Living in the Presence of Divine Grace

In 2023 I had the immense pleasure of taking an extended course in Vedanta spirituality taught by Gordon Yonel that, I truly believe, would be of great benefit to all of humanity. If a 9-month course seems a bit extreme, like a late-stage pregnancy that you’re not sure how to budget in your schedule, please believe that I survived without any labor pains at all. In fact, the experience felt more like an ecstatic virgin birth in 34 stages!

The Art of Living Organization’s 34-session Ashtavakra Gita course is dedicated to studying the titular Hindu text that, I now appreciate, should be required learning in every high school worldwide. The Ashtavakra Gita is a sacred text written in the form of a dialogue between a sage, Ashtavakra, and a king, Janaka, exploring the illusory nature of reality and the bondage that obstructs our view of Divinity. The Knowledge shared in this course offers a radical vision of non-dualistic philosophy. In its proclamations about the absolute oneness of existence, we are re-united with the peace, love, and joy that is our inalienable birthright: equal source, destination, and essence of all life as we know it.

If all this sounds a bit too much, just do yourself a favor and check it out. The course is structured as a series of video recordings documenting talks by His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (also known as Gurudev)—the Art of Living founder, spiritual leader, and global humanitarian—interpreting one of the classic Hindu sacred texts that have been especially influential for him. Of course, the referenced text can be accessed in the public domain for free. But Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has a remarkable way of whittling lessons to the quick with poetic tangents and interpretations that often seem as profound as the source material; and he does it all while leavening the text with a touching sense of humor and a childlike innocence.

And then there’s the course teacher, Gordon Yonel. Although Gordon may modestly prefer the title of facilitator, like all those who are truly devoted to their calling, Gordon is as enthusiastic about teaching as he is about learning. With his scholarly attention to detail, Gordon is a plum-hearted, humble-headed conduit for the timeless Knowledge he shares in sincere service to his classes. Gordon has a way of firmly, yet gently, nurturing your understanding, guiding you when you stray off point. As the class struggled along the way, grasping for awareness about the meaning of Vedantic non-dualism, he always encouraged us to reflect deeper and explore further—attending to the seams of our understanding from the inside out.

Whatever title bestowed upon Gordon, he is perceptive, articulate and bright, pausing while speaking to gracefully shape his insights into deep connections of thought that benefit the entire class. He has a great way of pulling out a learner’s understanding naturally, empowering each individual to experience the Knowledge on their own terms—rather than merely intellectualizing it from the sidelines. I often felt simultaneously calmed and vitalized by the learning process, resting in the illuminating field of Knowledge until it unveiled a fathomless space within me.

Is Gordon a flawless vessel of Divinity? Well, to gamble some much-deserved blushing on his end, it’s worth issuing a couple of closing comments. If you’re considering signing up for an Art of Living course led by Gordon, take under advisement that the core of timeless Knowledge which Gordon shares can sometimes be ornamented by two natural qualities of Gordon’s individual being: 1) an indefatigable charm; and 2) boyish good looks. If that’s not enough, you’ve been forewarned: Gordon’s eager smile and contagious laughter might just make you reconsider…

In closing, as Sri Sri Ravi Shankar writes in An Intimate Note to the Sincere Seeker, Volume 5: “Knowledge is a burden if it robs you of innocence. Knowledge is a burden if it is not integrated into life. Knowledge is a burden if it doesn’t bring joy.” Throughout the 9-month Ashtavakra Gita course, I experienced fleeting moments of profound clarity, moments when I believed I could see glimpses of my soul reflected off of Gordon’s gleaming forehead. It’s this type of translucence of self that I wish to cultivate in my life and see reflected in the world around me.

On behalf of the Art of Living and the entire Vedanta tradition, thank you, Gordon and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar for sharing this Knowledge of joy in such a joyful way. May I continue to integrate it into my life with sincerity, responsibility, and freedom.

In addition to the Ashtavakra Gita, Gordon teaches the Bhagavad Gita and Sudarshan Kriya Yoga through the Art of Living Organization. To inquire about his Art of Living courses, email Gordon at gordon.yonel@artofliving.org. Additionally, Gordon is trained in Gestalt methodology and has extensive experience developing a practice that mixes holistic spirituality and coaching in a way that empowers the individual to harmoniously integrate their personal and professional lives. To learn about his spiritual counseling and executive coaching, visit Gordon at www.renaissancexcoaching.com/.

Written by Todd B. Gruel

I am forever grateful for our time together. My life called, and you answered. In a time of uncertainty, change, transition, and anxiety you provided me with everything that I needed to excel. Awareness… In our first meeting I spoke. You sat there and gave me a platform to open up. I’ll never forget after 70 minutes of talking, you took the last 5 to dissect me. In our second meeting you let me speak again, this time for not as long. You already had me pegged, you felt it. When you explained to me what confluence meant it began to create my awareness. What you did for me, I did for so many people. I love having the ability to do that, but in that I lost myself. I am forever grateful for our time together because I was lost. Trying to save a business, managing my parents marriage, supporting my sister, balancing the family business dynamic, and never letting my wife down. Focusing on everything else but me.

I am excited for what is on the life path ahead. Gordon, I needed you. I needed everything that you provided for me. I am aware and I am focused. My strength is me and for a while, ‘me’ didn’t exist. My goals in life are to be a great husband, an amazing father, a good son, an awesome friend, and whatever I do, excel at it. Thank you for your time, your professionalism, how genuine and engaging you are, and most importantly for listening. I needed someone to listen and you did. For that I am forever grateful. I have a long way to go, but you’ve given me the knowledge and the platform to succeed at my goals. Confluence was just a word, our time together was just a stepping stone, my self-awareness is just beginning. Thank you for everything that you did for me, you are amazing at what you do. I believe that I will succeed because of my wife, my family, my friends, and myself. Thank you for being one of my friends.

Gordon’s coaching has helped me to identify issues that have stood in the way of business success and assisted me in developing ways of working through these issues. Gordon’s coaching has not only helped me to achieve goals, but more importantly, it has helped me to discover who I am and what I’m capable of.

It’s a challenging concept to look inside yourself in an effort to advance your career. It becomes even more challenging when you share your thoughts and deficiencies with another.
From my first session with Gordon, it became clear that it was going to be a different kind of coaching/interaction.
Gordon has been an exceptional confidant, counselor, and collaborator, who continues to inspire me to look deep inside for answers.
Inner reflection can definitely be hard, although Gordon’s experience and knowledge help cultivate thought-provoking and meaningful conversations.
Gordon has been a tremendous benefit, and I look forward to our time together!

Gordon has coached me and helped me with a variety of business challenges I was having with my own clients. He is incredibly bright, thoughtful, and helpful. I would recommend him to any executive who is looking for more awareness and wants the ability to use his/her skills more effectively. Gordon has the ability to help clients draw out the very most from their potential.

In only a few meetings, Gordon has helped me identify aspects of my professional and management career where I feel stuck. We get to the core issues quickly and try to develop short term and long term resolutions. He is direct and offers his insights while allowing me to figure things out for myself. He offers a unique perspective from the work world and from life in general!

Working with Gordon, is a pleasure. He is a great listener, encouraging, a methodical thinker, an effective communicator and has a true passion for furthering my agenda. Gordon gave me a completely different point of view, a rare perspective. His insights and capacity to ask probing yet non-judgmental questions helped me identify some challenges that I realized I was having. His guidance led me to my discovery as to how to address those challenges in a logical way. With his approach and help, I became aware what aspects of my life I could work to improve, and why nothing is absolute but everything is relative. Thank you Gordon!

I was skeptical about the Executive Coaching process, but during my sessions with Mr. Yonel, I have come to expect the un-expected. Mr. Yonel helps turn an issue/problem on its head and creatively draws out of your knowing a path forward for addressing an issue/problem. I have learned to take a moment and possibly question whether there isn’t another vantage point from which I can approach an issue.

I began working with Gordon a little over a year ago, and can’t tell you the difference it has made in both my work and personal life. I travel domestically and internationally for business, and always have a lot of projects in the air. Gordon has shown me proven ways to maintain balance in my work life, and more importantly how to walk away without guilt in order to have quality time with my family. The key is that Gordon is not working from just theory – he has been there. His business experience, combined with his knowledge to coach, makes him the perfect person to guide me in what I do. The improvement to my decision making skills is so much greater, and my confidence has soared.

Gordon Yonel has the unique blend of experience, competence and empathy to the C-Level business executive. His non-judgmental approach allows the client to ‘self-discover’ leverage points and limiting factors in professional, personal and interpersonal relationships. He effectively brings an objective customized approach to expose opportunities, bring knowledge to application and help set progress points-a unique blend of skill sets.

Gordon challenges his clients to think critically about themselves and their situation. He was able to give me an immediately actionable leadership philosophy. After helping me to analyze my interactions with others, we worked together to identify the best path to achieve my career goals!

Gordon is an excellent coach. My time with him helps me clarify my issues and begin to move forward. He has outstanding observational skills and knows when to remind me of what I’ve said previously. In that way, he holds up a mirror so I can see myself better; it is an incredibly powerful tool. He has great insight and intellect, which comes in handy. But he never makes the process about himself—he has a gift for being present for me—helping me discover the things only I can. I recommend him highly.

Gordon is a man of many hobbies developed over his life time. He has developed those in addition to being an impressive businessman. As I came to understand after working with him for years, the umbrella encompassing these seemingly distinctive baskets of hobbies appears to be “business”. I came to this awareness that in each hobby he allows you to find a fascinating connection to the unknown. And relating this “unknown” to “business” for learning and growth is his real art, making “bigger” sense of what I call hobbies, as they relate to all aspects of daily and strategic business wins. The lens he encourages me to look through to get the situation framed (e.g., in photography), the calmness a piece of “sound” offers in a difficult meeting (e.g., music), the intentional use of “misdirection” and “timing” during tough negotiations around a conference table (e.g., close-up magic) are now surfacing for me as lessons that I discovered, after years of working with him. This fascinating wisdom connected to my life, creating a different type of awareness in the execution of my leadership role; which in turn, brings to mind the thought that leadership is art, and the more dimensions we allow developing within ourselves, the more range we can offer to others as humans, parents and leaders. This is what he has done for me. And I am grateful for that.

I was introduced to Gordon O. Yonel in 2004 by a mutual friend. We had lunch a struck up a personal relationship, drawn by common business interests, not to mention we were both immigrants. I had come from the UK in 1989. Gordon is the epitome of listening. You know the old adage that God gave me two ears and one pair of lips so I may hear more and speak less! His adept talent for listening, with a few very probing and thought-provoking questions is nothing short of genius. Concise, to the point and no nonsense style breeds confidence in being open, frank and trusting of Gordon’s method. With many years of experience leading teams in the software industry all too often at the top you are expected to have the answers. Confidently I can say today working alongside Gordon on business challenges it is as if I have a hidden “Co-CEO” behind me to navigate the decision cycle. Gordon O. Yonel is a special human being for a host of reasons: e.g., his work with the Hospice house, his commitment to making others around him better, personal integrity and for those of us lucky enough to engage his talents in a professional capacity. His enthusiasm to listen, analyze and coach in a manner that makes it crystal clear, a clarity no matter what the challenge presents. Gordon, as my mother would say, is like an old pair of slipper:, well tried, comfortable to be with and fits well no matter what the situation! Gordon’s business acumen is unrivaled. His ability to decipher the key elements and coach you through a thorough step-by-step plan outlined in simplicity is simply extraordinary!

Gordon’s coaching has been immensely helpful. While I initially engaged his services to achieve greater success in my career, I am experiencing improvements in all areas of my life. Gordon’s kind, courteous and non-judgmental manner combined with his skillful guidance have been instrumental in helping me work towards reaching my goals. Most notable is the very new level of a personal awareness I have achieved during our sessions. I am now focusing on various aspects of myself that I hadn’t even realized were keeping me from achieving true success. I am delighted with my progress and these positive changes that I have made so far. Gordon has this unique ability to make me feel accepted exactly as I am, while simultaneously guiding me through the challenging process of awareness needed to become a better me.
A special note to Gordon:
“- Gordon, the last sentence above reflects the true magic that is uniquely you. Without your ways and process approach, I doubt that I would have figured out this certain “- Je ne sais quoi!” that has perplexed me for some time. Your sincere unconditional positive regard and the soothing environment of your practice create a true “safe place” where I am able and willing to honestly examine some of my most unflattering characteristics. To feel your acceptance with all of my ugliness in plain sight is a priceless gift. To feel accepted and be challenged at the same time is a unique and wonderful experience. I am truly grateful for your support, and thank you for sharing your unique gifts and talents with me. I look forward to even greater success as my journey continues”.