re:lead labs - circling practice
“In a time characterized by complexity and diverse crises, perhaps nothing is more crucial than our own and collective capacity to create trusting, courageous, and co-creative relationships, organizations, and societies.”
If the above statement resonates with you, and if you function as a leader or consultant in your daily work, this is an invitation to try out circling practice in our re:lead lab and experience what it can do for you and the relationships you are part of.
Whether you come with extensive knowledge of psychology and social dynamics, have been through long personal development programs, or are simply shaped by your unique life experiences, circling is a practice that can be transformative for your further personal growth and ability to lead transformative processes.
Is Circling Practice for you?
“In the two decades since I began my Ph.D. studies of how new practices like ‘mindfulness’ could aid leaders and strengthen leadership development, I have not encountered a more simple, fundamental, and powerful practice to develop human capacity to create authentic relationships, human connections, and transformative processes.”
As a practice, circling resembles 'mindfulness' in the sense that it is a conscious exercise and training form that can be practiced in anything from 2-minute sessions to week-long intensive retreats. In circling, we also seek to cultivate a continuous present and non-judgmental awareness of our inner landscape of bodily sensations, emotions, and thoughts. Unlike 'mindfulness', however, we cannot circle alone. In addition to inner mindfulness, we constantly explore the social field through the fundamental question: What is it like to be me with you right now?
What is Circling Practice?
Circling practice offers a structured context, a safe experimental space, which allows us to investigate relational dynamics and most often opens the door to greater intimacy and human connection – both enlightening and nourishing.
Through circling practice, we can build new language, discover and experience new aspects of ourselves and the nature of relationships, which we do not easily access in our normal social contexts. But the insights, experiences, and new expressions and action possibilities that we acquire in circling practice can be brought into other contexts, as a strengthened capacity for the development of relationships and leadership in other parts of our lives.
What Happens in a Circling Practice Re:lead Lab?
In our circling practice re:lead lab, you should not expect the conventional round of personal introductions or a longer introductory lecture.
Instead, Bjørn will quickly begin to guide you into a state of:
heightened awareness.
contact with the now and the experience of your inner state.
what it's like to be you together with the others in the room.
In Bjørn's guidance, he will include 5 guiding principles, as formulated by Circling Europe: https://www.circlingeurope.com/five-principles
After the initial guidance, you will try out different circling practice formats in the rest of this re:lead lab – with exercises that can take place in pairs, in smaller groups, or in a large group.
If your learning style and preference is to know something about what you're getting into before you jump into it, you can find more information about circling at the above link. If you're more the type who prefers just to jump into the experience, you're probably sufficiently prepared already if you've reached this point in the text.
As a follow-up to the re:lead lab, you will be invited to a 30-minute conversation with Bjørn about your circling experiences, insights, and subsequent reflections. The purpose is to explore their significance and relevance for you and your further professional and personal practice development. At the same time, Bjørn will be curious about your experiences regarding how the format and facilitation of the re:lead lab circling practice can be continuously developed.
How Do We Follow Up and Move Forward?
It's important to emphasize that although circling often leads to the experience of great connection and intimacy, attention to one's own and others' personal boundaries is a central and integrated part of exploring authentic relationships, so there are no rules or expectations about having to be open and express oneself in a particular way or at a particular level.
Practical information
re:lead lab with circling practice will take place on:
Friday 9 February - 13:00-16:00
Friday 1 March - 13:00-16:00
Friday 5 April - 13:00-16:00
Friday 3 May - 13:00-16:00
Friday 7 June - 13:00-16:00
The next re:lead lab with circling practice will be held in Copenhagen
Price: 950,- kr. per session
If we haven't had prior experience together, I will likely through a brief conversation or email exchange seek to determine if this circling re:lead lab is a relevant match for you and your situation
re:lead partner & Ph.d. Bjørn Uldall