Men’s Circling Night
Victoria, BC | Aug 16th 6:30-9:30PM
At the Church of Truth | $15-25 sliding scale
In a Nutshell:
An evening of Circling for men. We will start with a brief meditation, check in, and warm up exercises focused on shadow work. Depending on how many beginners there are, we will likely do an intro circle while the experienced circlers get right into it in a circle. Most of the time will be devoted to a mix of organic circles and focus circles with the full group and in breakout groups.
*Note that non-binary folks are also super welcome. In the future, we would love to have more diversity in our facilitator team.
What is Authentic Relating?
Authentic Relating, put simply, is a practice of being you. Being real, honest, revealed, and transparent, allowing others to see, hear, and know our inner world. We will be playing AR games designed to deepen your connection with yourself and others, in an environment where it’s encouraged to express how you really feel. Authentic Relating is a growing movement with communities around the world gathering to connect and enrich the human experience.
What is Circling?
If AR is practicing the punching and kicking moves, Circling is the sparring match. Circling is a relational meditation in which participants share their sensations, emotions, and thoughts in the present moment while in connection with each other. Two common types of Circles are a “focused circle” where one person is the centre of attention for up to an hour, revealing their present moment experience in connection with the group that is exploring their world, and “organic circles” where there is no focus person as attention moves around organically as people reveal themselves and follow their curiosity. This is a strong practice for deepening intimacy, uncovering relational blindspots, and leveling up EQ/communication skills.
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
“My first contact with circling was at a weekend immersion hosted by Garrett Rokosh and Robbie stainton. I had a wonderful experience which would set me on a path to deepen into this practice. It was a weekend that covered the full range of human experience, from a deep sense of connection to intense discomfort. Circling is an excellent opportunity to step beyond social convention and learn more about what is actually happening, in this moment, between you and I. I would recommend this to anyone who craves a clearer lens on relational reality and would choose an uncomfortable truth over a comforting lie every time.
- Foster McGee
“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 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
Facilitators
Garrett Rokosh he/him - Lead Facilitator
Garrett’s authentic relating journey started five years ago when depressed, numb and lonely at the end of business school he found his way into a AR games night. He left that night completely blown open, glowing, with a cathartic sense that those people had got to know him deeper than any of his closest friends. He was hooked.
He devoured an online training with the author of the authentic relating games manual, Sara Ness, then flew to Austin, TX to take her advanced facilitator training which was THE most impactful week of his life. He then moved to Austin for six months to deep dive into these practices and became an apprentice leader on her core training team. Soon after, his focus turned to Circling and led trainings with other top leaders including Jason Diggs, Mark Boughton, and Peter Benjamin. He led the first Circling Immersion in Western Canada, has led nine weekend immersions since then, and mentored several people into facilitating Circling.
Aside from AR & Circling, he just finished a two year deep nature connection program with Wisdom of the Earth Wilderness School, leads a nature mentorship program for teen boys, and is now studying compassionate inquiry with Dr. Gabor Mate. His company, Social Architect brings authentic relating into the corporate world. Some of his clients include Masterclass, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Burning Man and Mindvalley.
Ty Cooke he/him - Breakout Facilitator
Ty has participated or facilitated in five circling immersions. His interest in relational unfolding has led him to explore unique uses of circling, including the combination of circling and Men’s work with the creation of men’s circling containers. Preferring Circling Europe's surrendered leadership model, Ty has travelled to the Monastic Academy in Vermont for the Anti-Fragile Heart Retreat, which combines healing and introspective modalities including authentic movement circling, and new fields such as Alethia circling with the Surrendered Leadership model.
Ty has completed the Authentic Relating Training Level 1 with ART International and is also an internal family systems psychedelic practitioner. For the past 15 years he’s been a Vipassana meditator, having sat or served over 30 10-day silent retreats and has an academic background in cognitive anthropology and psychology. A belief that we can help one another towards beauty and goodness simply by revealing ourselves authentically informs Ty’s relational meditation and style of facilitation.
Robbie Stainton he/him - Breakout Facilitator
Robbie started practicing and facilitating AR four years ago and founded what is now a thriving AR & Circling community in Victoria. He has completed level 1 & 2 trainings with ART International, led five weekend Circling Immersions, and facilitated AR at various festivals and events around the coast. His 8-months living at a vipassana meditation centre and over 2000 hours of meditation practice have gave him groundedness and clarity of presence to hold space for others in a circling container. Through relational practices, he enjoys experiencing and sharing a more rich, transparent, uninhibited, and engaging way of connecting with others.
Michael McAmmond he/him - Breakout Facilitator
Michael McAmmond, based in Victoria, BC, brings a unique blend of depth, attunement, and experiential wisdom to his role as a circling facilitator. With a journey that began just nine months ago, he has quickly made a significant impact, spurred by a profound attraction to the practice as a means to explore the shared human experience. Michael believes in the transformative power of circling, viewing it as an interpersonal meditation that brings unseen aspects of the self into the light of awareness. This belief stems from his rich background in meditation leadership spanning over three decades and his eight years of expertise in facilitating meditation groups. Michael's academic journey in psychology and leadership development, as well as his extensive experience serving on non-profit boards and spearheading committees, further enrich his approach to circling.
Michael's method is rooted in fostering deep self-attunement, which in turn, enables the attunement to others. He gently encourages a slow and spacious exploration of the human experience, often stepping into the circle himself to navigate through its "messiness" and emerge with newfound insights. Michael has been commended for being a safe, warm, and inspiring presence, described by participants as a grounding rod that brings a sense of home to the circle. His work as a circling facilitator has seen him leading immersions, providing conflict resolution, and mediating community circles. The most rewarding part of his work, he says, is witnessing the transformative experiences and personal growth that come from exploring one's deepest truths. Looking ahead, Michael is preparing for Facilitator Training with Circling Europe and is eager to introduce more leadership development in the Victoria and Vancouver Island areas.
Foster McGee he/him - Breakout Facilitator
Hello! I’m Foster McGee, I’ve been circling since October for 2021. Since the first Victoria Immersion, I’ve been enthralled with this practice. The transformation of my Circling journey leaves me in awe. From the early days of intimate gatherings with 3-6 people, to leading my own circles since the fall of 2022, the growth has been both humbling and gratifying. I'm deeply grateful for this path and for the continuous expansion of our incredible communities. For me, circling is not just a way to practice vulnerable communication, it is a spiritual practice. A practice of presence and connection. A way to uncover the unseen parts of our being and see ourselves and others more clearly. It is a way to truly feel the connection which exists between each and every one of us.
The essence of what I bring to facilitation is always a mirror of where I am on my own growth curve. I bring a unique flavour to circles of ever expanding awareness, I want to find more and more of what is happening and find a way to bring it all in. I strive to lead by example, always bringing what I can offer to the group to expand our capacity for presence, empathy, connection and attunement. I aim to hold a space which allows participants to find their way to being seen and heard. Where we can welcome the entirety of our beings, to include aspects which are often unwelcome or unwelcoming.
I bring a deep capacity for presence in connection to the practice of circling, which I have joyfully cultivated through a dedicated yoga practice and decades of meaningful interpersonal connections. Proffesionally, my work as a Registered Massage Therapist brings a practiced comfort with stillness and silence, as well as attuned somatic awareness in connection. I’m always looking to deepen my understanding of this practice, through workshops, conversations, readings, and of course, practice! Currently, I am further refining my facilitation and leadership skills through the Level-Up program with The Relateful Company (formerly Circle Anywhere). This experience is sharpening my skills and deepening my conceptual understanding, ensuring that I stay at the cutting edge of this transformative practice.
