The Art of Zen was formerly Be Calm Be Happy
This 6-week group course will help you develop and deepen your own practice of zen and meditation, following the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh (the “father of mindfulness”).
There will be a two-hour session each week. Each of these will be interactive, using a mixture of guided meditations, group discussions, and practical exercises. You will learn how to bring more peace and joy into your daily life.
All our courses are led by practitioners with many years experience. Although mindfulness training is rooted in Buddhist meditation techniques, it is not a belief system and the course is suitable for those of all faiths or none – everyone is welcome.
Course Content
Week 1 – Stopping and Calming
- How to be present in the moment
- Reducing stress and anxiety
- Simple breathing techniques
Week 2 – Turning to the Positive
- Retraining our mind’s negativity bias
- Practising gratitude
- The conditions for happiness already available to us
Week 3 – Loving Communication
- How to communicate with awareness
- Deep listening and loving speech
- Building better relationships
Week 4 – Nourishing Happiness
- Being present with our senses
- Music and time in nature
- Awareness of what we eat and otherwise consume
Week 5 – Interdependence and Community
- Connectedness of all things
- Cultivating compassion
- Community in daily life
Week 6 – Guidelines for a Happier Life
- Ethics and happiness
- Ethical guidelines
- Living with kindness
Method
Throughout the course, you will be encouraged to develop your own practice of mindfulness. In both the group setting and at home, you can learn how to integrate mindfulness into your daily life and consider what will best support you.
You will have the opportunity to connect with others and will have access to resources and support to help you on your journey, including how to find groups and communities (sanghas).
You will be encouraged to cultivate a greater awareness of the present moment, learning how to observe thoughts and feelings without judgement, and to practise being fully present in daily life. The aim is to cultivate a sense of inner peace and to live in harmony with the world around you.
Commitment
For this course to be effective, we recommend attending all six sessions. Creating a strong mindfulness habit will need some regular practice alongside the course. Daily practice is ideal – if you can only spare a few minutes each day this will still be effective.
If you know ahead of time that you cannot make a session, you can discuss this with your course leader.
You will need access to a laptop or phone with internet access, plus a functioning camera and microphone.
Pricing
We hope to make this course available to as many people as possible. A wide range of prices are offered – from £30 – £200. Please pay what you are able when booking
Course Leaders
Heather Monro
Heather is based in Durham and practices with Sacred Earth and Northern Lotus Sanghas.
Heather received the 5 Mindfulness Trainings from Plum Village in 2023 and was ordained as a novice nun for a time limited period in 2025 with the dharma name Ocean of Great Dedication.
Having been on a path of pursuing happiness through achievement and collecting medals on the world sporting stage, she became fascinated with the psychological aspects of being our best selves and turned to supporting others in their journeys as a leadership coach and spiritual companion. In 2017, feeling increasingly burnt out by pursuing conventional success she had a life-changing realisation; that most personal development just provides people with survival strategies in our broken societal system.
She is now dedicated to facilitating transformative journeys for both individuals and organisations through opening hearts and expanding consciousness and aspires to contributing to a more loving, peaceful and equitable world through mindful practice and a deep understanding of interbeing.
Heather has been practising, studying and teaching mindfulness for 15 years – initially following a secular path and then via various Buddhist traditions before ‘coming home’ to Plum Village in 2022. She currently serves as a Buddhist Chaplain at Durham University and is an aspirant to the Order of Interbeing.
Clare Belbin-Carlile
Clare lives in North Yorkshire and practises with the Kirkbymoorside and York Sanghas.
Clare was ordained into the Order of Interbeing in 2021 and received the True name True Spring Waterfall.
Clare first encountered Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings through attending Plum Village mindfulness retreats with Thich Nhat Hanh from 1998. This encounter was life changing, she became increasingly committed to her daily practice with the support of Sangha and it is now a central part of her life.
Clare’s mindfulness practice continues to be deeply rooted in her daily practice of drawing and painting in Helmsley Walled Garden. Clare’s practice transforms and enlivens everything she does. Her daily painting practice involves cherishing and falling in love with her subject matter, nature.
Through the wealth of experience brought by parenthood, periods of great change and upheaval in her life, the journey of caring for and the subsequent death of her beloved parents and husband, Clare has practised looking for the wonderful, ‘flecks of gold’ in her life (“this moment is full of wonders”). She realised that in trying to block suffering she would also be starved of her joy.
Further Information
Further information can be found on the course TicketTailor page
