We need to use our voice, share our stories and be held in a space of compassionate witnessing. A circle is an ancient way of doing just this.
Hello My Friends,
I’d like to introduce you to a woman’s sharing circle I’ve created, called the Bone House.
The Bone House is a circle practice for personal sharing, compassionate listening and witnessing where support is received, integration can happen and a new consciousness can emerge.
This is a new type of offering and it represents a very, very long held desire for me to allow people to bring their personal material more into the center of our practice.
Yoga practice alone can be very deep, healing, helpful, but it is pretty much always done without speaking. We greet each other warmly before class, we share hugs and reflections at the end of class, but we rarely get the opportunity to bring our subjective experience into the practice.
There is some aversion in spiritual practices to "stories" that people get stuck telling about their lives. And it's true, if we have limiting narratives that we tell over and over again that stem from just our logical, judgmental, cerebral interpretation of our lives, then yes, that may be limiting. But I see the scope of speaking and deep listening as SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT.
Our stories contain medicine, and I want to hear your voice in the space.
Many of us have trouble giving voice to what we feel. Life is full of mystery and the world is changing all around us all the time. We have so many feelings and sometimes it's hard to know what to do with all of that. What can we do with the burden we feel?
We are meant to support each other. The circle is an ancient practice. When we assemble in a circle, the pieces of wisdom we all have forms an energy field. In this way, the circle is the teacher.
Many times spiritual practice offers us a map (in terms of impersonal principles and elevating practices), but the actual terrain is our lived experience. How do we make sure that we are able to APPLY the principles we care about to our lives. How do we do the work of putting those things together without being able to hear our own voice and be mirrored?
We will learn skills about effective sharing in this space.
I will share some guidance about sharing in our circles. It will steer us toward being connected to our body in the present moment. We will slow down and learn how to navigate an honest communication from our felt sense. It may be uncomfortable and unaccustomed for you to vocalize and externalize the things that go on inside of you, but that is just what this circle in meant for. We will learn how to share the right amount, to "share at the speed of trust."
We will be guided by group agreements.
In order to feel comfortable sharing, we need to know that we are in a strong and safe container. In order to create that safety, I will share group agreements at the start of each and every circle. If things start to veer away from our agreements, I will gently and firmly steer them back.
If any of this speaks to you or calls to you, I encourage you to join me and other women on Friday night.
I will be offering these talking circles sometimes on Fridays and sometimes on Sundays at the outset, about once a month. I will consider doing something a little more regularly, and perhaps in a committed container in the new year if there is enough interest.
