Down Under Roundtable: “Pausing”: Holding our Uncertainty with Kindness

Friday, 25 September 2020 from 12:00pm-2:00pm Sydney, AEST

Friday 25 September from 2:00pm-4:00pm, New Zealand, NZST

Friday 25 September from 10:00am-12:00pm Perth, Western Australia, AWST

(US Thursday 24 September from 10:00pm-12:00am EDT)

Times worldwide: convert to your time zone

We invite you to join us in these virtual Focusing “cafés” in which participants can share their experiences of this time we are currently living in.

Connection >Focusing> Community

The Natural Pause is about reconnecting with the often forgotten, inner resource that holds the potential for a profound change in one's interactions and ways of being in the world. In this Roundtable we will draw upon the work of William Hernández and Soti Grafanaki, co-authors of The Natural Pause (2018) available in print and digital format at https://pausevillage.com.

In that work they write:

It appears that around the natural pause, there is a path that can lead to an inner place of beauty and tranquillity, where a person can find their light again, and walk in unity with, rather than in separation from, life and the whole of creation. In that place moving on is possible, because the focus is on not correcting a ‘mistake,’ which in many cases cannot be undone anyway, since what is past cannot exist in the present. It is instead focused on asking forgiveness for the separation of the person from their essence, which is the source of their vitality.

The presence of fear, anxiety, resentment anguish and blame are all indications that a person is walking away from their higher state of being, which is a state of harmony and flow. Inner peace is an indication of unity ---- a natural condition when one is not in conflict. (The Natural Pause, p. 76 print edition, p. 108 digital edition)

During this Roundtable we will explore and experience how a simple "pause" holds the potential to change the world inside and around us. There will be an opportunity to use a pausing exercise to ground our sharings and explorations in felt experiencing. Please bring a natural object to hold in the palm of your hand, e.g. a shell, rock, or stone. Through this experience and sharing what emerges with others, we can experience Pausing as a process of kindness toward our whole being and our interactions with each other.

Suggested pre-reading:

http://thepause.lifegliders.com/uploads/3/4/1/1/34110888/hernandez__grafanaki_2014_folio.pdf

Who might be particularly interested in attending this Roundtable? Any Focusers who are curious and interested in this topic.

What to expect from Focusing Roundtables:  Each Focusing Roundtable is designed to promote informal peer-to-peer conversation. Rather than acting as expert presenters, the Hosts will serve as conversation moderators to encourage sharing and exploration of the topics from the participants’ own perspectives.  All participants’ sharings are welcome and valuable, no matter what level of experience or knowledge you have on the topic. The main emphasis is on connecting and listening to each other.

To preserve the nature of informal conversation, the program will be offered live only and no recordings will be available. Participants are encouraged to create follow up opportunities for connection among themselves after the Roundtable.

Focusing Roundtables are presented as a free benefit for members of TIFI. If you are not currently a member, you may attend this Roundtable by becoming a TIFI member at http://focusing.org/membership, and then return to this page to register. By joining at the $25 Friend Level or higher, you will be eligible for this and all future Focusing Roundtables and other benefits of membership during the year following your membership date.

Registration is limited and available on a first-come, first served basis until the spaces fill. Aussies and Kiwis will be offered early notice of this program and the first opportunity to register before registration is opened up to the for the rest of the world-wide Focusing community

We warmly encourage you to register and settle down with us to join other Down Under Focusers passionate to explore topics of interest and get to know each other better. If you have an area of interest, curiosity or passion you would like to see opened up in a future Roundtable, please let us know.

About your hosts:

Heather Rogers is a Counsellor and Focusing Therapist in Private Practice living in Palmerston North, North Island, New Zealand. She is a Focusing Teacher, Certifying Coordinator and member of TIFI’s Membership Committee. She is committed to training and developing the Focusing Community in New Zealand, with passion for incorporating Focusing in her daily life and work.

Matthew Power is a Focusing Oriented trauma counsellor and psychotherapist living in Townsville in North Queensland, Australia. Matthew is also a trainer for the Blue Knot Foundation, Australia’s national centre of excellence for working with complex trauma, and is a mindfulness and meditation teacher.