Coming Home to Yourself Through Nature & Photography - Five week workshop with Julia Astok
Winter Workshop: Seeing in the dark
A 5-week immersive online workshop with Julia Astok
10 January – 7 February 2025
Saturdays, 6:00-7:30 PM CET • Maximum 15 participants
In the heart of winter lies an invitation
Winter is often misunderstood as barren, heavy, or bleak. But what if we told you it's actually the womb of life? The place where seeds rest, roots deepen, and everything prepares for the quiet before the bloom?
This five-week journey with photographer and artist Julia Astok invites you to discover the quiet, potent energy hidden inside the dark. Through mindful photography, simple practices, and moments of stillness, you'll learn to see the world—and yourself—with softer eyes.
A tender journey into presence
This workshop is less about "taking photos" and more about receiving the season—learning to be with the darkness not as something empty, but as something fertile, nourishing, and deeply alive.
You'll explore how low winter light can teach clarity, how shadow creates depth, and how the natural world can guide you toward a gentler, more compassionate way of seeing yourself.
No photography experience needed—only curiosity, openness, and a willingness to slow down.
What you'll experience
A new way of seeing: Move from "taking photos" to receiving images through presence and connection
Mindfulness through the lens: Use your camera as a tool for grounding and connecting with the world around you
Nature as mirror: Discover how natural forms reflect your inner landscape and emotions
Light, shadow & imperfection: Explore how nature teaches depth, tenderness, and acceptance
Inner stillness: Build practices that calm the mind and invite deeper embodiment
Creative exploration without pressure: Learn to photograph intuitively, without striving for perfection
Weekly rituals of homecoming: Each session leaves you with a meaningful photo exercise to carry into your week
Plus: Personal access to Julia between workshops via WhatsApp for guidance and encouragement
Your five-week journey
Week 1: The art of stillness
10 January
Slowing down and learning to receive rather than capture. Re-evaluating what darkness and winter hold for you.
Week 2: Nature as you
17 January
Seeing yourself reflected in the natural world. Discovering the kinship between your own form and the living world.
Week 3: Light & shadow
24 January
Exploring depth, emotion, and inner mirrors through the gentle play between light and darkness.
Week 4: The poetry of imperfection
31 January
Embracing the unpolished, the transient, the honest. Finding tenderness where perfection once ruled.
Week 5: Coming home
7 February
Integrating stillness, belonging, depth, and compassion into a living practice of gratitude and presence.
Who this workshop is for
Anyone drawn to nature, creativity, or gentle self-expression
People wanting to learn mindfulness in a grounded, artistic way
Photographers (any level), artists, nature-lovers, or complete beginners
Those longing to slow down and reconnect with themselves
Anyone curious about the healing potential of photography
What you'll need
Very little—just the essentials:
A camera (your phone camera is perfectly fine!)
A journal and pen
A simple connection to nature (even just a houseplant or window with light)
Optional: simple natural objects we'll suggest each week
Everything is intentionally simple and accessible.
About Julia Astok
Julia is a passionate multidisciplinary artist based in Estonia, inspired by nature's poetry and with a keen eye for the extraordinary within the ordinary. Through her work, she specialises in capturing what she calls "magic"—those intangible moments and qualities difficult to express in words.
As shared in her recent Mettā Interview appearance, Julia's journey with photography began as a lifeline during difficult teenage years. It evolved from dark, escapist imagery to becoming a tool for healing and self-discovery. Today, she guides others to see themselves with the same compassion she learned to cultivate through her lens.
"We are works of art and works of nature—why not appreciate the textures, changes, and imperfections just as we would in the natural world?" Julia Astok
Practical details
Dates: 10 January – 7 February 2025 (5 consecutive Saturdays)
Time: 6:00-7:30 PM CET (90 minutes)
Format: Live online via Zoom
Group size: Maximum 15 participants
Investment: €395 CHF 375 / £355 $465
What's included:
Five live 90-minute sessions
Video recordings of all sessions
Weekly PDF resources and transcripts
At-home exercises (20-60 minutes weekly)
WhatsApp support between sessions
A compassionate, safe space for exploration
Can't make every session live? No worries—all sessions are recorded and shared with participants to watch in their own time.
What participants walk away with
A softer, deeper relationship with photography
Renewed connection to nature and your inner wisdom
Practical mindfulness tools for daily life
A gentler relationship with yourself
A personal photo collection reflecting your journey
A new way of seeing—rooted in presence and belonging
Questions?
Contact us at [email protected]