Here’s what you can expect if you join me…

You’re welcomed with a St John’s Wort infusion, the leaves, foraged over peak summer months enriched by solar energy to boost our creativity. St John’s Wort has been known for its protective and visionary qualities since ancient times. It’s used in amulets to protect homes and to give strength to those wishing to follow their own path. Today this herb is used as a natural antidepressant since it stimulates the production of serotonin and endorphins.

 As with all my workshops, you are then introduced to a ‘Mindful Listening Garden’ where you learn a mindful listening technique. This simple five-step technique is applied during the workshop to create a safe space and guide how we interact with each other.

I then share my personal story and experiences of how I became aware of my behavioural patterns through nature and how this awareness highlighted the healing capacity within all of us to accept our behaviours as part of who we are. This insight has had a life-changing effect on me and my overall wellbeing.

You are then invited to think about areas of your life where shifting your perspective may help you become more accepting of yourself, and how you can relate to my story. There’s no need to share your thoughts with others unless you feel like it.

You carry these thoughts into our crafting session, starting by selecting a  twisted tree branch to work with, the twists representing the unhealed patterns of behaviour in your life. We attend to our branches with loving care, sanding them smooth or taking the edge off them. This mindful activity aims to help us see our own ‘twists’ in a new light and accept them for what they are. It’s soothing in itself and offers an opportunity to interact with others and prepare ourselves for the final self-exploration facilitated through a further craft session that centres on nature.

Being in winter, our last acceptance workshop used Christmas decoration crafting. We created folded stars in a variety of papers.  The stars signifying the importance of our individual power and role within wider society – participants chose their own colours, sizes and shapes for self-expression. We then used all our creations together with fruits of nature associated with Christmas to make decorations such as table pieces or wreaths while enjoying minced pies and mulled wine.