April 2022

It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.

e.e. cummings

We are already in the 5th week of the Embodied Presence workshop.  And usually for me, the midpoint is the most important period of any workshop or conference. It is the time when people start to trust the process and let go of whatever resistance or fear they may have from opening up with others.  This is when magic starts to really happen.

The first few hours or meetings of any workshop or course are usually accompanied by awkward, tense, and uncomfortable feelings.  How are we to present ourselves in the space? What are the expectations of the facilitators/instructors?  How will others respond to us?  So many questions, so many unknowns, so much discomfort in the ambiguity of what is to happen in new spaces.  I guess this is the same for all new spaces.

But after a few hours/meetings, if there is some chemistry between all the players, people start to let their guards down, engage, and share more of themselves.  This is the stage that I most enjoy from the position of a facilitator or teacher, watching people open up and become vulnerable.  It is the pivot where they realize the safety and benefit of being vulnerable which is usually a sign that they are ready to grow.  Of course, not everyone is at the same level of readiness.  But sometimes, the most hesitant people in the initial meetings are the ones who take the lessons in stride and make the greatest improvement. 

Sometimes I do wonder, albeit briefly, the benefit of the workshops I develop.  I must admit that some of Platform’s workshops have not been successful.  It is a combination of failure of facilitators who were not really prepared and invested in developing challenging workshops.  This fault lies with me for failing to find the right people and guiding them to success.  But also, it lies with the participants who resist and refuse to learn or fail to really invest their time and energy into the program.  No matter how bad the program, I do believe we can all learn something from the process of sharing as long as the individual is willing to dig deep.  

With this specific program, I already have doubts about the structure, the time set aside for each topic.  Most likely I will change the structure of the program the next time I offer it because it takes so much energy to really engage any of these topics.  But I am more convinced of the need to create these daring spaces because we do not discuss them enough.  I think more people would benefit from this program, not because I developed it but because I can sense that people want to grow into their potential.

I am curious how people will evaluate this new program. I really am.  But whether the evaluations are negative or positive, I will inevitably offer the course again.  It will just be different.  As long as people understand they that the program does not provide simple answers but more than anything, resources for people to come back to topics that will make them more impactful.  The program provides the beginning of a conversation; it does not give definitive answers.

I intend to share these evaluations in our June newsletter when Embodied Presence ends.