being w/ the unknown together
6 Week Focused Circling Series
June 21 - July 26, Tuesdays, 4-6pm
For a committed group of 5 people!
What happens when we sit with others with an intention of presence and connection?
When we slow down and pay attention, there’s a whole world to discover of unconscious habits underneath our social conversations.
We may discover that although we long to be connected, we are subtly blocking intimacy, hiding our authenticity and feeling lonely in our individual experience.
In Circling, we practice becoming aware of what is happening under the surface of our social interactions.
The first step is awareness, the next step is discerning what to share of our real, present moment experience. The third step is becoming curious about other’s inner worlds and which dynamics are at play in our relating.
Through this relational meditation practice, we join each other exactly as we are, without needing to change or fix the present moment. Circling skills are relationship skills, and impact your connections both with the other group members, as well as in your life.
In Circling we practice being in the unknown together without an agenda to change or fix our or anyone else’s present moment experience.
Circling practice leads to deeper, more honest, and energizing relationships
Structure of each week:
Arrival Grounding
Brief Check-in
Circling Skill Practice/ Seed idea
Focused Circle approx 1 hr
Check-out
Each person receives an entire hour of Circling attention. This balanced exchange of attention allows each person to soak in the rare opportunity to receive open-hearted, curious attention from a group. There will be two extra weeks for Organic circles.
In this series, we will explore and improve our ability to:
See and be seen
Let people in our inner worlds, share how others impact us
Be with others without trying to change, fix, or give advice
Own our own experiences, communicate honestly without blame
Notice our unconscious motivations and fears
Discern and respond to aliveness in the conversation
Embrace all parts of ourselves, especially those that are often kept in shadow
Details:
6 weeks: June 21 - July 26th, Tuesdays 4-6pm ET
For people who have Circled at least once before
In person sessions - we will meet in my office at 5 Strong Ave. We may also meet outside in Northampton if the weather is pleasant.
The Last session may add an additional 15-30 minutes for closing
Commitment to attend at least 4/6 of the sessions
5 participant spots
$120 earlybird by June15th, $135 regular, payment can be made in 1 or 2 instalments
No refunds after June 18th
For covid safety, please don’t come if you are feeling sick or have been exposed to anyone with covid
If you are interested in joining the series but have never Circled before, you can book a private intro to learn the foundation of the practice and get caught up to speed here
What People are Saying After Focused Small Group Circling Series:
“I looked forward to each circle with a sense of anticipation and excitement, what will emerge this time? What will I discover about myself? What will I learn about others? And always, there was a deepening of the connective fabric between us as a group. I felt a sense of belonging, just as I am, the full humanness of me. This is what I love about circling.”
“I loved SO much about this circling series. I loved feeling the way that the connection between the humans in this series continued to deepen and become more authentic and real with each passing week. I loved learning about the circling techniques and being curious about the techniques that seemed to come naturally, and those that were more challenging for me to utilize. I loved feeling my own connection to self deepen as I carved out this time to listen to what my body was telling me.” - Camille
“I really appreciated the time to slow down and connect deeply. I feel like I've gained skills that I can take into everyday conversation. I have also been reminded of the importance of creating spaces that inspire, encourage, and hold this type of opportunity for connection. Michelle is a gentle, present, and skilled facilitator. I loved the series, and loved having her lead us.” - Zach Cohen
"Michelle holds such a warm, open, honest space. In this container, the group was able to open to rich, revealing, and transformative processes in every session."
“Being Circled is an opportunity to take risks and share parts of myself with other people in a safe and supportive setting. It’s healing.”
Michelle's facilitation is: "Attentive, considerate, patient, alive, so refreshingly transparent, joyful, kind, gentle, aware, compassionate and skillful."