Small groups/ breakout rooms:

The small groups are co-facilitated - everyone takes responsibility and no one is in charge. Rotate the responsibility of timekeeper with a goal of sharing the time approximately equally.

As each person begins their first turn, they can sit in silence or offer what they would like to the group as a short somatic mindfulness practice. After about a minute, the person begins sharing. Silence is fine too then indicate when you are ready for the next person to share.

Part of the safety in this container is knowing others won’t comment on what you shared, give you advice or cheerleading, or otherwise get in your lane. We co-create this for and with each other.

With a strong container of somatic mindfulness, we can experience the energy and urges that might pull us out of presence. Stay with the energy. Come back into emotional regulation. 

Give your full attention to listening with somatic awareness. Notice and reflect on your responses.

This is advanced practice! Be kind to yourself and others.

The Nervous System and Somatic Mindfulness

“Through a polyvagal lens, we understand that actions are automatic and adaptive, generated by the autonomic nervous system well below the level of conscious awareness. This is not the brain making a cognitive choice. These are autonomic energies moving in patterns of protection. And with this new awareness, the door opens to compassion.” Deb Dana LCSW, Polyvagal Institute

We can learn the essentials of “how it works” to understand our body, feelings, nervous system, shame, judgment and the essential role of social trust and connection. We strengthen our capacity to see through and release identification with experiences that commonly lead to core deficiency beliefs of unworthiness, unlovability – that feeling like there is something basically wrong with us.

Each group begins with a guided somatic mindfulness inquiry for about 20 minutes. We then move to small groups of 3 or 4 people to share with each other. We come back together and participants can share and reflect on their experience.

Sharing in Community

What happens when we share like this? We see through our conditioning, drop our sense of shame, build individual strength and resilience in our nervous system, and experience a sense of community.

We are more alike than we are different. Our time together contains deep meditative inquiry and witnessing. We’re training ourselves to be present with ourselves and the people in the group.

Track your emotional regulation and use your breath and other tools to come back if you are getting dysregulated. If you are feeling an urge to judge someone or offer advice, resist and/or stay silent. It is fine to leave the group if you need to take care of yourself.

Stay on topic when you speak and share what is authentic for you. Don’t share details that can trigger trauma in people listening. For instance you might say, When I was bullied at work, I felt … but don’t share specifics like When my colleague called me a ___.

The dynamic of these small groups is not a conversation. It is an opportunity for depth and somatic listening. It’s fine to pause before you speak and reflect on what you can share that will give people the gist or essence of what you want to convey. This gets easier with practice.

We are exploring deep intimate issues where we are vulnerable and tender. Take your time and honor what feels right for you to share and to keep private in the moment.

What transforms us is the repeated experience of feeling safe enough within the group and being present with each other with kindness and open hearts.