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community calls - details & registration

5/29/2022

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​As part of the Practicing Together Project, I'm hosting a monthly Community Call where we can connect.

In each call, we will take a look at the practice for that month.  We'll have a juicy group discussion, ask questions, and share our thoughts.  Then we'll do some creating together using the format I created for the Seeds of Connection groups.  

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Community Calls are a come-as-you-are environment, and will be structured for maximum FUN, learning, and connection.  These calls will also be a great chance to check out what a Seeds of Connection group cycle is like.  There will be poetry, mindfulness, and somatic tools, and other fun surprises in each call.  Some calls will have a guest (likely someone I interviewed!) who will lead us in an activity.

Other important details and tidbits:
  • Your level of participation is up to you.  Share, create with us, or just sit back and listen.
  • Supplies needed will be something basic to draw/write with - colored pencils or markers, or just whatever you can find around the house.  You can participate with the back of an envelope and a couple of highlighter, OR bust out your art journaling goodies.
  • There is no artistic "talent" or previous experience necessary.  You don't have to show anything you make unless you want to - it's just for you.
  • You can register for whichever calls work for your schedule.  Calls are not recorded.
  • Cost for Community Calls is $12 each, free for Seeds of Connection alumni.  (No one turned away for lack of funds!  If you want to attend and the cost is prohibitive, please reach out!)  

Call Schedule

​June - Curiosity & Care - Wed, 06/29 @ 6pm (PST)
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July - Wholeness & Organicity - Thurs, 07/28 @ 6pm (PST)

August - Recognizing Connections - Fri, 08/26 @4pm (PST)

September - Compassionate Witness - Sat, 09/24 @ 10am (PST)

October - Non-Violence - DATE CHANGED Wed, 11/02 @ 4pm (PST)

November - Putting it all together & What did we learn?  Tues, 11/29 @ 6pm (PST)
register for community calls

Put these on your calendar and join us to Practice Together!

"We don't have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in the process of change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world."
- Howard Zinn
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The "practicing Together" project

5/15/2022

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The "what" and the "why":

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I am so excited to share this project with you!  

In the Seeds of Connection group cycles I facilitate, we use a framework of 5 Practices.  Over the next 6 months, this project invites us to deep dive into the concepts in these practices.  We'll be having community conversations and lots of chances to step into these practices together.

There are so many things we know we "should" do - be kinder to ourselves, be less judgmental, do more self-care, try not to be such a perfectionist - the list could go on and on.  There are books about these things, blog posts, podcasts and more - all giving us theory and ideas.  We can read about these things, think about them, maybe even write about these topics ourselves, but are we actually putting these things into PRACTICE in our lives?  How do we move things like self compassion out of the realm of something we "should" be doing, and into taking action in our lives?

We need spaces and ways to PRACTICE.  We need to have conversations with each other about how we are doing it, what we are wrestling with, why it feels challenging, and to share ideas.  We model the practice of these things in community and learn from each other.  When I watch someone else practice self-care through good boundaries, I begin to learn how to better do it for myself.  These concepts need to exist in the real world, with real people, so that we can really begin to practice them in our lives.

What are the 5 Practices?

This is just the briefest of overviews!  Each practice will be explored more deeply throughout the next 6 months.

Curiosity & Care - the practice of cultivating curiosity about ourselves and others, and offering care to ourselves and our community.  (June)

Wholeness & Organicity - the practice of recognizing ourselves and others as whole, wise, capable, creative, and intuitive beings.  With the right support, people will naturally move toward healing and growth.  (July)

Recognizing Connections - the practice of seeing our deep connectedness to our community, our world, our bodies, our inherent creativity and intuition, and more.  (August)

Compassionate Witness - the practice of recognizing that human attention is a doorway to healing.  Every person deserves for their experience to matter, be seen, be believed, and be held with compassion.  (September)

Non-Violence - the practice of reducing the ways we cause harm to ourselves, others, and our world.  (October)

You can read more about the 5 Practices here.

The "Practicing Together" project will include:

  • Weekly guest interviews on my blog related to the 5 Practices
  • Questions posted to Instagram for you to consider or use as journal or art journal prompts
  • Monthly community calls - we'll use the Seeds of Connection format to get creative together AND we'll discuss that month's practice.
  • Other live "bonus" chats or interviews on social media
  • Emails with additional prompts for stepping more deeply into the practices.
  • Surprises!  In my groups I often say "I make shit up!" and it's true.....so who knows what I might come up with to add to this mix over the next 6 months!!??!
"Practice is a shared history of learning. Practice is conversational. 'Communities of practice' are groups of people who share a concern, or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better (practice) as they interact regularly (community)."
- Etienne Wenger

How to Participate:

  • Follow me on Instagram and/or Facebook to see the questions and prompts and join the online conversation.
  • Sign up for my email list for extras related to the project.
  • Keep an eye on my blog on Fridays when the weekly interviews will go up.
  • Volunteer to be interviewed for the blog (it's easy - 5 questions of your choosing, send your answers via email)
  • Register to participate in the monthly community calls - you can register for one or a few, or all of them.
  • PRACTICE in your day to day life and share your results and ideas!

Community Calls - info & schedule

In each call, we will take a look at the practice for that month.  We'll have a juicy group discussion, ask questions, and share our thoughts.  Then we'll do some creating together using the format I created for the Seeds of Connection groups.  

These calls will also be a great chance to check out what a Seeds of Connection group cycle is like. Supplies needed will be something basic to draw/write with - colored pencils or markers, or just whatever you can find around the house.  You can participate with the back of an envelope and a couple of highlighter, OR bust out your art journaling goodies.  "Not-artists" are very encouraged to participate!!  There is no artistic "talent" or previous experience necessary.

You can register for whichever calls work for your schedule.  Calls are not recorded.   Cost for Community Calls is $12 each, free for Seeds of Connection alumni.  (No one turned away!  If you want to attend and the cost is prohibitive, please reach out!)  Community Calls are a come-as-you-are environment, and will be structured for maximum FUN, learning, and connection.
  • June - Curiosity & Care - Wed, 06/29 @ 6pm (PST)
  • July - Wholeness & Organicity - Thurs, 07/28 @ 6pm (PST)
  • August - Recognizing Connections - Fri, 08/26 @4pm (PST)
  • September - Compassionate Witness - Sat, 09/24 @ 10am (PST)
  • October - Non-Violence - Thurs, 10/27 @ 4pm (PST)
  • November - Putting it all together & What did we learn?  Tues, 11/29 @ 6pm (PST)
register for community calls

It doesn't have to be about trying to do this stuff on our own, and then beating ourselves up when we inevitably fall short.

What if it's about PRACTICING?  Together.
Come practice with us.

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"Through practice, gently and gradually we can collect ourselves and learn how to be more fully with what we do."
- Jack Kornfield
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    It's me, Crystal.  I need a place to put all my extra words.  

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  • Home
  • Groups
    • Seeds of Connection
    • Unexpecting Discussion Group
    • How to Pick & Eat a Poem
  • 1:1 Support
    • Hakomi Listening Sessions
    • Birth Trauma & Postpartum Support
    • For Helping Professionals
  • Blog
  • About Me
  • Contact