“Conscious Relationships 101” Online Class Begins September 4th, 2020!
Learn How to Relate from Center with Sangha
Hello, everyone!
This is my official announcement of the next online class, called “Conscious Relationships 101” beginning in early September. I hope you will consider joining us for what is sure to be a fun and interesting time! Here are the details:
When: The class will begin on Friday, September 4th and the last assignment will go out on Friday, October 16th. The class will then end over the next couple weeks as people respond to the final assignment and read their classmates’ responses.
How to Register: Go to www.theoneopendoor.org, scroll to the bottom of the home page, and make a donation of any size. Please be sure to include a note that the donation is for the Conscious Relationship Class. (See below for more information about donations for the class.)
I will offer one assignment per week on Fridays. Last time I tried two per week and found that was too much for people given their busy lives and all the responsibility they carry. This time there will just be one—but I will sprinkle extra-credit assignments throughout for those who have the time and wish for more to explore and practice with.
The class assignments will come in video form. The videos will include guided imagery, exercises, and so on. After people watch each assignment video and follow the included exercise, they will post a response in a feed that everyone can see. Your post might contain insights you had as a result of the exercise, or questions. You might use the post as an opportunity to explore something that arose while you watched the video, or to share something you’ve learned over time. I will respond to every post in the feed, with the result that everyone in the class will see their classmates’ posts and my responses. During the last class I found this to be an effective way to have an ongoing conversation with a group of people that everyone can learn from, including me.
The content of this class will be “conscious relationships”. My plan is to introduce exercises designed to help us to see how we historically do relationships of all kinds (not just intimate relationships), and how we can learn to be in and act from the place of centered awareness within our relationships going forward. We will explore both the juicy spiritual stuff that comes up typically in relationship with others, and we will practice some practical skills I’ve learned these past years since I left the monastery. These skills will include such things as: how to dis-identify within a personal relationship; how to communicate honestly and directly; how to set boundaries; how to offer feedback and make requests in a centered way; and so on. My expectation is that participants will finish the class with an understanding of the ways in which they were conditioned to do relationship, as well as an understanding and experience of the centered alternative, and some tangible tools to use as they work towards becoming more and more conscious within the relationships in their lives.
One thing to note is that this class will require work and effort on your part if you decide to participate. The level of your participation will be up to you, but a minimum of three hours per week will be required in order to receive from the class what is intended. More time will be required if you choose to do the extra credit assignments and to keep up with your classmates’ posts and my responses. Before you sign up, please look honestly to see if you have the time and space in your life to devote to the class. If you do, great! I’ll look forward to seeing you there! If you do not, then it would be best for you to wait to sign up for a class until a time when you have more space in your life to participate. Spaces are limited, and I would like to have people in the class who are prepared and have the time to do the work.
The class will be offered on a donation basis, as usual. In order to register, go to www.theoneopendoor.org, scroll to the bottom of the home page, and make a donation of any size. The purpose of this initial donation is to support you in keeping your commitment to the class. It has been my experience that it is helpful when people are making a commitment to practice that they have some skin in the game. The size of this registration gift is up to you, but I would encourage you to give something hefty enough to give you pause when the voices of conditioned mind try to talk you out of attending when the time comes, as they likely will. If you are someone who has little money to spare, $5 may do the trick. If you are someone with plenty of extra money, $100 may be required. This is not about bringing in money for me. It is about assisting people to keep their commitment to themselves. At the end of the class there will be an opportunity to donate more if you choose.
Thank you everyone for your attention to this email. I hope you will consider giving yourself the gift of this class. Take good care of yourselves, be well, and I hope you have a lovely day!
In peace,
David