– Circling Practices –

Real Transformation through Connection

The relational practices of Circling and Surrendered Leadership are simple yet profound ways in which we actualise real, lasting transformation through connection with one another.

As we engage in the practices, we get instant, natural feedback from others that helps to clarify the fear-based patterns that may have been constraining our expression for decades.

In being able to meet one another in our shared vulnerability, these old patterns can begin to lose their hold, enabling us to express fully, freely and authentically from our intuitive knowing in the moment.

See this beautiful 4-part documentary to find out more

The practices are built on the firm ethical foundation of the following 5 principles (inspired by Circling Europe):

  1. Commitment to connection
  2. Owning your experience
  3. Trusting your experience
  4. Staying on the level of sensations
  5. Being with the other in their world

The practices themselves are deceptively simple, yet profound in their effectiveness and ability to offer ever-new insights and realisations. To discover more you’re welcome to join a free online introduction to Authentic Living.

Free Intro

– Meditative Inquiry –

Going Deeper

Many of us feel that there is something missing from our lives, and so we very naturally go in search of that ‘something more’. First we might explore the world of relationships, careers, money and possessions; but that only seems to bring temporary relief. Then we may look into religion, spiritual and therapeutic groups, but these too can ultimately fail to satisfy.

In this utter failure to find a solution there may be a readiness to look in an entirely new way: to wonder what is the nature of this ‘me’ that is doing all the seeking?

Initially we might respond with a list of attributes: our name, age and gender; our occupation, past history and future aspirations; or that what we most essentially are is located somewhere inside our head, controlling our thoughts, choices and actions.

But what if we’re prepared to look beyond those descriptions; what if we’re willing to let go of everything we think we know and explore our presently arising experience firsthand?

When we look in this childlike, innocent way, we find that our usual assumptions about who we are and what life is simply don’t stand up. For many this can precipitate fear: fear of the unknown, fear of losing control, fear of annihilation.

 But in courageously feeling the intensity of those energies, in not turning away from our sense of vulnerability, it’s only the conviction that we are a separate fragment of life that falls apart; to reveal the incomprehensible truth of our undivided being—the home for which we’ve always longed.

The miracle is that we never were limited and isolated, but only ever life itself: every sound, sensation, colour and texture; the bliss, the pain, the triumphs and the heartaches; the path, the teacher, the seeking, the finding; the entire rich play, all made out of oneself—the boundless fabric of experience.

Nothing was ever lost, there was never anything to find, just a misunderstanding to see through. This is the message of freedom.

And this is not the end of the story but only just the beginning. For as that recognition starts to infuse all areas of our experience, we naturally begin to act from love over fear, openness over defensiveness, tenderness over hardness; with the effect of ever deepening, enriching and transforming our individual character, our relationships, our lives.

In living closer than intimate, with all that is, we live as Love.

About Us

MD and founder of Authentic Living, Jim Eaton graduated in Maths from Oxford University, then tried a number of vocations, including working as a singer-songwriter, an actor, and a school teacher in inner city London. Despite achieving success, he couldn’t shift a profound sense of lack and longing. What followed was an intense spiritual search that culminated in directly realising the wholeness of being—the home he’d been longing for.

Jim then came across the relational practices of Circling and Surrendered Leadership that he instantly realised would help to integrate this realisation into daily living, and bring about real, lasting transformation. The result is what he now calls the Authentic Living approach.

Since 2011, Jim has been leading Authentic Living workshops and retreats internationally, guiding others to that same realisation, and to the subsequent empowerment and life transformation it can offer.

He lives in Totnes, Devon with his wife and two children.

Coaching with Jim

Meetings and Retreats

There’s no dogma, no superiority, no guru-ness, no rigid mindset, no rules, just a loving intelligence continually welcoming us back to the home we never left.

What happens in a meeting? Through meditative inquiry, live music, relational practices and playful movement, you will be invited home to the wondrous realisation and celebration of your essential nature.

Meetings begin with a short guided meditation followed by a chance to learn and practice a series of simple yet profound ways of engaging with one another. These practices will help you to clarify the fear-based patterns that limit your expression in life, and move beyond them to express fully, freely and authentically.

No previous knowledge is required, just a willingness to openly and honestly explore your raw, first-person experience, to courageously question all your beliefs and assumptions, to feel into your human fragility and whatever fears may arise.

This is not about achieving some special state, not about disconnecting from your everyday difficulties and challenges, regarding them as somehow illusory and insignificant. It’s about the revelation, the celebration, that the full, rich spectrum of human experience is the very expression of your being. It’s about appreciating the paradox of our vulnerability within invulnerability, our limitations within infinite freedom. It’s about being closer than close, more intimate than intimate with all of life. It’s about living as love.

Ultimately it all adds up to a celebration of life with openhearted sharing, live music, silence,  tears and laughter, all in an atmosphere of absolute acceptance.

For those who would prefer to fully immerse themselves in this message, retreats offer a wonderful opportunity for a much deeper exploration.

A momentum tends to build throughout the sessions, offering a readiness to realise the profound truth of who you really are and become more established in that realisation.

“To see the courageous letting go of everything we think we know and the revelation that what we long for is already here, waiting patiently to be acknowledged, is always an absolute privilege.”
Jim Eaton

Upcoming Events

“Thank you so much Jim for your unwavering presence and focus, your skill at delivering ‘the message’, as well as your innate intelligence, sensitivity and humanity. Your care in keeping the space quiet and uncluttered is something I especially appreciate with my easily (& eagerly!) distracted mind.”

T.K. Aish

“I am very glad that Life has brought me to you. Your words and presence had a profound impact on me. After years in a kind of impasse/wilderness I am now filled with joy, with peace. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

L.W. Wotton under Edge

“Thank you. I’ve heard the words so many times and no one has ever led me to a place where I could actually experience those words—like what does it mean? That’s what I was asking for, and you managed to do it. Thank you.”

K.C. Devon

“I cried myself an ocean this morning and there is so much space now everything fits in. Thank you”

H.S. Netherlands

“I always thought I had an ‘infliction’ Jim until you unlocked my thoughts on Saturday: my utter sadness for people who are in pain and less fortunate than I. I now, thanks to you, embrace my feelings as a gift of caring. After twenty years or so you have ‘released me’. I am grateful. It is now ok. Thank you. I am indeed a fortunate lady.”

A.M. Totnes

“Your presentation of this message is exceptional. I do sincerely hope to get to another of your meetings soon.”

T.H. Nottingham

“Jim expertly facilitated a safe, loving space where fear could be welcomed in and embraced. Like a deft archer waiting for a chink in your armour, he fires an arrow of love that will open your heart and expose your true nature of love and joy.”

M.E. Hertfordshire

“Working closely with a guide who knows the territory, who can understand where we are on the journey, who meets us and sees us as we really are and reflects that back to us, is a rare and precious opportunity I feel. Jim is that very guide.”

J.B. Buckfastleigh

“Hi Jim. It was a joy being with you. You reminded us that not only is God in the wallpaper, but that all we are – that all this is – is love. I had literally just done a 7 day retreat in which spirit was felt, encouraged and evoked through ecstatic dance, dynamic meditation, loving physical touch and emotional catharsis in psychodramas related to one's issues—loads of things. But God's love felt as One in the flowers, chairs, people, street, cars, birds outside only occurred as a sweet, pure, immanent, recurring, unending gift in your group through chatting.”

T.K. Oxfordshire

“Thank you Jim for holding such a lovely space. It is pure cocoa for the heart—melting and warm and yummy. Precious, precious, precious.”

T.L. Devon

“Dear Jim. Thank you so much again for the amazing events in Findhorn. It was the deepest, most profound workshop I have ever been to.”

M.H. Forres

“Thank you for the meetings Jim. I find that I always have benefit from coming in many different ways. It’s fascinating, challenging and absolutely right for me – I feel better and better all the time, on all levels.”

S.W. Bickington

“Your authentic being and the risk of vulnerability YOU took invited me and created a response in me and IT unfolded. This happened on a deep level, a level so much deeper than the conversation was on. The most stunning thing is that it happened without any effort from my part. This shift has had a huge effect on my relationships, enrichening them immensely.”

F.E. Italy

“Thank you for a wonderful retreat and providing valuable tools which I am finding immensely useful. As someone who has been around the block a few times I feel the precise psychological/developmental stages work you do is profound, and a valuable piece that has been missing.”

R.O. London

“Hi Jim. It has been a real pleasure having you with us and a great blessing for us all. You have changed my life!”

K.T. Forres

“I am a different person since working with Jim: More real, more loving, more open, more joyous, and certainly much more alive! People remark on it.”

J.B. Devon

“Just went to my first ever Satang! It was amazing. I think Jim Eaton is an alien! You blew my mind. I’ve never felt so present and free. The truth shall set you free, experienced as an experience. The boundaries of reality literally melted! With no psychedelics or drugs of any kind, just consciousness given space and relaxation to be. I have never experienced a human being so at peace and emanating such Love. What a beautiful soul. Thank you 🙂”

S.B. Bristol

“Dear Jim. Thank you very much for doing your meetings. They are always such a blessing for me. And I find your responses very helpful in my life.”

R.C. Cullompton

“Something on a very, very deep level has changed in my life. I was amazed at the way you looked at every one of us, unfolding a gentleness and intimacy which I had never before experienced. Many times I felt that the presence of your being opened a door in which I could just walk in and be immersed in a universe of Love.”

F.E. Italy

“Be warned: the truth of Jim’s teaching is both irrefutable and irresistible.”

L.J. Devon

“After many years of seeking I felt stuck, depressed and frustrated yet unable to articulate what was going on. And then came the retreat. Those unhurried hours conversing with you over the weekend brought insights, peace and moments of clarity. With gentleness you encouraged us to speak, to find the words, to unpick our misconceptions. The laughter that often happened in the meetings made us joyful and yet with humanity and patience you helped us to investigate deeply. Always your clarity returned us uncompromisingly to who we really are. What a privilege this weekend has been.”

L.W. Gloucestershire

Coaching Sessions

If you wish to work with Jim one to one rather than in a group setting, then you can book a private meeting online via Zoom or in-person. Please send us your preferred date and time (GMT) along with any other requirements by filling in the form.

Your booking will be confirmed on receipt of payment.

Click here to make payment

N.B. For cancellations we require at least 24hrs notice, otherwise you will be charged the full amount.

“Would on-line be as effective as a face to face meeting? I asked myself this question before booking a session with Jim. The answer is a resounding Yes. Zoom allows for a real intimacy that is quickly established. The whole time is “personal” quality time. The discussion can be focussed on the points that you need clarifying. And all from the comfort of your own home.”

P.H., Sutton Coldfield

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    “Thanks for a valuable Zoom session. It was helpful and at times illuminating to have you point out the naturalness and simplicity of what we truly are as opposed to who we think we are. Your gentle but firm approach helped me see more clearly into the nature of thought and many times I could not but help laugh at the traps I can get into. To see more clearly like this is very helpful.”

    M.D., Brisbane, Australia

    “Thanks for the Zoom meeting today Jim. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to engage in this enquiry using it. There seemed to be no distance : ) . Definitely would recommend it to people as a great way to meet”

    S.M., Bristol

    “Meeting Jim in a private session was extremely meaningful for me as his words clearly pointed to what I was looking for - my self. The main exchange though happened while looking into each other's eyes - an opening, a recognition, a silent knowing 'this is it'.”

    H.Z., Netherlands

    “Jim is the embodiment of open heartedness (love) and open mindedness (spaciousness) and in our one to one session this presence began also to resonate in me, to the point that I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt who I really was. What greater gift could one receive in life. Thank you Jim”

    P. G., Totnes

    “Dear Jim, a big thank you for the session... my intense seeker seems to mostly have gone walkabout and replaced by a light, very happy enjoyer. This morning instead of listening to spiritual stuff I did some pottery. And yesterday my husband and I had a wonderful time sharing and celebrating this beautiful adventure. Thank you for being such a good friend and guide.”

    J. B., Buckfastleigh