Conscious Living, Conscious Aging: Embrace & Savor Your Next Chapter

by Ron Pevny

Overview

We financially plan for our retirement, but do we plan for our wellbeing? Here is an empowering guide with practical tools to help you live a passionate, fulfilling second half of life.

If you’re part of the Baby Boomer generation, then you belong to 26 percent of the US population that is retiring healthier than any generation before. And that means retirement is starting to look a whole lot different.

No longer satisfied with a quiet life of sitting on the porch or puttering around the house, retirees (or soon to be) are looking to create a passionate, active, fulfilled, and engaging later life. That’s where Ron Pevny comes in. His inspiring guide helps you do what he calls “conscious aging”—or making a reality the life of growth, purpose, service, and spiritual exploration you’ve always imagined for yourself. In addition to wisdom for navigating loss and grief, Pevny offers advice that helps you identify your goals, contribute to society, remain engaged and relevant, and spend your later years in profound personal development.

Today’s seniors are reshaping what retirement is all about. It is a whole new opportunity to engage with family, community, and the world with vigor. Don’t just grow older—age consciously.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781582704388
Publisher:	Atria Books/Beyond Words
Publication date:	10/07/2014
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	515,828
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 9.70(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Ron Pevny is the founder and director of the Center for Conscious Eldering. He received his masters degree in Integral Counseling and Psychotherapy from the California Institute of Integral Studies. He is a Certified Sage-ing Leader with Sage-ing International and is a member of their Coordinating Circle. He is also active in the Life Planning Network and is a contributor to Second Journey. He conducts workshops across the country, including at Earthrise and IONS Retreat Center.

Table of Contents

Preface vii

Introduction xi

1 Conscious Eldering: The Journey to Wholeness As We Age 1

2 Life Transitions and Rites of Passage: Portals to Conscious Elderhood 17

3 Nature As Healer and Teacher 33

4 No Regrets: Healing the Past to Empower the Future 45

5 The Work of Forgiveness and Grief 55

6 The Power of Story to Shape Our Future 73

7 Shedding Old Skins So We May Grow 87

8 Releasing the Past in the Death Lodge 99

9 Living In-Between: Practices for Navigating the Neutral Zone 109

10 Serving and Savoring As We Age 131

11 Consciously Building Legacy 143

12 Practices for Becoming and Staying Conscious 157

13 Finding Support in Community 169

Conclusion 181

Acknowledgments 185

Exercises 191

Recommended Books for Aging More Consciously 203

Organizations That Support Aging Consciously 207

Notes 213

Editorial Reviews

08/11/2014
Aging baby boomers won’t just fade away, says Pevny: they’ve saved their best act for last. As founder and director of the Colorado-based Center for Conscious Eldering, Pevny has spent a lot of time helping the generation of “cultural creatives” to bring that same focus, passion, and spirit to their final decades on Earth. He offers advice and stories drawn from his workshops and retreats that illustrate the deep emotional and psychological work he recommends for seniors. Suggested transformative activities range from the familiar (journaling about dreams) to more unusual (participating in a rite-of-passage ritual called the Death Lodge). It takes a while to get used to Pevny’s particular vocabulary—he uses some seldom-heard words, such as “elderhood”—but it makes sense to use new words for a new way of looking at aging. There’s a lot of personal development work to be done after reading, but the book itself moves quickly, with a conversational tone, as though the reader is being spoken to directly by Pevny. Specific exercises, recommendations for further reading, and chapter notes lend valuable authority to Pevny’s visionary work. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Conscious Living, Conscious Aging fills a conspicuous gap in the literature concerning positive aspects of growing older...The book is well-documented, clearly written, and insightful.

Robert C. Atchley

Ron Pevny's spot-on wisdom on the elegance of aging is spiritually relevant and deeply useful. His is an inspiring voice for living in greater mindfulness within each present moment.

Michael Bernard Beckwith

Ron Pevny's book Conscious Living, Conscious Aging is a unique and valuable resource for those seeking purpose, service, and continual growth in the later chapters of their lives. Its uniqueness lies in its weaving together of Sage-ing and other conscious aging practices, deep wisdom about life transitions and rites of passage, and inspiring stories from those who have chosen to engage in this inner work, all with the goal of supporting the development of the conscious elders our world urgently needs.

Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi