The Man Who Will Change Your Life

"You are not your mind". - Eckhart Tolle

Biography and Education

Eckhart Tolle was born on Feburary 16, 1948 in the North-Rhine Westphalia town of Lünen which is north of Dortmund, and on both banks of the River Lippe. He is a well-known German-Canadian spiritual writer, guide, public speaker and educator who currently resides in Vancouver, British Columbia with his wife Kim Eng, who is also a spiritual guide.

He was born after World War 2, and suffered from multiple complications during his childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood. That being said, his early childhood was the most challenging time of his life. His parents were constantly arguing, he was surrounded by and used to play in abandoned and dilapidated buildings, as well as not being satisfied with the education system, which were the primary factors to his mental health disorders.

At the age of 13, he moved to Mallorca, Spain to live with his father, where he resided for the remainder of his adolescence. In lieu of attending school, his father let him homeschool himself by reading books that he was interested in, studying topics of interest such as foreign languages and astronomy. At the age of 15, he became fascinated by new age books written by German mystic and spiritual author Joseph Anton Schneiderfranken (also known as Bo Yin Ra). Eckhart stated that he was very attached to his books, and had an intense response to these books, which made him achieve some level of mental, spiritual, and emotional wellness. Asides from homeschooling himself, Eckhart held on various jobs, with one of them being a restaurant menu translator.

At the age of 19 years old, Eckhart moved to London, England to teach German and Spanish at a specialized language school. Around that time, he reexperienced mental health episodes, and was constantly seeking answers to his personal dilemmas. In his early twenties, Eckhart decided to enter his path to recovery by studying philosophy, psychology, and literature while being enrolled at the University of London. After he graduated, he was offered a scholarship to do some postgraduate studies at the collegial research university of Cambridge University. Eckhart Tolle attended this university in 1977, but eventually quit his studies.

Until the age of 29, he suffered from long periods of depression. One night in 1977, Eckhart experienced a natural, instant, and inner transformation. He awoke from his sleep, and noticed that his depression reduced tremendouly. He told himself that he couldn't tolerate his issues and that he couldn't live with himself any longer, which was the main motive for his willingness to change.

For quite a few years, he was homeless and lived on park benches. A few years later, he entered his career path as a spiritual counsellor and writer. His first and well-known spiritual book The Power of Now was released in 1997 by Namaste Publishing. Ever since The Power of Now gained popularity, his career in spiritual wellness, writing, and education continued, which led him to doing more public speaking and hosting spiritual retreats in multiple places across the globe.

This is one of my favourite videos of Eckhart Tolle. Please feel free to check out this video of Eckhart walking in nature.

How Eckhart gradually changed my life

A few months after I moved out of my family home, I promised myself that I was gradually going to work on bettering myself and getting my life back. After several years of experiencing anxiety bouts, depressive episodes, binge-eating problems, and grappling with anger management, I knew it was time for me to change. I was going to be 21, and I needed to "grow-up and be a woman". Years of bullying in school can't be the main excuse for my behaviour and choices I make in my adulthood, is what I thought to myself. In addition to attending intesive, in-home behaviour therapy sessions, changes in my diet and exercise routine, I chose Eckhart Tolle as a resource, because he's been through similar challenges as me. He was going to be a lifelong resource for me, alongside my family, friends, therapist, and community. At one point, my brother owned The Power of Now, which made me have some degree of familiarity to Eckhart Tolle in my teens.

Although his videos are outstanding, his quotes have been more impactful than the videos. I learn better by reading and seeing, as opposed to listening to information for long periods of time. I would research and keep multiple Eckhart Tolle quotes on Pinterest and would try to remember them at the best of my ability. If I had to reread them, I allowed myself to do that to better understand and remember them for good. They were pretty impactful and stood out to me. As a poet and quote writer myself, his use of language, metaphors, and expressing himself has also given me the opportunity to improve and continue writing poetry and quotes.

Watching a series of his videos were also beneficial, because I got to hear some input and ideas that I wouldn't have ever thought of. Prior to becoming a fan of Eckhart Tolle, I had zero motivation to meditate and appreciate the "present moment". His idea of simply "just being" really stood out to me, because I'm not the type of individual to "lay there and just be". By doing nothings for a long time, I would become prone to frequent mood swings and fatigue. The only time I would have to permit myself to "just be" would be at night before bed. I would put on some binaural beats and enable myself to lay down and let my thoughts come up without paying attention to them.

Another one of my favourite "present moment exercises" that I learned from Eckhart Tolles videos was to look around your room and notice all the things in your room. I began to practice this technique in my bedroom, because my bedroom is what makes me feel "more in touch with the present moment", as well as the park if I was spending some time outdoors. Feeling the fresh air, smelling the flowers, and looking around different buildings made my spiritual walks more meaningful.

I can't thank Eckhart Tolle enough for helping me get my life back. This was going to be a lengthy journey for me, but he made me get back on my feet. I have to continously watch his videos to better understand them, since he communicate in such a complex and technical fashion. As I continue to watch them, I have to put on auto-captions, so I can read and hear what he says. I'm grateful to find someone who has been through a similar path as me. After watching several of his videos and reading a bunch of his quotes on the Internet, I'm becoming more interested in spiritual topics/hobbies like Lucid Dreaming, Meditation, Tea Leaf Reading, Crystal Healing, as well as listening to a collection of new-age hits by Sadhguru and Vijay Kannan. For anyone looking to transform their lives and finding some level of connectivity with a celebrity, Eckhart Tolle should be your first resort! Although he won't change your life overnight, it's worth a shot! He may not be the right fit for you, but he is worth checking out!

Below are the Amazon links for The Power of Now, Milton's Secret (a children's book) and A New Earth!

For anyone who is interested in attending some of the spiritual retreats hosted by him and his wife Kim Eng, click on the link below!