Hawthorn Practice

10/05/2026

When was the last time you gave yourself permission to put everything down for a while?

To stop striving, managing, carrying so much, and working so hard to keep everything together?

To sit comfortably, breathe deeply, settle into steady rhythm, and simply allow yourself to be exactly as you are, for a little while?

Over many years of meditation, drumming, and embodied contemplative practice, I’ve come to deeply value spaces that allow the whole self to settle and soften. Spaces where the body can breathe again, the mind can quieten, and we can reconnect with ourselves beneath the noise and pace of everyday life.

I’ve found that rhythm can be a powerful part of this. The steady beat and vibrations of the drum, together with breath, stillness, and embodied awareness, have a way of gathering attention and bringing us gently back into the present moment.

This is the spirit behind something new I’ll be offering through Hawthorn Practice.

The Still Beat
A gentle evening of rhythm, meditation, and reflection.

The Still Beat is a small contemplative circle exploring rhythm, embodied awareness, inward listening, and reflective practice in a calm and supportive setting.

These monthly gatherings combine shared drumming, meditation, gentle embodied awareness practices, and space for stillness and reflection. The focus is on creating a warm and welcoming space where people can slow down, reconnect, and simply be for a while.

Many of us long for spaces where nothing is expected of us — where we can arrive exactly as we are and leave feeling calmer, steadier, softer, and more connected to ourselves.

You don’t need any drumming or meditation experience, just come as you are.

A space to pause for a while, with nowhere else to be and nothing else required of you.

Maximum 6 participants
90 minutes • £20 (includes quality tea, nice treats, and shamanic drum hire)
Horbury, Wakefield, West Yorkshire WF4
Fully seated and no experience required

If this sounds like something you’d enjoy, you’d be very welcome. Please message me for dates or to reserve a place.

26/04/2026

I practiced in the Soto Zen tradition for over a decade, and was given a bodhisattva name when I was ordained in 2010.

It’s not something I tend to share. I’m no longer a formal Zen practitioner, and I’m very aware how easily something like that can become an identity, rather than something I can simply return to in my own way.

But those years of meditation practice, and the name I was given, have stayed with me. It’s something I’ve found myself returning to lately, especially as I’ve been stepping into a new name in my work.

I turned to Zen because I wanted to learn to meditate simply, but I also came to love the ceremony of it. The bells, struck at just the right moment. The chanting, voices coming together in rhythm. The incense, the precise movements around the dojo.

That sense of being in a shared field of attention- aware of my own body, everyone else in the room, and a quiet, shared presence that seemed to emerge when we were all paying attention together.

It was very mindful and intentional. And also, if I’m honest, quite easy to get caught up in. The form is so compelling that it can start to feel like the thing itself, rather than an expression of something deeper.

After my son was born in August 2013, I felt myself being drawn somewhere else - to something more earthy, more relational. I was searching for a way of being that felt rooted in the body, in land, and in the aliveness of everything around me.

For a while, that felt like a big shift. But looking back, it doesn’t really feel like I left anything behind at all. If anything, I feel like I understand my Zen practice far more now than I did back then, when there was a lot of trying.

I was often focused on getting my posture right, staying concentrated, working with a wandering mind, enduring the ache in my knees. And meeting, again and again, my own resistance!

Restlessness, discomfort, irritation, tiredness, the urge to get up, to distract myself, to be somewhere else. There isn’t really anywhere to go on the cushion - you have to meet it all. I don’t think I realised at the time how valuable that was.

Now, what I recognise in my Zen practice is something much simpler. At the time, it felt like something that happened on the cushion, in a room, facing the wall. But looking back, I can see it was never really limited to that.

That same quality of attention is still here. It’s there when I stop in the middle of a walk and arrive exactly where I am, when I sit down on the ground and feel part of what’s here rather than separate from it, and when I notice that attention itself is a kind of relationship.

The Zen training is still very much there, especially the simplicity, the willingness to just sit and be, not aiming to achieve anything. And the animistic path has opened that out for me into connection, reciprocity, and being in dialogue with a living world. They are not two different practices in the end, just two ways of meeting the same reality.

The name I was given during my ordination is Myoshin, translated by my teacher as ‘clear heart-mind.’

Bodhisattva names aren’t something you take on as an identity, more a direction you keep returning to, beyond ‘me and mine'. They carry a sense of responsibility too, a reminder to meet life with clarity and compassion, not just for myself, but for everything around me.

These days I don’t experience Myoshin as something to aim for or create. It feels more like something I remember, something that’s already here when I stop trying to be anywhere other than where I am.

This is how I practice that remembering in ordinary life:

• Pausing, even briefly, and noticing what’s actually here, rather than where my mind is trying to go

• Sitting without needing to change anything, letting things be as they are, including myself

• Tuning into my body, not as something separate, but as part of the same living field as everything around me

• Allowing attention to widen, so I’m not just focused inward, but also in relationship with sound, with place, with the more-than-human - whatever is present

The key for me is letting it be simple. There is nothing to achieve, nothing to improve. Just a small returning, again and again, to what’s already here.

For me, that’s what ‘clear heart-mind’ has come to mean. Not something to become - just something to remember, again and again.

25/04/2026

Hello! You may notice a change to the name of my practice.

The Healing Forest is now Hawthorn Practice.

The work I do hasn’t changed, but the new name feels more aligned with how I actually work. Over time, my practice has become simpler and more grounded.

I’ll still be offering 1:1 sessions drawing on hypnotherapy, Reiki and shamanic practice.

If you’ve found me here before, you’re still in exactly the right place 🌿

Charlotte

18/04/2026

As we move through Spring, I’ve been thinking a bit more about this sense of being “in air”. Which is ironic, as the element of air is very much about thinking!

All the thinking, connecting ideas, noticing patterns, and imagining new beginnings and possibilities. It’s a place I’m very comfortable in, and at this time of year it feels very amplified. Everything is opening up, new growth all around me. New ideas, new directions.
And I do really value the creativity and aliveness of that.

But I’m also noticing how easy it is to stay there a bit too long. Lots of time in the head, developing ideas that don’t quite land anywhere. Thoughts start to loop round, and there's a real sense of potential… but not much actually moving.

This is where the turn of the Wheel starts to become interesting.

As we move towards Beltane, there’s a definite sense of that airy, expansive energy of Spring beginning to warm up and gather into something more active.
It becomes less about imagining, and more about expressing. Less about “I wonder what if”, more about “Ok, so what now?”.

I can feel that shift in myself as a kind of restlessness that isn’t exactly uncomfortable, but is definitely prodding me towards something. And that’s not more thinking, but something more embodied and tangible.

I know that if I stay too much in my head, I’ll get stuck in air and miss that seasonal moment where things start to move and transform into the next stage.
For me, the way through seems quite simple. Not necessarily easy, but simple. It’s about coming back into the body, really noticing what’s actually here, and then taking small steps forward with something, even if it’s not fully formed. Actually doing something with the thoughts and ideas.

And it can be a bit messy, incomplete, and rough around the edges. That’s ok though, because that’s how life is, and it’s often what allows things to shift out of thought and into something real.

15/04/2026

It’s very easy to spend a lot of the day up in our heads, thinking things through, going over events and conversations, trying to work things out, speculating about what might happen next.

And that’s not just a personal quirk some people have, it’s pretty much how we’re wired. There's a fair bit of research that suggests we can all spend somewhere around half our waking time with our attention wandering away from what’s actually happening in the present moment.

It makes sense that what’s here like our bodies, our surroundings, and the place we’re in can all slip into the background a bit.

Something I often come back to myself, and suggest to clients too, in different ways, is a way of gently shifting attention and spending a few moments noticing what’s actually here. What you can hear, what you can feel, and what’s around you.

It’s a pretty simple thing to do, but it does seem to change something. I find it brings me more into my body, a bit less caught up in thoughts, and a bit more in contact with what’s actually going on.

If you try it, I’d be interested to hear what you notice.

13/04/2026

How much of what is called “shamanic” actually is?
It’s probably worth talking about that, because to be honest… it can get confusing!

There are a lot of things being described as shamanism or shamanic right now. Some of them are. Some of them… less so.

I’m not saying this to criticise individuals or to claim any kind of expert authority. People are free to explore and practice what they’re drawn to, and that’s ok!

But I do think it matters that we can speak about this clearly and honestly, because this work - the shamanic path, and the animistic way of living it’s rooted in - does ask something of us.

Instead of trying to define shamanism, I’ve offered a few questions. Not as some kind of 'smartarse test', but as a way of feeling into the difference between something that's rooted, relational, and developed slowly over time… and something that might be more quickly assembled, or shaped around preferences.

Shamanism, at its core, isn’t a collection of experiences, techniques, ideas or modalities.
It’s a practice of relationship, responsibility, and service - to community, to the natural world, and to the more-than-human. It’s grounded, lived, and it brings those who practice it more fully into their bodies, their lives, and the reality of the world, not away from it.

Shamanic practice unfolds slowly.

I’ve spent years developing my own practice, both through ongoing training with experienced teachers and through hundreds of journeys, learning from guides and allies in the Lower and Upper Worlds. If anything, it’s made me more aware of how much there is to learn, and how little I really know.

This isn’t fast work that you can pick up in a weekend and fully embody. It’s something that deepens layer by layer, through relationship, practice, experience, and through being shaped by something beyond your own inner processes.

As my teacher Paul says, “Big trees grow slowly.”
It’s just that kind of path.

This doesn’t make it better than other approaches or practices. But it does make it different. And when we use the same word for very different things, it’s easy for that difference, and the depth of the practice, to get lost.

Shamanism isn’t a vibe, or an aesthetic. It isn’t just another modality for the toolkit. It’s a way of being in relationship with a living world.

Not all animists practise shamanism. But you can’t really practise shamanism outside of animism.

Which question made you pause?

03/04/2026

There’s something both ancient and deeply familiar about the sound of a drum. Long before we developed complex language, humans used rhythm to connect with one another, to induce trance, and to soothe our nervous systems, and our bodies still respond to the drum in profound ways.

The shamanic eagle beat is played around 4–7 beats per second, it sits in the same frequency range as theta brainwaves, the state associated with meditation, deep relaxation, creativity, and emotional release.

When we listen to repetitive drumming at this tempo, the brain begins to “entrain” - which means it synchronises with the rhythm. This shift into theta can soothe stress responses, quieten down our mental chatter, help us to process emotions and its also how we shift into the shamanic state of consciousness for journeying.

Rhythmic vibration doesn't just work at a mind level though, it moves through the body at a cellular level. Sound-based practices may help calm the autonomic nervous system, reduce muscular tension, help the body to repair and create a profound sense of safety and being grounded. Many people describe feeling rebalanced, lighter, or more connected to themselves after a drumming session.

I’ve been drumming for around eight years, ever since I went on a shamanic retreat, borrowed a drum, and fell in love with shamanic drumming. I have 8 drums that I love, all with their own unique voices, and I drum for myself every single day. Even just ten minutes can shift my whole state and the health and wellbeing benefits I’ve experienced personally have been significant. Drumming has become a powerful daily practice for me.

In my 45‑minute drumming for healing sessions, I get clients comfortably relaxed lying down, and drum a few inches above the body, moving slowly from head to toe, using different beats. The vibrations from the drum travel through the energy field and tissues, encouraging the body to relax and settle into a deeply restorative state. Many clients describe the experience of being drummed over as grounding, soothing, and even transformative. I also include 10-15 minutes of 'on the body' drumming at the end of my reiki sessions, which is enough to generate some real tangible benefits for clients.

If you feel called to explore how the rhythm and vibrations of the drum can support your wellbeing, or you’re curious about experiencing shamanic drumming over the body, I’d love to share this amazing experience with you.

Photo taken by Peter Yankowski (Space to Emerge, Fellfoot Woods, 2022)

31/03/2026

As we step into spring, here’s a gentle update from The Healing Forest with seasonal reflections, an invitation for IEMT case studies, handmade rattles, opening hours, and an invitation to join our Beltane drumming.

Spring Equinox Edition - April 2026

20/03/2026

Thank you my lovely friend for this photo, taken as we faced South and welcomed the spirits of the South, and of fire. What a wonderful way to move into Spring. Thank you to everyone who came early this morning for your beautiful presence and connection 💗🙏🏼

The next one will be a sunset event on 1 May - Drumming down the Beltane Sun - meeting at Heath Common for a 20:38 sunset. I won't be here for that as I'm away to the woods in the Lake District for the weekend, but Sarah from Móðir norn my co-host will be.

We will also be 'drumming down the sun' for Summer Solstice and Lughnasadh/Lammas. Those extremely early sunrise starts when the light is greatest are a struggle for some, including Sarah and I in our menopausal years 😁 So by introducing some sunset drumming events - 3 out of the 8 sabbats- we hope to offer a slightly gentler way of connecting to some of the turns of the wheel. More details of those will follow shortly.

Happy Ostara! 🐰🌷🐣

A misty and atmospheric morning at Heath, drumming up the sun for Ostara (the spring equinox), who decided to play peek-a-boo with the clouds.

Thank you to all those who came and to my dear friend Charlotte Knaggs of The Healing Forest Therapies for your companionship, singing, drumming and kindness on this special Sabbat.

Our next one will be Drumming down the sun for Beltane.

23/02/2026

I've met all sorts of different people who've found their way to me for shamanic healing. Mostly, they’re not looking for anything dramatic and are not necessarily “into” shamanism (even if they often walk away with a much keener interest, but that's another story!).

Often, the people who find me just have an insistent and nagging sense that something isn’t quite right.
Maybe they feel depleted, as if their energy is constantly leaking away. Sometimes there’s a heaviness they can’t explain, as if they are carrying something that's not theirs. Or they're caught in a pattern that they can’t shift, as if something else is in the driving seat. Sometimes it’s simply a feeling that something essential and vital has gone missing.

Shamanism is an ancient practice that is deeply rooted in animism - the lived experience that absolutely everything is alive, conscious and in relationship and can be communicated with. Shamanism reaches into spaces where the world around us is not just scenery, but an alive and sentient presence, with a wisdom that is far older and and more connected than our highly individualised human minds. In these spaces, healing happens through deep reconnection.

My shamanic healing work is fundamentally grounded in that animist worldview. I deeply value honesty, consent, maturity, compassion and personal responsibility. I believe healing should strengthen your healthy adult self and empower you, not create dependency or spiritual drama. I work relationally and ethically, and I care deeply about helping people feel more resourced and more connected to themselves and the world around them.

In a session, we begin gently by talking, to make sense of what’s happening for you in ordinary, human terms. Then, if we agree that it feels appropriate, I journey on your behalf into the shamanic realms, to find out what might help restore balance.

Sometimes that involves bringing back lost soul parts, or clearing away something that doesn’t belong.
It may be disentangling you from the energy of a person, place or event so you can move on. Or getting healing for the parts of you that have been holding the fort with strategies and patterns that no longer work.

You don’t need any previous experience of shamanism, just a sense that you’re ready for something to move or change.

Shamanic healing sessions are 2 hours long, which gives us time and space to go into any journey with clear and grounded intention, and then to unpack and integrate what happens afterwards. I offer sessions on a sliding scale of £40–£80, on a pay-as-you-can basis..

If something in you is quietly wondering whether this might help, you’re very welcome to book a free information call with me to find out more - click the link below.

Free information call
https://calendar.app.google/AWyNsB9fi95LZiEt9

31/12/2025

Happy New Year to you all! 🌿
May the coming cycle of seasons bring you a deep connection with the living world, moments of awe and wonder, shared joy, inner peace, and good health. May you walk gently, listen well, and feel supported and nourished by your relationships with all beings, human and non-human ✨