A Last minute gift to Yourself? NVC Residential: Embodied Empathic Presence - Vulnerability and Personal Agency

Embodied Empathic Presence

- Vulnerability and Personal Agency

Transforming Crisis into Creative Response

'Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage.' 

Brené Brown

✦ A Last-Minute Gift to Yourself ?

As we near the start of the Residential,  a few spaces have opened up at a significantly reduced rate.

Imagine waking up SOON to birdsong, open sky, the prospect of a fine breakfast made for you, and brilliant company and time that belongs entirely to you in a wonderful setting.

Three days at Braziers Park. A Georgian manor in the Oxfordshire hills. A small, warm circle of people — choosing to pause, to go inward, invite a coming home and inner nourishment.

A few spaces have opened up at a significantly reduced rate. We'd rather fill this circle with the right people than leave seats empty — and if this is landing somewhere real in you with deep needs for rest and connection.

Reach out directly to Simon for late-availability pricing beyond the prices stipulated below. If cash is an issue in any way, or a cheaper price would inspire you to join us, then please do contact me to chat about what would work for you simon@living-presence.co.uk or call me direct on 07974817393

Residential Gathering-Training at Braziers Park, Oxfordshire

April 23-26, 2026

This residential gathering-training explores the healing and transformative potential of Embodied Relational Presence distilled from Marshall Rosenberg's Nonviolent Communication,  with underlying wisdom and compassion approaches from Gene Gendlin's Focusing and the Buddhist tradition, without religious content.

Core questions for our times

With constant news reminders of a world overwhelmed by environmental collapse, social division, and collective trauma, often leading to a sense of disempowerment, fear, freeze, overwhelm of just defensive indifference, how might we......

• respond from presence rather than indifference, overwhelm or horrified anxiety
• develop unshakable inner resilience when daily news threatens to overwhelm our nervous systems
• stay open-hearted amid increasing polarization and social fragmentation
• build nonviolent communities capable of meaningful regenerative change
• transform our relationship to global crisis from helpless anxiety into empowered, creative community connection and creative action
• find the courage to express our authentic voice when the world needs healing voices most
• embody the change and cultivate the community we wish to see, integrating inner transformation with outer activism

Embodied Empathic Presence – Vulnerability and Personal Agency

Residential gathering-training @ Braziers Park / April 23–26, 2026

Cultivate inner safety and meet wounded or critical parts with compassion. Grounded in the body and breath, we gently turn toward ourselves with empathy and embodied presence.

• Cultivate Inner Safety - Learn gentle grounding, breath work, and body-based practices to create a foundation of self-safety and soothing for authentic inner relationship

• Compassionate Self-Connection - Use NVC self-empathy and felt-sense awareness to befriend your inner critic, wounded parts, and repetitive thoughts allowing for a natural organic healing

• Working with Stuck Patterns - Develop somatic tools (movement, gesture, Embodied Relational Presence) to transform habitual responses like frustration, anger, anxiety, and fear while celebrating the life energy within all experiences

• Invite Personal Agency - This agency is a result of exquisite inner relationship that brings confidence and relationship at a deeper level.

• Community Centred - Find nourishment and support through a caring community, find space too in the beautiful natural surrounds of Braziers Park.

Approach

Simon's pioneering methodology - Embodied Relational Presence - offers an inspiring synergistic combination of Focusing's felt-sense wisdom, NVC's compassionate communication, and Presence-based mindfulness and Buddhist secular approaches - creating a 'felt-sense' oriented approach that transforms how we relate to ourselves, others, and our world in crisis.

Residential are time out for you; fun, play, relaxation, and ease, respect and warm connection all in the context of a safely held space make for a compelling and transformative experience. I aim to follow your personal needs as well as the collective spirit.

What is this residential gathering-training like?

                Take a panoramic, playful and colourful trip into the heart of Braziers -

                   whilst showing a Focusing residential - a sister to NVC - it gives you an idea of the beauty and quality of Braziers

Community Centred Learning through Direct Experience

I believe nourishing community to be the source of our growth and forward movement. As such I work live honouring your core essence in the moment to meet you in community to meet you where you are, addressing your underlying needs directly.

Fun, humour, depth, connection, authenticity, pausing for space and rest, moving at an organic pace, enjoyment and safety being instrumental in the process, this is my way. Giving you room to breathe, and flourish in your own way, to honour your full humanity in relationship.

How?

This residential gathering-training offers a deepening journey of embodiment, empathy, and inner freedom. Includes: Somatic and NVC practices, movement, Focusing, group sharing, quiet time, nourishing meals, and access to beautiful natural surroundings.

        The Amazing Gothic Braziers Park

Nestled in the rolling hills of Oxfordshire, Braziers Park is a sanctuary for seekers of peace, connection, and inspiration. This historic mansion, with its striking Gothic architecture and lush surroundings, serves as a tranquil retreat from the busyness of life. The park’s sprawling 55 acres of woodland and meadows provide an ideal backdrop for rejuvenation, whether through yoga, meditation, or simply wandering the peaceful grounds.

With its strong sense of community and commitment to sustainability, Braziers Park offers a retreat experience that not only soothes the soul but also ignites a deeper connection to nature and each other. Whether you’re attending a retreat or hosting your own event, Braziers Park provides a serene and inspiring environment where growth and reflection come naturally.

             Vicky Binns shares her experience of the residential

             at Braziers Park (1 minute)

Look see! Braziers Park - the official website

COST RANGE — ACCOMMODATION + TRAINING FEES

ACCOMMODATION — 3 nights, fixed cost

Camping guests eat and socialise in the main building. Accommodation pricing is set by Braziers Park and passed on at cost.

TRAINING & FACILITATION FEE — sliding scale

A sliding scale ensures accessibility. Contributing toward the higher end helps create space for those who need the lower rate.

TOTAL PACKAGES — Full price Accommodation + training fee combined.

Special Offer If you can support the NVC community and my continued NVC work with the above package invitation, all well and good with buckets of appreciation.  If cash is an issue in any way, or a cheaper price would inspire you to join us, then please do contact me to chat about what would work for you simon@living-presence.co.uk or call me direct on 07974817393

A note on reciprocity

I work within a paradigm of abundance and reciprocity. Gift according to your felt sense — consider gratitude, fair value, and what you can afford. My life is devoted to ecology, nonviolence, and regenerative community change. Gratitude for your support, financial and otherwise.

HOW TO PAY

Two options — both work perfectly well. Bank transfer simply keeps a little more of your contribution in the pot.

Option 1 · Bank transfer (BACS) — NO booking fees Simon McKibbin · First Direct Sort code: 40-47-64 · Account: 90739723  IMPORTANT!      YOUR Reference: RES 1 + initial + surname — e.g. RES 1 S McKibbin

Option 2 · Pay via Ticket Tailor — Stripe processing fees apply Convenient and secure. Use the Tickets button on this page to pay by card through Stripe.

PAYMENT OPTIONS

• Full payment
• Payment plan — available on request
• Other arrangements — chat to me

💺 Not ready to pay in full? Secure your place with a £75 non-refundable deposit.

Residential Registration

BURSARY

One discounted place is available for someone willing to help support the booking process and act as an enabler on the residential. Get in touch to find out more.

CANCELLATION AND REFUNDS

We understand that life can change unexpectedly, and we want to hold that with care. Here's how we navigate cancellations together:

• More than 2 months before — Full refund, no questions asked.
• Up to 1 month before — Full refund minus a £50 admin contribution to help cover costs already incurred.
• Less than 1 month before — We'll do our best to find another participant. If we succeed, or if there's a waiting list, you'll receive a full refund. If we're unable to fill your place, we hold the fee to support the continuity and viability of the work — and warmly offer you a place on an equivalent future retreat.
• If we need to cancel — You will receive a full refund of everything paid.

                         Meet Simon 'Ketu' McKibbin - Mentor, Friend, Coach and Facilitator                                                                                                      Pioneer of Embodied Relational Presence

We are living in unprecedented times—both thrilling and unsettling with forces beyond our control at play on financial, global, environmental, and social levels. The lack of meaning in materialism has left our culture's social fabric empty, sowing confusion in our identities and a sense of lostness about what it means to feel secure, grounded in the natural order, and truly connected to others and the awe and mystery of the universe.

We live in a culture of atomization where technology promises connection yet alienates us further—moving from Cartesian "I am" to Apple "I-Phone," faces frozen and hypnotized by screens. The proliferation of information competes for our attention—it's hard to draw breath and sense our true identity as sovereign beings.

And yet... in every moment, the sun rises and stars offer their soft light. The ground remains ever faithful, lovingly supporting us. Birds continue to sing, trees remain rooted, oceans stay deep, and there is richness and beauty in every precious, tingling, vibrant moment. A silky breath slides into our bodies from the skies as the universe continues breathing through us, perfuming every cell with vibrancy and warmth. We are here now, alive—coming home to ourselves is the prayer of every star, every mote of dust. Something deep within knows how to return to its authentic original self—like a hidden gem stitched into a garment's lining, we had it all the time. Embodied Relational Presence offers a portal to true self-empowerment where we realize we are not foam buffeted by waves, but the ocean itself.

For over 34 years, I've supported individuals and communities toward greater personal and professional empowerment through Mindfulness, Nonviolent Communication, and Focusing—practices that unlock our capacity to live more fully, creatively, and courageously. My work bridges inner transformation with outer change, rooted in active commitment to ecological regeneration, social equity, and nonviolent living through grassroots organising and co-creation. I invite you into this portal of Embodied Relational Presence—where there is autonomous, sovereign, connected, and irrepressible life—to become both magician of your own wholeness and powerful ally for planetary regeneration and collective wellbeing.

Experience: CNVC Certified NVC Trainer | BFA Focusing Teacher | Breathworks Mindfulness Teacher | Associate Mindfulness Teacher, University of Cambridge (2017–2023) | Extinction Rebellion consultant, mediator & trainer | Møller Institute Cambridge University Executive Coaching Guest Lecturer | Mindfulness in Schools Project (MISP) teacher | Triratna Buddhist Order member | Samaritans volunteer

Contact Simon

Questions? Comments, or just for a natter!

simon@living-presence.co.uk

Mob: +44 (0)7974817393

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