Inner Circle
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Inner Circle
FREE TRAINING

What Is

The Original Circling® Method?

What is Circling®

Circling is the facilitation, training and/or coaching of a communication system based on authenticity, deep empathic listening and meditative presence.  It consists of a combination of distinct qualities, skills, and principles that strengthen both interpersonal communication & relational intelligence, and extend our perceptual range. This psychosocial technology creates a forum for mindful connection where individuals can get to know both themselves and one another more deeply, share the experience of this knowing with one another, and create mutual understanding, trust, psychological safety and intimacy.  It can also open doors for transpersonal experience and emergent collective intelligence within groups.  

Some additional capacities developed within the Circling training include:

  • Taking responsibility for our own experiences & how they influence our perspectives, choices, behaviors, etc
  • Relaxing in to the present moment without trying to change or fix anything
  • Openly exploring blindspots and/or unconscious ways of being
  • Allowing ourselves to be fully with our feelings (and the feelings of others) and expanding our emotional range
  • Combining compassion, care, curiosity with revealing our impressions & responses
  • Deepening our experience of the interconnected nature of reality

The Original Circling® Method

Is our proprietary, multi-stage transmission of a unique relational practice and unique transformational modality. This communication system is a dynamic group process that is part-art-form, part-skillful facilitation and part-relational yoga.
It is also a unique modality that can be practiced one-on-one. Although it is based on complex ideas, participating in it can be easy and fun for people at all levels of experience.
The Circling® Institute is committed to making the Original Circling® Method available to individuals who want more fulfilling relationships and a deeper experience of community… AND coaches who want to facilitate radical transformation for their clients.

The Original Circling® Method

Does 6 Things Really Well:

Section 3 Number 1

Gives you the experience of “being seen” and known for who you really are.

Many people have never felt truly seen, which can be very isolating and painful. When you’re deeply seen for both your unique gifts and beauty – AND the shadow parts you usually keep hidden – you effortlessly become comfortable in your own skin.

Section 3 Number 2

Reveals your “blind-spots” – the inconsistencies between who you think you are and how you actually show up.

These blind-spots are often where we push love and connection away without even knowing it. Waking up to the ways of being that you have previously been blind to gives you radical access to authenticity, connection, choice and possibility.

Section 3 Number 3

Opens you to the immediacy of presence, aliveness and a state of flow.

By paying exquisite attention to the present moment and the dynamic experience of relating with others, you can very quickly enter states of embodied awareness. In this way, Circling can be considered a form of “relational yoga” or
“relational meditation”.

Section 3 Number 4

Creates deep and meaningful connections.

The Circling® programs will not only foster connection and the feeling of “family” with the other participants in the workshop, it will raise the bar on the level of intimacy and connection you experience in every interaction and relationship in your life — from loved ones, to clients, to strangers on the street.
Section 3 Number 5

Trains you in the art and skills of authentic relating.

Practicing the Original Circling® Method will exponentially increase your ability to vulnerably express your experience as it arises, moment-to moment. It will also teach you the art of getting someone else’s world in a way that has them feel seen, known and appreciated, perhaps more deeply than they ever have before. These skills can skyrocket your capacity to bring truth, authenticity and connection to every relationship in your life.

Section 3 Number 6

Facilitates profound transformation and personal growth.

The insights and connections available through use of the Original Circling® Method help you shift and evolve at the foundation of your being. From this place, making changes in your life is a natural outcome, rather than a struggle.

What Happens

And How Does it Work?

A Circle always starts with a group of (typically 4-10) people or a single facilitator putting their curious & open attention on you (or the person getting “Circled”).

Then, with the help of the facilitator, they notice what it’s like being with you moment by moment, share impact and observations, and co-explore what your experience and world is like, essentially getting into deep relationship with what is most true and alive for you.

We don’t give advice or try to fix anyone. Rather, the intention is simply to connect with you, to welcome and stay with “what is”, so we can relax into the truth of our experience, feel supported and know we are not alone.

As the Circle progresses, you may see things about yourself that you’ve never seen. You may feel emotions that have been stuck, buried or numbed. You may find yourself sharing things you were hiding and dissolving feelings of unworthiness and shame. You may find yourself expressing your desires and gaining the courage and freedom that comes from speaking your truth.

By relating in the present moment – beyond stories, expectations and predetermined ideas about who you are – Circling® develops the capacity to reveal your true essence and cultivate deep connections. As everyone engages with genuine curiosity and shares their personal experience of being with you, you discover that who you ARE is more magnificent than any limited idea about who you “should” be. Because of this, Circling® is often deeply nourishing and can lead to spiritual insights and awakenings.

The experience of “being seen” for who we authentically are is one of the most rewarding experiences we can have as human beings. Circling® teaches us exactly that­, how to see and celebrate each person for the unique flavor they bring to the world.

DISCOVER OUR PROGRAMS

“Circling is to get in a deep relationship with what is.”

- GUY SENGSTOCK,
FOUNDER OF CIRCLING

How Is Circling® Different

Than Coaching or Therapy?

  • The primary purpose of therapy is to improve one’s psychological health and to reduce symptoms or destructive patterns.

    Therapy assumes that something in the client needs to be fixed or healed, and the focus is often on the past. By definition, psychotherapy is practiced by licensed professionals and is not offered in Circling programs.
  • The primary purpose of coaching is to enhance one’s performance and take responsibility for one’s success.

    Coaching assumes that the client is already high functioning and is capable of taking consistent action steps towards his/her life vision. It is results oriented, generative in nature, and requires the client to be accountable for their life. It is often focused in the future, especially the kind of future the client wants to create.
  • The primary purpose of Circling®, by contrast, is the transformation of your way of being through authentic relating.

    It is focused on how much access to aliveness and connection you have in the present moment. We may explore thoughts, feelings and desires about the past and the future, but only to the extent that they are alive in the present moment.
  • In the Art of Circling® Practitioner Training, we place Circling® inside of a coaching framework so that it can be used in a professional context in service to a client’s goals and desires.

    You’ll learn the Circling® skills that can elicit profound transformation and the emergence of more authentic levels of being. You’ll also learn the coaching skills necessary to create a powerful relationship with clients at the outset, and help them integrate and implement changes in their lives after Circling®.

Guy Sengstock

Guy Sengstock (Founder & Co-Owner) is the founder and creator of the Original Circling® Method. He has been facilitating transformation for individuals, groups and corporations internationally for more than 20 years. He has a BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute and is the co-founder of The Arête Center for Excellence and the Bay Area Men’s Circle, which is still thriving today.  He is an artist, philosopher, poet, body-worker, and visionary. Many refer to Guy as a genius in both his depth of thinking and in his way of working with clients. His humor, depth and quality of attention allows people to see and hear those things which have always been present yet have never occurred for them. He wakes up every day with an insatiable craving to discover the source of life’s novelty and can’t help himself but to attempt to awaken this thirst in everyone he encounters. You can read more about Guy at www.guysengstock.com.

Jon Cotton

Jon Cotton (Co-Owner) has been practicing the Original Circling® Method for over 10 years. He is a personal growth seminar creator & facilitator, psychic reader & healer, nutritionist, natural health expert and UC Berkeley MBA. He has taught workshops for 25 years in meditation, healing, intuition, practical spirituality, NLP, Firewalking (for personal power, overcoming fear & creating what seems impossible). He also taught Breathwork, Speaking Circles, intimacy, authentic relating and the Art of Circling® and led trips to swim with dolphins.

Jon creates an uncommon atmosphere of safety, trust & intimacy. Through a loving and compassionate presence he shares how to fulfill our deepest human needs, to create unconditional love and community in our lives. You can also find more about Jon’s health practice at www.TotalHealthSecrets.com

Korenna Reynard

Korenna Reynard, PhD (Co-Owner) is life-long student of relationships. She has a Doctorate in Psychology with a primary focus on Attachment and Relationships, and post-doctoral training in both Somatic Sexuality and Parenting. She is also a trained facilitator of Nonviolent Communication. Korenna believes the Original Circling® Method to be an inspiring addition to the theories and techniques she has been trained in academically. She has been passionate about integrating its key tenets into her work for nearly a decade – both in her sessions with clients, and through the online educational programs she helps to create for some of the world’s top personal growth experts (including Sue Jonson, The Robbins-Madanes Institute, Imago Relationships, and more). She is one of the founding members of Authentic LA, a thriving community with more than 2000 members that facilitates Authentic Relating Games, Workshops & Community Events for individuals seeking deeper connection. She led events for that community for 5 years before relocating to Ohio, where she continues to carry the torch of authentic communication & relating for Midwesterners interested in enhancing their lives. You can find out more about Korenna and her work at http://korennareynard.com.
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Meet Our Master Coaches

Guy Sengstock

Guy Sengstock (Founder & Co-Owner) is the founder and creator of the Original Circling® Method. He has been facilitating transformation for individuals, groups and corporations internationally for more than 20 years. He has a BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute and is the co-founder of The Arête Center for Excellence and the Bay Area Men’s Circle, which is still thriving today. He is an artist, philosopher, poet, body-worker, and visionary. Many refer to Guy as a genius in both his depth of thinking and in his way of working with clients. His humor, depth and quality of attention allows people to see and hear those things which have always been present yet have never occurred for them. He wakes up every day with an insatiable craving to discover the source of life’s novelty and can’t help himself but to attempt to awaken this thirst in everyone he encounters.
Request A Private Coaching Session

Jon Cotton

Jon Cotton (Co-Owner) has been practicing the Original Circling® Method for over 10 years. He is a personal growth seminar creator & facilitator, psychic reader & healer, nutritionist, natural health expert and UC Berkeley MBA. He has taught workshops for 25 years in meditation, healing, intuition, practical spirituality, NLP, Firewalking (for personal power, overcoming fear & creating what seems impossible). He also taught Breathwork, Speaking Circles, intimacy, authentic relating and the Art of Circling® and led trips to swim with dolphins. Jon creates an uncommon atmosphere of safety, trust & intimacy. Through a loving and compassionate presence he shares how to fulfill our deepest human needs, to create unconditional love and community in our lives. You can also find more about Jon’s health practice at www.TotalHealthSecrets.com
Request A Private Coaching Session
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Korenna Reynard

Korenna Reynard, PhD (Co-Owner) is a life-long student of relationships. She has a Doctorate in Psychology with a primary focus on Attachment and Relationships, and post-doctoral training in both Somatic Sexuality and Parenting. She is also a trained facilitator of Nonviolent Communication. Korenna believes the Original Circling® Method to be an inspiring addition to the theories and techniques she has been trained in academically. She has been passionate about integrating its key tenets into her work for nearly a decade – both in her sessions with clients, and through the online educational programs she helps to create for some of the world’s top personal growth experts (including Sue Jonson, The Robbins-Madanes Institute, Imago Relationships, and more). She is one of the founding members of Authentic LA, a thriving community with more than 2000 members that facilitates Authentic Relating Games, Workshops & Community Events for individuals seeking deeper connection. She led events for that community for 5 years before relocating to Ohio, where she continues to carry the torch of authentic communication & relating for Midwesterners interested in enhancing their lives. You can find out more about Korenna and her work at http://korennareynard.com.
Request A Private Coaching Session
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The 7 Stages of
The Original Circling® Method

How to turn any conversation into a life-changing event

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The Original Circling® Method

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