What IS Awe?

Reclaiming Awe in Your Everyday Life, June 23-25

Think about the last time you were in a vast landscape, entranced by a sunset, or enchanted by the miracle of life while holding an infant. Oohs or whoas may have escaped your mouth. Goosebumps may have danced up your spine. These feelings may have been brief, but their impact remains. These feeling weren’t just in your head—something incredible was happening in whole being. Your fight-flight-freeze response was reduced as your “rest and digest” response came online helping you be less anxious, calmer, and more playful. Your oxytocin levels rose, increasing your general sense of well-being and desire to connect. Past regrets and future worries dimmed as awe focused you on the present.

These are just a few of the beneficial effects awe has on our mental, physical and emotional state. I’ll provide more details in my next two posts, but before we get to that, just what the heck is Awe? Dacher Keltner, in his book Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life, defines awe as the feeling we get in the presence of something vast that challenges our understanding of the world. His studies revealed the most common sources of awe are other people and nature, but it can be evoked in other ways including music, art, architecture, design, religious experiences, the supernatural, and what he calls collective effervescence, which can be as diverse as marching in lockstep in an army regiment, playing music with others, dancing, or being part of a sports or political rally.

My lived experienced has taught me the power and practicality of weaving awe into my everyday life. To bring that same power and practicality to others, I've created my newest experiential retreat, Reclaiming Awe in Everyday Life. This three-day residential retreat near Missoula, Montana, from June 22-25, 2023, will explore and offer experiences of awe as an antidote to the over-stressed, over-achieving, and under-satisfying experience of daily life common to all at times.

In honor of readers of my blog, I'm offering $500 off to anyone who registers by May 1 with a $500 deposit. Please find more information on the retreat here and feel free to call, email, or send me a WhatsApp message.

Au Revoir for now! Steve Hindman

steve@stevehindmancoach.com +41 (0)79 796 08 97 WhatsApp +1 (360) 303-0473 Expand Your Experience!