Four Ancient Tools to Transform Your Leadership

BY CARISSA JOHNSEN

One of the oldest forms of spiritual practice on the planet is known as Shamanism. Its roots can be found across every single continent and nearly every culture, with a history that goes back thousands of years.

The word shaman originated in Siberia and means “one who knows”. They are the keepers of supernatural healing, empowerment, and wisdom and are considered the leaders of their communities. These individuals value the sacredness of all life and believe in the relationship between all things. Shamans facilitate transformation and create harmony within themselves and, therefore, their tribes.

Their work is to tap into higher states of consciousness and stand as a bridge, or medium, between the spiritual and threedimensional world, allowing access to information that can help individuals step into their sovereignty. Much of the growth that comes from either working with a shaman or implementing their techniques far exceeds what modern medicine and current human knowledge can explain.

The path to this kind of Spirit-led leadership is not necessarily an easy or accessible one. To become a shaman, you need to be initiated and surrender your life to the Divine completely. However, one of the many lessons we can all take from their lifestyle is to come into ‘the right way’. This essentially means living in truth, reverence, integrity, and love with all things, including self, purpose, others, mother nature, and the Creator.

These four foundational practices below will help you to master the basics of self-leadership so that you can transcend beyond your own potential and serve humanity on a greater level:

The first practice is grounding. Mother Earth vibrates at a frequency of 7.83 Hz, also known as the Schumann Resonance. Electromagnetic fields generated by technology can disrupt your energy system and disconnect you from this frequency, leaving you feeling unbalanced, unregulated, and chaotic. As a leader, you know that being healthy, clear-minded, and showing up in a regulated state are top priorities.

A simple practice for grounding is to walk outside barefoot, swim in the ocean and connect directly with the earth. When you do this, you would be able to come back into harmony with this frequency. Mother Earth has an infinite supply of free electrons which, when accessed, will allow energy to flow naturally in your body. This can reduce inflammation, improve sleep, enhance circulation, normalize your biological rhythms, and promote calmness.

The second practice is breathwork. Your breath is your life force. When you are stressed, tense, constantly performing at peak states, and not making time for your body to relax, you restrict oxygen from circulating and regulating your nervous system. Connecting to your breath, paying attention to its rhythm, and guiding it can enhance your ability to go from a survival brain state to an emotional brain state and then to an executive brain state.

There are many different styles of breath work, but one of my favorites is to breathe in for 4, hold for 7 and exhale for 8—ensuring that the exhale out is the longest. The longer the breath, the more you feel. This activates the parasympathetic nervous system, releases tension, and allows for inner peace and introspection. Your breath is how you let yourself be led by higher consciousness.

The third is my favorite, which is ritual. In Shamanism, they refer to life as a ceremony. Everything you experience is medicine. You are walking a path surrounded and supported by the spiritual world. By creating sacred space through intention setting and ritualistic processes, you can clear energy from your field, remove beliefs from your awareness, call in your desires, and come into greater connection with God/Source/Creator.

An example of a leadership ritual would be to block off one hour or more in your calendar at least once a week. Use some herbs, like sage, to clear the space, light some candles, state intentions and ask for clarity around problems you are solving, decisions you are making, and areas you can improve. You can also ask for a sign to be shown what to do. You will receive guidance—whether in that moment or thereafter if you pay attention.

The last practice is prayer. This is one of the most underrated yet potent tools for leadership. Your prayer is how you direct your energy. It is the fabric of life. When you pray, you are not only creating your reality and asking for what you want but also acknowledging your openness and willingness to be led. Prayer helps you get present in the moment and access your heart, which is the medium between worlds. Leading requires great courage, and when you can call upon more support, you can surrender to the divinity and perfection of everything.

If you are uneasy before your work day, place your hand on your heart and state: “Dear God/Creator/Universe, I am feeling ______. I thank you for helping me release this easily, and effortlessly. If I am meant to learn more, I ask that you guide me to clarity and integration. I am here to serve and I further release all fears and false beliefs around my purpose and am now aligning with the highest source of truth. Thank you for empowering me. Thank you for guiding me. Thank you for allowing me the greatest gift of being a conduit for the healing and growth of all. I dedicate myself to being a clear, loving, open channel for love. I accept and receive support from a higher wisdom through unconditional love. I trust in this now. So be it.”

Implementing these four simple yet incredibly effective ancient practices will offer you the gift of coming into the ‘right way’ with yourself. As you reconnect with the power within you and around you, this will radically transform your leadership.

About the author:

Carissa Johnsen is a Shamanic Practitioner, Transformational Speaker, Executive Producer, and Podcast host of Transcendent leadership. She has a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology and is a trained Shamanic Healer with over seven years of experience in the field of human behavior, energy healing, leadership coaching, and business consulting.

She is passionate about health, leadership, and performance through the lens of merging ancient wisdom and the modern world, working and speaking alongside high-performing leaders and public figures such as Dr. Joe Vitale, Marie Diamond, and Dr. John Demartini. Carissa has co-produced, as well as co-hosted events that featured Brown Kevin, Michael Beckwith, Harrington, and Sharon Lechter.