Practicing Presence Groups

“There is somewhere you are meant to be.
It is here, now, in this moment.” — Rumi


First Practicing Presence Group:
A Slow Dance with Divine Love

This September, I’m offering a new 8-week group for anyone longing for a deeper, quieter, more grounded-in-spirit sense of self. All of this can happen by simply practicing presence.

So much pulls us away from the moment we’re actually living: self-judgment, distraction, emotional reactivity, and the persistent wish for life to be different. Together, we’ll practice presence to quiet the mind, strengthen the heart, and make room for spaciousness and what I experience as a loving Divine presence that is always here, quietly waiting to embrace us.

There’s a difference between knowing about presence and actually living it. We’ll gently explore the ego we call our personality, not to banish it, but to see it with compassion as it tries to keep us safe. Whether ego shows up as harsh self-hatred or “I’m the greatest” puffiness, we’ll learn to recognize these patterns as identities rather than truth.

When ego is driving the bus, we become hijacked by judgment, self-criticism, and/or the compulsion to control. Through embodied and heart-centered presence, we’ll experiment with loosening our grip on the false self (ego), allowing a deeper freedom to emerge. The soul grows stronger each time we choose presence over reactivity. Rather than a “fix-it” project; this is a seeing project. We are not broken. We are learning to recognize and live from what lies beneath our conditioned identities: our true selves.

This is not a Happy Brain group based on neuroscience skills, although those conversations may naturally weave themselves into our group time. What’s similar to our Happy Brain group is that we offer an invitation to walk this path together in warm, welcoming community. These are tools for living a life of spiritual vibrancy. You don’t have to be identified with any wisdom tradition or spiritual group.

Wherever you are on your spiritual journey, you can step into the river, joining exactly where you are. Your lived experience, not my teaching, will be at the heart of our conversations as we discover, through presence, what becomes possible when we make space for something deeper. We’ll use the small book, Living Presence: A Sufi Way to Mindfulness & the Essential Self by Kabir Helminski (excerpt here) as our central text, along with optional supplemental resources. This book offers traditional Sufi wisdom that is both practical and universal.

Come sample the experience at one of two FREE 90-minute introductions: Saturday, August 29th, or Tuesday, September 1st. Attend one or both. See details to the right. 

I’d love to welcome you into this slow dance with Divine Love.

Warmly, Katherine

Schedule

Our first group, Practicing Presence: A Slow Dance with Divine Love is 8 weeks; Tuesdays, September 15 – November 3rd, 2026 (8 weeks)

Time:
9:00–11:00 a.m. PDT

Location:
Zoom

Facilitator:
Katherine Revoir

Cost:
$175 for the 8-week group

Texts:

Living Presence: A Sufi Way to Mindfulness & the Essential Self (second edition 2017) by Kabir Edmund Helminski

Optional companion course that follows the book: Cynthia Bourgeault's online self-directed course, Practicing Living Presence (Part One): Discovering the Mind of Christ Within, approximately $35 USD ($50 CAD), purchased separately.

FREE Intro Sessions:

  • Saturday, August 29th, 9-10:30am PDT and/or

  • Tuesday, September 1st, 9-10:30am PDT

Register:

For the Free Intro Session(s), EMAIL ME and let me know which day you are interested in (or both), and I’ll send you the Zoom link later.

For the 8-week Tuesday Practicing Presence group, email Christina with your name, phone number, and payment confirmation. She will provide the Zelle handle if you are paying with Zelle.

Complete Payment with PayPal

Frequently Asked Questions

  • If, like me, you didn’t grow up in an emotionally nurturing environment, there’s encouraging news about our brain’s neuroplasticity, and studying social neuroscience can help. You will learn how your brain relates to other brains. You’ll delve into:

    • Cultivating an internalized, supportive presence that widens the pathways to the part of your brain that calms your inner critic, eases emotional pain, and prevents reactivity.

    • Examining old patterns of believing, thinking, and behaving, and noticing how they shift as you practice speaking the language of resonance

    • Exploring methods that soothe your nervous system, fostering emotional resilience, enhancing self-connection, and promoting flexibility in your interactions with others.

    This not only makes us more enjoyable company, this is an integrated brain, the foundation of wellbeing.

  • I host Happy Brain groups because I genuinely enjoy helping people make their brains a happier place to live. 

    I’ve studied social neuroscience with Sarah Peyton since 2010, and the most fun and fulfilling part for me has been to watch my own brain become regulated as I guide others.

    Regulated brains are calmer, with more equanimity. They are also more organically empathic and less reactive. Here is a tiny part of a long list of what I call my “Brain Change Notifications” – upgrades in my brain that I am consciously aware of:

    • the most joyful change has been my greatly increased capacity to accept and love others and myself.

    • when someone says something critical or mean, I can more easily calm my nervous system.

    • I am more connected to my body my self-critic is no longer driving the bus.

    • I’m not compelled to judge or always be right, so I’m more fun to be around.

    • I can now reach out for support, no longer believing I have to do it all on my own.

    • When I say or do something I regret, I can often forgive myself immediately.

  • The foundation of resonance is approaching communication with warm curiosity, and holding the intention to connect and understand.  

    Resonant language relies on enquiry: asking, not telling. It’s deep listening, rather than waiting for our turn to speak or offer unsolicited advice or opinions. Resonance tunes in and seeks targeted enquiry because our nervous system relaxes when asked just the right question with genuine warmth and care. 

    Resonance helps our nervous system recover from trauma. We gain greater emotional flexibility and regulation, which brings us more stability during times of stress. Practicing resonance skills supports authentic self- expression and honors our universal human needs to matter, understand, and be understood.

  • During my 5 years in The Happy Brain Group, my life has transformed and my brain has become a happier place. I’m kinder to myself and more present and loving with others. It seems miraculous, but it’s actually the result of my hard work and Katherine’s skillful teaching.

    ~ Anne Anderson

  • Katherine creates an emotional safety in her groups that is beyond what I have ever experienced. Her teachings on the brain are clear and easy to grasp. This gives me a deeper understanding of what happened to me as a child and what is happening in my brain as a result, bringing a palpable relaxation to my nervous system. Katherine is a magnificent teacher and group leader.

    ~ Carli Simons

  • Your Happy Brain Groups, guided by your kind and knowledgeable presence, are a perfect place for me to recognize and heal my rigid ways of being. Thank you Katherine for offering me hope – I’m tired of suffering.

    ~ Sandy Fisher