BayNVC - Bay Area Nonviolent Communication

Time: 11:00am - 1:00pm
Description: Concord Compassionate Communication. We will be learning from a variety of communication styles. Meets every Sunday, 11 to 1:00 and 6 to 8pm on Thursday nights, weekly, in Concord, at a private home. Very quiet, comfortable environment. We focus a great deal on needs. What are needs, and more important, what exactly are mine? How can I meet them? It's questions like these that will be answered & discussed. Also, we explore when to have empathy for self and others. Making requests in a way that is agreeable or even joyful for eveyone. Expect fun and laughter while learning this wonderful philosophy. The brain is more efficient, more receptive in a joyful/peaceful state. Feel free to call for more information/details. ~Charles & Sufi

Time: 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Description: Dates: Sundays Nov 6, 13, 20 (Maybe Not 27th-to be determined),Dec 4, 11, 18 (Not Dec 25th) Mair offers NVC in a unique way, focused on practical applications and having fun in sharing; using games, role plays, real plays, dyads, fishbowls, songs, stories, poetry, exercises. Mair's intention is to challenge each person (including self) to their learning edge while offering nurturing support. Cost: First session free! Pay sliding scale $ 120- $240. Individual sessions fee request $25-$65. No one turned away for financial reasons. Request that you pay at the highest level you can to attend to financial ease/sustainability for yourself, the facilitator and others who may not have access to discretionary funds at the same level that you do. Mair has co-written a children's NVC Coloring Book "Compassionate Underwear Bear", and developed a game she has titled "Jackal Cafe & Another Way", inspired by the Dance Floors created by Judy Morin, John Cunningham, Gina Lawrie and Bridget Belgrave. Mair has studied NVC-based Mediation with John Kinyon and Ike Lasiter, and developed her own style she calls "No-Fault Mediation". Foundational in that style are two operating principles: 1. The slower we go, the farther we get....faster. 2. The less we hear, the more we understand. Mair is a Certified International Trainer with the Center for Nonviolent Communication, participated in the First LP 2001-2002, Co-founder of the Safer Communities Project (2002-weekly offerings of NVC in prisons and jails), Collaborative Trainer with BayNVC, and Ambassador for BayNVC. " I have known Mair since 2002, when she attended the BayNVC Leadership Program. I appreciate, in particular, her deep passion for meaning, her dedication to authenticity and full human connection, and her humor and courage in responding to challenges. I trust her understanding of NVC and her continued immersion in learning and clarifying concepts and processes. I am impressed by what I see as her ability to see and reach human beings across a wide range of demographics and experiences and offer meaningful healing and learning to others." - Miki Kashtan, Lead Trainer, Strategic Vision, Bay Area Nonviolent Communication (PayNVC) www.BayNVC.org "I’ve known Mair for a decade as a friend, colleague and as a participant in some of my NVC Mediation workshops. I very much enjoy how she shows up in the world with humor, care and clarity. I like the way Mair relates to herself, and to me and others. I without reservation recommend that you work with her at every opportunity." – Ike Lasater, www.NVCMediation.com

Time: 7:00am - 8:30am
Description: Self Empathy Core Competency; Learn & Practice. I offer some "tips and tricks" and we practice out-loud self empathy, silent self empathy and empathy for others in large group, dyads, and small groups while we are on the phone together. We can use role plays, real plays, and exercises for developing not just the capacity for transforming our inner jackals, but the ability to access using that capacity in moments of stress and challenge. The sharing and practice of Nonviolent Communication is dear to me, as it is my focused strategy for creating a world that works for all. One of that "all" is me! I request that you consider my needs for generating a sustainable livelihood, and that you make a financial gift to me to support me in my life's work. You can do so through Paypal or mailing me a check. I feel immense gratitude for you in supporting me offering Nonviolent Communication in the world, as much of my time is spent in volunteer activities with no pay. I invite you to gift me with a financial amount at the highest level you are willing, with full holding for yourself, for me and for others whose access to discretionary funds are at a lower level than yours. No one turned away for financial reasons. I have agreed to share NVC in Ethiopia for a month in the beginning of 2012, and it will be voluntary as there are no funds to pay the trainer team that has gathered. You can read more about this BayNVC sponsored project at indiegogo.com " I have known Mair since 2002, when she attended the BayNVC Leadership Program. I appreciate, in particular, her deep passion for meaning, her dedication to authenticity and full human connection, and her humor and courage in responding to challenges. I trust her understanding of NVC and her continued immersion in learning and clarifying concepts and processes. I am impressed by what I see as her ability to see and reach human beings across a wide range of demographics and experiences and offer meaningful healing and learning to others." - Miki Kashtan, Lead Trainer, Strategic Vision, Bay Area Nonviolent Communication (PayNVC) www.BayNVC.org "I’ve known Mair for a decade as a friend, colleague and as a participant in some of my NVC Mediation workshops. I very much enjoy how she shows up in the world with humor, care and clarity. I like the way Mair relates to herself, and to me and others. I without reservation recommend that you work with her at every opportunity." – Ike Lasater, www.NVCMediation.com The idea for this call series springs from the Global Free Empathy Call that I offer on the First Tuesday of each month. Go to www.AnotherWay2Communicate.com to register for that call. I offer it freely but there may be phone charges from your service provider. I also facilitate a practice group on the First Thursday of each month at 4-5:30pm California Time. This is a no-cost practice group that is offered through the NVC Academy (www.nvctraining.com). It operates each Thursday with a different facilitator each Thursday.

Time: 7:15pm - 9:15pm
Description: Our newly-formed NVC Circle of warm, dedicated people gathers every four weeks. Our intention is to develop facility with NVC principles, consciousness and skills in a spiritually-centered context and to create community among one another through giving and receiving support. After we settle in with tea and water, we open our circle with a short silent, guided check-in with ourselves followed by briefly checking-in with one another. We open our hearts to our own and each other's real-life experiences by practicing empathy and NVC role plays. We learn and practice NVC concepts and specific applications of NVC with ample personalized coaching. We connect with and respond to real-time feelings and needs as they may arise. Requests: 1) A prior introduction to NVC (e.g., an NVC workshop, Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication book, audio-visual or online reading such as https://www.cnvc.org/about/what-is-nvc.html) will help support integration into the circle. Feel free to contact for resources. 2) Because we aim to go deep, cultivate community and maintain group stability, we seek others who are committed to participating regularly and for the long-term (e.g., 6 months or longer); feel free to drop-in to experience our circle before committing. We currently have 5 regular participants and have space for 8. 3) Financial contribution that would be joyful and comfortable to you, that considers the facilitator's needs for support and spending more of her time contributing meaningfully. Willingness to have a conversation about this. Facilitator: Kiran Patel Kiran is a seasoned facilitator--teaching, facilitating and training since 1988. Her workshops and retreats have reached thousands of individuals and numerous organizations in the U.S., The Bahamas and India. Kiran holds an M.A. in Social Psychology (1987), is certified as a mediator (1990). Kiran has extensive experience with Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication (NVC) process, including completing a year-long NVC leadership program in 2003 with BayNVC. With advanced certification as a yoga instructor, Kiran has been regularly practicing yoga since 1999 and teaching since 2003. Her writing on nonviolence and yoga has been published in “India West”. Testimonials: "I feel you have these long arms that circle the group, welcoming us and embracing us with your warmth and love." -A.J. "After a few meetings I'm finding my awareness of my feelings and needs growing slowly and subtly - like a tree - giving me hope for a richer quality of life." - V.D. Contact: Kiran Patel at LivingWithSpirit@aol.com or 510-406-3662