we cannot resolve what we cannot see
Today is the day that NASA’s New Horizons' probe will fly within 7,750 miles of Pluto, getting us an up close look at one of the furthest bodies we know of in our solar system. We’ll be able to see the closest images ever taken of the Lord of the Underworld! To me this is symbolic of humanity being ready, willing and hopefully able to take a closer look at our own shadow—collectively and personally. WE CANNOT RESOLVE WHAT WE CANNOT SEE—so for me this flyby is a metaphor we can embrace and work with consciously in our lives. It took 10 years and 3 billion miles for New Horizons to get there--almost as long as it took me to make my way through the darkest parts of my own shadow! It is there that I also found the most precious gifts and treasures.
Gina Brezini on the Transformative Power of Circling - interview for Yoga Lunchbox Magazine
Kara-Leah: Can you introduce yourself to The Yoga Lunchbox readers? Who are you?
Gina: My name is Gina Brezini. I have two passions—for creativity and for spiritual development. As I write this, it occurs to me that both are rooted in authenticity. So, it seems that what I deeply care about is authentic expression. I am committed to teach it in ways that empower, inspire, and create transformation in people’s lives.
While I’ve enjoyed a successful career in the arts, I also have been dedicated to my conscious spiritual journey. On this journey, I have studied a variety of mystical and psychological subjects: from ancient philosophical teachings to yoga and relational dynamics.
I was born in Bulgaria where I earned a master’s degree in Fine Arts. After immigrating to the U.S., I graduated in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica in California, in 2006. My journey continued in India and Sri Lanka. There I studied Eastern spiritual wisdom and was introduced to potent healing techniques.
This is where I deepened my practice of yoga, learned to work with energy and expanded my knowledge of the mystical. I’ve walked barefoot at most temples in both countries and spent time in an ashram in South India where I was exposed to the ancient wisdom of Indian sages. I am officially qualified to give dikshas—a form of “blessings” that are believed to change habitual behavior by restructuring neural pathways.
During the war in Sri Lanka, I worked with child-solders in attempts to assimilate them back into civil life. I have also participated in facilitating workshops for women in one of California’s high security prisons, teaching them how to counsel and support each other.
Currently, my private practice is based in New York City. I also coach clients throughout the U.S. and Europe via Skype. I deeply believe in the value of the work I am doing. I have created a Circling community in New York and I am bringing this life-changing practice to Indonesia through our Bali Magic Retreat in September.
Kara-Leah: This retreat is a Yoga and Circling Retreat - what does the yoga component consist of?
Gina: Yoga is essential part of this retreat. It aims to open and prepare us physically and energetically for deeper and more thorough healing. It helps us to embody and integrate growth fully, and to create change on all levels. It makes us a vibrational match to wellness. It creates a state of full-body well being. It releases stress—to allow us to be more present and more available to the opportunities for growth.
The elegant property I have chosen for this retreat has a beautiful outdoors yoga shala surrounded by luscious nature. We offer daily yoga, taught by highly qualified local yoga masters. Ubud is a renowned center for training yoga teachers from all over the world, and we have selected the very best. In addition to yoga, guided meditations are incorporated into the program. They take place in the beginning of each Circling gathering.
Kara-Leah: And what is Circling?
Gina: Circling is a direct experience that takes us to the next level of awareness. It helps us to engage with life right now. It is also known as relational yoga. This paradigm-shifting modality makes it possible to discover and explore our essence, then live and communicate from that essence. Circling is re-programming our way of communicating and relating. It enables authentic connection in all relationships, in all circumstances. What I value most is that it’s easy to apply circling skills into everyday life. I will share a personal experience:
While I was in circling training, my finances were not in a great shape. I went to the bank in hopes of a business loan. I have never before borrowed money and I felt insecure, intimidated and very uncomfortable. The woman who handled the application process seemed unfriendly, harsh, and behaved in a standoffish way. She asked a series of rapid-fire questions that I perceived as interrogation. In reality, I was ashamed that my business was not doing as well as I wished it did.
As I sat on the increasingly uncomfortable chair, answering questions I didn’t like, I noticed that my body was tense and I felt small, insignificant and unworthy. I felt like a loser. I was terrified that the bank wouldn’t honor my application. Fear and anger began to swell inside me and I was about ready to lash out. I realized that I was in my defenses. And this is when I made a new choice—I decided to circle her…
One of the things we learn in circling is to use the expression of negative emotions to create connection. And that is exactly what I did. As I began to circle the banker, she looked at me in dismay and suddenly softened. Simultaneously, I felt more relaxed and less judgmental. My shame disappeared. My anger was gone. And somehow, miraculously, I had let go of my fear. As I continued using circling skills, the energy shifted and the whole dynamic of the interview changed.
To my surprise, the woman apologized, opened up and became friendly. “I’ll try to get you a bigger loan”—she offered while I could hardly believe what was happening. She began talking about her passion for photography and we created a closer bond. We ended up having a really warm conversation and feeling truly connected.
I was approved for a much larger loan than I had expected! I walked out of the bank feeling confident in the tools that circling offers—experiencing first-hand how easy it is to create connection in any area of life…
Kara-Leah: How did you discover Circling?
Gina: Two years ago my therapist mentioned a new modality: “It is highly effective in increasing intimacy by learning how to be with others without losing yourself… But it isn’t for the faint of heart”—she said.
There was an upcoming Circling Weekend in New York, for the first time. I am not impulsive, but I trusted the intuitive hunch I felt. “I’m in”—I decided instantly and signed up for the weekend. I had no idea what to expect. Curious, I later searched online but there was very little information about circling. Yet, I trusted the pull.
The first circle I witnessed was my own. It was one of the most empowering experiences I have ever had. In fact, it was the very first time I felt powerful. I felt accepted. I felt revered. I felt I belonged.
Witnessing other people’s circles during that weekend, I realized that just by being present in a circle, I was healing my issues as well. One weekend of Circling released emotional baggage that would have taken ten years of therapy for me to heal. Before the end of that weekend I approached one of the facilitators and asked him: “Do you teach this?” Within weeks I was packed and on my way to San Francisco—to study with Alexis Shepperd, PhD. and Guy Sangstock at The Circling Institute. This was the beginning of the most transformative and exhilarating journey of my life so far…
Kara-Leah: Why did you make the decision to train in Circling?
Gina: After experiencing it, I felt an immediate and incredibly strong pull to continue with this process. It was unmistakably clear that it is my Soul that’s guiding me in this direction. This process was helping me to step into my power and to live from it. I had a strong desire to teach others to do this. I knew with my heart that I have finally found my purpose. I believed that Circling was the last piece of the puzzle that completed my search for my mission in life. I had no doubt that this is the work I am here to do.
Kara-Leah: What impact has Circling had on your life?
Gina: Ah, where do I start?!... Practicing Circling has basically transformed my entire life. It has changed the way I relate to myself, to others AND to the world.
One of the things that Circling does is to eliminate blind spots and help us see what we haven’t been able to see before. During one of my most challenging circles, I discovered that for most of my life, I have perceived the majority of people as enemies, and life as a battlefield. As a child I had suffered severe abuse and continuous neglect. As an adult, I have been fighting for everything. While this led to many achievements, my relationships were not as I desired. Without personal happiness, there was not much satisfaction in my hard-won victories. Bringing my outdated perception of the world into consciousness prompted me to look deeper into personal issues related to it. This created the possibility for me to heal.
As I started seeing the world through a different filter, I began making new choices. New opportunities opened up for me. I now experience the world more often as a friendly place in which people are on my side. I am able to notice and appreciate the support that is present in my life. I realize that I don’t have to do everything alone. I’ve opened up to the possibility that I can trust others. I have connected in new close friendships, attracted more available men, established mutually rewarding partnerships, started new businesses and created a community that grows rapidly and transforms people’s lives.
In the past, my unconscious motivation was fear and survival. Now, what motivates me most is inspiration, vision and the genuine desire to contribute and co-create a more harmonious world. I am no longer hesitant to express what I feel, think and need. I now have the tools to do it in a way that creates connection.
I can fully and fearlessly be ME.
Kara-Leah: Why have you chosen to lead this retreat in Ubud, Bali?
Gina: Bali is known as The Island of the Gods. This magnificent land is acknowledged as one of the most powerful energetic centers. I believe that when we are in a place with higher vibrations, the process of transformation accelerates and generates long-lasting effects.
The intention for this retreat is to share memorable experiences and to facilitate transformation in the shortest span of time. That’s why we select destinations that hold undeniable spiritual power, calm the mind, heal the body and nurture the soul.
Kara-Leah: Can you tell us what people can expect from the setting?
Gina: This retreat will take place at an exquisite boutique property designed to help people embrace the beauty and bliss of Bali. It is the perfect place to reconnect with a sense of wholeness, harmony and health. The property offers luxurious accommodations, organic food grown from its own garden and an ozonated swimming pool surrounded by bamboo, papaya trees and ginger plants.
The main villa is nestled in plush tropical gardens, perched by a river. Located among rice fields are additional two-story villas overlooking a stunning lotus garden and a salt-water pool. Each floor has a light-filled “chakra room” with its own color and chakra symbols. The rooms are tastefully integrated with the resort’s beautiful landscape, maintaining harmony within the natural environment, embracing guests with a welcoming and peaceful energy.
Kara-Leah: What's your favorite aspect of running a Circling retreat?
Gina: Immersing into another culture enhances the already powerful process of Circling. It allows the welcoming of who we are while also enjoying and learning about a foreign country. Being together in a retreat setting and sharing fun experiences can create beautiful memories and friendships lasting a lifetime.
My Circling Adventures partner, Alita, has the wonderful gift of making people feel special, cared for and welcome in a uniquely warm way. We both believe that Circling in nature has a bigger impact and accelerates transformation. We trust that pampering, relaxation and increased body care during transformational work can facilitate faster integration and support lasting results. Our desire is to provide everything for you, so all you have to do is show up, let go and go within.
Last summer, when I was in Bali searching for the best location for this retreat, I found exceptionally powerful healers. I have personally met and experienced many of the most gifted light workers of this land, as I was deciding which ones to include. Among others, I have invited the High Priestess Ida Resi to perform purification and blessing ceremony. This alone is a rare opportunity for an extraordinary experience, as this young woman with remarkable personal story and amazing spiritual powers is not easily available to all.
Kara-Leah: What kind of transformation do people experience after a Circling retreat?
Gina: People say that after a Circling immersion they feel more present, more alive, more connected, and more loving. Many claim to have their lives changed in some way.
Circling helps people to create deep meaningful connections, reveal and transform relational patterns and communicate the truth in a way that allows others to understand their point of view. They learn how to understand and accept others even when they feel triggered or don't agree. They often discover filters and blind spots that make it difficult to see, be seen and relate in fulfilling ways that support any relationship. They deepen their practice of relating authentically.
Kara-Leah: Anything else you would like to add?
Gina: Grounded in my desire to help others experience shifts in their own reality, I am dedicated to helping people step truly into their personal power and create a happier and more abundant life for themselves. My mission is to assist others to make new choices that inspire them to do the work they love, feel fulfilled, and live life on purpose.
Bali Magic Yoga & Circling Retreat is YOUR opportunity to begin this important journey and to create desired changes in YOUR life!
This is our yoga and circling space in Bali
Following the Path
"I gave up my music because I had received from it all that I had to receive. To serve God one must sacrifice what is dearest to one; and so I sacrificed my music. I had composed songs; I sang and played the vina; and practicing this music I arrived at a stage where I touched the Music of the Spheres. Then every soul became for me a musical note, and all life became music. Inspired by it I spoke to the people, and those who were attracted by my words listened to them, instead of listening to my songs. Now, if I do anything, it is to tune souls instead of instruments; to harmonize people instead of notes. If there is anything in my philosophy, it is the law of harmony: that one must put oneself in harmony with oneself and with others. I have found in every word a certain musical value, a melody in every thought, harmony in every feeling; and I have tried to interpret the same thing, with clear and simple words, to those who used to listen to my music. I played the vina until my heart turned into this very instrument; then I offered this instrument to the divine Musician, the only musician existing. Since then I have become His flute; and when He chooses, He plays His music. The people give me credit for this music, which in reality is not due to me but to the Musician who plays on His own instrument."
~ Hazrat Inayat Khan, “The mysticism of Sound and Music”
Steve Sandberg sent me this text and I feel deeply touched by it. It really speaks to me as it describes my story and how I feel about giving up (visual) art. I continue to help people see the world differently, but I am now doing it by applying different media: coaching and circling. I am now practicing the art of circling and fine-tuning human souls. Instead of painting paintings I am now assisting others to design a more fulfilling life for themselves... Before I was holding a brush, now I am holding space for the healing, aligning and re-birthing of human Souls… I feel humbled and I bow in reverence as I watch the rapid changes this practice allows…
Creating Connection: April 17-19, 2015
We just completed a Deep Dive Circling Immersion weekend intensive facilitated by the founder of Circling Guy Sengstock and Gina Brezini.
These were intense and powerful three days, in which we experienced deep connection and healing. We came as strangers and left as friends. Some came with doubts and left feeling empowered, and longing to come back. And we are all moved, more present and more alive.
Here are some photos from the weekend:
Creating Connection: April 17-19, 2015 in New York
Circling weekend Intensive with Guy Sengstock & Gina Brezini
Friday: 1pm-7pm Saturday: 10am-7pm Sunday 10am-7pm
Unfold your potential, cultivate fulfilling relationships, become curious about what is possible!
Circling can empower you to create the life you’ve always dreamed of.
We will offer tools that can help you to integrate this practice into your daily life.
You will learn:
how to communicate in a way that helps you feel heard and seen
how to express difficult emotions
how to feel more confident and successful
how to relate to people in a new way
This event is for you if you are…
new to this practice and wondering what all the hype is about
single, coupled, dating, divorced and wanting (more) connection
willing to strengthen your personal relationships (couples are welcome)
ready to speed up your personal or professional transformation
I am here to love
Practicing circling allows me to receive what I could not get directly from my personal relationships, in the past…
As a circling facilitator, I give a lot. And I also receive a lot. I give freely, shamelessly and full-heartedly—something I was not able to do, to this extent, with men. In the past, I limited myself in my expression and perhaps that resulted in attracting men with limited ability to receive the full scope of my loving while in relationship with me… Or I might have not known how to express my love in a way that doesn’t seem threatening, clingy or demanding...
Based on Authentic Relating principles, circling showed me a way to align myself with who I truly am, and to begin living and expressing fully from my Authentic Self. With this came a peculiar kind of satisfaction, a sense of deep fulfillment that I have rarely experienced before.
Knowing my true identity opened the door to finding my life’s purpose—something that many of us struggle with. For years I thought that I'm here to paint. It turns out that I am destined to love!
Through circling, I practice that which I could not have done in my personal relationships until now—to love without expecting to be loved in return. To witness without judging. To remain present and open. To accept what is. To love even when I am not loved. To simply love. Unconditionally. Without agenda. Without expecting anything in return.
The paradox is that as I began to do this, I receive so much more! I receive now more love than I have ever received in my entire life! I receive more satisfaction than I have received from winning top awards, coveted commissions, prestigious nominations, and valued public acknowledgements...
I love. I feel. I am happy. I feel fulfilled and alive. My heart remains open and fills up with love for everyone whom I encounter. And I discover, again and again, that the only thing, which purifies and heals, is Love.
subway insights
The best way to start loving yourself is to begin loving others, without any expectations of return for that love.
I'm having a spiritual experience in the middle of the subway in New York, while on my way to a meeting with my accountant.
I’m standing on the platform of the ugly, dingy Uppper West Side subway station that I know so well. A young musician sits on a bucket behind an open guitar case, collecting donations in exchange for his music. I let a few trains go by, without getting on them, just because I find his music beautiful and I experience pleasure listening to it. It enters my heart.
I don’t care that I’m in a hurry. I don’t care that I’m running late. I allow myself to miss the train, knowing that another one will come. This is unusual for me, I like to be on time. But today I allow myself to just sit for few minutes and enjoy, in the midst of Manhattan’s turmoil.
These are the best six minutes I’ve "wasted".
I suddenly feel a powerful wave of self-love. And I feel it washing all over me and turning into love for all humanity. I am wide open to love.
I am a lover. The surrounding reality is grim, but I am not affected by it.
I am a creator. I am now an artist without a brush. I'm creating my life. And I am loving it. I am creating the life that I love—just by allowing myself to slow down, to be present to what is, and to let myself experience joy.
I am an alchemist. I’ve made my way through pain, dirt, pressure, fire and darkness. And I have emerged purified. I have become gold.
Quantum physics and the energetic field of Circling
Perhaps you’ve heard of quantum physics and how the behavior of matter and energy on a certain microscopic levels change when exposed to attention. You’ve heard that in the realm of quantum physics, observing something influences the physical processes that take place. You’ve heard that particles can act like light waves just because they are exposed to attention.
Well, circling seems to have a similar effect: whatever we “put into the circle” tends to change and causes us to act differently. Putting a loving attention on a concern or emotion brought into the present seems to dissipate the issue, change its structure, eradicate the pain and heal deeply. When done well, circling can be extremely transforming. I believe that any loving attention can heal. Multiplied by the group of people in the circle, this focused attention creates a powerful energy field, in which issues seem to disappear or heal almost miraculously. Real shifts in behavior follow up soon. With the right integration, new patterns are born.
I studied circling facilitation in 2014 at The Circling Institute in San Francisco. During the year-long training, Guy and Alexis taught in depth the different stages of facilitating circling. These stages are almost scientifically organized, structured, practiced and explained.
But it’s the mysterious energy field that seems to occur during circling that is not easy to describe.
Why in quantum physics the observed particles turn into light waves? Why do they change when they are noticed, seen and witnessed?
And why do people’s structural beliefs and perceptions of themselves, of others or of certain events—past or present—change just as mysteriously when under magnified loving attention? Why does “being seen” lifts up pain, increases one’s sense of worthiness and gives birth to new beliefs that allow us to glance into a more accurate reality?
Is it possible that there is some kind of connection in this?
Is it possible that circling reaches so deeply into the smallest particles inside us and shifts them from matter to light—thus showing us who we truly are?
Is it possible that the energy field produced in a circle is similar to a quantum resonance field?
If you have experienced this method, please share what was it for you..
all life is alchemy
I chose some alchemical symbols for this new website. In my view, circling is alchemy. All transformation is alchemy. And I simply LOVE mystical things that produce change, create magic and manifest what we desire.
My favorite is a sensational drawing by the Weber brothers. It was made in 1825 when they observed the changing waves created by a drop of mercury added into a pool of mercury. Things like this genuinely fascinate me! Check variations of the drawing on the ABOUT page.
I truly enjoyed building this site and I hope you will have just as much fun while you read and browse through it. There is something for everyone: some cool images, a bit of reading for those who really want to know, and some amazing programs for those who are ready for change. Check it out, enjoy it, and if you are inspired to offer feedback—I will know that you care.
sweet presence of the Presence
To describe Circling hasn’t been easy for anyone who has experienced it. I am not surprised. It makes sense to me. How do you describe what you experience during a deep meditation? How do you describe encounters with the Divine? You FEEL it. You KNOW it’s there. You may even see it, or hear it. But you can’t quite describe it accurately. It seems that there are no words for it…
Imagine that you were just circled. And you are left feeling moved, perplexed, unraveled, oddly energized, deeply touched, vulnerable, sensitive to everything and yet more resilient and more powerful than ever. You feel clear about things that were puzzling you before. Even though little of what you have just experienced made sense to you. Yet you feel more determined. More centered. More open. More alive. More real. More You.
I haven’t heard anyone stating openly yet that Circling is, in fact, a deep spiritual practice. I’ve heard people call it “art”, “relational yoga”, “practice”, “healing modality”, “not therapy”, “group meditation”, “all that is”… and that’s as close as it had come to admitting that this mysterious something, this je-ne-sais-quoi-pas of transformational modalities is in fact a deeply healing spiritual force, a shortcut to connecting with, getting to know, and befriending your own Spirit (and the Spirits of the people who are sharing the experience with you).
Circling is a spiritual practice. I have repeatedly observed the tremendous pull it has on everyone who has experienced it, as well as the radical changes and rapid transformation it creates.
I am convinced that the energy that operates actively in Circling is Divine Force. A Force of Love, of compassion that allows us to see the essence of another, and to experience our own… A Force that’s opening the heart, so that what needs to heal IS healed, and all that remains is Love…
To love means to be able to see with your heart. To love means to see the VALUE. In others. And in yourself. To me Circling is a Gateway to Loving. It has taught me to perceive others as valuable, as worthy, as lovable, as Divine…
Circling is a spiritual practice. I became fully aware of this when I began building my first circling website. Mysterious images (which I suddenly recalled to have drawn incessantly as a child with my first compass) came out of nowhere and insisted to stay. They literally chose me: circles that touch and connect in a mystical way, just as it often happens with people in the process of Circling.
Curious about these insistent and strangely powerful drawings, I ran a research and I discovered that these images are known in sacred geometry as the symbolic representation of Divine Union. The overlapping boundaries of the two interacting circles create the sacred geometric form of the Vesica Piscis, the birth portal through which Creation moves into manifest form: the Cosmic Yoni...
The more I learned, the more sense it made to me, and the greater my astonishment as I connected invisible dots and became aware of deeper meanings and odd parallels.
As I continued to draw circles for the website, I felt possessed. I felt inspired. I felt on fire. I felt unstoppable. I felt within me a force so powerful, so gentle, so mystical, so grounding—I felt it rushing through me and taking care of all that needed to be done. Easily. Effortlessly. With joy. With mysterious delight that I sensed in every fiber of my body and in every ray of my soul.
And then I got it: in the sacred practice of Circling, the circle is the container in which the Universal Force of the Feminine (a.k.a. Love) arrives when we are strongly present, engaged and focused on the Now. The more spiritually evolved and aware the facilitators, the higher energetic frequency they can hold, the more beneficial are the outcomes, and deeper are the healings.
Circling is a spiritual practice. It requires attention and Presence—our own and this of others. When the container is solid and strong, the energy builds up and another Presence becomes present.
This Presence swiftly sweeps away what no longer serves us. It heals. It calms. It nurtures. It nourishes. It releases old pain. It transforms patterns. It shifts perceptions. It renews the mind. It clears the aura. It releases defenses. It opens the heart. It allows connection. It allows Love. It points to new possibilities. It creates room for choice.
Circling is a magnificently rich spiritual practice. It is more than art. For me it is an exquisite partnership with the Divine.
0 Likes