You saw the invitation. Maybe it was a friend's Instagram story, maybe you stumbled across a flyer at your local wellness studio, or maybe you've been quietly Googling "women's circle near me" for weeks now, hovering over the sign-up button without ever actually clicking it.
If that sounds familiar, you are not alone. In fact, it is one of the most common things women tell me before their first women's circle: "I almost didn't come."
The nervousness is real. The questions swirl: What actually happens in there? Will I have to talk about my feelings in front of strangers? Is it going to be too "woo-woo" for me? What if I cry? What if everyone else seems to know each other and I feel like the outsider?
Take a breath. Every single woman who has ever walked into a circle has felt some version of those same fears. And nearly every one of them, by the time the evening ends, whispers some version of the same thing: "I needed this more than I realized."
This guide is here to walk you through what to expect at a women's circle so you can arrive feeling informed, at ease, and ready to receive whatever the experience holds for you. Whether you are considering joining a sacred women's gathering for the first time or you have been curious about our monthly circles here in Glastonbury, CT, consider this your permission slip to show up exactly as you are.
What Is a Women's Circle, Really?
At its core, a women's healing circle is a gathering of women who come together in a safe, intentional space to connect, reflect, and support one another. That is the simplest explanation. But the experience itself carries a depth that words can only begin to touch.
Women's circles are not a modern invention. They are an ancient practice that stretches back thousands of years, across every continent and culture. Indigenous communities gathered in circles for storytelling and ceremony. Medieval women met in sewing circles that were as much about counsel and companionship as they were about needlework. During the suffrage movement, women convened in parlor gatherings that fueled social change. The circle is one of the oldest forms of human connection — and one of the most powerful.
In modern context, women's circles have experienced a profound resurgence. As our lives become more digitally connected and emotionally isolated, women are craving what our ancestors knew instinctively: that healing happens in community. A women's circle is not therapy, though it can be deeply therapeutic. It is not a workshop, though you will learn. It is not a networking event, though you will forge bonds that transcend surface-level connection.
It is, quite simply, a space where you are seen. Where you are heard. And where you remember that you do not have to carry everything alone.
The circle is not just a shape. It is a practice of equality, presence, and return. When women sit in a circle, hierarchy dissolves. There is no front of the room. There is only the center — and every woman holds it together.
Tamie Myers
What Typically Happens at a Women's Circle
Every circle is different depending on the facilitator and the intention of the gathering, but most women's circles follow a similar rhythm. Here is what you can generally expect when you walk through the door:
Arrival and Settling In
When you first arrive, you will be welcomed warmly. There is usually a period of about ten to fifteen minutes where women settle in, find their seats, pour some tea, and allow the energy of the day to begin softening. This is not a formal event where you need to be perfectly on time, poised, and polished. You can arrive a bit frazzled from the workday, still carrying the weight of your to-do list. That is okay. The circle meets you where you are.
Opening Ritual
Most circles begin with an opening ritual to mark the transition from ordinary life into sacred space. This might look like lighting a candle together, setting a collective intention, a brief guided meditation, or a simple moment of silence. The purpose is to signal to your nervous system: You can slow down now. You are held here. If words like "ritual" or "sacred" feel unfamiliar to you, there is no need to overthink it. Think of it simply as a meaningful beginning — a way of saying, "We are here. We are present. This matters."
Breathwork
Many circles, including ours here in the Hartford area, incorporate breathwork as a way to drop out of the mind and into the body. This is typically a guided practice — the facilitator will walk you through every inhale and every exhale. You do not need any prior experience. Breathwork is one of the most powerful tools for nervous system regulation, and even a few minutes can shift you from a state of stress and guardedness into one of openness and calm. Some women experience deep emotional releases during breathwork. Others simply feel relaxed. Both responses are normal and welcome.
Sharing and Witnessing
This is the heart of the circle. Women are invited — never forced — to share what is alive for them. It might be a challenge they are facing, a breakthrough they have had, a grief they are carrying, or a dream they are nurturing. What makes circle sharing different from a casual conversation is the practice of witnessing. When a woman speaks, the rest of the circle listens without interrupting, without offering advice, without trying to fix. She is simply received. This practice alone is revolutionary. Most of us move through life feeling half-heard at best. In a circle, you experience what it feels like to be fully listened to, and to listen fully in return.
Guided Journaling
Many circles include a journaling component, where the facilitator offers prompts designed to help you explore your inner landscape. These are not academic exercises. They are invitations to have an honest conversation with yourself on paper. Journaling prompts might explore themes like self-worth, desire, boundaries, forgiveness, or the woman you are becoming. You will never be asked to share what you write unless you want to.
Gentle Movement
Some circles include gentle movement — this could be light stretching, intuitive dance, shaking, or somatic exercises. The intention is not fitness. It is reconnection. So much of our emotional experience gets stored in the body, and gentle movement helps release what words cannot reach. You participate at whatever level feels right for you. If movement is not your thing, you are always welcome to simply sit and breathe.
Closing Ritual
Just as the circle opens with intention, it closes with one. This might be a collective affirmation, a moment of gratitude, a closing meditation, or a simple act like blowing out the candle that was lit at the start. The closing is important because it allows you to transition gently back into the world, carrying with you the softness of the experience without feeling jarred.
What to Bring to Your First Women's Circle
- A journal and pen — for guided prompts and any insights that surface
- A water bottle — breathwork and emotional processing can leave you thirsty
- Comfortable clothing — layers are ideal, as rooms can shift in temperature. Think leggings, a soft sweater, cozy socks
- An open mind — you do not need to believe in anything specific. Just arrive willing to be present
- A blanket or shawl (optional) — some women like to have something to wrap around themselves during meditation
- Tissues (optional) — we always have them available, but there is no shame in being prepared
You do not need crystals, sage, or any specific spiritual tools. You do not need to know the right words or have a meditation practice. You just need to bring yourself.
What Not to Worry About
Let us address the fears head-on, because chances are you are carrying at least one of these:
- You do not have to share. Participation is always optional. You can sit in silence the entire evening and still receive the full benefit of being in the circle. There is no spotlight. There is no pressure.
- There is no judgment. Women's circles are built on a foundation of radical acceptance. Whatever you are carrying — grief, confusion, anger, numbness, joy, exhaustion — it belongs here. You do not need to perform wellness or positivity.
- You do not need any experience. You do not need to have meditated before, done breathwork, journaled, or attended any kind of wellness event. Complete beginners are not just welcome — they are celebrated.
- It is okay to cry. Tears are not a sign of weakness in a circle. They are a sign of release. Most women cry at some point, and it is met with warmth, not awkwardness.
- You do not have to be spiritual. Women of all beliefs — and no particular belief system — attend circles. This is about human connection, not religion.
- Coming alone is completely normal. Many women attend their first circle solo. You are not the only one walking in without a friend by your side, and you may leave with several.
- Confidentiality is sacred. What is shared in the circle stays in the circle. This is a fundamental agreement that every participant honors.
Inside the Space: What Tamie's Circles Feel Like
The Atmosphere
When you walk into one of our sacred women's gatherings in Glastonbury, CT, the first thing you will notice is how the space feels. The overhead lights are off. Instead, the room is bathed in the warm glow of candles — clustered on tables, lining the floor, flickering softly in every corner. Crystals are placed intentionally around the circle, not for show, but as anchors for the energy of the evening.
There is always a pot of herbal tea warming nearby and the gentle scent of sage or palo santo lingering in the air. Cushions and blankets are arranged so you can sit however feels most comfortable — cross-legged on the floor, nestled into a chair, wrapped in softness. Soft, ambient music plays in the background as women arrive, setting a tone that says: slow down, you are safe here.
This is intentional. Every detail of the space is designed to help your nervous system shift from fight-or-flight into rest-and-receive. The environment is part of the medicine.
Our monthly circles in the Hartford area draw women from across Connecticut — from Glastonbury and East Hartford to Manchester, South Windsor, Wethersfield, and beyond. What unites them is not geography. It is a shared desire to stop running on empty and start living from a place of wholeness.
The Science Behind the Magic: Why Women's Circles Work
If you are someone who needs more than just "it feels good" to convince you, here is what the research actually shows about why women's healing circles are so powerful:
Nervous System Co-Regulation
When women gather in a calm, safe environment, their nervous systems literally begin to sync. This is called co-regulation — a biological process where one person's regulated state helps others regulate as well. It is why you can walk into a circle feeling wired and leave feeling at peace.
Oxytocin Release
Eye contact, shared vulnerability, and communal presence trigger the release of oxytocin — the bonding hormone. This deepens feelings of trust, safety, and belonging in ways that a text thread or social media group simply cannot replicate.
Community and Accountability
When you share your goals, your struggles, and your truth with a group of women who are rooting for you, something shifts. You stop feeling like you are figuring everything out alone. The circle becomes a mirror that reflects your strength back to you.
Emotional Resilience
Regular circle attendance builds what psychologists call "social buffering" — the phenomenon where supportive relationships reduce the impact of stress on the body and mind. Women who gather consistently report lower anxiety, greater self-compassion, and improved emotional regulation.
This is not just spiritual theory. It is embodied science. And it is one of the reasons why women who attend their first circle often find themselves returning month after month.
The Art of Becoming Her
Our monthly women's circle in Glastonbury, CT is part of a larger container called The Art of Becoming Her — a program and community dedicated to helping women reconnect with who they truly are beneath the roles, the responsibilities, and the expectations.
Each gathering is themed around a different aspect of the becoming process: releasing self-sabotage, honoring your cyclical nature, syncing with your cycle, reclaiming desire, setting sacred boundaries, and more. No two circles are the same, because no two seasons of your life are the same.
As part of the experience, each attendee receives one of our original affirmation cards — hand-designed reminders of the truths spoken in circle. Women tuck them into mirrors, dashboards, journals, and wallets. They become small, daily anchors for the transformation that begins in the room but continues long after.
You are not here to be fixed. You are here to be witnessed — and in being witnessed, to remember that you were never broken.
The Art of Becoming Her
Frequently Asked Questions
Your Invitation
If something in you stirred while reading this — if you felt a pull, a curiosity, a quiet yes somewhere beneath the doubt — trust that. You do not need to have it all figured out. You do not need to be in a certain place on your journey. You just need to be willing to show up.
Our next monthly women's circle is open to women across the greater Hartford, CT area and beyond. Whether you are coming from Glastonbury, East Hartford, Manchester, South Windsor, Wethersfield, or anywhere else in Connecticut, there is a seat in the circle with your name on it.
For more details about what our monthly gatherings look like, read our full guide to Women's Circle Events in Glastonbury, CT.
Ready to Experience Your First Circle?
Join us for our next monthly gathering of The Art of Becoming Her. No experience necessary. Come as you are.
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