Men's circle is an experiential group that is part personal development and support group for men.

The meetings will provide an opportunity for the following:

A coming together of men from different walks of life that share the burdens and blessings of being men.
Learning how to be in the world in a different way that is based in the moment and that allows a wider range of responses.
Learning how to share the deeper parts of ourselves with men without shame or guilt.
Learning how to clarify and state wants and needs as men.
Opening to the possibilities of life versus miming the social and familial roles and rules assigned male children, adolescents or adults.

It is the intention of this circle that men will;

move toward greater awareness of himself—his body, his feelings, his environment;
learn to take ownership of his experience, rather than projecting them on to other;
learn to be aware of his needs and to develop skills to satisfy himself without violating others;
move toward a fuller contact with his sensations, learning to smell, touch, hear, and see—to savor all aspects of himself;
move toward the experience of his power and the ability to support himself, rather than relying on whining, blaming or guilt-making in order to mobilize support from the environment;
become sensitive to his surroundings, yet at the same time wears a coat of armor for situations which are potentially destructive or poisonous; learns to take responsibility for his actions and their consequences;
feel comfortable with the awareness of his life and its expression.

What a circle might look like

We will start with a brief check in. Then, depending on the how the check in goes we may follow a thread that came up or we will dive into our weekly topic through discussion and exercises. Topics will include, trauma, shame, compassion, communication, purpose, resilience, emotions, dreams....... Although there is an intention for circle to be shaped by a topic, the group will guide the group to the topics it is needing to explore.
When in circle we put our attention on one man to explore what his experience is like, essentially getting into deep relationship with what is most true and alive for him.
The experience of being seen for who we are is one of the most fulfilling experiences we can have. Being in circle teaches us exactly that, how to see and celebrate each man for the uniqueness he brings to the world.
We don’t give advice or try to fix anyone. Rather, we welcome and stay with what is so we can relax into the truth of our experience, feel supported, know we are not alone and allow the experience of this to change us.

This group will be held every other Monday for 6 meeting starting March 4th from 6:30pm-8:30pm and ending on May 13th.

Limited to 10 men, 5 at the minimum

Email: rootedandopen@gmail.com to register or for more information

Investment: $100 cash, check to Rooted&Open, or venmo @rootedandopen

Circle facilitated by, Shanti O'Connor, MS, NCC.
Shanti has been running and facilitating groups for over 10 years. Her style is honest, straight forward and compassionate. She has a unique ability to truly see people and accept them exactly where they are at.