Today I would like to share with you a simple, and real-world helpful new offering I am co-creating with a very dear friend of mine, Kevin Johnson (aka Leo K. Johnson), whose beautiful creative works I have recently offered to you here. When I read Kevin’s books (Primal Conscious Living, Loving & Dying; Paynoven; The Emptying Path; Non-Reactive Intelligence; and The Carried Soul), and watched his inspiring videos, I immediately recognized a fellow traveler on a startlingly compatible spiritual path. And when I heard his new songs for the first time….I knew our resonance was true, and powerful.
What I recognize in Kevin’s work is an exquisite articulation of my own life’s deepest questions, struggles, losses, and sincere seeking, as well as the deep relief of a seasoned seeker who has landed in the timeless truths that are now guiding a simpler, more peaceful and grounded way of joyful life, and loving service. Like mine, Kevin’s offerings have evolved organically through his own personal quest to understand himself, his relationships, his reactivity, and his highest form of relationship to life.
I think most of us can agree that the past 5 years have tested our ability to navigate our collective reactivity, and even sanity. Sadly, on the battlefield of accumulated arsenals of powerful propaganda and coercive programming, we have fallen into more and more divisiveness and even dangerous polarization. Kevin’s more recent books: The Emptying Path, and Non-Reactive Intelligence, emerged from his quest to settle and heal deep disturbances in his own personal experience. Through an unusual kind of wisely self-guided collaboration with an AI companion, what emerged is a powerful blueprint for releasing reactivity and restoring healthy, peaceful sovereignty through pure presence and observation.
Kevin shared this blueprint of 10 principles with me, and I joined him in intentionally practicing one each day. We began to share our insights and discoveries with each other from each practice, and immediately realized the shared joy of connecting with one another in this supportive way on our spiritual healing paths. Each principle comes with a teaching reflection, a morning centering practice, and a daily affirmation. These timeless truths are offered in the context of a light and accessible structure that anyone can follow.
Here is a sample, from Principle 6: Letting Go is Strength, Not Surrender
Teaching Reflection: Letting go is not weakness — it is spiritual courage. Holding on to being right, being validated, or being seen creates tension. Non-Reactive Intelligence sees this grasping and gently releases it. Letting go doesn’t mean you don’t care. It means you care enough to not be imprisoned by needing control. You choose peace over proving.
Morning Centering Practice: Breathe deeply, and exhale as if releasing something heavy.
Daily Affirmation: “I release what binds me. I choose flow over force.”
Whenever you feel tightness today, pause and repeat the exhale. Let go again.
We believe this is what is missing in most people’s busy and distracted lives - a practical structure for restoring our natural state of peace and harmony, and just as importantly, a trusted space in which to share this quiet, intimate inner journey with others. Our idea is to simply share how we have been supporting each other, and to invite the expansion of this nurturing process in the form of small Presence Circles all over the world.
Mission Statement:
The NRI Presence Circle is a space for practicing the Ten Principles of Non-Reactive Intelligence. These principles are simple and embodied — no gurus, no theories, just presence. They restore our freedom to live with clarity, compassion, and strength. Each circle is an invitation to discover that presence itself is stronger than reaction.
Purpose of the Circle:
The NRI Presence Circle is not a study group or therapy session. It is a sacred space for practice — to embody the Ten Principles of Non-Reactive Intelligence in daily life. Circles provide a rhythm of stillness, reflection, and honest sharing that supports each participant in living from presence rather than reaction.
Kevin videotaped himself introducing the idea of the Presence Circles, and then we made a video of the two of us exploring the second principle (see links below). We will be creating and sharing a 30-minute video for each of the remaining principles, as guidance for you to create your own Presence Circles with trusted friends, online or ideally in person. We are learning as we go, and we invite you to join us in this unfolding process!
All the video guidance is provided for you at the links below, as well as a printable pdf document with the principles and practices to use in your circle. Non-Reactive Intelligence, the book, explores each of the principles in more depth.
We envision a worldwide shift in which Presence dissolves reactivity, and nourishes re-connection. A world where we all begin to remember that Love is our natural state, and that space, and stillness, help us to know what is real and sacred. It is easy to succumb to feelings of overwhelm and anxiety when we feel rushed, pressured, and disconnected, and this just perpetuates itself in an exhausting negative loop.
Real and meaningful intervention is needed, and the way this will happen is when individuals and small groups take the time out to return to these fundamental truths that will recalibrate our nervous systems, and empower us to live in peace with each other. As Peace Pilgrim would say, “Outer peace comes from inner peace.”
What Kevin offers through the principles of non-reactive intelligence is a simple framework for a contemplative inner practice which helps us build the skills we all need to live in the freedom we all desire. The freedom to engage with each other, and with all the complexities of our world, from a peaceful knowing of our grounded wholeness. The freedom to rest in our true selves, free from debilitating anxiety and destructive reactivity.
Together, we offer you a sample Presence Circle for each of the ten principles. In these short videos, you will get a glimpse of how a Presence Circle sharing might look. We invite you to imagine how this kind of quiet, supportive circle could help ground and enrich your own experience. Perhaps you would like to start your own circle, with one or more friends. We will provide you with the materials and support to help you get started (at low to no cost). You can begin today by watching the first two videos in our new Presence Circle playlist on youtube!
NRI Presence Circle playlist on YouTube:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBgjesT4xpXIXcpTW4qFomIZld_kI1QEe&feature=shared
🧘♂️ Based on lived practice, not theory — no therapy, no gurus, just presence.
Download the free Guide for NRI Presence Circles: https://drive.google.com/file/d/18CUI...
💫 Non-Reactive Intelligence: The Art of Invincible Presence delves even deeper into these transformative principles: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FHWJG2N1
What is Non-Reactive Intelligence (NRI)?
Non-Reactive Intelligence is the art of meeting life without being ruled by reaction. It is a simple yet profound practice of presence — observing rather than collapsing into old imprints of fear, anger, or need. At its heart are ten guiding principles, each pointing to the same truth: that freedom is found in stillness, honesty, and compassionate boundaries.
NRI is not about suppressing feelings, but about creating space between what happens and how we respond. In that space, clarity appears. In that clarity, love becomes natural. NRI offers a way to live from invincible presence — steady, kind, and free.
Ellen, your words here beautifully capture the heart of what we’ve been practicing together. You’ve expressed with such clarity and warmth the essence of Presence Circles — not as theory, but as lived practice that restores safety, connection, and simplicity in daily life. I’m grateful for the way you’ve articulated this vision, and I hope others will feel inspired to share their own experiences of practicing presence. These circles have already opened new depths for me, and I believe they can do the same for many others.
Kevin
It’s exactly what I need coming off benzodiazepines. Even though it’s been 6+ years of healing, my nervous system reacts and it’s painful. I’ve been enjoying reading NRI and thank you for sharing. ❤️