Event Archive

Online - Weathering Storms

Wednesdays: 8th July 2026 - 19th August 2026 19.15-20.15 + Optional up to 30min Chat @ Online

An embodied mindfulness group for people experiencing spiritual crisis, experiences commonly described as psychosis or other overwhelming inner experiences.

I offered the first Weathering Storms online series over the summer of 2026. The classes remained very small, which gave me an opportunity to explore how this work might support people while they are actually experiencing challenging or elevated mental states.

I worked primarily with one participant who has a diagnosis of bipolar disorder and a history of hospitalisation during the summer months. We have known each other for many years, so I was already familiar with some of his previous experiences and patterns.

What was particularly interesting this year was that he was able to approach me while already experiencing an elevated state. We began with a one-to-one online session, after which he joined the weekly Weathering Storms classes, which also remained one-to-one.

During the early sessions he was still experiencing an elevated state, but the familiar pattern appeared to change. Rather than continuing to spiral increasingly out of balance, as had happened in previous years, he was able to remain engaged with the practices and gradually become more settled.

We worked particularly with three simple embodied practices: mindful walking, abdominal work and Yawning Yoga. All three appeared helpful, giving him practical ways of working with what was happening in his body and mind rather than simply trying to suppress or control the experience.

Another participant joined us for one session while experiencing significant difficulties with sleep. We explored the walking and abdominal practices together. I have not had enough follow-up to know what happened longer term, although my impression at the time was that these practices were helpful.

This first series has left me particularly interested in the potential for embodied mindfulness practices to support people during periods of elevated or overwhelming experience, including whether working with someone early, while they are still able to recognise what is happening and engage with support, may help change the way the experience develops.

Online: HeartTouch for Well-being & Vitality

Thursday Mornings: 14th May - 20th August 2026 11.00-12.00 + optional chat up to 30min @ Online

Embodied Mindfulness based classes for people experiencing chronic stress or emotional / mental distress and those who care for them.

I have really enjoyed these morning HeartTouch classes, mostly held one-to-one with a long-term student who works as a psychotherapist and also brings his own lived experience of trauma and emotional distress.

Over time, I have also been mentoring him with the hope that he may eventually be able to share some of the practices himself.

Group classes are wonderful because they allow us to reach and support more people at the same time, but I am increasingly appreciating the value of sustained one-to-one work when this is possible. It gives us the space to explore the practices slowly and respond to what is happening for the individual.

I have also found that this way of working translates surprisingly well online. Even though we are not physically in the same room, there is a great deal we can explore through embodied mindfulness, movement, grounding and awareness practices.

New Haw: HeartTouch Classes for Well-being & Vitality

Thursday Evenings 21st May to 16th July 2026 @ New Haw Library, The Broadway, Addlestone

HeartTouch Drop-In Classes for Well-being & Vitality.

This was a small six-week HeartTouch group of three people. Although the group had originally grown out of my Tai Chi classes, in response to the participants' needs we worked almost entirely with HeartTouch and Qi Gong practices for wellbeing rather than learning Tai Chi form.

All three participants experienced significant changes during the course.

One participant came with a longstanding and quite severe pattern of PTSD symptoms, including considerable tension around her neck and shoulders. During the first session she experienced a deep release through this area and afterwards reported feeling okay. This change continued through the remainder of the course.

Another participant, who experiences fibromyalgia and anxiety, noticed a significant change in her digestive system from the first session, telling me that her stomach had not felt so good for years. She also shared that she felt safe and able to engage socially within the group in a way that was unusual for her.

The third participant had been experiencing persistent digestive difficulties and gas, which he associated with medication and having previously had a stoma. During one of the early classes we explored some simple abdominal massage, after which he reported that the problem had stopped. Over the course I also noticed a considerable lightening in his mood.

An interesting aspect of this group was that, despite my encouraging everyone to practise between sessions, none of the participants found it easy to establish a regular practice at home. The changes they described were therefore happening primarily in association with our weekly classes.

For me, this raises some interesting questions about how much can happen through relatively small amounts of embodied practice when people are given the right conditions to settle, reconnect with their bodies and experience the practices together. It is something I would like to explore more systematically as the HeartTouch work develops.