thought my body vaulted up onto the ledge with a surge of energy, and seconds later I was standing on top, quivering but unhurt.
I biked home in shock and bewildered. What had just happened? Adrenaline? Divine intervention? It felt like something had overshadowed me quicker than lightning, and to this day I can still feel where my body lit up like a christmas tree.
But at age 9, how do you talk about that?
I never told anyone for fear of having my wings clipped, and the event soon faded as I moved on to some other adventure. But later that year, dad took me to see the Jonathan Livingston Seagull movie, and on some level my questions began to be answered. And although he never said the words, between that movie and the Bermuda Triangle books on his bookshelf, I took it as permission to explore outside the box.
My first zen-like moment in high school was the "headache" acu-point that my friend Paul Kopp showed me. Instantly my headache vanished as I felt a strange sensation - what some call chi - drain down from my head, neck and shoulders. That feeling really got my attention.
The zen-like moments continued in high school sports: taking off running to catch a ball before it was hit; intuiting a pass before it was thrown and intercepting it. Although I was quick, I was not so much athletic as sensitive, and I was just as surprised as anyone when my body did certain things.
At 16 I broke a wrist in football practice and it didn't heal right, but a decade later that hand was the first place I ever felt chi. So the injury was both a lucky break and a turning point on my journey - in the direction of healing.
That same year a teacher guided our class into an experience of progressive relaxation. I was stunned: it was my first conscious experience of my inner life and another huge shift in the direction of healing.
Around the same time, mom shared one of her books with me - Hope for the Flowers by Trina Paulus - about caterpillars leaving behind the past, going within and transforming into the butterfly they are meant to be. It was the perfect book at the perfect time, and I am so grateful for my mom's help with my transformation.
Fast forward a few years to the many magical moments of my college sophmore year in France. There I was introduced to my second Richard Bach book - Illusions - and John Heider's The Tao of Leadership while traveling with my friend Marianne Herb. The magic was kept alive after homecoming with dad's copy of Golf in the Kingdom by Michael Murphy - one of my all time favorites about the deeper realm - and seeing Back to the Future with mom.
I still thank my lucky stars for the zen-like moment that occurred the following year, when - still in culture shock - I had to guess on a section of multiple-choice questions in a final exam. At first I panicked, but then a strange feeling came over me that whispered: “put down ‘B’ for all of them.” I did, and as it turned out, “coincidentally,” 19 out of 20 of the answers actually were B.
I like to think of that moment as getting an A in divine intervention.
A few months before college graduation I had my second experience of progressive relaxation with my dad's copy of Barrie Konicov's relaxation ecording. I felt the same exquisite relief as years before in high school, and emerged from that experience consciously choosing a path of healing.
Following mom's lead, my sister and I were introduced to a family system healing group the summer before I went to France, and a few years later I resumed that approach, delving into what John Bradshaw calls "original pain/original justice" work. For the next several years I breathed my way through powerful experiences of family of origin "maps" and "sculpts," and learned about messages, family system roles and rules, emotions, wounds and patterns, transactional analysis and other ways to understand and bring healing to generational family dynamics. During that time, I became deeply aware of the pervasiveness of shaming, violence, abuse and passive-aggression, especially that of wounded classmates and family of origin, and uts impact on me. And in a therapeutic environment - what some call a safe container - having a safe harbor to feel and voice long-repressed emotion - without fear of anyone shaming me or trying to take it away - is one of the greatest gifts I have ever received.
(If any of that strikes a chord with you, I invite you to read this short excerpt from an essay by Robert Bly and another resource is John Bradshaw's Homecoming series from PBS, and seek support in that direction.)
So with all that, it occurs to me that a good metaphor for my life's journey is my willingness to "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea," like the old TV series.
Early on in my voyage, I was sustained by therapeutic experiences, inspirational books, music and mysterious and powerful dreams. I am so grateful for the dream interpretation method I took to heart from Gayle Delaney's Living Your Dreams.
So many of the dreams were absolutely stunning and still feel like they were just yesterday: being carried by a divine wind; meeting a guardian angel and hearing its name; hearing a foreign word sung over and over in a little boy's voice - a word that I later learned means perseverance; a very touching dream of a visit from mom after she crossed over.
In another dream, I - my physical body - was superimposed onto the cartoon landscape Charlie Brown Christmas TV special, as if I was actually in the cartoon!
So many of the dreams were absolutely stunning and still feel like they were just yesterday: being carried by a divine wind; meeting a guardian angel and hearing its name; hearing a foreign word sung over and over in a little boy's voice - a word that I later learned means perseverance; a very touching dream of a visit from mom after she crossed over.
In another dream, I - my physical body - was superimposed onto the cartoon landscape Charlie Brown Christmas TV special, as if I was actually in the cartoon!
Standing out under the starry sky with the Peanuts gang, my hand was upturned, and the twinkling star in the sky gently fell like a snowflake... into the palm of my hand! It was an incredibly joyful dream that would prove prophetic years later in two fascinating ways.
In 1988 I began healing movement through water exercise classes, and by 1991 I was teaching it. I typically now teach 30 minutes of yang aerobics followed by yin core work, stretching, chi exercises, a few seasonal acu-points and relaxation. Range of motion is enhanced incredibly - try those same exercises on land - and joints are soothed in a near-weightless environment. Blood and other fluids circulate amazingly as the blood vessels relax and open, enhancing well-being on many levels. Bliss is how I feel after these classes.
In 1990 I was graced with Michael Whiting's gifts of healing movement. At that time I didn’t even know what chi was, nor that feeling it was even possible. I was just fascinated by the movements. After learning long and short chi forms with Michael, we continued to practice and meditate for several years, and I am so grateful for all his gifts. His devotion deeply touched me. Rest in peace Michael.
In October of 1992, a friend invited me to a demonstration of the power of crystals and I went in skeptical at best. I had the chance to lie down between several huge quartz crystals, and it felt immediately like putting on the ring in Lord of the Rings, sound effect and all: it felt like I was somewhere else and insulated by thick cotton.
Later that day the teacher intuited that in the next 3 years I would be known for healing.
"How could that be," I thought. I was passionate about healing, but never thought of myself as a healer. But just a few weeks later, in November 1992 I felt the astonishing electromagnetic sensation of chi between my hands for the first time, and that feeling has been with me ever since. I knew I had received a gift and had found my calling—working with chi and healing movement—and wanted to share it.
So one gift of my Charlie Brown dream above was an intuitive flash of the chi that eventually fell right into my hand.
From 1993 to 1998 I learned a style of acupressure called Jin Shin Do® (way of the compassionate spirit) with my teacher Steve Schumacher. The creator of JSD - Iona Marsaa Teegarden - synthesized this unique and elegant system of acupressure out of the emotions, acu-points and wisdom associated with 5 element theory.
In 1988 I began healing movement through water exercise classes, and by 1991 I was teaching it. I typically now teach 30 minutes of yang aerobics followed by yin core work, stretching, chi exercises, a few seasonal acu-points and relaxation. Range of motion is enhanced incredibly - try those same exercises on land - and joints are soothed in a near-weightless environment. Blood and other fluids circulate amazingly as the blood vessels relax and open, enhancing well-being on many levels. Bliss is how I feel after these classes.
In 1990 I was graced with Michael Whiting's gifts of healing movement. At that time I didn’t even know what chi was, nor that feeling it was even possible. I was just fascinated by the movements. After learning long and short chi forms with Michael, we continued to practice and meditate for several years, and I am so grateful for all his gifts. His devotion deeply touched me. Rest in peace Michael.
In October of 1992, a friend invited me to a demonstration of the power of crystals and I went in skeptical at best. I had the chance to lie down between several huge quartz crystals, and it felt immediately like putting on the ring in Lord of the Rings, sound effect and all: it felt like I was somewhere else and insulated by thick cotton.
Later that day the teacher intuited that in the next 3 years I would be known for healing.
"How could that be," I thought. I was passionate about healing, but never thought of myself as a healer. But just a few weeks later, in November 1992 I felt the astonishing electromagnetic sensation of chi between my hands for the first time, and that feeling has been with me ever since. I knew I had received a gift and had found my calling—working with chi and healing movement—and wanted to share it.
So one gift of my Charlie Brown dream above was an intuitive flash of the chi that eventually fell right into my hand.
From 1993 to 1998 I learned a style of acupressure called Jin Shin Do® (way of the compassionate spirit) with my teacher Steve Schumacher. The creator of JSD - Iona Marsaa Teegarden - synthesized this unique and elegant system of acupressure out of the emotions, acu-points and wisdom associated with 5 element theory.
In my late 20s, while doing an acupressure demo for a client who had a totally bloodshot eye, I had another zen-like moment as I held two acu-points that flow toward the eyes. A moment later when the client blinked, her eye turned white and the redness totally vanished! "Holy $&#@," I thought, turning away wide-eyed. I never even knew that was possible!
I received my Jin Shin Do® certification in 1998, and eventually came to think of chi as the spiritual "blood" that circulates through the body.
Incidentally, for nearly 20 years I have also been blessed with opportunites to share the experience of chi and acupressure with local high school students. The teacher and I present the concept of the force in Star Wars, enhancing physical and mental performance by increasing neuro-plasticity and responsiveness and bringing more of our right-brain online. We invite them to consider how most of us are starved for healthy right-brain experiences and a typical in-route has been alcohol and drugs. But chi is one simple, fun and healthy way to access our right brain, and I am honored to introduce that experience to students. Many students feel the chi the first time we do movements then chi sensing experiments, and recently, a student credited his stellar athletic performance to his chi club experience the same day. That sure brought a smile to my face.
But back to my story.
My first experience of creativity, zen-like moments and movement occurred in the mid 90s as I began teaching unique seasonal chi classes based on acupressure theory. My body began to express how chi rises in the Spring, expands in Summer, slows and pauses in Late Summer - like a roller coaster at its apex - dissipates in Fall, and sinks and turns inward in Winter.
I received my Jin Shin Do® certification in 1998, and eventually came to think of chi as the spiritual "blood" that circulates through the body.
Incidentally, for nearly 20 years I have also been blessed with opportunites to share the experience of chi and acupressure with local high school students. The teacher and I present the concept of the force in Star Wars, enhancing physical and mental performance by increasing neuro-plasticity and responsiveness and bringing more of our right-brain online. We invite them to consider how most of us are starved for healthy right-brain experiences and a typical in-route has been alcohol and drugs. But chi is one simple, fun and healthy way to access our right brain, and I am honored to introduce that experience to students. Many students feel the chi the first time we do movements then chi sensing experiments, and recently, a student credited his stellar athletic performance to his chi club experience the same day. That sure brought a smile to my face.
But back to my story.
My first experience of creativity, zen-like moments and movement occurred in the mid 90s as I began teaching unique seasonal chi classes based on acupressure theory. My body began to express how chi rises in the Spring, expands in Summer, slows and pauses in Late Summer - like a roller coaster at its apex - dissipates in Fall, and sinks and turns inward in Winter.
It's such a powerful way to flow and connect to nature through movement and experience the energy of cycles in general. And magically, the perfect music appeared to express this experience even more powerfully. Check out our two minute video below.
I was also certified in yoga and reiki in the late 90s, and shortly thereafter I took my first Hakomi workshop in Asheville North Carolina as part of my counseling credits for Jin Shin Do certification. One of the participants had recently had surgery and asked for some reiki on a lunch break to see if it could help with the pain. But instead of feeling an influx of energy, she felt pain leaving her body. That was a profound zen-like moment for me, and upon reflection I remembered that an intuitive had foretold the year before that reversing the polarity of energy would be a part of my path. That is part of the inspiration behind our Reverse Reiki™.
In 1997 I was introduced to retired engineer Jeff Baugher. Jeff had been involved with holistic healing for decades and had a particular fascination with ritual space, parts work and archetypes of the zodiac... and it was contagious!
Gradually, from Jeff I began to understand how archetypes are closer to us than our own skin, and can be befriended, strengthened and cross-trained.
After an epiphany that I had, in 1999-2000 Jeff and I began creating unique fluid movements - and partner movements - similar to tai chi - to connect to and embody the twelve archetypes of the western zodiac. And because the movements were so powerful, to make them more accessible to a broader audience, we distilled out the archetypes using simple universal language, and created other unique expressions of these movements like Moving Affirmations and Sacred Movement.
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So the other gift of my Charlie Brown dream and the star that fell into my hand...
...was the archetypes based on the stars of the zodiac...
that became our unique fluid movements!
You can't make this stuff up, for my Charlie Brown "star" dream was 10 years before my epiphany about the movements! And I was literally looking up and to the right - like the image below - when I had that epiphany!
As Jeff and I began teaching the movements, in 2000 I also began a three year training in Hakomi® body-centered psychotherapy, and accepted Jeff's invitation to join the Mankind Project.
I also attended Jeff Baugher and Becky Schupbach's Shadow Work® weekends for nearly 20 years, delving into unique experiential processes to embody the archetypes of Lover, Warrior, Magician and Sovereign. I had some of the greatest insights, epiphanies and zen-like healing moments of my life there, and their facilitation skills were absolutely amazing.
I consider ShadowWork and Hakomi the deepest personal growth work I have yet experienced.
Hakomi also uses a unique form of assisted mindfulness to invite a shift from the story to the storyteller, slow experience way down and stay down in the body instead of zooming up into the head, intellect and various belief systems. When that happens, mind and body bridge in fascinating ways and ahas and zen-like moments organically emerge.
From all of the amazing experiences and trainings I have had, over the years my style of working with folks has evolved into a unique mix of mindfulness, warm-heartedness and humor. I have learned that people relax and show up more fully when received that way.
* * * * * * *
Writing this piece has been an amazing trip down memory lane, and it has also helped me connect the dots to other zen-like moments of long ago, especially near accidents and David and Goliath situations. There are just too many to include here, but I feel so blessed and incredibly grateful.
The only credit I take for any of the zen-like moments in my life is an innate sensitivity and willingness to slow down, relax, breathe and feel. I have come to believe that zen-like moments, healing, grace and creativity are just waiting to happen if one is willing to do those.
If you feel so inclined, feel free to schedule with me and together we can discover what would be a breath of fresh air for your life, dreams, goals and beliefs.
Thank you for your time and attention, and bless you on your journey.
I also attended Jeff Baugher and Becky Schupbach's Shadow Work® weekends for nearly 20 years, delving into unique experiential processes to embody the archetypes of Lover, Warrior, Magician and Sovereign. I had some of the greatest insights, epiphanies and zen-like healing moments of my life there, and their facilitation skills were absolutely amazing.
I consider ShadowWork and Hakomi the deepest personal growth work I have yet experienced.
Hakomi also uses a unique form of assisted mindfulness to invite a shift from the story to the storyteller, slow experience way down and stay down in the body instead of zooming up into the head, intellect and various belief systems. When that happens, mind and body bridge in fascinating ways and ahas and zen-like moments organically emerge.
From all of the amazing experiences and trainings I have had, over the years my style of working with folks has evolved into a unique mix of mindfulness, warm-heartedness and humor. I have learned that people relax and show up more fully when received that way.
* * * * * * *
Writing this piece has been an amazing trip down memory lane, and it has also helped me connect the dots to other zen-like moments of long ago, especially near accidents and David and Goliath situations. There are just too many to include here, but I feel so blessed and incredibly grateful.
The only credit I take for any of the zen-like moments in my life is an innate sensitivity and willingness to slow down, relax, breathe and feel. I have come to believe that zen-like moments, healing, grace and creativity are just waiting to happen if one is willing to do those.
If you feel so inclined, feel free to schedule with me and together we can discover what would be a breath of fresh air for your life, dreams, goals and beliefs.
Thank you for your time and attention, and bless you on your journey.
