West Coast Circling
Authentic Relating & Circling Training in the Western Canada
About West Coast Circling:
West Coast Circling is a community of friends and skilled leaders in authentic relating and circling, offering immersive experiences and training programs. We are dedicated to expanding the human connection movement across Western Canada.
What is Authentic Relating?
Authentic Relating (AR) is a transformative practice centred on being truly yourself. It involves being real, honest, revealed, and transparent, allowing others to see, hear, and understand your inner world. You will engage in AR exercises specifically designed to deepen your connection with yourself and others. In a supportive environment, you are encouraged to express your genuine feelings and thoughts, fostering a profound sense of understanding and closeness among participants. Authentic Relating is more than just a practice—it’s a growing movement with vibrant communities worldwide. People are gathering to connect authentically and enrich the human experience, fostering a sense of belonging and deeper interpersonal connections.
What is Circling?
If AR is practicing the punching and kicking moves, Circling is the sparring match where all these skills come together. Circling is a relational meditation in which participants share their authentic present-moment experiences—sensations, emotions, and thoughts—while connecting with each other. Participants express their sensations, emotions, thoughts, judgments, assumptions, stories, desires, attractions, observations about each other’s demeanour or way of being, the group's dynamics, moments of dissociation, boredom, and more, all in an exploration of consciousness through the present moment. Two common types of Circles are “focus circles,” where one person is the centre of attention for up to an hour, revealing their present-moment experience to a group exploring their world, and “organic circles,” where there is no focus person and attention moves organically as people reveal themselves and follow their curiosity.
For more information, you can download the West Coast Circling Handbook here. .
What people are saying…
“My first Circling Immersion was the most potent experience of my adult life. I felt supported showing up in a deep honesty and transparency that I did not know I was capable of. The integration of this experience continues to ripple through all my human connections.”
- Allistair Dell
“My first contact with circling was at a weekend immersion hosted by Garrett Rokosh and Robbie stainton. I had a wonderful experience which would set me on a path to deepen into this practice. It was a weekend that covered the full range of human experience, from a deep sense of connection to intense discomfort. Circling is an excellent opportunity to step beyond social convention and learn more about what is actually happening, in this moment, between you and I. I would recommend this to anyone who craves a clearer lens on relational reality and would choose an uncomfortable truth over a comforting lie every time.
- Foster McGee
“Circling is a space where I consistently feel the most alive, honest and free. It’s a place where I can settle into the comfort of my somatic experience and feel at home in myself. At the same time, I can also choose moments to lean into the bolder edges of my authenticity and take more risks in connection with others. It is one of the few places where I feel safe enough to express dissonance and feel challenging emotions like anger in a clean and embodied way. It’s a precious tool for coming into attunement with a collective and witnessing one another in what’s present here and now.
- Andrea Wiebe
“Garrett creates a clear and inquisitive space. His prompts are evocative, adapted to each situation and bring a sense of ease to participate. Within it, I felt safe to share my heart's content and excited to discover deeper layers of myself.”
- Manuel Matsya
“Authentic relating and circling have been pivotal in my journey of feeling seen and known in the way that my heart has always desired. I never knew how much of a gift it might be to practice making the implicit explicit in a relational context: a recipe for life-altering experiences.”
- Alizah
"My circling immersion experience with Garrett was a worthwhile opportunity to practice and deepen fundamental relational skills that underpin my life. Every time I invest my time in this container, I walk away feeling profoundly connected and better resourced to step into everyday intimacy."
- Patricia Parkinson
"I appreciated Garrett's focused facilitation and his ability to both hold the space of the Circle, while also revealing his own experience in a transparent and vulnerable way. I've experience facilitation with many people before, and can see that Garrett is very intentional and skilled in his ability to support people to go deep and uncover their truth."
- Leo Cheung
