The Longing Path Workshop Series
Upcoming Workshop: Longing for Life
Longing for Life: A Path Towards a More Lived Life - Online Saturday October 3, 2026
To be alive is to be suffused by longing. John O’Donohue
What path lies before us if we pay attention to our deepest longing? Martin Shaw
There are things in our lives that matter deeply to us. Those things that live quietly within us, even when we’re not thinking about them: being in work that makes a difference, finding our place of belonging, searching for meaning, or contributing to healing some part of the world. These are our longings, and it’s through our longings that we come to meet and know our true selves.
We take steps towards our longings in the hope that they come to life and enliven us. Sometimes we see progress, and often, despite our efforts, we see little to none. Even when our life is going relatively well, we can still ache for something more and not know what to do about it. But a longing is not a problem to be fixed, nor a wish to be talked out of: it is an invitation towards a more lived life.
Maybe you keep returning to a creative dream you never pursued. Maybe you’re in a career transition that has awakened something deeper within you. Or maybe you’re in midlife, wondering what to do when something you deeply wanted hasn’t unfolded as you hoped.
Do we know how to live with our longings?
The current mantra says we should either passionately pursue our longings or dismiss them to get on with life. Our hopes for a different version of life are often called into question. It’s easy to conclude we’ve somehow failed when our longings don’t unfold as we imagined. We may wonder whether it’s even worth entertaining them. As a result, we may become less attentive and set them aside. Yet even then, these longings, these things that pull at us, don’t leave us.
We want a meaningful life.
We want that creative dream.
We want love, connection, and belonging.
The longing remains.
But what if our longings were never meant to unfold exactly as we imagined?
What are our options for making sense of our longings?
Longings don’t have to remain as unreachable or frustrating hopes that we keep at a distance. They may not always unfold exactly as we imagine, but they can become guides, companions, and sources of direction in our lives.
Longing for Life: A Path Towards a More Lived Life reframes longing not as something to chase or suppress, but as a compass for your life. If you feel unsure how to live with your longings, or want a kinder, more open relationship with them, this is your invitation to step onto the longing path.
Together, we will explore what longings are and the deeper role they play in your life. We will move beyond the familiar view of longing as merely an ache for something out of reach, a frustration to suppress, or a secret to hide. Drawing on research, lived experience, and invitational questions, you will come to understand how your longings can guide you — quietly showing you what matters most and opening new possibilities for the life ahead of you.
Note: In all workshops, we respect your privacy. You will never be put on the spot or required to share personal details. Our intention, always, is to create an open and respectful space.
You’ll leave this workshop with:
A deeper understanding of the vital role longings play in living a full life — and why they have stayed with you, even now.
A broader, more compassionate perspective on how to understand and relate to your longings, hopes, and what matters most to you.
Pathways to support you in exploring your longings.
Simple practices for hearing your longings more clearly.
I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become. Carl Jung
About the facilitator
I’m Bernadette Barton, a psychologist by training and a guide on the longing path. This work is deeply personal to me because I walk this path too. I know what it’s like to sit with hopes, questions, uncertainties, and the tension that arises when something matters deeply. My role is to walk alongside others — exploring, discovering, and creating space for what our longings may reveal about who we are, who we might become, and what matters most. I invite you to join me for this workshop as we begin a deeper exploration of your longings and the possibilities they hold.
Ready to step onto the path? I would love for you to join us.
When: Saturday October 3, 2026
10:00 am – 12:30 pm PST,
11:00 am – 1:30 pm MT,
12:00 – 2:30 pm CST,
1:00 pm – 3:30 pm EST
Where: online via Zoom (link will be provided)
Investment: $60.00 Canadian
Places are kept limited so the group stays small and personal.
To reserve your place:
Testimonials:
I cannot think of anyone better than Bernadette to guide me through this life-changing work. She blends a keen sense of accomplishment with compassion, wisdom and grace. I ended my session with a strengthened and restored sense of hope and a deepened commitment to the things that matter most to me. Consider yourself lucky if you get the opportunity to attend one of the few offerings she opens to the public. G. Nelson – Director, Quantum Leap Consulting Inc.
Bernadette Barton is the person to embark with on your journey of seeking and questioning your longings. She inspires us to embark on a lifetime of seeking, finding and living into our longings. Her passion for the topic of longings and what it has meant to her in her own life gives us the courage to risk this personal enquiry, not knowing where it will lead us. This experience with Bernadette is one well worth the risk, for our very lives. Bev Wilson
My heart felt awakened and hopeful again. What you offer from your insight, wisdom and desire sparked life in me. You allowed me to walk through a door that I thought wasn't even there to get a renewed sense of life. I don't know what my heart/soul longs for, but you ignited a hope. Thank you. For your love, your desire to awaken life. For freeing hearts and getting in touch with the deeper 'stuff'. Healing! Hope! Paivi Kivi
Workshop Information:
Longings are the quiet truths that tug at us—nudging us toward what’s meaningful, possible, and not yet here. They can inspire, unsettle, awaken, or weigh heavy over time. This three-session series offers a grounded space to explore your longings with honesty, curiosity, and care. Together, we’ll unpack what longings are, how they shape our lives, and how to stay in relationship with them—so they can move from hidden ache to meaningful companion on your path.
Workshop 1
Introduction to Longings: What are Longings?
Workshop 2
Your Relationship and Conversation with Your Longings.
Workshop 3
Creating a Life-giving relationship to Your Longings.
Workshop Information:
What are longings, and why should we care about them? Simply put, longings are those things that matter deeply to us. They pull us toward something more—toward what's meaningful, what's possible, what's not yet here but wants to be. French philosopher Emmanuel Levinas considers longing transcendent, it invites us to go beyond ourselves, to reach further than what is currently in reach.
Longings matter because they stir us to dream, create, imagine, and stretch beyond the familiar. They can show up as a quiet hope, a restless question, or an unshakable idea.
In my work, I encounter people with a wide range of longings. Some people long to build community, design soul-aligned work, repair meaningful relationships, or contribute to healing the environment. Some want to reclaim a creative part of themselves they've neglected. Longings are deeply personal and, at the same time, they can feel confusing, unsettling, and even heavy at times.
While the longings themselves vary, the people I work with often find themselves in similar situations: some feel lit up by their longings but also feel overwhelmed, unsure of what step to take next. Others feel distant from their longing as if it has slipped into the background or is met with frustration. For some, their longing has begun to feel like a burden, and they quietly wonder, 'Should I let it go?'
In workshops I've led, what people tell me over and over is that what made the most significant difference wasn't quick answers or forced clarity—but having a space where they could show up, explore, ask questions, and not feel judged. A space where their longing could breathe. That changed how they engaged (or re-engaged) with their longing and how they carried it forward.
When you think about your longing(s), do you:
Feel both drawn to them and uncertain—like you're standing at the edge, unsure how to move forward.
Want to explore your longing(s) with curiosity, honesty, and hope—but you're unsure where to begin?
Feel the pull of your longing—but it's starting to feel like a burden, and you wonder if it's time to let it go.
Find yourself hesitating to give space to your longing because it feels like time is slipping by, and you quietly ask yourself, is it still worth it?
If you've answered Yes, and the content resonates with you, I invite you to attend this series.
In this three-session workshop series, we'll:
Get clear on what longings are—and how they shape our lives, whether we pay attention to them or not.
Explore how your internal relationship and conversation with your longing(s) impacts your day-to-day life, your energy, and the choices you make.
Normalize the winding, rarely straight path of living with our longing(s) and the rich human experience that comes with it.
Learn practices for integrating your longing(s) into your life in a way that feels grounded and alive—and for staying in a relationship with them no matter where you are in the process.
By the end of the series, you’ll leave with a fresh, more spacious perspective on longing—and key practices for keeping your longings alive, integrated, and a companion on your path, wherever it leads.
Note: In all workshops, we respect your privacy. You will never be put on the spot or required to share personal details. Our intention, always, is to create an open and respectful space.