Authentic Madison

Must Sign Up Here - At this Link (ignore RSVP on Meetup, you must sign up at MSYC to secure your spot)

This is an Intermediate Level Circle: We recommend having participated in at least 2 - 5 (non-beginner) circles before attending. In this 3 hour session, we will start with a circle exactly as we do in the Monthly Circling Lab. This will get us “warmed up” and put us in a place of the meditative space of connection before we move into the second half to use circling tools to explore the enactment of wisdom.

We use the tools of circling to have conversations about things that matter with a life well lived. More than a philosophical conversation, we will be exploring aliveness as it moves through our discourse.

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Must Sign Up Here - At this Link (ignore RSVP on Meetup, you must sign up here at MSYC to secure your spot)

What's Going On?
We will practice two circles (practice description below) as well as have some integration time. We combine mindfulness exercises and Authentic Relating Basics to set the foundation of how to bring your feel of yoga / meditation into life, particularly social life. If group dynamics call for it, we may replace one of the circles with a meditation or Authentic Relating Exercise. Payment is treated just like a yoga class (drop in rate, free for members, you can use a class pass).

What is Circling?
Circling is the application of mindfulness to social life. It is an Intersubjective Meditation Practice where the participants all sit in a circle and essentially have a "meditative conversation". It is one part meditation / awareness practice and other part authentic relating practice. Most people who practice circling meditation regularly report feeling more connected to others and their own heart, self insight, and more ease with relationships in their life as the benefits of circling.

How Does It Work?
As participants sit in a circle, one person will be the “circlee” and will get most of our attention. The facilitator (Alex) will serve two roles: (1) As an air traffic controller and (2) as a type of yoga “communicative/verbal posture” adjuster. We (the participants) will be holding an intention of getting what its like to be the circlee (empathy) and having a meditative type conversation on how we experience the circlee in the moment. All participants are welcome to chime in. With multiple participants, the circle can be pulled in multiple directions. Therefore the facilitator will prioritize a particular direction (air traffic control) or thread in service of what is most alive or present.

This practice is not therapy. We are not in circle to fix the circlee, commiserate, give them advice, or tell them how they should or should not be. Still, we acknowledge what arises for us and share impact. This helps us explore any shared reality. We do this by owning our experience (stating what is inarguable) and checking it with the circlee. If this sounds confusing, no worries, it will be the facilitator’s job to help you (2, verbal yoga adjustments).

This practice can help you tune into the things that you’re missing day to day and tune into the elements that help you see others, discover relational blind spots, be seen by others, connect, create intimacy, and discover things about yourself that you might not have found in 20 years sitting on a meditation cushion alone. . In the end, circling is exploring your true nature and the true nature of others.

For more explanation, see:
https://www.authrev.org/circling/
https://circlinginstitute.com/what-is-circling-method/
We would love for you to join us!

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