In recent years I have found the people I work with are asking and looking for more than the basics of Nonviolent Communication (NVC) as a way to connect and express themselves with their loved ones and peers. It's sometimes described to me as "a sense of something is missing" in the way they connect to themselves and others, or "something deeper" is calling from within that wants to be expressed but they are unsure how to access or action this. Some may even venture into calling this a spiritual sense of self, and others a heart or aware sense of self. I prefer to describe the experience of a deeper sense of embodied self awareness simply as Presence. My experience of Presence may be described as having qualities of clarity, empathy, compassion, stillness, calmness, openness and love. For me when I bring all of me to the moment with another I feel I am bringing a more true, real, complete and alive expression of myself. This I find, again and again, only leads to an outcome of benefiting everyone, including myself.
One of the easiest and fastest ways I have found to access Presence is bringing my attention into the body. This can simply start by scanning from my feet to head. With curiosity I am asking how do my feet feel? My legs, arms, belly, chest, neck and head? I like to slow this scanning right down so I am really aware of any sensation i.e. tingling or numbness that is present in any or all parts of the body. I find the longer I stay with this simple act of scanning the more the body will offer. Next my body may offer a sense of emotion and I slowly turn my attention to this. Simply noticing; not rejecting or grasping - simply noticing. Over time I have learnt I can do this even in the middle of difficult conversations, realising a more authentic sense of communication for myself and a greater capacity for listening to the other.
It is from this experience of Presence that I would like to invite you to join me to explore yourself and deepen your skills in listening and connecting with others. This Relating with Presence training has been developed specifically to assist those interested in deepening their experience of an embodied Presence, and in that, being able to communicate with a deeper level of empathy and compassion. . A one day workshop which will be offered firstly in Canterbury, Melbourne on Saturday 22nd September, and then as a deepening weekend event at my home in the Byron Bay hinterland on Saturday and Sunday 17th & 18th November. We aim to accommodate small groups (6-12 people) so places are limited. I'd love to see you in either Melbourne or Byron Bay.
If you are interested in travelling to Byron from intra/interstate and would like some recommendations on local accommodation please let me know. I have a number of beautiful Airbnb's within walking distance to my home. Please note the pre-requisite to this training is completion of a NVC Foundation Training in Australia. I will be offering my Relating to Connect Foundation Training prior to this event in Melbourne on 8th/9th September, 2018.
Image courtesy of D Jameson Rage of Unsplash Images