Embodied Relational Awareness

Humans are relational creatures. We need eachother to explore, grow and thrive. It also happens that we get hurt when relating to one another. Why does that happen and how?
 
As a Gestalt therapist, counsellor and coach, my work is guided by the Gestalt approach to understanding human relations and exploring how we give shape and meaning to our experiences.
 
The German word gestalt means shape, or whole, and that’s what I love about this work: by looking at a situation or a meeting from a position of wholeness, we get to focus on what is happening right now. What we feel, think, and notice in ourselves and in each other. 

What is Embodied Relational Awareness

What I call Embodied Relational Awareness gatherings is, at its heart, Gestalt theory brought to life in a gathering setting. Namely,
  • The “embodied” part is about listening to the body, noticing the physical sensations that you experience. Our sensations, posture, breath, and tension all carry meaning, if we take the time to notice them.
  • The “relational” part is about connection. Humans don’t exist as isolated individuals, but in a web of relationships where meaning is co-created.
  • And the “awareness” is simply the art of noticing, in the present moment.
Practically, during such gathering we stay open and present to the here-and-now rather than getting lost in the past or in future expectations. We are attentive to act of contact – that subtle meeting point between ourselves and the world where experience actually happens – with our inner world, with others, and with the natural world around us. And we do it all in a intimate setting, with on open structure, leaving room for whatever wants to emerge in the moment we share.

What would joining bring you

The daily rush and crowded spaces are limiting the time we have with ourselves, and genuinely with another. Circling in patterns that are no longer supportive or needed, creates tension and frustration with how we and others are, or how the environment around us gets so overwhelming.
 
By joining this gathering you will 
  • make space and time to reflect on a situation or event that bothers you
  • explore situations and look at them for new perspectives
  • find a supportive, fresh ground for your real life situation

The Three Themes

Each session focuses on a different theme, helping you discover and integrate new experiences into your life situation. 

We start by exploring the connections we form with our inner world (first meeting), continue to look at relational needs when in contact with others (second meeting), and conclude with looking at the world around us (third and final meeting).

In practice, the structure of these sessions will be minimal yet coherent, allowing for genuine co-creation in the present moment of our meeting.

  1. Presence of Own Living Body. During this session you’ll be tuning into your unique bodily expression and deepening your body awareness. Imagine you noticed tension in your shoulders the moment a difficult topic came up, and realized your body was telling you something before your mind caught up.
  2. Connecting with Another and Own Relational Needs. During this session we’ll explore your personal needs with openness and curiosity, and find balanced ways to express them in relationships. Imagine you noticed you always say “yes” when a friend asks for help, and realized you rarely ask for what you need yourself.
  3. Support of Natural Wonders. For this session we meet in nature and we’ll attend to the ever-present natural consciousness around us and exploring your relationship with what lies beyond our control. Notice how the at natural cycles around us serve as gentle mirrors for your emotional and physical experiences. 

Practical details

Embodied Relational Awareness is a personal series of three in-person gatherings. In the spirit of meeting each other as we are, these gatherings help you slow down, listen, and reconnect – with yourself and with one another.

I host the workshops in two locations in The Netherlands: The Hague and Velp (Gelderland).
 
Format: Three in-person gatherings, held every two weeks.
Duration: 3 hours including 15 minutes mid time break
Group size: Maximum 7 participants.
Fees: For the whole series of 3 meetings you can choose from the following options:
  • Regular fee: €180 per person 
  • Reduced fee: €90 per person 
  • If this event feels meaningful for your present situation and you are struggling financially, do get in touch to explore options.

Cancellation and Rescheduling
You can cancel your registration free of charge up to 48 hours (2 days) before the event. Payment for a missed event due to last minute emergencies is transferred to a future date of the same event you missed. 
Rescheduling of set dates is available in alignment with me and the rest of the participants.

Join the waitlist for 2027 dates

2026 events are now closed. Register below if you want to be informed about new events in 2027.


Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing there is a field.

I'll meet you there.


(Jalalu'ddin Rumi)