The Mindful Baker, a Suffolk-based company teaching mindfulness through the art of baking, is to launch a new one-day course in the wake of the pandemic.
The course, designed with busy professionals in mind, teaches meditation techniques as well as how to bake artisan sourdough bread and pizza.
The refreshed course comes after two years of lockdowns in the UK, and provides strategies for coping with anxiety and stress, as well as practical baking skills.
Lawyer-turned-life-coach, Tim Leach, who set up the business in 2020 said: “It’s no secret that the pandemic has had a profound – and potentially long-lasting – effect on the UK’s mental health. Baking and meditation helped me through a very tricky time in my life and I want to bring these skills to the masses with a course that addresses the effects of the pandemic.”
The links between baking and mindfulness may not immediately be obvious, but – according to Leach – the two go hand-in-hand. Tim said: “Baking is a methodical, calming process. It’s all about slowing down: bread is not something you can rush, which is why it dovetails so well with mindfulness.
“Obviously, the pandemic caused untold damage, but there are some positives to be taken from it. Life in lockdown took on a slower pace and we became grateful for simple things like going for a walk or a conversation with a friend. Mindfulness is all about taking the time to appreciate the moment.”
Tim’s mindfulness and life coaching qualifications allow him to guide the conversation, listening to and coaching individuals to progress through areas in their lives where they feel stuck.
He said: “Some clients arrive with a little cynicism about spending the day discussing meditation and mindfulness, but they leave with a positive understanding of the techniques I teach – not to mention plenty of delicious baked goods which are sampled throughout.
“I’m driven by wanting to help my clients in their everyday lives, so that they leave feeling inspired to make changes in their lives – as well to bake their own bread from scratch.” The Mindful Baker is run from Tim’s newly refurbished baking studio in the heart of Suffolk’s Constable Country.