The Practice of Being
For people who think too much and feel too much. Six weeks, online, from the body up.
Six Tuesdays from 12 January · from £45 · 8 places
Six weeks out of 85 years
A human life lasts around 85 years. Most of it, we spend somewhere else: replaying yesterday, rehearsing tomorrow, narrating the present instead of living it.
There are two layers to every moment. The Thinking Layer: words, plans, memories, the voice that never stops. And underneath it, the Being Layer: the raw, felt experience of being alive in a body, right now.
This course is a way back to the second one. It doesn't promise happiness or a better you. It offers something more honest: relief from the noise, and a steadier place to stand when life gets loud.
If this speaks to you, join us.
“The body is always present; the mind wanders.”
THE PATH WE WALK TOGETHER
THE 6-WEEK JOURNEY
Week 1
Making Friends with Silence
Silence feels awkward, so we fill it. We begin by doing the opposite: sitting in it, together, and discovering it isn't empty. With the Raisin Exercise, we meet the world through the senses alone, as if for the first time.
Week 2
The Inner Body
Your thoughts wander. Your body never leaves the present. We explore the two layers of experience, Thinking and Being, and learn the Body Scan: a way of coming home to the body from the feet up.
Week 3
The Thinking Layer
What is a thought, really? We watch the mind at work: how it claims every experience as "mine", sorts it into good and bad, and chases the next thrill. Then we find something quieter underneath, the Seed of Joy, which only grows in the present.
Week 4
Self-Compassion
One imagined lemon shows how much our thoughts shape our body. So what do years of harsh inner talk do? We find the goodness that is already in us, and learn to turn kindness inward, without conditions.
Week 5
The Emotional Map
Why are feelings so hard to sit with? We look at how the brain builds emotions, and learn RAIN: Recognise, Allow, Investigate, Nurture. A gentle way to meet a difficult feeling without being swept away.
Week 6
Melting the Edges
Close your eyes and try to find where your body ends. We close the course with Metta, loving-kindness, moving from "I" to "we" to all beings, and with simple ways to carry the practice into a noisy life.
Is this for you?
- You live mostly in your head, and you're tired of it.
- You've tried meditation apps. They might spark your curiosity, but they aren't human beings. There's no compassion between you and an app.
- You're drawn to the spiritual side of life, and sense that a less ego-driven way of living would suit you better.
- You'd rather understand why a practice works than be told to trust it.
- You want a real teacher and a small circle of people to practise with. Connection happens in small groups, not webinars.
- You'd like to be kinder to yourself, and you're curious where that kindness leads.
Taught by an artist
I've spent my life drawing the body from the outside. Mindfulness is the same attention, turned inward.
Painter, life drawing teacher and tattoo artist. Trained in the lineage of Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield, and with Eckhart Tolle's School of Awakening.
The body first
Most mindfulness starts with the mind and tries to calm it. We start with the body, the one part of you that is always in the present, and let the mind settle on its own.
Small on purpose
3–8
Never more than eight people, live, face to face on screen. No recordings, no audience. Rooted in Zen, informed by neuroscience, free of jargon. You'll be known by name.
“Acknowledging thoughts and just letting them pass by like a train. It helps me clear my head when I'm overthinking.”
Josie · from a previous course
The details
Next course: starts Tuesday 12 January 2027, 7–8.30pm (UK time). Booking is open now and closes Tuesday 5 January.
Length: 6 weekly sessions, 90 minutes each
Where: online, live on Google Meet
Group: 3 to 8 people
You'll need: a quiet room, a chair or cushion, a notebook
The Dharma is free. My time isn't. So there are two prices, you choose, and both get exactly the same course.
Why? Nobody should miss this because money is tight right now, and nobody should have to explain that. The people who pay the full price are what make the supported places possible.
Supported: £45. If money is tight. No questions asked.
Full: £75. If you can. It covers the real cost of the course and keeps the supported places open. As a thank-you, I'll send you a copy of my book, Inner Body: A Somatic Sketchbook, if you'd like one: 24 charcoal drawings of the body, made to be felt as much as seen.
Inside Inner Body, the thank-you with a Full place.
Book · Supported £45Book · Full £75
You'll get a confirmation straight away, and the Google Meet link a week before we start. Secure payment by card, Apple Pay or Klarna; it shows on your bank statement as ONE ART STUDIO.
Can't make these dates?
Join the list and you'll be the first to hear about the next course.
Questions
Do I need any experience?
None at all. If you've meditated for years, you'll still find new ground here.
Is it religious?
No. The course draws on Zen and other contemplative traditions, but nothing asks you to believe anything. Everything is tested against your own experience.
Is this therapy?
No. It's a practice for everyday life, not treatment. If you're in crisis or living with a serious mental health condition, please talk to your GP first.
Do I need my camera on?
Please, for check-ins. A small circle works because we can see each other. You can turn it off during the meditations if that helps you settle.
What if I miss a week?
Sessions aren't recorded, to keep the circle a safe space. You'll get a written summary and the week's guided practice to do at home.
How do I pay, and can I cancel?
You pay in full when you book. Cancel up to 14 days before the course starts and you get a full refund. After that, there are no refunds, but your place moves to the next course.
What if the course doesn't run?
If fewer than three people book, you get your money back in full and first place on the next course. If your book has already been sent, it's yours to keep.
Get in touch
Still have a question? Send me a message and I'll reply personally.