The Trainer Pathway
Explore opportunities to train in Context Oriented Arts.
There are two CoArts training pathways, the ‘inner path’ that combines mindfulness and creative challenges and the ‘outer path’ which involves co-constructing and performing Sensory Labyrinth Theatre with a community.
These two pathways eventually come together where Theatr Cynefin is in residency with a community.
The INNER Pathway opens
During 2026, thanks to an Arts Council of Wales, Arts in Health and Wellbeing scaling up grant we can offer subsidised places for arts in health, wellbeing or mindfulness practitioners to train to deliver Coming to our Senses.
Quick Guide
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This is an innovative creative mindfulness curriculum developed by Theatr Cynefin that has been piloted successfully with 6 Health Boards across Wales. You can read more about it here.
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There are five distinct stages to train to deliver Coming to Our Senses, which are outlined below.
It is quite an in depth process which is intended to be immensely rewarding on both a professional and personal level. Previous participants have thought so.
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You will be someone experienced in facilitating groups and holding people in vulnerable states.
You will be a creative practitioner with an interest in arts in health, a mindfulness teacher with an interest in expanding your practice or a wellbeing practitioner who wants to have more fun!
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Training to deliver Coming to our Senses takes as long as you need it to be.
Once you have completed Stage 1 - a three day intensive, you can complete Stage 2. (an online course), in your own time.
Stage 3, which involves Shadowing a course can be repeated as many times as you feel necessary to feel comfortable with the process.
Stage 4 involves online practice triads, so that you can become adept at guiding the meditation practices.
Stage 5 is where you co-facilitate a course under supervision. You then assess with the supervisor if you are ready to deliver courses by yourself.
So the answer to this question is anywhere between 3 months and 12 months in most cases.
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The Inner Trainer Pathway costs £1000 - £350 for Stage 1. The Art of Looking at Ourselves and £650 for Stage 2. How to Teach Coming to our Senses.
There are some subsidised places in 2026 available thanks to the Arts Council of Wales Grant.
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You can apply for a free place by completing the application form linked to here -
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Those entering the pathway must sign this agreement. So please read this before applying to see if you can meet the commitments.
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There will be four ‘The Art of Looking at Ourselves’ in four parts of Wales in the first quarter of 2026. Look out for them being advertised here.
There will be opportunities to shadow courses throughout the first half of 2026. They will be advertised here
And there will be opportunities to co-facilitate courses in the second half of 2026. Which means you can complete your training by the end of 2026.
The Inner PAth
01
The Art of Looking at Ourselves (B)
A three day intensive introduction to Context Oriented Arts that explores the creative practices that make up the CTOS course..
02
How to Teach Coming to our Senses
An asynchronous online course that equips you with all the knowledge needed to deliver Coming to Our Senses.
03
Shadowing
Shadow the delivery of Coming to Our Senses by a trained facilitator.
04
Practice Traids
Practice delivering all the guided meditations with colleagues in online triad sessions and give and receive feedback
05
Co-facilitating Coming to Our Senses
With weekly post sessions supervision you co-facilitate a Coming to Our Senses course
The Outer PAth
02
How to Build a Labyrinth
An asynchronous online course that equips you with all the knowledge needed to work with a group to create a Sensory Labyrinth.
The Art of Looking at Ourselves (A)
A three day intensive introduction to CoArts that explores the creative practices that help create a sensory journey.
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Cysylltu Mater, Ynni ac Ystyr
A 7-14 day Sensory Labyrinth Theatre Production that applies all the knowledge and experience of stages 1 and 2 to developing a Context Oriented immersive performance for the public.
03
A month long project with a community whereby CoArts practitioners deliver Coming to Our Senses to the community by day, perform Sensory Labyrinth Theatre by night and over time curate a parallel infrastructure with the community that supports resilience and kinship during the collapse.
More details about all these training experiences is in our programme for 2025-2030 - Undoing Agency
When Inner and outer Become One
What People Are Saying ABOUT The Art of Looking at ourselves
This was one of those transformative experiences that you stumble on in life that stays with you; colouring and changing the way that you think. I am still trying to sift through all that we did because it was such a powerful and curious three days.
I know that it will have a hugely positive impact on how I engage with groups as an artist working in healthcare / and in the community. And - not least, how I allow myself to be with myself.
Extra - ordinary, significant. Thoroughgoing - rigorous - gentle and scouring. Supportive nurturing - transformative and brilliant. I have run out of hyperbole. Everyone should have access to this sort of experience at least once. I am so, so glad I had the opportunity to meet and work with everyone.”
— Anne Brierly, Arts in Health Practitioner“The experience of working collectively as a group for the intensive three days of powerful invitations has given me a chance to reflect on many aspects of the self.
Most notably, there is a recognition that I am feeling an ever greater sense of acceptance of things just for what they are in the moment and am returning frequently to the phrase 'and this too shall pass'.
I'm also seeing more easily where I had previously not been able to always let go and am finding it much easier to forget to hold on to that which needs to be let go of and or not even needing to be held in the first place. ”
— Judèé-Époh Éèduj-Hopè, Wellbeing Practitioner“The creative approach to each exercise bypasses much of the narrative self-referencing we're often caught up in, allowing for more direct healing.
As someone with a Master's in mindfulness-based approaches and training in MBSR and MBCT, I’m excited to be learning this method, as it builds on those programs and delves even more deeply into the essence of being human. It has helped me with acceptance and forgiveness of long-held family issues, and I can't wait to share it with others.”
— Linda Corcoran. Mindfulness TeacherYmholiad Cwrs
info@cynefin.org
07961 733708