This 5-week class offers students an opportunity to deepen their connection to the clay and to themselves through mindful practices inspired by haptic techniques. Each session combines wheel-throwing instruction with quiet, reflective exercises to help students feel grounded and focused. This course emphasizes personal exploration and mindful engagement with the medium, designed for anyone interested in using clay as a calming, expressive outlet.

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Week 1: Setting Intentions and Finding Center

• Focus: Centering on the wheel and establishing personal intentions for the course.

• Techniques: Introduction to centering clay and beginning to throw small forms.

• Mindful Practice: Quiet breathing exercises to help students connect with the present moment, focusing on the feeling of centering.

• Reflection Prompt: Students note what they wish to focus on in their practice over the next five weeks, setting personal intentions without any requirement to share.

Week 2: Observing Texture and Sensation

• Focus: Heightening awareness of textures and touch as part of the creative process.

• Techniques: Pulling up walls and practicing the cylinder shape.

• Mindful Practice: Encouraging students to close their eyes momentarily while throwing to focus on touch, enhancing their tactile experience and allowing the clay’s texture to guide their hands.

• Reflection Prompt: Students can jot down how different textures feel to them and any observations they make about their approach to touch.

Week 3: Embracing the Flow

• Focus: Cultivating a sense of flow, flexibility, and letting go in the creative process.

• Techniques: Creating bowls with attention to soft, continuous movement.

• Mindful Practice: Breathing exercises coordinated with hand movements on the clay, allowing students to relax and focus on gentle, flowing shapes.

• Reflection Prompt: Students consider how letting go feels in their practice—whether it’s challenging or freeing—and write a few sentences on their experience.

Week 4: Exploring Textures in Form and Surface

• Focus: Adding texture to pots and exploring creativity with surface design.

• Techniques: Adding textures to the surfaces of mugs or bowls, using tools or hands for patterning.

• Mindful Practice: An exploratory exercise with different textured materials, encouraging students to focus on each surface’s feel without needing to plan or perfect.

• Reflection Prompt: Reflecting on their favorite textures, students can note how these choices connect to their creative instincts or preferences.

Week 5: Bringing It All Together with Intention

• Focus: Applying glazing with a sense of completion, honoring the work done so far.

• Techniques: Simple glazing to enhance the form and texture of each piece.

• Mindful Practice: A short, guided exercise on appreciating the work’s journey from start to finish, allowing students to focus on each step of glazing with calm and intention.

• Reflection Prompt: Students reflect on their five-week journey, noting any new insights about their practice, mindset, or skills.