“Everything the Power of the World does is done in a circle.”
Black Elk
Gathering in a circle provides an opportunity to be seen and to see others from a place of equality. Each person is seated the same distance apart, without hierarchy, and comes together with a shared intention. Like the circle of breath, the circle of the seasons, and the circle of life, circling is a primal experience that creates safety by embracing differences and coming together in unity.
The circle carries primordial symbolism. It represents wholeness, timelessness, oneness, and Source. A circle cannot exist without a center; the center is the unseen core that is necessary for its perfect construction. When people gather together in a circle, the power of each individual is woven together to form a powerful container of collective consciousness. The power of the circle is exponentially greater than the sum of its parts.
Presence Circles are a relational practice.
Presence Circles are a way of exploring the connection and relationship between us. By fully giving attention to and holding space for one another, we come to recognize the essential humanness we all share.
Presence Circles are a relational meditation. Unlike a traditional seated meditation, they teach us how to be present and aware of our own experience while being with others. Through listening and speaking while resting deeply in one’s own somatic, sensory experience, one simultaneously develops both awareness and compassion, uniting multiple limbs of yoga in one practice.
Presence Circles helps to increase one’s ability to be appropriately vulnerable and honest while being held in the safety of the non-judgmental group container. The outer reflects the inner; as we open our authentic selves to be seen by others, we learn to accept ourselves exactly as we are.