The Role Spirituality and Meditation Can Play in Improving Your Life, Health, Relationships and Career

(Minnetonka, Minn.) – Whether you have a problem at home, school, work or in your social life, have a sinking feeling that you’re not living up to your potential and should be doing something different with your life, or simply wish to grow spiritually, who do you turn to for advice and assistance? Your spouse, a friend, a religious leader, or perhaps a psychologist?

Sometimes one or more of these people can help you reach the conclusions you are seeking; but more often than not, it’s going to take a skilled, experienced spiritual life coach to really help achieve the changes you desire. What exactly is a spiritual life coach?

“Someone who provides both the support and structure to help you reconnect with your authentic self and deepen a vital connection with your soul,” explains Rev. Alan Pritz, an ordained Interfaith Minister and one of the founding partners of the recently opened Areté Center, a healing and wellness center in Minnetonka, Minn.

For as long as he can remember, Rev. Pritz, who has developed a reputation as the “Go-to-Guy” for spiritual counseling and meditation services, has made spirituality the cornerstone of his life, and he enjoys sharing his knowledge with people in need.

Rev. Pritz can trace his interest in spirituality back to his childhood. “I was about four-years-old when I looked up my first word in the dictionary and it was minister,” said Pritz. The definition for the word minister in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is “a person whose job involves leading church services, performing religious ceremonies (such as marriages), and providing spiritual or religious guidance to other people.”

“Amusingly, I remembered it as ‘minister of good’, not God, and said to myself, ‘That’s what I want to be,’ said Pritz who recalls his early childhood interest in being of service to people, usually, however, if they weren’t immediate family. Fortunately the desire to serve remained yet grew to include whoever he was called to assist, including family.

When he was a teenager, Rev. Pritz also developed a passionate interest in the martial arts. “I focused not so much on the fighting aspects, although they were quite valuable, but on the energetic and spiritual elements,” he said. Rev. Pritz had a particular interest in meditation and, after reading “The Autobiography of a Yogi,” became intensely drawn to help people deepen their relationship with God through scientific meditation and related spiritual practices or educational training.

After many years studying and working in this capacity, he became an Interfaith Minister because he realized, “My earning this authoritative title would allow people of all faiths to relate more comfortably to me and, accordingly, be more receptive to learning. As an Interfaith Minister I encourage people to honor the faith path that is right for them while at the same time help them to deepen their relationship with Spirit.” Rev. Pritz’s unique background and training give him the specialized skill sets to do just that.

As an Interfaith Minister, Rev. Pritz is licensed to perform a full range of ministerial functions from worship services to marriages, baby blessings, funerals, naming ceremonies, life celebrations, and so forth yet his principle interests lie in providing spiritual counseling, guidance, coaching, healing and, of course, meditation training. These latter services Rev. Pritz offers at the Areté Center in Minnetonka. Blending holistic vision with time-honored techniques and practical application, Rev. Pritz helps individuals cultivate spiritual growth plus address work-life issues from a higher-perspective framework.

"When people seek to improve themselves, their relationships, or their work by addressing spiritual growth, inner balance, or enriched insight, that´s where I can be of greatest assistance. My methods draw on ancient spiritual technologies to enrich life. I do not engage in passing trends but specialize in timeless practices that are as relevant and beneficial now as when originally conceived," said Rev. Pritz, who brings more than 38 years experience to his practice. 

In addition to his work as an Interfaith Minister and spiritual counselor/coach/meditation teacher, he is also a corporate consultant and author of two books on meditation and spiritual practice.

“Pocket Guide To Meditation,” originally published in 1997 by Crossing Press, is an excellent primer which provides a classical rendering of the steps and stages of meditation in a context suitable for Western audiences. When Rev. Pritz regained publishing rights to the book he re-released it through iUniverse where it remains available online.

His next book, “Meditation as a Way of Life,” is an expanded and more advanced work that is schedule for release in Oct. 2014. Rev. Pritz has also produced several CDs on devotional chanting and meditation. They are available for purchase via the website, http://awake-in-life.com.

Rev. Alan Pritz is a referral source selected by Blue Cross Blue Shield of MN for members seeking the specialized services he offers. He was also chosen as Meditation & Life-Balance Provider by the US Army Reserves for a Yellow-Ribbon Combat Veteran Reintegration Program.

To learn more about his services, log on to www.thearetecenter.com. To schedule an appointment, call 612-721-4100.

About the Areté Center 

The Areté Center is a healing and wellness center nestled against the wetlands of Minnetonka, offering a beautiful and tranquil setting, where the sights and sounds of nature surround you. The Center currently offers psychotherapy, spiritual counseling and meditation training. Within the next few months, The Center will be fully staffed providing massage, yoga, exercise, energy work and nutrition.