Do you ever wonder about the choices you have made? About what’s brought you to this place in your life? About how you are here? And how it feels?

Whether you feel gratitude or a sense of joy at being here now or feel resentful or lost and not in charge of your direction, you are not alone. There are many things we don’t fully understand about our paths and the ways we have responded to life challenge and opportunity.

In this workshop we will explore these themes using imagery, creative prompts and constellating. By the end you may have a better understanding about the origins of your responses.

Poem By Rumi: Whoever Brought Me Here

All day I think about it, then at night I say it.

Where did I come from, and what am I supposed to be doing?

I have no idea.

My soul is from elsewhere, I’m sure of that, and I intend to end up there.

I didn’t come here of my own accord, and I can’t leave that way.

Whoever brought me here, will have to take me home.

Sometimes, living with pain—whether emotional or physical—becomes so familiar that we don’t realise the toll it takes on us. It might start as something small, like a pebble in your shoe, which you can ignore at first. But over time, it can make it hard to walk. How unbearable does it have to become before you’re willing to sit down and take off your shoe?

Do you have a sense of endurance and fortitude about the pain in your life? Do you carry a sense of loyalty towards your suffering? Are you aware of resisting the urge to seek release?

In this workshop we will explore these themes using imagery, creative prompts and constellating. You’ll leave having found out more about the origins of your responses.

What Are Heavy? By Christina Rossetti 

What are heavy? Sea-sand and sorrow;

What are brief? Today and tomorrow;

What are frail? Spring blossoms and youth;

What are deep? The ocean and truth.

Sometimes saying yes to yourself is hard because it can mean saying no to somebody or something else. Sometimes saying yes to yourself is the hardest thing of all. What supports you to do something unfamiliar or uncomfortable and step outside your comfort zone? Maybe a sense of curiosity, a desire for something to change? Or feeling inspired by someone else?

What do you need in order to embrace your yes?

In this workshop we will explore these themes using imagery, creative prompts and constellating. You’ll leave having found out more about the origins of your responses.

The Truelove by David Whyte

There is a faith in loving fiercely
the one who is rightfully yours,
especially if you have
waited years and especially
if part of you never believed
you could deserve this
loved and beckoning hand
held out to you this way.

Read full poem…

There can be pleasure in defying ‘the rules’, even when they may be supportive to our life.

Whether it is resisting too much …. or deciding on too little …. - chocolate, exercise, love, security – our self-talk can be harsh and lacking in compassion.

Survival responses that were crucial at one time in our lives are not easy to update and when we haven’t been able to meet our impulses with warmth and kindness, we miss out on opportunities for change.

In this workshop we will explore these themes using imagery, creative prompts and constellating. You’ll leave having found out more about the origins of your responses.

The Journey by Mary Oliver

One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice—
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.

Full poem…

If someone says ‘no’ to you because they of their need to make themselves right, there is no fruit on that tree! That sort of ‘no’ is not what we are talking about. We are curious about experiences of ‘no’ that bring us alive, like the effect of a cold shower; shocking at first then bringing increased energy and sense of being shaken awake and saying ‘yes’ to life.

In this workshop we will explore these ideas using imagery, creative prompts and constellating.

You’ll leave with a greater sense of understanding of your own resources and the juicy joy of the right kind of NO!

What Is It Like? by David Whyte

What is it like to be alone? To fall into the abyss where voices do not speak?

What is it like to have given everything away? In the wrong way?

What is it like to love no one? To live in a house shared only by servants?

What is it like?

It is like this. You are alone beneath a cold moon, you cannot speak, the bitter night has pierced your clothes and when you sleep, your body stirs with a chill wind which hour after hour and against your will, refuses to stop.

In the cold morning you will be open to one comfort only. The barely conceived surprise of being shaken awake.

In its true sense compromise is a mutual act of agreement, not a sacrifice which is a solo act done to maintain a bond between two people or between a person and a system.

When you are not in tune with your own needs and wants, it’s not possible to make a conscious choice about what you are willing to give up, and a compromise in these circumstances can feel destructive to your core self.

Compromise is creative when it is a shared agreement, with each being willing to give up something. Having the courage to express your needs and desires is the crucial, creative spark that can lead to new and enriching experiences.

In this workshop we will explore these themes using imagery, creative prompts and constellating. You’ll leave having found out more about the origins of your responses.

They Ask Why by Maya Angelou

A certain person wondered why a big strong girl like me wouldn't keep a job which paid a normal salary.

I took my time to lead her and to read her every page. Even minimal people can't survive on minimal wage.

A certain person wondered why I wait all week for you. I didn't have the words to describe just what you do.

I said you had the motion of the ocean in your walk, and when you solve my riddles you don't even have to talk.