East Asian Calligraphy Workshop (Shodo) - The Awakening Heart

Event Details

Time & Date: Saturday 23 May 10.00 am - 4.30pm

Location: Earth+Sky Dojo Dublin (1 Upper Gardiner Street, Dublin 1)

What are included: 

• Refreshments, oriental tea selections

• All painting tools and materials will be provided onsite (feel free to bring your own brushes);

• Cushion and mattress to meditate;

• Blanket to keep you warm;

** We will provide tea, coffee and some simple snacks to help you boost your energy during the day. However, You may also want to bring your own lunchbox.

Step into a quiet space where brush, breath, and mind move as one.

This one-day workshop invites you on a gentle journey into the world of East Asian calligraphy (Shodō) — where writing is more than technique; it is a form of meditation, a dance of ink and spirit on paper. Rooted in ancient Eastern wisdom, this experience blends calligraphy practice, mindful movement, and moments of Zen stillness.

Throughout the day, you will learn the essential brush strokes through simple and accessible exercises designed for beginners and curious explorers alike. As the brush begins to flow more freely, you will discover different styles of East Asian calligraphy and how each stroke carries rhythm, balance, and life.

To gently settle the body and mind, each session begins with simple Tai Chi movements and Zen meditation. These quiet practices help us arrive fully in the present moment — grounding the breath, softening the body, and allowing creativity to arise naturally.

Together we will study classical examples from great calligraphy masters and explore the beautiful ideograph “Buddha” (佛) — a character that embodies awakening and compassion. Guided step by step, you will learn how to write it with intention, presence, and expression.

By the end of the workshop, you will create your own original calligraphy artwork, “Buddha Heart,” written on mounted rice paper — a piece ready to take home, frame, and keep as a reminder of the stillness and clarity discovered through the brush.

No previous experience is needed — only curiosity, an open heart, and a willingness to slow down. Come experience the quiet beauty of ink, the rhythm of the brush, and the awakening heart within.

Meet the Presenters

Yingge Xu 

From an early age Yingge Xu learned Tai Chi, meditation and calligraphy alongside her father while receiving a traditional education in China. Later she trained at the Chinese Flower and Bird Painting Institute and continued her learning with ink brush artists from both China and Japan.

Moving to Ireland in 2015, Yinnge has been teaching meditative brush painting workshops and retreats in meditation centers, art studios and schools across Ireland.

Mary Soshin Laheen 

Mary Soshin Laheen is a Zen Teacher in the White Plum Asanga - an association of Zen teachers in the lineage of Taizan Maezumi Roshi, based generally in the Americas and Europe. She has practiced zen since the 1990s and is the spiritual director of Earth+Sky Zen Dublin Dojo at 1 Upper Gardiner Street, in Dublin’s city centre. Mary is also an architect and teaches Architecture at University College Dublin.

If you have any questions please contact us through: info@artofthebrush.ie.

We are looking forward to meeting you in the workshop!