CALMING THE MIND
Original price was: £50.00.£35.00Current price is: £35.00.
STILLNESS, ATTENTION AND AWARENESS
How can we develop a calmer relationship with our thoughts, and what happens when we learn to observe mental activity rather than automatically react to it? This live online course explores guided stillness and contemplative practices that encourage you to settle your attention, observe your experience and develop greater clarity. Through practical exercises, guided instruction and reflection, you will investigate how attention can be trained, how mental activity influences our experience of the present moment, and how stillness can become a useful part of everyday life.
COURSE DATE
Sunday, 16 May 2027
DURATION
2 hours
TIME
10:30am – 12:30pm (UK Time)
LOCATION
Zoom Online Virtual Classroom
ABOUT THIS COURSE
What does it mean to calm the mind? Does it require us to stop thinking, or can we develop a different relationship with the thoughts, feelings and sensations that arise throughout the day?
Mental activity is a natural part of being human. We think, remember, anticipate, evaluate and respond to the world around us, often without consciously noticing how much of our attention is occupied by these processes. When this activity becomes persistent or distracting, it can be difficult to remain present, settle our attention or experience a sense of mental clarity.
This course explores stillness as a practical means of investigating our own experience. Drawing on contemplative principles associated with the traditional internal arts, we will explore how to observe mental activity without immediately attempting to control, suppress or follow every thought that arises. Through guided exercises, you will have opportunities to investigate the relationship between posture, breathing, attention and awareness. You will explore how physical stillness can provide a setting for observing the mind, how attention can wander, and how we can gently return our awareness to the present experience.
The intention is not to eliminate thoughts or achieve a particular mental state. Instead, the emphasis is on developing the ability to recognise what is happening, observe it with greater clarity and respond more deliberately. By combining practical experience with reflection, the course will help you develop a better understanding of stillness and consider how contemplative practices might support greater awareness in everyday life.
INFORMATION
This course is suitable for beginners and experienced practitioners who wish to explore stillness, attention and contemplative practice. It may be particularly useful for people who spend much of their day engaged in demanding activities and would like to develop a more deliberate approach to pausing, observing and reflecting. No previous experience of Tai Chi Chuan, Chi Kung or contemplative practice is required.
The course is delivered live through an online virtual classroom, with guided exercises, explanations and opportunities for questions and discussion. Practices will be introduced progressively, allowing participants to explore them at their own pace. You do not need to force yourself to remain completely still or prevent thoughts from arising. The exercises encourage observation and exploration, with an emphasis on finding a comfortable approach that suits your individual circumstances.
COURSE CONTENT
Understanding Mental Activity: Explore how thoughts, memories, expectations and habitual patterns of attention influence our experience of everyday life.
Preparing for Stillness: Investigate how posture, physical comfort and the release of unnecessary tension can help establish suitable conditions for contemplative practice.
Settling Attention: Practise simple methods of directing and returning attention, using accessible points of focus to explore the experience of being present.
Observing Thoughts: Learn to notice thoughts as they arise without automatically following them or treating every thought as something that requires an immediate response.
Breath and Awareness: Explore how awareness of natural breathing can provide a practical reference point for attention without requiring you to control or force the breath.
Stillness and Clarity: Investigate the relationship between quiet observation, awareness and our ability to recognise patterns in our own experience.
Integrating Practice into Daily Life: Consider how short periods of stillness and deliberate attention can be incorporated into everyday activities to support reflection and a more considered response to daily demands.
The session combines guided experience with explanation and reflection. The emphasis is on learning through observation, developing a practical understanding of attention and exploring how the principles of stillness can be applied beyond the course itself.
BOOK THIS COURSE
Booking Status: Open for booking
Early Booking Price: £35.00
Standard Price: £50.00
This is a live, two-hour online course delivered on Sunday, 16 May 2027. Joining information will be provided following booking.
BOOK NOW
Take time to explore your own mental activity and develop a more considered relationship with attention. Join Ptah Khi Academy for a practical introduction to stillness, contemplation and awareness, and discover how these principles can become part of your everyday life.
