Greatwoods Zen Community

Registration link: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/day-of-mindfulness-in-the-heart-of-reedy-creek-park

Our day will include:
Guided and silent meditation
Mindful Somatic Movement
Songs that teach and remind us to practice mindfulness
Outdoor mindful walking in a beautiful forest setting (weather permitting)
A sharing, reading or video about the practice of Mindfulness
Group Dharma sharing
Potluck lunch

If the weather does not permit outdoor activities, we may remain indoors.

Please arrive 5 to 15 minutes early so we can all arrive and settle in without too much commotion.

We will meet for more of a formal practice from 10am to 1:00pm.

However, after closing, those who wish to stay are invited for a mindful lunch together. Someone from the community sometimes prepares a main meal, but feel free to bring what you would like to share. There is refrigerator space. We eat in silence for about 15 minutes and then have time to just hang out and chat.

Optional items to bring: A water bottle, cushion for sitting (we have some as well), a journal and an open heart.

Also, on rainy days, bring a rain coat, boots you don't mind getting muddy and an umbrella in case we decide the rain is light enough to venture outside.

We look forward to practicing together with you!

Facilitated by James Dial & Annabeth Novitzki
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𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗘: Signing up on Meetup doesn't grant you a spot. Please reserve at the following link:
ㅤhttps://www.relateful.com/offers/xfX78DCj/checkout
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We all have aspects of our experience we don’t include in connection.
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Sometimes it’s conscious, and sometimes it’s so habitual we don’t even notice we are quietly setting a part of ourselves aside before connection even begins.
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I don’t bring my anger because I worry others will reject me. I don’t welcome my erotic energy because I don’t trust myself to be with desire skillfully. I don’t include my brilliance because I worry others will be intimidated. As you are reading this, you may even notice aspects of your experience you are leaving out.
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We often exclude these experiences because we care, want to be appropriate, and want to attune. We don't want to make anyone uncomfortable.
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But I've noticed that the parts of me I exclude don't actually disappear. Instead, they show up indirectly. In tension, distance, projection, and in the subtle ways I relate when I'm trying not to acknowledge something that's already here.
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𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗜𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆.
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We won’t ask you to bypass the wisdom of what you are excluding. Instead, we will bring awareness to what is here through the practice of Relatefulness.
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Relatefulness is often described as mindfulness brought to life. This non-goal-oriented practice invites us to bring awareness to what it’s like to be together. We bring curiosity to our feelings, sensations, desires, and discernment, trusting that welcoming what is already here is as powerful as it is simple.
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At a previous Charlotte Immersion with Annabeth, we created space for people to explore how they relate with touch. Some people touched their fingers, some cuddled, and some stayed solo. Everyone was welcomed to follow their own interests and boundaries. The invitation was simply to slow down and listen for what they actually wanted, rather than defaulting to assumed expectations.
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What struck me was the range. Some people felt nourished, some were uncomfortable, and all of that was totally ok. What almost everyone shared was that bringing more awareness to something they usually just managed (or avoided) felt like more of themselves got to be in the room.
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Let’s spend this immersion welcoming more of ourselves here.
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𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗲𝘁𝗵'𝘀 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿
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One of the things I most appreciate about Annabeth is the permission people often feel around her. She has a rare ability to meet people exactly where they are while quietly inviting what might be possible next. Not through pressure or convincing anyone they need to change, but through genuine appreciation for what's already present.
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She often describes Relatefulness as rich soil. In this practice, growth isn’t something to strive toward, it’s something that occurs naturally when we’re present with ourselves and each other. Just like how healthy tomato plants keep popping up in a compost pile!
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That orientation has led Annabeth into a body of work she calls Erotic Wholeness, built around a simple observation: most of us have only ever been given two options for relating to erotic energy. Suppress it or act on it. This false binary blinds us to other possibilities, including one Annabeth discovered - welcoming turn-on into awareness without being controlled by it. Feeling attraction without clinging to a result is wildly liberating. Feeling aliveness without abandoning discernment or care for others can become a direct path to healthy intimacy.
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This weekend is not a tantric workshop, but Annabeth’s leadership style is always inclusive of sexuality. It's one of the places many of us have learned to split ourselves, out of love and care for the violence that has been done to many people. But we accidentally become violent toward ourselves when we suppress what’s true and natural. Attraction touches so many parts of being human: longing, shame, appreciation, confidence, and the courage to be seen. Through conscious exploration we can re-integrate these disowned parts with discernment, love, and respect.
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𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗪𝗲'𝗹𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲
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At this Relatefulness immersion, the format includes whole group time, small groups, and pair practices. We’ll be slowing down, feeling what's here, naming it, and staying present with the impact of our words on each other. We're explicitly welcoming what usually gets left at the door.
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We'll practice welcoming desire, fear, uncertainty, and power without the need to either suppress or perform. We’ll explore what it feels like to shine, to behold, to want something and stay present with it without grabbing. And when we feel grabby, we can name that too, instead of unconsciously using strategies to get what we want.
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Some moments will be playful, some tender, some surprising. Like any Relateful immersion, the weekend will emerge from the people who are present, truly co-created. Together we will curate conditions where awareness and connection can do their awe-inspiring thing. The headings of our compass are Truth and Love, and we tend to know we’re headed in the intended direction when we encounter awe, emotional intimacy, and the unexpected.
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𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗜𝘀 𝗡𝗼𝘁
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This is not a sex or tantra workshop. It's a Relatefulness immersion exploring wholeness, awareness, and human connection.
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There will be no nudity, kissing, touching of sexual body parts, or explicit sexual acts during any part of the immersion. No one will be asked to move faster than what feels right. We all will be encouraged and supported in holding healthy boundaries, privacy, and discernment.
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This is also not a therapy session or group healing experience, although healing often occurs naturally. It's a group exploration of truth, love, and awareness, created by the people who are present.
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We don't promise comfort, breakthroughs, resolution, or specific outcomes. Instead, we create conditions where awareness, curiosity, honesty, and care can emerge in relationship.
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You will never be required to share beyond your boundaries or participate in any exercise.
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And lastly, we value honest expression, and we also stay attentive to the impact of our honesty on others. This is a space for mindful connection, not expression at any cost. Facilitators may pause or redirect moments that move away from relational presence.
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𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗜𝘀 𝗙𝗼𝗿
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You've done some kind of inner work and you're still bumping into the same edges. You notice yourself navigating desire, power, shame, visibility, or belonging and want more room to move in that territory with others. You've been to a weekly Relateful Gathering and felt something in the room that nobody named. You're curious what it would be like to bring more of yourself.
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If a conversation would help you discover whether this Immersion is the right fit for you, book a 30 minute discovery call with James here:
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https://scheduler.zoom.us/james-dial/30-minute-session
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𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀
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🕰 Date & Times: September 11-13, 2026, Friday 6-9PM, Sat & Sun 10AM-6PM
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🗺️ Location: Greatwoods Zen, 2631 Buckleigh Drive, Charlotte, NC 28215
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🥑 Food: We will break for a 90 min lunch around 1pm.
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🙏 Price: $365 Early Bird until August 31. $445 Full Price after August 31.
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🧍Participant number: 15
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If cost is a barrier, reach out to jamesdial99@gmail.com to discuss possible solutions.
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🏨 Lodging: If you are wanting support in finding lodging, James can help connect you with other community members who may be open to you staying with them. Otherwise, there are many hotels and AirBnBs near the venues we're deciding between.
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📩 Questions: jamesdial99@gmail.com
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James Dial is the steward of Relateful Charlotte, devoted to building local spaces of real connection where presence and growth intertwine. He is known for his warm, earnest, heartfelt presence. He is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Talent and Organizational Development.
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Annabeth Novitzki “is a midwife for voice.” She has a Master’s degree in Vocal Performance, and has been teaching private voice, speech, and music lessons for over 20 years. Since 2015, she has been incorporating Relatefulness skills into how she works with the voice, and guiding people to fully, genuinely express themselves. What she’s most trained and experienced in is listening in exquisite detail, feeling myriad subtle sensations in her body, and communicating deep things that can’t be seen.
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If you are curious to hear Annabeth and James speak about welcoming wholeness, watch here:
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nAwHbH5nE8&list=PL0lfOL2qEp3PCz0030YR4HsS6NNrw6JYs
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𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀
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You don't need to feel integrated already. You don't need to know what parts of yourself you might encounter. Just come as you are, and let the practice meet you there. What once seemed too awkward, too charged, or too complicated to bring into awareness often becomes more workable when it's welcomed and looked at together.
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Our hope for this weekend is that together we discover a little more room to be fully human. If that kind of connection is something you're longing for, we hope to see you there.

Registration link: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/day-of-mindfulness-in-the-heart-of-reedy-creek-park

Our day will include:
Guided and silent meditation
Mindful Somatic Movement
Songs that teach and remind us to practice mindfulness
Outdoor mindful walking in a beautiful forest setting (weather permitting)
A sharing, reading or video about the practice of Mindfulness
Group Dharma sharing
Potluck lunch

If the weather does not permit outdoor activities, we may remain indoors.

Please arrive 5 to 15 minutes early so we can all arrive and settle in without too much commotion.

We will meet for more of a formal practice from 10am to 1:00pm.

However, after closing, those who wish to stay are invited for a mindful lunch together. Someone from the community sometimes prepares a main meal, but feel free to bring what you would like to share. There is refrigerator space. We eat in silence for about 15 minutes and then have time to just hang out and chat.

Optional items to bring: A water bottle, cushion for sitting (we have some as well), a journal and an open heart.

Also, on rainy days, bring a rain coat, boots you don't mind getting muddy and an umbrella in case we decide the rain is light enough to venture outside.

We look forward to practicing together with you!

Suggested contribution: $15–45.
Donation link: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/day-of-mindful-expression

No one will be turned away for lack of funds.