Authentic Relating & Circling Training
About Circling Canada:
Circling Canada offers immersive trainings in Authentic Relating and Circling, practices that help people embody presence while in connection with others, communicate honestly, and build the relational skills for deeper, more meaningful relationships. Since our first immersion in 2020, we’ve grown to offer trainings across Canada, welcoming everyone from people encountering these practices for the first time to experienced practitioners continuing to deepen their skills. Our facilitation draws from multiple lineages of Authentic Relating and Circling and continues to evolve alongside the creativity and learning emerging in communities around the world. Our immersions also bring together people who value authenticity, curiosity, personal growth, and meaningful human connection.
What is Authentic Relating?
Authentic Relating (AR) is a transformative practice centred on being truly yourself. It involves being real, honest, revealed, and transparent, allowing others to see, hear, and understand your inner world. You will engage in AR exercises specifically designed to deepen your connection with yourself and others. In a supportive environment, you are encouraged to express your genuine feelings and thoughts, fostering a profound sense of understanding and closeness among participants. Authentic Relating is more than just a practice—it’s a growing movement with vibrant communities worldwide. People are gathering to connect authentically and enrich the human experience, fostering a sense of belonging and deeper interpersonal connections.
What is Circling?
If Authentic Relating is practicing the specific communication skills, Circling is the where all these skills come together in an emergent flow. Circling is a relational meditation in which participants share their authentic present-moment experiences—sensations, emotions, and thoughts—while connecting with each other. Participants express their sensations, emotions, thoughts, judgments, assumptions, stories, desires, attractions, observations about each other’s demeanour or way of being, the group's dynamics, moments of dissociation, boredom, and more, all in an exploration of consciousness through the present moment. Two common types of Circles are “focus circles,” where one person is the centre of attention for up to an hour, revealing their present-moment experience to a group exploring their world, and “organic circles,” where there is no focus person and attention moves organically as people reveal themselves and follow their curiosity.
For more information, you can download the Circling Canada Handbook here. .
What people are saying…
“My first Circling Immersion was the most potent experience of my adult life. I felt supported showing up in a deep honesty and transparency that I did not know I was capable of. The integration of this experience continues to ripple through all my human connections.”
- Allistair Dell
"My circling immersion experience with Garrett was a worthwhile opportunity to practice and deepen fundamental relational skills that underpin my life. Every time I invest my time in this container, I walk away feeling profoundly connected and better resourced to step into everyday intimacy."
- Patricia Parkinson
"I appreciated Garrett's focused facilitation and his ability to both hold the space of the Circle, while also revealing his own experience in a transparent and vulnerable way. I've experience facilitation with many people before, and can see that Garrett is very intentional and skilled in his ability to support people to go deep and uncover their truth."
- Leo Cheung
“In a world of overstimulation and noise, it was great to unplug and get real. I learned skills to deepen connection in all relationships and to invite aliveness for myself and others.”
- Shari Derksen
“The tools I learned in circling have organically influenced the way I communicate with everyone now. I've come to see how easily they integrate into my everyday conversations, and how they support my feeling of closeness, of understanding, and of agency in all my relationships (including and especially the one with myself). It feels like a huge, yet simple, investment into living a more genuinely self-aware and relationally aligned life over time.”
- Ashvin Sharma
“Garrett creates a clear and inquisitive space. His prompts are evocative, adapted to each situation and bring a sense of ease to participate. Within it, I felt safe to share my heart's content and excited to discover deeper layers of myself.”
- Manuel Matsya
“Circling is a space where I consistently feel the most alive, honest and free. It’s a place where I can settle into the comfort of my somatic experience and feel at home in myself. At the same time, I can also choose moments to lean into the bolder edges of my authenticity and take more risks in connection with others. It is one of the few places where I feel safe enough to express dissonance and feel challenging emotions like anger in a clean and embodied way. It’s a precious tool for coming into attunement with a collective and witnessing one another in what’s present here and now.
- Andrea Wiebe
“I would highly recommend a circling immersion weekend with Garrett and his team of circling facilitators. I have experienced Circling Institute, Transformational Connection and Relateful and would hands down say Circling Canada lead by Garrett is the safest, most authentic, and most welcoming space I have had the pleasure to participate in. An especially great place for anyone who is brand new in the practice and equally great for an more experienced practioner such as myself.”
- Dale Joyal
“I appreciated Garrett’s thoughtful structure that eased me into circling with small, manageable exercises that build toward deep, nourishing, and revealing ways of relating. Circling helps me recognize patterns I bring into relationships and allows me to embrace the messiness and beauty of myself and others.”
- Cathy Brehaut
How to Get Involved
Short Intro Course (Online)
A 5-hour self paced online course for the core principles, skills, and practices
Weekend Immersions
(In Person)
Transformative weekends (12-24 people) of embodied, experiential learning in conscious communication, human connection, conflict navigation, speaking your truth, and empathetic listening.
Facilitator Apprenticeship (In Person & Online)
A 300+ hour apprenticeship in facilitating Authentic Relating & Circling.