Mindfulness Practice Guidance – One-to-One

Would you like some support with your meditation practice? Whether you are new to the practice or already established and in need of some guidance, we are here for you.

For beginners and experienced meditation practitioners alike, this is an opportunity to benefit from a one-to-one consultation session with an experienced practitioner in the Plum Village tradition. You will receive deep and compassionate listening and mindful support in building and strengthening your meditation practice.

The purpose of these sessions is to support you with developing your mindfulness meditation practice and may assist you with self-enquiry into your personal aspirations and spiritual path.

Some of the ways in which these sessions might benefit you include:

Sharing about your current practice and considering ways to develop it
Having a space to share about personal suffering and considering skilful ways to respond
Considering how to deepen your practice

These are confidential, non-judgemental consultations and not a replacement for psychological therapy. We are committed to community safeguarding and may need to breach confidentiality if we believe there is a critical incident or risk of harm. All our consultants are supported with appropriately confidential supervision.

This is a by-donation service, based on trust. We would not prevent anyone from receiving the support that they might need through lack of funds. Consultants are listed in no particular order. To book a session with a consultant, please find their bio and booking link by clicking on ‘more‘ below their introduction.

Teri West

True Door of Virtue

Teri was ordained by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh in 2000 into the Order of Interbeing and as a lay Dharma teacher in 2016.

I have lived a long and eventful life, disengaging from school as a teenager, and taking on various means of bringing home the veggie-burgers as a single parent in Notting Hill, London, until the mid-‘80s. I escaped with the then teenage children and found rewarding work as a part-time teacher and fundraiser for an experimental secondary school founded by Satish Kumar, in North Devon.

The head teacher of the school had worked with Thay in the ‘70s to found Refugee Action. I joined him on a camping trip in France in 1988, and we were invited to visit Plum Village.

I have been active in Thay’s spiritual community ever since, receiving the 14 trainings in 2000 and the lamp transmission in 2016.

At the same time as developing stability in the practice I trained at Europe’s first School for Storytelling, with Nose to Nose clowning, and revived my musical skills. I worked professionally as a storyteller and member of an improvising clown group for over 15 years, then ventured onto the cabaret stage a few years back, enjoying the freedom cabaret offers to address edgy subjects while offering Dharma messages as entertainment, and taught courses in Clown and Mindfulness with Nose to Nose teachers at the EIAB and elsewhere.

Family deaths, then Covid, put stage life on hold. However, I enjoy opportunities to engage with practitioners online in many ways and look forward to meeting new Dharma friends.

Visit Teri’s SoundCloud via https://soundcloud.com/tj-fool

Teri is also on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inbedwiththebuddha

Teri’s videos – Zen and the Art of Cabaret – https://vimeo.com/142889818 and https://vimeo.com/104751089

To select a date/time for a 30-minute online consultation with Teri, please book here.

Kesley Cage

Spiritual Friend of the Heart

In 2018, Kesley received the Five Mindfulness Trainings in Upper Hamlet, Plum Village. He continues to practise with the aspiration to awaken greater love and harmony in his own heart, relationships, and in the wider world.

Being invited to accompany people on their spiritual path is a deep honour and privilege. Kesley’s personal spiritual approach is interfaith, drawing inspiration from many teachers and traditions that place love and peace at the heart of their teachings. He is joyfully rooted in the global community of practitioners in the Plum Village tradition of Venerable Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.

Kesley’s explorations into mindfulness began in 2013, after navigating life challenges that stirred a yearning for spiritual truth. Thay’s simple, profound, and beautiful teachings offered clarity and warmth, and Kesley found himself deeply moved. Since then, he has studied and practised with many of Thay’s students and continues to grow in gratitude for their guidance and support.

In 2018, Kesley immersed himself in daily practice for three months at Son Ha Monastery in Plum Village, France. Practising alongside the monastics and lay friends, he contemplated what it means to live mindfully and joyfully together. Though no place is perfect, Plum Village offered many answers to the deep questions he was carrying, and remains a spiritual home to this day.

Kesley is also a qualified spiritual counsellor, having trained with the Sweet Track Centre in Glastonbury, UK. He has helped organise numerous Plum Village UK community events and led mindfulness courses, making it a natural fit to join the team of consultants. Since becoming a consultant in 2021, he has accompanied many spiritual seekers and community members in exploring and deepening their mindfulness practice.

As a consultant and spiritual companion, Kesley has found that while Dharma teachings and community practice are invaluable, we sometimes need gentle reminders not to mistake the finger pointing to the moon for the moon itself. He hopes to support others in discovering their own spiritual path, grounded in personal experience and inner wisdom.

All identities and cultures are welcome.

Visit Kesley’s website and blog at: kesleycage.com

To connect with Kesley in a 30-minute online consultation, you’re warmly invited to book a time here.

Gary Greenberg

True Essential Action

Gary Greenberg has combined family life, a career in business, and regular Dharma practice over the last 38 years. He and his wife have lived all over the world, raising two children and several dogs. His business career as a professional investor afforded him the chance to promote ethical investing and mindfulness to the business community.

Gary began regular spiritual practice in 1972, and received the Five Mindfulness Trainings in 2005. He was ordained as a lay member of the Order of Interbeing by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh in 2010. He has been leading mindfulness groups for the last ten years and mentoring practitioners aspiring to receive Ordination for the past six.

Gary is originally from the US but has spent the last 22 years in the UK. He currently divides his time between the two countries

To select a date/time for a 30-minute online consultation with Gary, please book here.

Sita Brand

True Lotus Wisdom

Sita received the 5 Mindfulness trainings in 1999, and the 14 Mindfulness Trainings from Thay in 2006.

Sita began her spiritual journey with the Church of North India and Quakers. In her teens she began to practice meditation and learn more about Buddhism. In the late 90s, she travelled through Malaysia and was ordained briefly as a Buddhist nun in Northern Thailand. She met Thay in 1999 and received the 5 Mindfulness trainings. She received 14 Mindfulness Trainings from Thay in 2006, with the name True Lotus Wisdom. She is a trained in Postive Impact Coaching. She regularly leads creative and mindfulness retreats. She started teaching meditation and Buddhism in prisons in 2005 as a Buddhist Prison Chaplain. She is also a storyteller.

To select a date/time for a 30-minute online consultation with Sita, please book, here.

Jaz Shaw

Tender Embrace of the Heart

Jasmine (Jaz) started practicing at the age of 18, curious about the presence of suffering in and around her and the need for personal and collective healing. Jaz took the 14 Mindfulness Trainings in 2018 receiving the name 'True Pure Grace'

Jaz shares: I first encountered Thich Nhat Hanh and the Plum Village practice in 2008—the same year Thay introduced Wake Up, Plum Village’s young adults’ community. I felt an immediate kinship with others seeking true connection and exploring how to weave a compassionate society together. That year, I took the Five Mindfulness Trainings, receiving the Dharma name “Tender Embrace of the Heart,” which continues to inspire my deepest practice aspiration.

Over the last 16 years, I have explored my practice of compassion through sangha support, Mindful Self-Compassion training, and Mindfulness Teacher Training with Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield. Recently, I have been inspired by a spiritual mentoring course led by lay Dharma teachers Larry and Peggy Ward and have begun training to become a somatic-based counsellor.

Professionally, I have worked in mindfulness organisations in roles such as retreat management, facilitation, and administration. My most fulfilling work has been facilitating sharing circles that foster deep connection and listening. I currently work with the Plum Village App – email and social media communications as well as content management.

In difficult times, embodied compassion practices have been my strongest support, especially for addressing shame and trauma. As someone who identifies with ADHD and anxious traits, I value my creative mind while adapting mindfulness practices to support an easily activated nervous system.

I find joy in connecting with the land and community simultaniously —growing food (including a summer on Plum Village’s Happy Farm) or walking pilgrimages like the Camino de Santiago. Creativity is central to my life; I play with photography and dancing as a means to connect to beauty and to care for my emotions and body – both of which are central to keeping me feel alive and inspired.

I believe personal practice is deeply entwined to social justice and collective liberation. My main sangha, the White Awareness Sangha, supports me and other white-bodied practitioners in addressing racism with compassion and accountability. I am always learning!

To select a date/time for a 30-minute online consultation with Jaz, please book, here.

Robbie Campbell

Deepening Understanding of the Heart

I received the 5 Mindfulness Trainings in 2020, and recently began my Order of Interbeing aspirancy in Plum Village.

Hello, my name’s Robbie.

I was born and grew up in North London. Having struggled in school (but loving music outside), I rather unwittingly began a career in the television industry, aged 19. I had the opportunity over the next 13 years to experience and document many wonders and hardships around the world. In 2010 I finally left the industry, discovered I was dyslexic, returned to education, and went on to complete a PhD in music and dyslexia. Since 2021 I’ve been living as a long-term volunteer in Plum Village, France.

I went on my first meditation retreat in 2009, and some years later began more formal Buddhist practice and study at the London Buddhist Centre. I then discovered the profound beauty and simplicity of Thay’s teachings and began practising with Heart of London Sangha, before joining Wake Up London. I went on to serve on the Wake Up London Care Taking Team during the rather challenging covid period.

I’ve found sitting meditation, and often simply being in the body, consistently challenging. With support from Dharma teachers (in this tradition and elsewhere), I finally made the connection between mindfulness practice and trauma. This has very much been my focus for the past few years (although it’s important to note I am not trained in this). I’m also practising with chronic illness, having contracted Lyme disease in the summer of 2022 and struggling with fatigue since. In March 2023 I made the decision to leave Plum Village and seek deeper rest until I am well enough to return.

Many wonderful flowers have already blossomed from my experiences with both trauma and chronic illness, and I continue to be deeply nourished by compassionate sharing on either of these topics. However, my joy and gratitude to be invited as a one-to-one consultant is rooted in my simple love of authentic connection and deep listening. I’d be very happy to practise this with you, no matter the topic.

I received the 5 Mindfulness Trainings in 2020, and recently began my Order of Interbeing aspirancy in Plum Village.

To select a date/time for a 30-minute online consultation with Robbie, please book, here.

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