Authentic Relating & Circling Immersions

Immersions in a Nutshell:

Join us for a weekend of immersive, experiential learning in Authentic Relating and Circling. You’ll practice staying present in connection with others, expressing yourself honestly, listening with empathy, navigating tension and conflict, and noticing more of what’s happening within you and between you and others.

All experience levels are welcome. As our community has grown, more and more people have been coming back to keep deepening their practice. Our immersions have evolved with that, offering plenty of depth for returning folks while still being welcoming and accessible for people who are brand new.

Expect a mix of Authentic Relating exercises, Circling, reflection, play, and lots of opportunities for meaningful connection with people who value authenticity, curiosity, personal growth, and relational depth.

What is Authentic Relating?

Authentic Relating (AR) is a practice of showing up more honestly and openly in relationship with others. It’s about noticing what’s actually happening for you, sharing more of your inner experience, and getting curious about the person in front of you.

AR is usually practiced through structured exercises that explore things like listening, self-awareness, vulnerability, boundaries, curiosity, and honest communication. Rather than just talking about connection, you get to practice these skills with other people in real time.

Authentic Relating is practiced in communities around the world, bringing people together to explore what becomes possible when we slow down, get curious, and relate with a little more honesty and presence.

What is Circling?

If Authentic Relating helps us practice specific relational skills, Circling is where those skills come together in a more open, emergent flow.

Circling is a kind of relational meditation where people explore what’s happening in the present moment while in connection with each other. That might include sensations, emotions, thoughts, assumptions, attraction, discomfort, curiosity, moments of disconnection, or simply noticing how someone is impacting you. Instead of trying to get somewhere in particular, the practice is about slowing down, paying attention, and following what feels alive in the moment.

Two common forms are Focus Circles, where one person receives the group’s attention and curiosity for an extended period of time, and Organic Circles, where there is no designated focus person and attention moves naturally through the group.

For more information about Circling, you can download the Circling Canada Handbook here.

In our immersions you will:

Learn the fundamental ground rules, principles, and teachings of Authentic Relating and Circling.
Connect deeply with other seekers on a path of personal development and the evolution of consciousness.
Discover the language of intimacy that fosters deeper connections by understanding and practicing the three levels of conversation.
Master powerful empathetic listening tools, such as the art of reflective listening, sharing impact, and asking presence-deepening questions.
Receive a Focus Circle which is 20-40 minutes of small-group exploration centered on your present-moment experience in connection with others. You’ll transparently share your thoughts and feelings while the group explores your world and offers their experience in connection with you. This is optional.
Become more relationally aware through present-moment, honest feedback about how others feel in connection with you. Learn when they feel most or least connected with you, how your way of being impacts others, how you seem, and the stories or assumptions they hold about you. This practice uncovers relational blind spots, which are unconscious behaviours or patterns that hinder potential connection and intimacy.
Sharpen your intuition about interpersonal dynamics by developing a ninja-level ability to discern what others are truly feeling or thinking and to notice the nuances of what’s happening between people.
Learn and practice the art of revealing withholds to cultivate more transparent and honest relationships.
Take steps toward mastering conscious communication skills, including owning your experience, reflective listening, sharing impact, understanding someone else’s perspective, and empathetic listening. Improve your ability to articulate present-moment feelings through enhanced somatic awareness (awareness of body sensations and feelings) and greater emotional literacy (a broader vocabulary to describe emotions).
Get real, play, and have fun :)

Frequently Asked Questions

The daily schedule generally works like this (give or take 15 minutes):
8:30-8:45am Arrival
9:00-12:30 Activities
12:30-1:30 Lunch
1:30-5pm Activities
There are 10 minute bio breaks throughout the day as needed.
We used to do “level 1” immersions that were catered for beginners, but now we do these “all level” immersions that cater towards all experience levels. Each immersion is designed a bit different depending on the facilitator’s creativity and the participants that show up. Our goal is to create long term relationships with community that returns over and over again. We are striving to find a balance between having a solid orientation for new comers while also giving fresh and edgy experiences for returning folks.
Authentic Relating & Circling are NOT therapy or coaching. They are experiential group practices focused on present-moment awareness, relational honesty, and shared human connection, rather than diagnosis, treatment plans, or goal-oriented change work. While the practices can be personally meaningful and sometimes emotionally impactful, facilitators are not acting as therapists or coaches, and participants are not clients. You are always responsible for your own self-care, boundaries, and integration of your experience. Many people find Circling complementary to therapy or coaching, but it is a distinct modality with a different purpose and structure.
Yes, most venues have chairs available. Often folks like to sit on cushions on the floor, however you are totally welcome to sit in a way that is comfortable for you which could be in a chair. If you are unsure or have ideas for ways we could make the immersion more accessible to you, please reach out via email.
Our immersions have between 12-18 participants and 3-5 facilitators.

Upcoming Immersions & Registration

To register, click on one of the immersion links below to pay by credit card. Email circlingcanada@gmail.com if you would prefer to pay via e-transfer or if you have any questions!

Accommodations & food are NOT included

Cancellations made at least 7 days before the start date are eligible for a full refund (minus processing fees) or a credit toward a future Circling Canada event, valid for 12 months.

SALT SPRING ISLAND - October 17-18

from $290.00

Lead Facilitator: Garrett Rokosh
Support Facilitators: Cat Wilson, Chase Gillis, & Sonja Myllymaki
Venue: Private Residence 8 min drive south of Ganges on Salt Spring Island
Time: 8:45am-5pm both days
Optional Overnight Accommodations: Affordable accommodations are available at the venue. Reach out to circlingcanada@gmail.com to inquire.
*All experience levels welcome.

Sliding Scale Fee:

NELSON - November 7-8

from $290.00

Lead Facilitator: Zoé Tremblay
Support Facilitators: Zara April and Rachelle Marsden
Venue: Nelson Studio 88
Time: 8:45am-5pm both days
*All experience levels welcome.

Sliding Scale Fee:

EDMONTON - November 14-15

from $290.00

Lead Facilitator: Breanne Debski
Support Facilitators: Maria Barbu & TBD
Venue: 22345 Township Road 514, Sherwood Park, AB T8C 1H3
Time: 8:45am-5pm both days
*All experience levels welcome.

Sliding Scale Fee:

VANCOUVER - November 14-15

from $290.00

Lead Facilitator: Jonathan Bluks
Support Facilitators: TBD
Venue: Stanley Park Dining Pavilion (2nd Floor). 610 Pipeline Road, Vancouver, V6G 1Z4
Time: 8:45am-5pm both days
*All experience levels welcome.

Sliding Scale Fee:

VICTORIA - November 21-22

from $290.00

Lead Facilitator: Paula Blundell & Robbie Stainton
Support Facilitators: TBD
Venue:‍ ‍Private residence near James Bay, Victoria
Time: 8:45am-5pm both days
*All experience levels welcome.

Sliding Scale Fee:

TORONTO - November 21-22

from $290.00

Lead Facilitator: Jonathan Bluks
Support Facilitators: TBD
Venue: 151 Sterling Rd Studio 4, Toronto, ON, M6R 2B7
Time: 8:45am-5pm both days
*All experience levels welcome.

Sliding Scale Fee:

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