Shadow Play with Michael McDonald

There is wisdom within our darkness, past our identity and past our sense of right and wrong. When we look into and through our edges and conflicts we uncover nutrients that we’ve been unknowingly hiding from ourselves. And it’s a process that doesn’t have to be painful; it can be playful! Shadow Play, a Relational Alchemy experience, is an exploration of those shadows, through connection, embodiment, and playfulness.
In this workshop we’ll experience and explore:
* Connecting deeply with each other, stepping into both trust and play
* Playing with your stories, rather than indulging or fighting or running away from them
* Using embodiment and process to playfully bring energies to life
* Allowing yourself to be surprised by where experience leads
* Meeting your shadows, what they really are, and the gifts they contain

$30 early bird // $35 day of
'Relational Alchemy' is an evolution of personal growth into relational growth. We begin from a place of embracing and taking responsibility for our unique personal experience. That is the foundation of integrity. From those roots we reach out, with love and respect, to relate with each other's experience--and that is where the magic happens! When we tell the truth, the truth changes.
There is no cookie-cutter mold for how you should be or what relating should look like. Everyone is a complete universe unto themselves, has a unique style, personality, and integrity that is perfectly *them*, and everyone is perfect and amazing as they are (including their belief that they aren't.)
These nights involve a series of fun, social exercises that demonstrate and explore relational alchemy, getting to know yourself better while at the same time learning to see and appreciate more about everyone you connect with.
All this is within a lighthearted container which is safe for getting real, taking emotional risks, and personal growth. Everyone has an opportunity to profoundly see and be seen, where there is nothing to 'get' and judgements and distractions fade away.
In the Relational Alchemy community:
* We seek and cultivate connection and community, not just with a few but throughout our lives.
* We have a desire to be real with each other, to enjoy feeling vulnerable and to skip past the superficial to create truly nourishing connections.
* We celebrate our uniqueness and diversity, and we embrace that we are in this together and that we need each other to grow.
* We crave sincerity and authenticity, without getting bogged down in getting ‘serious’.
Things to expect: laughter, relief, anxiety/excitement, reverence, love and connection, new friends, and new possibilities for how you engage the world
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About Relational Alchemy:
Michael has been leading Relational Alchemy events in the Bay Area, at festivals, and for teams since 2011. Here’s what they’re saying:
"I left wanting more like this and with a curious sensation of "you can do this kind of thing??". This is exactly the kind of experience I've been seeking, I had no idea it even existed!"
"What you offered is the heart of what matters to me - the chance to get to show up, naked, simple, and to speak our heart's truth."
"Totally blew me away. It was so incredible to explore deep ways of connecting to others in such a safe, engaging, and fun way. Michael is a wizard at this stuff, a true craftsman. I highly recommend this evening to anyone seeking to expand authentic expression and human connection in their world."
"I loved feeling myself moving to a place of vulnerability, lovingkindness, and trust with a space full of strangers."
“I have tremendous faith in Michael as a facilitator. He creates a space that is loving and safe where exploration, authenticity and magic can happen. He takes charge in this subtle way that is simultaneously gentle and strong.”
“Indeed a great event! It was so impressive and uplifting to have experienced such substantial and deep connections with someone you know for only two hours! The world would be a better place if more people relate this way.”
“During your workshop not only did I connect deeply with others, some of whom I didn't even exchange words with, but I also dug deep inside and healed some ancestral/white privilege wounds. I didn't expect to be so deeply touched and transformed by the experience, thank you!”
“I'm so grateful for your courage as a man to lead from such an authentic place of deep love, humility and strength. You are truly a gifted love facilitator!”

About Michael McDonald:
Michael McDonald is a transformational coach for entrepreneurs and executives, helping them flourish with more ease, authenticity, and inspiration. His style has been described as part Mr Rogers, part Inception. He is the creator of Relational Alchemy, relational practices and metaskills for creating an unusual amount of intimacy between people.
“Something awesome is trying to happen, and your job is to allow it.”
Michael McDonald, Transformational Coach
http://authenticintegrity.com

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