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Donald James Giacobbe worked for sixteen years as a case manager for the state of Arizona serving developmentally disabled clients. The professional nature of his human service work placed limitations on his ability to express his spiritual motivations overtly, so out of necessity he served as an "undercover agent" for God.
A more direct approach to spirituality was facilitated by living with Zen Buddhist seekers and then being part of a yoga community. Later he was the director of the Aquarian Age Yoga Center in Virginia Beach, VA. He served as an instructor of meditation and yoga, teaching college courses and appearing on television. He specialized in providing yoga teacher training certification courses and leading meditation workshops and retreats. Don has attempted in his teaching of meditation to strip away the rituals of Zen Buddhism and yoga practices and transpose only the bare essence into a Christian context. Techniques of meditation inspired by Eastern sources enhance the use of traditional Christian practices, such as the "Jesus Prayer," and lead to the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit that occurs in Christian contemplation.
Don encourages the doing of God's Will, being receptive to the Holy Spirit, and finding Christ within the temple of one's own heart. While respecting all Christian spiritual expressions, he became a monk by making his vow directly to God, without the stamp of approval from any religious organization. For many years Don used the term "Christian yoga" to describe his spiritual path, which combined following Christ with yoga disciplines. However, in recent years he has adopted the term "Miracle Yoga" to describe the specific path of Christian yoga he has chosen. This form of spirituality is a synthesis of yoga and the philosophy of "A Course in Miracles," encouraging the seeker to see with "forgiving eyes" and perceive Christ in everyone. Don's goal is to maintain a balance between opening to divine love inwardly and allowing that love to be extended outwardly to others.
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