soulful vision
SOULFUL VISION was born out of Steve Radley’s journey of healing as a military
veteran of Iraq & Afghanistan and is informed by his training as a Priest and a
Photographer. Is Mindfulness any good? We read a lot about the benefits of
MINDFULNESS but chatting to people I discovered lots of us find it strange and
not ‘my sort of thing’. It can feel quite inaccessible with all its talk of
focusing on our breathing, letting go of our thinking and centring in the
moment. I first came across MINDFULNESS whilst studying psychiatry at King’s
College London and there can be no disputing the research – it’s good for us and
is an ancient practice modern society has rediscovered. But I know what my
people mean – it can feel hard to do because – well let’s face it – we have lots
of things competing for our attention and spending time sitting cross legged
meditating is not something we have the time or desire to do. Making Mindfulness
accessible Through my photography training I realised this art form is an easy
way into mindfulness. And this creates a wonderful possibility – we’re all
taking pictures on our phones, so rather than teaching something completely new,
we can simply adapt something we already do to access the benefits of
mindfulness. SOULFUL VISION retreats and workshops take your photography
(whether with a smartphone or camera) and help you discover how this can become
a mindful activity, helping you find moments of calm within the demands of
modern life. Wellbeing with a difference There are many excellent wellbeing
courses and providers but many of the techniques taught are premised on
self-care (eg. time management, boundary setting, kind non-judgemental thinking,
etc). This is important but I believe it can only form part of the answer. There
is a danger when the focus is purely self-care, that we can feel we have failed
if we struggle in our life and work – we can feel we are not resilient. We will
only thrive and find resilience if the environments we live and work support our
resilience. Our relationships are of equal importance and we each need to
support one another. For me the process of taking a picture can be both an
activity of self-care and care for one another. This creates environments and
cultures in which we can find resilience together, finding peace and enabling us
to thrive in life. One writer on wellbeing called this a ‘virtuous circle of
kindness’. Join us on a workshop or retreat. Learn a mindful approach to
photography which is an act of self-care and how to share your images to learn
about yourself and one another. By facilitating conversations with one another
through your pictures I hope to create shared vision and understanding. This can
help strengthen not only our own, but one another’s resilience and mental health
as we develop a shared vision and learn about the different ways we each see
life. My workshops are premised on the 5 Steps to Wellbeing, which is an
approach endorsed by the NHS and described below We do not focus primarily on
the technical aspects of photography. Steve will help if you get stuck! All you
require is a camera you can use and an open mind to try.
