Mindful Mandalas in the Wildlife Garden | Hengistbury Head

Need a calmer kind of time out? Join nature noticing and mindful creativity in a welcoming small group. No experience needed. Step outside into the wildlife garden at Hengistbury Head Visitor Centre, notice nature’s shapes, patterns, and details, then bring what you discover back to our indoor tables to create your own mindful mandala in a small, welcoming group. What prior workshop attendees said on leaving : "calming, joyful, truly uplifting, inspiring, slower pace, unpressurised creativity, a needed pause" Pause · Notice · Create · Connect A 2-hour workshop gently and playfully guided by Kerrie Neale, accredited Nature-Connected Coach and creative practitioner. • Grounded in the restorative benefits of time in nature, this session invites you to slow down, awaken your senses, and enjoy creativity without pressure or perfection. • No prior creative experience needed. This is about connection, noticing, and finding calm. Just bring yourself as you are. All are welcome — curious beginners, gardeners, nature lovers, and experienced creatives alike. • Mandalas can become resonant to time, place, self, and nature connection. For some, the workshops offer a calm window away from life’s demands. For others, they become a space for unpressurised creative exploration, playful discovery, and deepening nature connection over time. Whether arriving for the first time or returning again, the workshops gently unfold through evolving materials, textures, and creative approaches at a pace that feels spacious and meaningful to you. Participants have been pleasantly surprised by what can unfold creatively in just two hours when the nervous system has space to slow down, notice, and simply be. Like a forest, the workshops welcome diversity in people, perspectives, and creative expression — creating space for belonging, curiosity, and connection through nature and community. What to Expect We’ll begin in the wildlife garden, taking time to notice shapes, textures, patterns, and natural forms around us. Then indoors, we’ll translate what we’ve discovered into mindful mandalas using simple, enjoyable slow drawing techniques. Together, we’ll see how individual shapes become something whole — a gentle reflection of how nature connects everything. You’ll Leave With • An understanding of nature connection - a meaningful experience • Engaging in "noticing" and creative inspiration • Your own finished slow drawing mandala See Example photo below for one of the prior workshop mandalas. Details 2 hours Small supportive group No experience needed Location: Hengistbury Head Visitor Centre Come to notice more and engage senses. Come to create something meaningful as part of nature. Come to enjoy a calmer kind of creativity - in an encouraging community.