practicing deep feeling / felt sense
the intention
to practice felt sense / deep feeling in connection with others. slowing down and listening to the subtle and elusive sensations, emotions, and images that arise from our body. discovering what it is like to tune in and speak from these, rather than from our our mind.
“An emotion is often sharp and clearly felt, and often comes with a handy label by which you can describe it: ‘anger’, ‘fear’, ‘love, and so on. A felt sense, being larger and more complicated, is almost always unclear… and almost never comes with a convenient label…” –Eugene Gendlin
there’s a particular realm i feel pulled to and want to explore with you. it’s quiet, deep in the ocean. it takes some practice to get down there – a practice of slowing down, noticing where we habitually fill the space or break the tension; catching ourselves when we realise we’re trying to get somewhere, or feel uncomfortable doing nothing. wondering into territory that we might not have maps for, where we tread slowly, feeling out the shape/qualities/textures/flavours of our experience.
along the way, we may discover parts of ourselves that protest, or resist. we can welcome them, bring curiousity to them. what do they feel? what do they fear?
then, if and when when we’re ready, we might embrace the delicious unknown and discover the whole world that unfolds deep in the ocean.
what will we be doing?
i can’t say for sure, but it’s likely there will be paired exercises, aimed to help you get a felt sense of the felt sense (haha). these may include looking at another person without speaking for some minutes, sharing about sensations in your body/emotions, embodied movement and more.
at times circling can be challenging
you may be confronted with reactions/emotions/experiences in yourself or others that you find triggering, overwhelming, difficult to be with. circling invites us to bring awareness, ownership, and curiosity to these feelings, and to explore the full range of how it can feel to be in connection with others. if you feel particularly under resourced or vulnerable at the moment, this practice may not be right for you, so i invite you to take some time sit with this invitation and give yourself space to really feel how it lands in you.
any questions please get in touch at circlingwithnoor@gmail.com
hope to see you there,
noor
circling with noor 