After a traumatic childhood and adolescence, at the age of 18 Mark decided to bury his head in studies and escape to the farthest reaches of the universe – he went to university to study Astrophysics.
After receiving his PhD in 2007, he went on to become a research astronomer.
However, in response to a feeling that he wanted to do something more people-based, and oriented around his developing Zen Buddhist practice, in 2013 he quit his research job and took up teaching yoga and mindfulness.
In 2015 he underwent a short training period as an ordained Zen monk that included a 4-week pilgrimage walk through the UK, and in 2016 was given permission to teach in the Rinzai Zen lineage of Julian Daizan Skinner Roshi.
He was regularly teaching classes, courses and workshops in yoga, mindfulness and Zen in London but in 2019, he and his wife moved to the island of St Helena in the South Atlantic for 2 years for an adventure – and to concentrate on writing.
Further Information
Publications
Zen and the Art of Dealing with Difficult People
This is a guide to applying the teachings of mindfulness and Zen to the troublesome ...