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Paul Selig

You’ve been guiding channeled energy groups for years. What happens in these groups?

Well, each group usually begins with a channeled lecture on a subject. My guides teach and facilitate the sessions. My job is to show up, keep the dog in my lap and remember to turn on the CD recorder. After the lecture they will either work on the individuals present, offering mini-readings and energy work to support their transformation, or work with the group to enable them to work directly with themselves or each other. My guides will attune people to the energy they call the Word and support them in working with it in ways that are readily apparent and physically tangible. The energy that comes through when I channel is often physically palpable, even to people that are brand new to energy work

What do you experience when you channel? How do you hear? How does it work?

When I first began to hear, I used to feel an energy at my forehead. It was almost as if someone was pressing their lips against me and impressing the words into me, which I would then form with my lips, whisper and repeat. It’s still pretty much the same, although in the early days, I only used to be able to channel when I was doing groups, and then was always terrified that I wouldn’t be able to hear. For the first several years, it was as if I was reaching “out” of myself to hear. Eventually, there was a kind of merging with the energy I tune-in to, and now it’s always pretty available to me.

How reliable are your guides? Are there days you cannot channel?

There are certainly days when I’m clearer than others. If I’ve got a lot going on or am fearful, I might not be as effective, but usually the information comes through clearly. I have a regular group that I’ve been channeling for and doing energy work with for many years, and I often begin a session saying “I’m not up for this tonight – not sure if I can hear” and they laugh, because the information always comes through just fine.

I work two ways as a clairaudient. As a channel, I hear directly and am working with my guides, a “collective energy” that describes themselves as teachers. There’s no real interpretation involved. I’m simply relaying the information that’s given to me. I consider this to be spiritual work, as opposed to psychic work. When I work psychically, I can often tune-in to and “hear” an aspect of your boss, or your friend, but its not the same experience as channeling. In most readings, I’ll go back and forth between the two skills. For example, I might tune-in to someone’s boss and get information on a problem at work through that exchange, but then get more (and higher) information from my guides, who may explain the dynamic that’s at play, or the pattern that might be creating the problems, or how best to solve them. I’m told I’m pretty accurate. There are people who have been coming to my group for many years and most of my clients return.

In this revealing chat in her New York City apartment, Cameron sits down with Tarcher publisher Joel Fotinos to discuss her own writing process, offer tips on completing her well-known creative exercises, and answers reader questions.

Just in time for summer, we get the story behind Thin Thighs in 30 Days and some workout tips from author Wendy Stehling.

Wendy Stehling out for a run

When Thin Thighs in 30 Days was first published in the 1980s, it became an instant bestseller, topping the New York Times bestseller list. What do you think accounted for the book’s success?

It was the first book to solve a big popular appearance problem—with a deadline. It was accessible, cheap, quick, user-friendly, and with a clear process and a healthy fitness focus. In addition, it had fantastic word of mouth. My next door neighbors were buzzing about it, Hollywood was buzzing about it. Even people (and the media) internationally were getting hold of the program.

How did you first develop the 30-day plan?

I met with doctors, exercise gurus and a lot of women. I did what many people, especially authors, didn’t do too much in those days – I created focus groups. The feedback these women gave me was that they wanted a deadline and an easy plan that could be implemented each day. My biggest challenge was making sure the

The new edition of Stehling's book

approach was well-rounded, that it incorporated just the right combination of diet, strength-training and aerobic elements so that it would be really effective.

What are some of the major changes/additions you’ve made to the original Thin Thighs workout?

America now has a strong fitness focus (especially walking, a popular activity that was undervalued then). Also, many readers are more sophisticated about diets. Taking these changes into consideration, I created a tiered program, one that would accommodate not just beginners, but those who worked out both moderately and frequently. I also added elements such as running, interval training and hill work. And lastly, but most importantly in this busy world, I incorporated an Express program.

Which parts of the Work-Off, Walk-Off, Weight-Off plan do you find most challenging?

The hardest part for me is making the three-part program as a habit.

Stehling doing her "Bye Bye, Inner Thigh" exercise

Once you establish a time of day and routine and keep to it, it becomes a part of your life.

How have you stayed motivated to stick to this workout over the years?

Well, I have to look in the mirror everyday, and I have a strong desire to fit into my work wardrobe! It also helps that I love to be outside and walk and run everyday.

You’ve had success slimming down with the plan both in your 30s and now in your 50s. Have you had to make any adjustments to it along the way, or is the basic plan just as effective for women in their 30s as for those in midlife?

The plan stays the same. Age is not a factor. In the book, I am now more safety conscious, and I’ve adjusted the tightening exercises so women with back problems can follow the program. I’ve also added more stretches. I try to encourage women of any age to face their changing circumstances head on and fit the program into their lifestyle—no matter their age.

What would your response be to those who may be skeptical of the book’s 30-day promise?

In four weeks the human body can make significant changes, whether you’re strength training, healing from injury, recovering from nutrient deficiency, etc. My own experience, both doing the program and watching others follow it, is that in 30 days you can see a measurable difference in your thigh measurements and appearance if you really incorporate the program into your everyday life. In fact, you may far exceed what you had assumed is possible.

The book contains useful nutritional guidelines. How closely do you watch what you eat?

I have at least some fresh fruit and a fresh vegetable everyday. I try to eat things that quickly, healthily fill me up—a handful of almonds, instant oatmeal—and I stay conscious of the fact that if and when I eat fries, pizza, or bread with butter, I will spend the next five days working it off.

Do you have a favorite healthy summer snack?

After exercise: Fruit juice. Ideally fresh squeezed or a natural fruit smoothie. These juices hydrate, add glucose and fill you up. My secret snack, though, is chocolate frozen yogurt.

Curious to learn more? Watch our video interview with Stehling and watch her demonstrate some exercises from the book.

Watch the rest of the video in the Penguin Screening Room, as Wendy leads us through a quick mid-day workout perfect for the office and some more of her stretches and toning exercises, like the “Bye-Bye Inner Thigh” and the thigh-toning “Pony Kick”.

How did you become interested in trees?
I am convinced trees are rooted in man’s deepest psyche. Perhaps, it is some deeply-buried ancestral memory of being rocked to sleep in the branches of an acacia, out of the reach of lions and leopards; maybe it’s countless millennia of relying on them for food, warmth and shelter, but almost all of us empathize with trees on some level. Certainly many of my earliest memories involve trees – be it the fantastic tree walkway my father constructed through the tops of a local shelter belt, clambering up veteran oaks in the warmth of summer or lovingly planting apple- and cherry saplings in the back yard. As I have grown older, had children and seen them grow, I appreciate the importance of forward planning more – the need to plant now to give future generations the same pleasure and benefits that I am enjoying now, courtesy of the foresight of my forebears

How did you acquire your tremendous knowledge of trees?
It was a vegetative process, really. I learned the very basics in school science lessons, but most was just acquired as I went along. I love wandering through woodland, listening to bird song in spring and gathering mushrooms in autumn. Yes, I was very lucky to have worked with the Tree Council, which does a fantastic job promoting the value of woodland – but once again, I would say there is something very primeval about trees. Sap runs in our blood, so you don’t so much learn about them as open yourself to absorb what they have to give.

How to Plant a Tree comes out April 15. Pre-order it here:

What inspired you to write Pocket Peace?
The idea developed from a spontaneous moment. I was teaching one morning at the Community Meditation Center in New York at a time when the global economic crisis was beginning to effect everyone in one way or another. I spoke about how important it was to be generous during these difficult financial times, not just for the sake of others but also for our own wellbeing. Then I just made up a practice for everyone to try. It was: For one week carry at least five one-dollar bills with you wherever you go and do not walk past anyone asking for help. Make eye contact with every homeless person, or those down on their luck, who reach out for your help. Engage in a short conversation, “How are you doing?” is a good starter. Give them a dollar and wish them well. The specific amount could vary in accordance with your resources, but not by judging the recipient’s worthiness. This exercise needed to be done in a completely non-judgmental way. Give for the sake of giving; be totally indiscriminate; get intoxicated with the joy of generosity.

The next week people came to me with stories of how the practice had affected their lives; some even used the word “transformative.” So I created another easy-to-learn practice, and when it received the same type of response, I knew I wanted to expand the concept of short, powerful spiritual practices, the kind one could easily pull from one’s pocket.

To hear Allan Lokos discuss Pocket Peace and have him sign your copy, catch him at one of these events:

NEW YORK

Wednesday, February 24, 7:00 PM
Clinton Bookshop: 33 Main Street, Clinton, NY

Thursday, February 25, 7:00 PM
East West Living: 78 Fifth Avenue (at 14th Street)

BOSTON
Wednesday, March 3, 7:00 PM
Borders: 100 Cambridgeside Place, Cambridge, MA

WASHINGTON D.C.
Monday, March 8, 7:00 PM
Borders: 5333 Wisconsin Ave, NW.

BALTIMORE
Thursday, March 9, 7:00 PM
Breathe Books: 810 W 36th Street.

CLEVELAND
Thursday, March 18, 7:00 PM
Borders: 17200 Royalton Road. Strongsville, OH

Julia Cameron recently sat down for an interview with Tarcher/Penguin publisher Joel Fotinos to discuss everything from Morning Pages  journaling and Artist’s Dates to The Writing Diet and the importance of Walking. She also answers reader questions, submitted via Twitter.

Click here or on the image to view the video.