The Art of Zen
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Gain a grounding in mindfulness or refresh your practice
Experience how mindfulness can transform your life in one of our group courses based on the well loved teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh.
Guided meditations, small group discussions and practical exercises. Available online over six weeks or as in-person weekends.
The Art of Zen provides a complete introduction to mindfulness meditation for beginners, with Looking Deeply and Living Mindfully courses if you wish to go Deeper.
Mindfulness for Neurodiversity is a specially adapted alternative to The Art of Zen, to support neurodivergent individuals.
Mindfulness and meditation help us to live fuller and happier lives – focused on the present moment, not absorbed in regrets, plans or worries.
By practising mindfulness we create stillness, from where we see clearly what brings us happiness and what causes suffering. With this awareness, we can make positive choices.
Mindfulness is rooted in Buddhist meditation, with effects verified by neuroscience, and as such is open to Buddhists non-Buddhists alike.
Introductory course offering concrete ways to generate energy and wellbeing, and to ease painful thoughts and emotions
The course offers a deeper understanding of mindfulness and how it can support many aspects of your daily life, not only in meditation, but also in how we eat, behave, speak to ourselves and others, and take care of ourselves.
The wisdom of Zen teaches us to find peace within ourselves and serenity in the face of suffering.
“I’d never practised mindfulness with a group before and the experience of sharing a couple of hours a week was powerful and positive start to the way I approached the coming week.”
“The course is a gift – it made a shift in my attitude towards stress and helped me to achieve a routine incorporating meditation and focus on living in the present.”
“I find mindfulness and meditation practices less intimidating and am now able to draw on a range of practices throughout the day … I have noticed an improved sense of calm, perspective, and gratitude.”
“I enjoyed the emphasis on self-care. I also liked the clear guidance and instructions and the wonderful way the course led us through the teachings. I feel more in control of how I approach my life situations.”
Our Course Leaders are experienced practitioners immersed in the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh with a deep aspiration to share these teachings with others.
Together they bring a wide range of experience with backgrounds including teaching, creative arts, health, business and more.
They will support you in finding ways to bring mindfulness more fully into your life, encouraging you to look honestly at how you currently operate and to make adjustments to help you live more authentically.
Prices range from £30 – £200. Please pay what you can afford, to help support these courses into the future. We aim to make this available all.
If you cancel your booking at least 14 days before the start of the course we will refund your course fee. After this time, no refunds will be possible.
If you have any questions please contact us via mindfulness-courses@plumvillage.uk
Yes! We welcome newcomers to mindfulness as well as anyone wishing to bring mindfulness more fully into their daily life. The course helps participants gain an overview of the key teachings and how they support each other. It gives you the confidence to participate in further activities – sanghas, retreats, Days of Mindfulness – offered by Plum Village UK.
The course is open to all those over the age of 18
This is a live course. For the safety of all participants we do not record sessions, or any part of a session. Please check the dates of a course before booking to ensure you are available for all of them.
It is ideal if you can make all the sessions, as this way you will gain a solid foundation in mindfulness practice. If you have to miss a class and know ahead of time, do let your Course Leader know. Please refer to the handouts to see what you have missed.
These are UK-based events. If you are joining one of the online courses from outside the UK, you may wish to use a timezone converter to check your timezone works with the course timings.
A follow-on course from The Art of Zen, refreshing and extending your practice in the Plum Village tradition
The benefits of Looking Deeply are to ground ourselves more fully in Thay’s teachings, giving deep, strong roots to our peace and contentment.
We can do this most beneficially as a Sangha, a group of people coming together to practise and support one another on the journey.
Looking Deeply develops the themes and learnings from The Art of Zen and takes us deeper into Thay’s teachings, exploring topics of helping us to become more aware of our ’territory’, which is – body, feelings, mind, and consciousness.
Together we will discover how to develop our mindfulness further into our experiences and life.
In each session we will:
We will recommend meditations from the Plum Village App for you to use during the week.
Our expectation for the Looking Deeply course is either that you have already attended an Art of Zen course or that you have considerable experience of practising in the Plum Village tradition with a Sangha, and have participated in other Plum Village UK retreats, courses, or events.
It is suitable for those of all faiths and none. Our course participants come from a wide range of backgrounds.
Please note, this course is not suitable for beginners, and we recommend The Art of Zen if you are looking for an introduction to the Plum Village practises, or a means of re-establishing a regular practice.
Our third course after The Art of Zen and Looking Deeply
We explore how to bring the Five Mindfulness Trainings (5MTs) fully into our lives, using them as practical guidance and spiritual friends on our path.
We offer a concentrated examination of the 5MTs in a supportive group atmosphere of people practising together.
Each week is an opportunity to explore one MT and see what challenges it presents. What parts are difficult/easy to follow now?
They are an ethical way of checking in to how closely we are following what we value in life, our intentions, and making conscious decisions instead of acting habitually, without awareness.
You may enjoy this short video the short video below from Sister True Dedication explaining the importance of the 5MTs within the Plum Village tradition. Note however – the trainings are not only for young people!
A specially adapted course based on the The Art of Zen
Mindfulness for Neurodiversity, ADHD and PTSD is reconfigured to focus especially on the applications of mindfulness in supporting neurodivergent individuals, including in relation to ADHD and autism.
Mindfulness can be a challenging skill to learn for anyone, but we know it brings multitude benefits. So how can people with alternative brains still access this practice?
The course leaders are Sylvia Clare and David Hughes.
Sylvia has lived with ADHD and PTSD for much of her life. David has neither but has lived with Sylvia for a few decades.
They both have deeply committed and long term mindfulness and meditation practices and have used these skills to help and support each other to navigate these challenges.
In the 6 sessions David and Sylvia will teach you how to meditate and ease painful thoughts and emotions; you will also be encouraged to use mindfulness practices to increase resilience and well-being in your daily life.
If you feel this type of course would support you, then please to join us. Together we will explore guided practices, group discussions and practical exercises.
There will be a small group size, for a light-hearted yet deep exploration of mindfulness together, in a friendly, welcoming atmosphere.
The six sessions of the course explore the following themes:
Beginners are welcome as well as those wishing to gain a fuller understanding of how mindfulness can support calm and happy living. Mindfulness is a practice originating in Buddhist psychology and supported by neuroscience. It may be practised by those of all faiths and none.
This course is suitable for partners, parents and all who work with neurodivergency, PTSD or who live with it themselves, or for people who just want to learn and understand how these differences affect peoples lives.
Many of our participants learn new ways to care for their wellbeing and are able to develop positive responses to challenging situations.
Our next Mindfulness for Neurodiversity courses will be in-person at the Being Peace Centre.
Sylvia Clare and David Hughes recently published their new book entitled ‘Living and Loving with ADHD and Neurodiversity‘ and the course will draw on much of the wisdom from this book (you don’t need to purchase it for this course, but it helps!)
On Sylvia’s YouTube channel she has a series of Mindfulness Made Easy videos that link to adaptations made for the course.
Plum Village UK is a charity dedicated to sharing the practice of mindfulness and mindful living.
Our pricing range enables us to cover marketing and admin costs and ensure the continuation of the courses into the future.
The Art of Zen
Find out moreArt of Zen Resources
Find out moreCourse Leaders
Find out moreThich Nhat Hanh
Founder of Plum Village Thich Nhat Hanh is a Zen Master, Poet, Peace Activist and 'Father of Mindfulness'
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