Many mindfulness teachers will recognise that traditional practices don’t work for everyone. For some participants, prolonged sitting, closing the eyes, or focusing on the breath can feel uncomfortable, inaccessible, or even alienating. This can be particularly true for people who are neurodivergent, experiencing mental health challenges, or coming from diverse cultural or faith backgrounds.
This session introduces Mindful Seeing as a different way in.
Rooted in lived experience and the Look Again approach, mindful photography combines attention, intention and attitude with movement, creativity and sensory awareness. Using something most of us already have to hand, a smartphone, it offers a practical and engaging way to support mindfulness in everyday life.
In this experiential and reflective session, we’ll explore how photography can:
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Encourage presence through seeing and noticing
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Support movement and embodied awareness
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Engage creativity and imagination
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Offer opportunities for reflection through images over time
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Reframe everyday phone use into a more conscious and intentional practice
We’ll also consider how mindful photography can act as a bridge into more conventional mindfulness practices, while broadening access for participants who may not connect with traditional approaches. The session will include practical exercises and ideas that you can adapt and integrate into your own teaching or facilitation.
What You’ll Gain:
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A deeper understanding of why traditional mindfulness doesn’t work for everyone
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Insight into neurodiversity-informed and culturally sensitive approaches
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Practical ways to use photography as a mindfulness tool with your participants
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Ideas for reframing everyday technology as part of mindful awareness
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Greater confidence in offering accessible and inclusive entry points into mindfulness
Event details
🗓️ Date: Thursday 14th January 2027
⏰ Time: 12:30–13:30 (UK time)
💻 Location: Online via Zoom
🎟️ Tickets: £5-£20 or a donation
A recording of the event will go out to all ticket holders.
About the Speaker
Ruth Davey is the Founder Director of Look Again, an evidence-informed mindful photography methodology developed through her lived experience of anxiety, depression, and burnout, and her personal journey of recovery and reconnection. Her work integrates mindfulness, photography, and nature connection to support mental health and wellbeing.
With over 30 years’ experience across international and community development, inner-city regeneration, creative industries, and social justice, Ruth brings a depth of professional and lived insight to her practice. What began as a personal healing approach has evolved into an internationally recognised methodology, with over 230 participants trained across 30+ countries, including mindfulness teachers, therapists, coaches, creatives, and leaders.
Her work has been recognised for its innovation and accessibility, including the 2024 Innovations in Mindfulness Award. Ruth is neurodivergent and integrates this perspective into the inclusive design and delivery of her programmes.