At the beginning of the covid pandemic I noticed that time seemed to stop. Like suddenly I could breathe. Suddenly I felt MORE safe, more calm. Like the rules of the world were changing and my worth and place in it all was transcending into a truer story. Something that made the being-ness of who I am even more important, more sacred.
I had the opportunity to take a giant step back and look at my life from up above. How am I spending my energy in the world? What am I really here to do?
What do I really value? What are the feelings I am craving / squashing that deserve to be surfaced?
Who am I calling to check in on? Who is calling me? What connections am I being intentional about, and where am I not being intentional at all? How can I curate the family and community connections I care about?
Things like this.
Big questions.
One of the beautiful gifts I was given within the first few days of quarantine, in the midst of this time-stopping feeling, was a nudge from someone I have respected for a long time, to finally take a class with him. His name is Dr. Joel Bennett.
I met Joel in 2014, as we were paired together to collaborate on a talk about corporate wellness at a conference in Texas. I remember being in the room with him on the day of our presentation and thinking, “Wow, he’s really got it.” He was a master with turning the room into a forum where all of our attendees co-created their solutions. I noticed the wisdom in the gaps he was creating for individuals to bring their own magic. Suddenly the people in front of us knew how to bring wellness into their companies, where they weren’t sure before.
I became a big Dr. Joel Bennett fan.
I stayed in touch with Joel for 6 years. Asking him if I could work with him and how. Meeting with different people from his team. Watching him run trainings for resilience, addiction recovery, and more. At least twice a year I’d get a giant nudge from him.. “I HOPE TO SEE YOU IN THIS CLASS!”
I never felt like I had enough… time.
But finally, in the slowing-down of all things, at the end of March, I found time. And one of those nudges came in from Joel to my inbox. He was teaching a course called “The Quest For Presence.” The price was reasonable, the topic was intriguing, and after seeing him post a photo of himself and Ram Das from years ago I thought.. Wow this guy has a lot more to him than I ever thought. The email in this nudge was empty, with just the subject line, “I hope you register for this course.”
So there I was, one March night in my backyard, suddenly on a zoom call with 30 or so people, taking my first proper class with the infamous, well-esteemed, wise Joel Bennett.
And of course… the class was brilliant.
PRESENCE -- a thing we hear about a lot these days. “Be present.” “Get present.” “Are you present to what’s happening?” “Are you being present with me right now?” -- questions like these float around us.
Joel took the concept of presence and brought it to a place where you can land it deep inside yourself.
You can get in touch with a feeling of presence not just in a way where it’s time to close your eyes and slow down, but in a way that your world unfolds and blossoms in the exact way you need in any given moment.
He has developed systems and language for the different flavors of life’s dynamics, the different feelings of your now, the nuanced ways we experience life, and what it means for us.
And through his maps and insights, you get a deeper sense of yourself. Exactly now. With each now having full permission to be completely different and nurturing whatever is true for you.
It’s hard to explain, really, but I hope I did a good job.
And I’m honored to share that after taking this 3 part class, I am now co-hosting it with the one and only.. Dr. Joel Bennett :)
Let’s stop time together and get really, beautifully, present, to this happening life.
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About and how you can participate:
The Quest for Presence: An Online Mini-Workshop Series on Spiritual Health
In this three-workshop series, you will learn a new language of time, one that brings wholeness and timelessness to you. Each 90 minute session comes with handouts, mini-lecture, highly interactive exercises, and between-session assignments.
Starts May 28th | 7:00 to 8:30 CST
(Session 2: June 4; Session 3: June 11)
Come to one or all. $35 Each| $100 All Three
EARLY BIRD: $80 | Ends May 22
With so much love,
Mel