We operate on autopilot expecting outcomes to be predictable. This is useful in many contexts, but when we want to encourage change, we have to start by examining patterns. In this introduction, we will practice exercises that help us see our own patterns. We will discuss how becoming aware of habits helps us change them.

It’s not always simple to identify a pattern. Sometimes a pattern is associated with a belief that has an origin in past pain, even intergenerational. Emotions can make patterns harder to shift, but we can learn to work with them through our presence. In this class, we will practice methods of awareness that train our focus to deepen and expand into the current moment. Then we will discuss ways to apply this deep focus when modeling healing for others.

Groups of humans follow patterns in the same way that individuals do. They often do so subconsciously, agreeing to harmful norms out of habit more so than desire. This includes, for example, unhealthy habits of overworking, overcompensating, perfectionism, and more. These habits negatively impact our experience of collaboration and belonging. In this session, we will take what we’ve learned in Sessions 1 and 2 and discuss how to apply this awareness in a group setting. 

Patterns interfere. They often block access to our highest talents, asking some actors to do more than others or to take on responsibility for things they do not have the resources to solve. On a communal level, individuals who know how to direct focus back to center can have tremendous influence. In this session, we will practice being the center-focused leader who models alignment for the system.