Relational Intelligence: Mindfulness Tools for Relationship

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Dates: Six Sundays - 3/6, 3/13, 3/20, 3/27, 4/3, 4/10 - 7:30pm - 9:00pm
Location: The Well-Baby Center | 12316 Venice Blvd, LA (map it).
Series Fee: $120 early bird by 2/21, $150 after No one turned away for lack of funds.

Interested in taking Emotional Intelligence & Relational Intelligence? For a side-by-side comparison, click here. Register for both and save $60! ($180 early bird by 2/21, $240 after).

Relationships are hard! They take time and energy to maintain. They require compromise. They throw us into intimacy, exposing our feelings and our vulnerabilities.

It might be comforting to think that with enough mindfulness, you won't need to rely on others. Meditation can seem like the perfect escape from the all that confrontation and unpredictability. But the truth is, we are herd animals!

We will never surpass the need for human connection. While mindfulness tools are brilliant at helping us regulate our own emotions, they are designed to prepare us for connection, not remove us from it.

How easy is it for you to connect deeply and trust others? How often do your relationships nourish you emotionally, and decrease your stress? How authentic are you?

When relationships work, life is buoyant and nourishing. We trust others to take good care of us, and we enjoy taking good care of others. We use relationships to stay emotionally balanced, reducing cravings and calming repetitive thinking. What was once seen as source of drama becomes a profoundly beneficial resource.

Join us for Relational Intelligence. Each week, you will learn and practice relational mindfulness techniques with partners* and in small groups—all in manageable doses, in the safety of our classroom. You will walk away empowered with new tools to deepen your connections with everyone you meet.

In this series...

  • You will learn how to use connection with others to help you stay emotional balanced, and why it doesn't always work.
  • You will be empowered to address emotional overwhelm in relationships, "compassion fatigue," boundaries.
  • You will understand what empathy means, and how to cultivate it.
  • You will learn how, where, and when emotion plays out in your body.
  • You will come to know when you are and are not being authentic, and what gets in the way of authenticity in your relationships.
  • You will cultivate tools to increase trust and decrease resentment.
  • You will gain a basic understanding of attachment theory and what it says about your relational patterns.

In the long run, if you stick with it, you will find greater ease in connection with others, greater compassion, and ever more comfort in the ebb and flow of life.

Registration also includes:

  • Scheduled one-on-one Skype calls/phone calls with the facilitator between sessions
  • Unlimited facilitator access as-needed.
  • Access to audio recordings of all classes, for review or in case of absence.

Each class will include new techniques, a period of guided meditation, and time for group discussion. The series is suitable for all levels of experience. I will be available to each student one-on-one, so no one feels overwhelmed or left behind.

*Though the techniques taught here are mostly partner exercises, there is no need to sign up with a partner. These techniques are safe and gentle enough to practice with other class participants, even those you don't know.

What's the difference between this class and Emotional Intelligence I?
This class focuses on the partner/interactive aspect of mindfulness—tools that can be used in relationship. Emotional Intelligence I focuses on awakening one's own emotional awareness and providing tools to skillfully manage emotion as an individual. These classes can be taken in either order. They support and enhance each other. If you'd like to sign up for both, you will receive a $60 discount! You can do so by clicking the "SIGN UP" button on this page, and choosing "Emotional Intelligence/Relational Intelligence COMBO" when you check out with PayPal.

For a side-by-side comparison, click here.

If you have any questions, please contact Nicholas Bruss at CompassionLA (as I will be on retreat for the month of February).