Shaping Body + Clay: A Practice in Presence

Come slow down, reconnect with your body, and get your hands into clay. This 1.5-hour workshop begins with gentle yoga, creating space in the body through movement and breath. Then, we let our hands meet the clay: a slow, responsive, and imperfect material that changes with pressure, time, and presence. We’ll bring that same curiosity, mindfulness, and attention into our work with clay—exploring its textures, shapes, movement, and possibilities through our hands. Between yoga and ceramics, we create a pause. A pause to put the phone down. To soften the wrists and shoulders. To remember the pleasure of making something without rushing. To turn touch into form, and form into a memory made by our own hands. With mindful awareness as our guide, we’ll practice staying present with the process rather than focusing on the outcome. There’s no pressure to create a “perfect” finished piece. Instead, this is an invitation to feel, shape, experiment, notice, and see what emerges. You’re welcome to simply play with the clay, or choose to create something specific to be fired on your own. Firing is not included in the workshop ticket. No previous yoga or clay experience necessary. Open to adults of all levels. Come as you are. Slow down. Be present. Move, feel, make, and play. 👐🏽 Meet Your Guides: Dr. Suzan (pronounced Suzanne) Ahmed (she/her) is a clinical and design psychologist, integrative coach, embodiment guide, and the founder of Design With Dr. Za, an inclusive platform that supports wellbeing at the levels of mind, body, spirit, and place. As a yoga teacher, Dr. Suzan empowers folks to deepen their understanding of how the body is both a home and space for spiritual growth and self-actualization. Carla Barrocas (she/her) is a ceramic designer based in Lisbon and the founder of 987Studio. She offers clay classes in workshops in Lisbon and Madrid for children and adults, inviting a sense of curiosity and play - rather than focusing on the finished product - as the primary goal of working with clay.