Part 1: The Basics

Relationships are essential parts of our lives, but we often don’t understand much about these bonds and usually have unrealistic expectations for them. In the first part of the Relationships Audio Blog Series, we discuss the fundamental energetic nature of relationships and how relationships are living things.

Click through to the Part 1 blog page to share your thoughts or questions in the comments below, or email us at soullcommunity@gmail.com. We love to hear from you!

Banner photo by Francesco Gallarotti on Unsplash

Part 2: More Basics

Part 2 delves into the fact we have different types of relationships, and some are not even with other human beings. We discuss three specific and necessary types of relationships that we form throughout our lives: the essential relationship, primary relationships, and secondary relationships. We focus on secondary relationships in this series.

With careful attention we can learn to cultivate and navigate them with more ease. The pervasiveness of loneliness is also touched on toward the end of this recording.

Click through to the Part 2 blog page to share your thoughts or questions in the comments below, or email us at soullcommunity@gmail.com. We love to hear from you!

Banner photo by Imso Gabriel on Unsplash

Part 3: Welcoming the Friend

Forming and maintaining long-lasting relationships of any kind is difficult for many of us in our time. Good beginnings are essential, but when and how does a relationship start?

Part 3 explores what happens even before we meet someone new and just after. It also discusses how to invite longevity and satisfaction into new friendships and what to avoid.

Click through to the Part 3 blog page to share your thoughts or questions in the comments below, or email us at soullcommunity@gmail.com. We love to hear from you!

Banner photo by Olli Kilpi on Unsplash

Part 4: Growing a Relationship

If we have started a relationship, well, what next? In Part 4, you will explore the fact that your relationships have developmental arcs and learn to distinguish and value their stages. You will be encouraged to tolerate this evolution and will be able to identify which stage you may be currently in.

This episode discusses such things as the need for context in a relationship and the necessity of defining roles and clear enough "contracts" with each other.

Click through to the Part 4 blog page to share your thoughts or questions in the comments below, or email us at soullcommunity@gmail.com. We love to hear from you!

Banner photo by Олександр К on Unsplash

Part 5: The Breathing Relationship

Once formed, there is immense pressure put on our relationships to remain static fixtures in our lives with eternal closeness or the goal of getting closer. In truth, movement and change are healthy and necessary for longevity of a connection. Relationships breathe in health, and periodic “recontracting” is an expected and imperative part of their changes.

In Part 5, you will be encouraged to tolerate the natural fluctuations in your connections, and find peace in the subtle yet crucial “toward and away” of them rather than introducing an abrupt and painful cut off.

Click through to the Part 5 blog page to share your thoughts or questions in the comments below, or email us at soullcommunity@gmail.com. We love to hear from you!

Banner photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Part 6: Ending Well

Endings are natural and the ultimate stage of any relationship, and death of course is part of life. Our relationships will end. It is important to honor that connections will have conclusions and completions throughout their lives.

In Part 6, you will learn to recognize and value the duality of relationships—that they have both a limitation and are immortal. You will also identify the differences between good and bad endings.

Click through to the Part 6 blog page to share your thoughts or questions in the comments below, or email us at soullcommunity@gmail.com. We love to hear from you!

Banner photo by on Chloe Ridgway Unsplash

Meditation for Rebalancing a Relationship

Whether starting, maintaining, or ending a connection, our relationships challenge us. Use this mediation as a powerful tool to deepen your relationships and navigate them with more confidence and joy.

Click through to the meditation blog page to share your thoughts or questions in the comments below, or email us at soullcommunity@gmail.com. We love to hear from you!

Banner photo by Rishi on Unsplash

Part 7: The Afterlife of Relationships

We are often taught to dismiss or quickly move on after what we call the “end of a relationship,” but of course relationships, though finite, are also forever. Carefully tending to endings and the aftermath of bonds is essential to both our health and future relationships.

In the final part of the Relationships Audio Blog Series, you will become aware of the active space that follows the closure of a relationship. You will become aware of how endings impact us holistically and find ways to honor relationships that have had tragic or painful conclusions. It isn’t too late.

Click through to the Part 7 blog page to share your thoughts or questions in the comments below, or email us at soullcommunity@gmail.com. We love to hear from you!

Banner photo by Ankhesenamun on Unsplash

Bonus Recording: Interview with Dating Coach and Matchmaker Lori Mendelsohn

In this bonus video of the Relationships Audio Blog Series, founder Jeanne Denney discusses the complexities of romantic relationships with renown dating coach and matchmaker Lori Mendelsohn.

This conversation touches on how to determine true compatibility with a potential partner, the importance of being attuned to our own emotions, the differences in relationship building through dating apps compared to in-person meet-ups, and so much more.

Be sure to take advantage of this inspiring exchange between two experts!

Feel free to share your thoughts or questions in the comments below, or email us at soullcommunity@gmail.com. We love to hear from you!

Banner photo by Serge van Neck on Unsplash