The Upbuild Enneagram Library

“What are those lines on the symbol?” is one of the questions we get most frequently during our Enneagram workshops. In this episode, Hari, Rasanath, and Michael explore the critical dimension of the Enneagram: the Directional Movements. They describe how each Type experiences stress and growth, clarifying why we sometimes resemble other Types. These movements toward another Type in stress or growth reveal important layers of motivation and insecurity. The conversation highlights why coping is easier, growth includes moving through the shadows of another Type, and understanding this dimension can help prevent mistyping. The team offers a concise tour of what each Type looks like when secure and when overwhelmed. They close by bringing greater focus to the practical and spiritual implications of these movements.

Links

Enneagram Library Live:  Join our bi-weekly conversations and teachings on the Enneagram to help you see yourself, others, and the human condition more clearly. Thursdays at 6:15p ET on Zoom.

Upbuild Coaching Training Program. Get your ICF certification. Starts in October.

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Each of us is wired with a specific hierarchy of three core instinctual drives, shaping how we move through the world. The Instincts (sometimes referred to as Instinctual Variants) is part of the Enneagram framework and plays a powerful role in how our personalities form. One Instinct tends to dominate and demands most of our attention, a second supports it, while a third gets neglected and becomes a Blind Spot. In this episode, Michael, Hari, and Rasanath unpack the three Instincts—Self-Preservation, Sexual, and Social—and how they show up in our daily lives. They explore the energy behind each, how these Instincts function at their healthiest, and how they can create suffering. By understanding your “Instinctual Stack,” you can begin to shift from automatic patterns to conscious integration, creating space for real growth and movement toward the best version of yourself.

Links

Enneagram Library Live:  Join our bi-weekly conversations and teachings on the Enneagram to help you see yourself, others, and the human condition more clearly. Thursdays at 6:15p ET on Zoom.

Upbuild Coaching Training Program. Get your ICF certification. Starts in October.

Upbuild Website

Instagram: @upbuildnyc
Facebook: Upbuild
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There might be a lot going on in your head, but that does not mean that you are making good use of it. In this episode, Michael, Rasanath, and Hari Prasada discuss the Head Center’s essential role in managing the complexity of life and the flood of information we face each day. They explore how awareness of thought, not thinking itself, is the hallmark of presence in the Head Center. They unpack the inner worlds of the Head Center Enneagram Types (Type 5, Type 6, and Type 7), exploring how each seeks to find something that it can trust in its own way, and what is at stake for all of us in becoming more present to what’s happening in our heads.

Links

Enneagram Library Live:  Join our bi-weekly conversations and teachings on the Enneagram to help you see yourself, others, and the human condition more clearly. Thursdays at 6:15p ET on Zoom.

Upbuild Coaching Training Program. Get your ICF certification. Starts in October.

Upbuild Website

Instagram: @upbuildnyc
Facebook: Upbuild
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Just because you feel a lot does not mean you are present in the Heart Center. In this episode, Hari, Michael, and Rasanath explore what it really means to live from the heart. They look into the realm of emotion, identity, and our longing to be seen. They reflect on how emotions shape our humanity, why we often mistake validation for value, and how the heart connects us to love, gratitude, and one another. They also unpack the emotional landscapes of the Heart Center types (Type 2, Type 3, and Type 4), exploring how each seeks to be seen in its own way, and what is at stake for all of us in becoming more connected to our hearts.

Links

Enneagram Library Live:  Join our bi-weekly conversations and teachings on the Enneagram to help you see yourself, others, and the human condition more clearly. Thursdays at 6:15p ET on Zoom.

Upbuild Coaching Training Program. Get your ICF certification. Starts in October.

Upbuild Website

Instagram: @upbuildnyc
Facebook: Upbuild
LinkedIn: Upbuild

In this episode, Michael, Hari, and Rasanath turn their attention to the Body Center of the Enneagram. They explore how presence is experienced as groundedness, sensation, and gut-level knowing, as well as how energy can move from intuition into action when we are rooted in the body.

The conversation brings out the distinct gifts of Types 8, 9, and 1 while also showing how every Type can cultivate a clearer, more embodied connection to life. Along the way, they discuss the core emotion of the Body Center, the role of practices like yoga and pranayama, and what it means to feel our feet on the ground as a support for spiritual depth.

Links

Enneagram Library Live:  Join our bi-weekly conversations and teachings on the Enneagram to help you see yourself, others, and the human condition more clearly. Thursdays at 6:15p ET on Zoom.

Upbuild Coaching Training Program. Get your ICF certification. Starts in October.

Upbuild Website

Instagram: @upbuildnyc
Facebook: Upbuild
LinkedIn: Upbuild

Do you really want to settle for being one third of a human? In this episode, Michael, Hari, and Rasanath build off this very provocative question from Russ Hudson to explore the three Centers of Intelligence: the Body, the Heart, and the Head. These Centers help us live with intuition, emotional depth, and clarity of thought. Yet most of us lean heavily on one while undervaluing the others, and even the Center we rely on most is hardly ever one we’re truly present to. We’ll uncover the gifts each Center offers, the costs of its neglect, and the transformative possibilities that come when all three are brought into harmony.

Links

Enneagram Library Live:  Join our bi-weekly conversations and teachings on the Enneagram to help you see yourself, others, and the human condition more clearly. Thursdays at 6:15p ET on Zoom.

Upbuild Coaching Training Program. Get your ICF certification. Starts in October.

Upbuild Website

Instagram: @upbuildnyc
Facebook: Upbuild
LinkedIn: Upbuild

In this episode, we explore how to use the Enneagram in our everyday lives in order to make sure that it has the profound impact on us that it is capable of having. We also discuss how the Enneagram can only take us so far and how a spiritual practice is needed to help us go beyond the limits of our personality.

Links

Enneagram Library Live:  Join our bi-weekly conversations and teachings on the Enneagram to help you see yourself, others, and the human condition more clearly. Thursdays at 6:15p ET on Zoom.

Upbuild Coaching Training Program. Get your ICF certification. Starts in October.

Upbuild Website

Instagram: @upbuildnyc
Facebook: Upbuild
LinkedIn: Upbuild

Typing is one of the most critical aspects of the Enneagram, and yet, mistyping is rampant. In this episode, we explain why this is case and what we can do about it. We also explore the one Type that is more likely to mistype than any other Type, and give you a Type by Type run through of how each Type approaches the Enneagram. What we find is that how we approach the Enneagram is often very revealing of our Type.

Links

Enneagram Library Live:  Join our bi-weekly conversations and teachings on the Enneagram to help you see yourself, others, and the human condition more clearly. Thursdays at 6:15p ET on Zoom.

Upbuild Coaching Training Program. Get your ICF certification. Starts in October.

Upbuild Website

Instagram: @upbuildnyc
Facebook: Upbuild
LinkedIn: Upbuild

Enneagram Type 9s, nicknamed The Peace-Seeker, pride themselves in being calm, easygoing,  and unassuming people who can flow with whatever comes and don’t need recognition or attention. They often don’t admit to themselves their problems or work to resolve conflicts because that’s really difficult and makes them feel not peaceful. Famous examples include Rosa Parks, Grace Kelly, and Jack Johnson. 

In this episode, we explore the essence of the Type 9 and the insecurities and motivations that drive their every action and relationship. We walk you through the story of the Type 9’s life by looking at their journey through the Levels of Consciousness from their healthiest to their average to their most destructive ways of operating. We close the episode by offering a critical type-tailored practice to help 9s rise up in consciousness and be the best version of themselves.  

This episode is designed to help Type 9s thrive in their personal and professional lives by fostering a deeper understanding of their insecurities and motivations. It’s also an invaluable resource for friends, partners, and colleagues of Type 9s who wish to better support and relate to them.

Links

Enneagram Library Live:  Join our bi-weekly conversations and teachings on the Enneagram to help you see yourself, others, and the human condition more clearly. Thursdays at 6:15p ET on Zoom.

Upbuild Coaching Training Program. Get your ICF certification. Starts in October.

Upbuild Website

Instagram: @upbuildnyc
Facebook: Upbuild
LinkedIn: Upbuild

Enneagram Type 8s, nicknamed The Challenger, are all about strength and showing who’s in charge to reassure themselves that they don’t have a weak bone in their body. They often can’t admit to themselves how scared they really are of their buried weakness, and so they show up larger than life in nearly all situations hoping to leverage their power for the people they love. Famous examples include Steve Jobs, Chelsea Handler, MLK Jr, Donald Trump, Aretha Franklin, and Putin. 

In this episode, we explore the essence of the Type 8 and the insecurities and motivations that drive their every action and relationship. We walk you through the story of the Type 8’s life by looking at their journey through the Levels of Consciousness from their healthiest to their average to their most destructive ways of operating. We close the episode by offering a critical type-tailored practice to help 8s rise up in consciousness and be the best version of themselves.  

This episode is designed to help Type 8s thrive in their personal and professional lives by fostering a deeper understanding of their insecurities and motivations. It’s also an invaluable resource for friends, partners, and colleagues of Type 8s who wish to better support and relate to them.

Links

Enneagram Library Live:  Join our bi-weekly conversations and teachings on the Enneagram to help you see yourself, others, and the human condition more clearly. Thursdays at 6:15p ET on Zoom.

Upbuild Coaching Training Program. Get your ICF certification. Starts in October.

Upbuild Website

Instagram: @upbuildnyc
Facebook: Upbuild
LinkedIn: Upbuild