Guiding
Principles

We believe that human development contributes to impactful action and positive change.

Four concepts underpin our approach and are central to the themes we will explore:

 

Time out

Dynamic Balance

Enquiry Questions

Embodied Practice

These four principles are not linear steps, but rather part of a cycle of exploration.

They contribute to creating the conditions for change and development to happen over time.

 

 

Time Out!

It may seem obvious but if you don’t press the pause button from time to time, it’s very difficult to take stock of what is going on inside and out. Too much activity and noise in our busy lives can obscure our sensitivity and our awareness.

But learning to pause or stop is also about quieting the inner noise and activity to connect to a quieter place of deep listening.

 

This principle is all about the ability to create the inner and outer space that is critical for insights to arise.

 

 

Dynamic Balance

There is something very simple and natural about the state of balance, and yet it seems to elude us much of the time. It’s a state that is conducive to well being and  harmony with our environment. It’s an active principle that looks at the interplay between things that sometimes feel like opposites and that are in fact in relationship. Like between internal and external focus, or cognitive and non cognitive ways of knowing, or between action and recovery to name but a few.

 

This principle is about being in and out of balance, about losing it and finding it again. It is not a state we can find and hold on to forever, but rather a movement we need to embrace and be in flow with.

 

 

Enquiry Questions

Have you ever asked yourself a question? And have you noticed how some questions have more ‘pull’ than others? When faced with a tough question, our tendency is to immediately try and find the solution. This is in fact endemic in our society and creates more problems. But sometimes keeping the question alive and open-ended can create greater insights than trying to solve it. That’s when a question becomes an enquiry.

 

This principle is about finding and creating Enquiry Questions that exercise our ability to sit with uncertainty and trust the wisdom to be found in a state of ‘not knowing’.

 

 

Embodied Practice

As we all know, it’s not good enough to just have awareness. If you want to make an impact on your world, within or outside, you need to act and behave differently. And then, new habits and patterns need to be formed. For this to happen in a sustainable way, it must be embodied. The only way to create this lasting change is by practicing.

 

This principle is about creating, trying out and refining practices that allow development and change to be sustained over time. It’s also about HOW we practice on top of WHAT we practice.