A structured journey, built one capacity at a time.
The Art of Living Well offers a progressive six-course syllabus, designed as a cumulative sequence where each stage deepens the previous work.While Courses 5 and 6 work as independent studies, we strongly advise following the full multi-year path, particularly for the foundational Courses 1-4.
Two modules—Compassion and Insight—utilize established frameworks from the Mindfulness Association and Balanced Minds, with Ian serving as Lead Tutor. The remaining four installments—the original Art of Living Well, Recognition, Eight Limbs of Yoga, and The Hero’s Journey—are Ian’s bespoke creations, developed exclusively to complete this transformative arc, for people who want a steady, long-term path rather than a quick fix.
Click on any course title in the table below to read more about that year.
Year
Course
What it asks
This is one interpretive way of understanding the sequence, not a claim about a single universal path of development. Most people's first instinct, when life is hard, is to look outward. What is the nature of self-awareness?
Year 1 · The Art of Living Well
Foundational work in awareness and self-regulation — learning to inhabit the body, settle the mind, and attend honestly to your own life. Explore each course: The Art of Living Well Compassion Insight Recognition The Eight Limbs of Yoga The Hero's Journey
STATUS: ACTIVE
Year 3 · Insight
A closer look at how the mind actually constructs experience, moment to moment. Explore each course: The Art of Living Well Compassion Insight Recognition The Eight Limbs of Yoga The Hero's Journey
STATUS: ACTIVE
Year 5 · The Eight Limbs of Yoga
Patanjali's eight limbs as a path from outward discipline to inner freedom, integrating breath, movement, and meditation. (Currently being revised — no new intake until 2028.) Explore each course: The Art of Living Well Compassion Insight Recognition The Eight Limbs of Yoga The Hero's Journey
STATUS: REVISING
Year 4 · Recognition
The most philosophically demanding course in the arc — an inquiry into who or what is actually here, beneath habit and identity. Explore each course: The Art of Living Well Compassion Insight Recognition The Eight Limbs of Yoga The Hero's Journey
STATUS: ACTIVE
Year 6 · The Hero's Journey
Campbell's monomyth as a lens for recognising the shape of a life that changes — and bringing what's found back into ordinary life. Explore each course: The Art of Living Well Compassion Insight Recognition The Eight Limbs of Yoga The Hero's Journey
STATUS: ACTIVE
Year 2 · Compassion
Turning attention toward yourself and others with warmth rather than criticism — working directly with self-judgement and the inner critic. Explore each course: The Art of Living Well Compassion Insight Recognition The Eight Limbs of Yoga The Hero's Journey
STATUS: ACTIVE
Course Dates 2027
Course / Day & Time / Dates
The Art of Living Well
Sunday · 9:30am–5pm / 24 Jan · 7 Mar · 6 Jun · 19 Sep
Compassion
Saturday · 9:30am–5pm / 16 Jan · 6 Mar · 5 Jun · 11 Sep
Insight
Next intake TBC
Recognition
Saturday · 9:30am–5pm / 23 Jan · 20 Mar · 12 Jun · 18 Sep
The Eight Limbs of Yoga
Next intake TBC
The Hero's Journey