Authentic Relating & Circling Immersion
Salt Spring Island, BC | Nov 25-26, 9AM-5PM
Location TBD | 15 people max
In a Nutshell:
Join us for a weekend of learning and practicing Circling and Authentic Relating. Expect a deep dive in authentic human connection with beautiful humans taking steps towards becoming conscious communication ninjas.
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
Facilitator Team
Garrett Rokosh he/him
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 ten weekend immersions since then, and mentored several leaders 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.
For a deeper dive into Garrett, check out his life vision.
Andrea Wiebe they/them
Andrea has participated in four circling immersions, as well as circles and authentic relating events on the West Coast, in Alberta and online on Authentic Revolution’s COnnect platform. They were first introduced to the practice by Garrett in their shared community house in Edmonton, AB and immediately felt the impact of that first circle ripple throughout their collective home. A few months later, an Authentic Relating Beta course opened up through Authentic Revolution and Andrea became immersed in the platform’s online community, eventually beginning to facilitate circles with their housemates.
Andrea’s background in Somatic Experiencing, meditation and contact improvisation inspires them to cultivate presence, flow, deep listening and curiosity through embodiment. A support worker and recent graduate of a two-year deep nature connection program at Wisdom of the Earth, they recently completed Authentic Relating Level 1 Facilitator Training through ART International with the desire to continue to support the circling and AR community where they reside on Salt Spring Island, BC.
Ty Cooke he/him
Ty has participated or facilitated in six 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.
Location | Pricing | Schedule
Location
The venue is a private residence in Salt Spring Island. Location info will be emailed out.
Pricing
Full rate: $350
Scholarship rate: $250
Returning Circling Immersion Participant: $250
Schedule
*Note that this will change. It’s just a general idea.
Saturday, 9am-5pm
8:30-8:45: Arrival
9-10: Check-Ins + Context for weekend + Intentions
10-11:30: Circling theory + Authentic Relating Games to introduce concepts
11:30-12:30: Full group circle (layered + focus circle)
12:30-1:30: Lunch
1:30-2: Debrief + Circling theory
2-3: Focus circles (45-mins each in breakout rooms)
3-4: Focus circles (45-mins each in breakout rooms)
4-5: Self reflection + Debrief + Tomorrow's plan
Sunday, 9am-5pm
8:30-8:45: Arrival
9-9:30: Check-Ins + Context
9:30-10: Group dynamics
10-10:30: Circling theory
10:30-11:30: Organic circle
11:30-12:30: Focus circles (45-mins each in breakout rooms)
12:30-1:30 Lunch
1:30-2:30: Focus circles (45-mins each in breakout rooms)
2:30-3: Debrief + Circling theory
3-4: Triad circles
4-5: Self reflection + Debrief + Close
