"Fabulous and inspiring course. Run by two lovely people who made me feel safe and supported as well as being encouraged to take risks and try new things/skills. I feel empowered to take these new offerings into my community."

Louise Reynolds

Circle Holding Facilitator Training 6 Week Online Live Training

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Dates: Mondays 19 Feb - 25 March 2024

Time: 1230-1500 GMT (UK Time)

Cost: Early Bird Price £395 Book before 15th Dec 2023 (Full Price £495)

Course Outline:

Facilitating a circle of people, with a non-judgemental and brave space, is an enriching experience. Facilitation of a circle looks easy when it is done well, but there is a lot going on behind the scenes to make it a place that people trust to share.

The training will model the principles of holding a circle as well as explicitly detailing the factors to consider when setting one up. Each week you will build your confidence in a specific aspect of circle holding:

Practical Skills You Will Learn:

Setting your intention for running your circle and finding your audience
Understanding the fundamental guidelines of circle
Preparation, welcoming, opening & settling
Addressing the challenges and managing circle dynamics
Deepening connection with listening partnerships
Practical considerations of in person and online circles
Closing your circle
Embodiment circles and special groups

By the end of this training you will have:

Experienced the benefits of sitting in circle
Gained practice in circle holding
Understood how to manage some of the major challenges of circle holding
Created a plan for running your own circle with clear steps you can take
Experienced running circle yourself to build your confidence in the different aspects of circle holding

"The course itself has been a space to explore, to listen and to learn in a way that is safe to express whatever I have experienced and know whatever I share will be held with respect and kindness.

my ambition is to create these spaces and also prioritise joining these spaces held by others"

Roisin Gaughran

"I loved the course, it was informative, interactive and inspiring. I finished the course totally inspired to hold a circle for menopausal women to help build community and fight isolation in our increasingly automated world. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in starting to learn how to facilitate circles

Emma Catherine Lawn

"Your training helped enormously, I think it gave me the confidence boost that I needed just beforehand ..It helped me to create the structure that I needed and the shared guidelines were much appreciated.."

Anna Curruthers

Course Programme

19 February: This week you will take your first steps towards circle holding and look at how to be inclusive within the boundaries of your choice of group.

26 February: Integration Week - No Live Session

4 March: This week you will learn how to set up your circle and create a welcoming environment for your participants. You will learn techniques for juggling different needs and look at practical considerations

11 March: This week you will practice opening and settling your circle and co-create circle guidelines that reflect the specific needs of your group.

18 March: This week you will look at the nuances of running circles for specific groups and how that affects choice around themes and use of creativity (eg arts and crafts)

25 March: This week you will learn how to manage a variety of challenges that can come up within a circle. You will also learn differences between incorporating circle into other group settings and running weekly or monthly groups either online or in person

This training contains considerable support material that you can use to plan your own circles including skills around promotion and marketing. It is recommended that you allow for 2 hours of self study between each live session.

Support material provided via interactive online learning library.

All Monday sessions are live and 80% live attendance is recommended and will be required for certification.

Tessa & Julia will be sharing exclusive content from their forthcoming book "Circle Holding: A Practical Guide to Facilitating Talking Circles" due to be published October 2024.

This training will give you skills you can use to confidently plan and hold talking circles and reflect on and grow your circle-holding skills.

These brave spaces are so necessary and appreciated.

Please feel free to contact Tessa & Julia with any questions you can contact Julia 07961 381 425 or info@yogateachersforum.live-website.com - feel free to call, whatsapp or email and Tessa at hello@tessayoga.co.uk

At the end of the training, you will receive Certificate of Attendance from Yoga Teachers Forum.

To see the extensive range of Continued Professional Development and Continued Edocuation we have designed to give you practical tools that can further develop your teaching practice, please click here.

Can we support you in choosing your course?

If you are unsure about your suitability for this course, or if you have any queries please let us know at info@yogateachersforum.live-website.com

Policies & Procedures For the full course policies and terms & conditions please click here.

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About the facilitator - Tessa Sanderson:

Tessa has run online women's circles throughout the lockdowns and this format can work very well, including the use of breakout rooms. She has been running her women's circles for 7+ years, mostly in person, and girls / mother and daughter circles for 4 years.

She has also taught Pregnancy Yoga for 15 years and has 12,000+ teaching hours under her belt, including Well Woman and Mother & Baby Yoga, Restorative and Birth Preparation workshops. She has taught yoga in four diverse cities: London, Southampton, Bristol and Reading. She is the author of Pearls of Birth Wisdom: An Inner Journey with Stories, Insights and Practices.

Tessa is a member of her local Maternity Voices Forum at the Royal Berkshire Hospital and runs the Everything Baby Berkshire network for antenatal and postnatal professionals. She has a PhD in Medical Sociology and loves using balloons as props in her pregnancy classes. www.tessayoga.co.uk IG@tessa.venuti.sanderson and @birth_wisdom_pearls

About the facilitator - Julia Davis:

Julia has hosted and run online Yoga Teachers Circles throughout and after the lockdowns. She integrates circle holding into all of the trainings that she runs and also into the classes she runs from her Finchley Yoga studio. Her circle holding skills originated in the youth groups she facilitated as a teenager.

She has taught yoga for over 20 years with specialisation in Women's Health Therapy.

She is founder of Yoga Teachers Forum & The State of Birth Symposium and runs the Perimenopause Training & Mentoring programmes with Jane Dancey. She is an experienced mentor having worked with many yoga teachers who have taken the step from teacher to specialist trainer.