I think everyone's offering really good advice, and there's as many methods as there are people. Actually my comment about the separate bowl was really more to do with where to build the lather. I feel that one loads the brush with soap on the puck, but actually creates the lather elsewhere, if it's not on the face (AKA face lathering) then it's in another bowl, that is, don't try and actually build the lather on the puck; you'll just keep adding more and more soap. Face lathing of course works well. As an aside, I feel that creams rather than soaps are a good way for a beginner to go. A cream like Top Secret, O Melhor, Truefitt and Hill, Musgo Real or Speick is easy to lather. Some, like O Melhor, hardly take ANY building at all.

Also, in regards to a non glazed bowl bottom, one should be careful with that idea; it can wear your brush out quite rapidly I hear. My small pottery bowl has slight smooth swirls in the bottom. Just enough to mean the nob of cream isn't just being pushed around the bottom of the bowl by the brush, but not too harsh to damage the tips of the brush hairs.

That looks like a Mühle mug to me, I've always liked the look of them. Why not get another the same in which to build the lather?

[EDIT] sorry, just read your reply, ignore most of what I said; I got carried away...