This study aimed to advance the use of restorative justice and restorative approaches in graduate academic environments and contributed to the research on implementing the whole-school approach in higher education. The focus of this study was on applying restorative approaches to build community and strengthen relationships among community members in a graduate academic environment. The purpose of this study was to understand the phenomenon of Circles through the lived experiences of 10 university faculty and staff who participated in or facilitated restorative justice Circles during graduate student orientation. This study used a hermeneutic phenomenological approach to capture the essence of Circles. This study developed an interpretive description of the research participants' Circle experience using van Manen's (2016) four lifeworld existentials. The rich description of the participants' Circle experience was categorized into lived space, lived body, lived time, and lived human relation. The theoretical framework that guided the interpretation of the findings was Raines's (1989) relational theory of justice. This study used a thematic analysis approach to code data into themes (Braun & Clarke, 2006). The eight lifeworld themes to describe the Circle experience are (a) Circle elements, (b) equal space, (c) leaning into the discomfort, (d) warm and welcoming, (e) being in the moment, (f) community-centered approach, (g) connections, and (h) reciprocity in storytelling. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]