\Holding space

[Michael Herman]

been saving this holding space topic until i caught up with other stuff.
 wanted to revisit this notion of being tired and check my experience
against others.

as far as i can tell, i enter a relationship with an organization and
then begin pulsing my attention between what i need and what they/we
need/want.  everytime i pulse to them, and especially during the
meeting/event itself, i stretch and shift and change some.  this
stretching of the ground of my awareness is directly connected to my the
energy and space that i experience as 'me' and that also connected to
the physical body structures that i call 'me.'  so when the space of my
awareness stretches very big and/or very often, it has some sort of pull
on energy and cells.  reminds me of a martial arts exercise in which one
expands energy and awareness to all of space and time and then
collapses/contracts to a speck (then disappears the speck) and repeats.
energetic/awareness pushups.  seems facilitating in open space gives a
similar sort of workout.  the better i get at pulsing between me and we
in open space, the easier it is to come back to being apparently just me
after the event.  for a long time i thought that open space was supposed
to be so easy and so i must have been doing something wrong if i got
tired.  i don't think that anymore, but i do keep an eye out for
soreness, for me in lower back, that reminds me that i have been paying
too much attention to 'we' and not enough to 'me.'



john engle wrote:
>
> colleagues,
>
> we talk a lot about what it means to open/hold space. we often say that it
> is tiring and that it can be draining. i often find it to be so. i ask if
> these are not characteristics that we put on ourselves as a result of our
> resistance toward letting go.
>
> if this is correct, why do we need to struggle so? what are we resisting and
> why? as we grow and become more mature, should we not arrive at a place
> where opening space, just like any other activity, is nothing more than
> breathing in, breathing out, ... breathing/nourishing our souls, being
> open/aware to what is happening?
>
> i continue to wonder to what extent we give ourselves, as facilitators,
> greater importance than what we deserve when it comes to presentation...when
> it comes to being in front of the group. less is more, yes? for sure, it
> often requires time, commitment, and skill in accompanying leaders as they
> consider doing an open space event. determining the theme, creating the
> letter of invitation, and organizing the actual space for the meeting are
> responsibilities which must be handled with care and devotion. yet once
> these important tasks are carried out well, why do i get tired and feel
> drained at times when i open space?
>
> as i have shared before, i never walk the circle in the center of the group.
> when i have done that in the past, i have felt to much "center stage." in me
> not walking the circle, participants have never failed to rise to the
> occasion of taking charge when i stop talking. over the years as i have
> observed myself and many others facilitating open space, i have found
> harrison's message to be true: even if the  facilitator fails miresably in
> delivering a polished presentation, the process will still work. the
> participants will rise to the occasion.
>
> i ask that you forgive me if i come across as judgemental. i'm seeking to
> better understand the essence.
>
> sincerely,
>
> john engle
> port au prince, haiti
>
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--

Michael Herman
300 West North Avenue #1105
Chicago IL 60610
312-280-7838 voice
312-280-7837 fax

http://www.michaelherman.com
...an invitation.

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