Thea Blair

“ I enjoy Aya’s presentation of NVC, because it is never stale. In every session she shines a light on a new topic, revealing her own insights as well as those of others, giving me a broader understanding of what it means to be nonviolent. Always there is ample time to practice with others. I enjoy this learning by doing and I also enjoy belonging to a community of learners. But I think I learn the most by witnessing the magic of Aya’s interactions with others. She is so imbued with the ethos of nonviolence that it doesn’t seem like a practice, but a way of being. I find that more and more I am letting go of the concept of “enemy” and acquiring a sense of connection to others that includes seeing disagreements as an opportunity to clarify our needs and find ways of meeting them that makes everyone feel good.

Thank you for making a positive impact on my spiritual growth. I have just made a major life decision and the processes I have practiced in your classes have helped me resolve fears and other emotional obstacles so that I can make this move feeling free and deliberate and joyful about my choice. I also feel amazement and gratitude that I can let go of old habits, through the sometimes strenuous, but certainly simple process of reclaiming my innocence. That seems like a miracle, like an answer to a question I have been persistently been asking for many years. ”