The word meditation is derived from two Latin words: meditari (to think, to dwell upon, to exercise the mind) and mederi (to heal). Its Sanskrit derivation ‘medha’ means wisdom. Meditation means awareness. Whatever you do with awareness is meditation. “Watching your breath” is meditation, listening to the birds is meditation. As long as these activities
I have done a lot of travelling in my time, but have never felt so vulnerable and wanting to leave a place as I did when I stepped off the bus in Srebrenica. Knowing what had happened there, the unspeakable atrocities, the violence and having treated refugees in Sarajevo all combined to making me feel
A therapist’s story I first heard of the charity Healing Hands Network several years ago, when a friend of mine went out to Sarajevo, Bosnia under their banner, to offer massage to those affected by the war in the 1990s. I was very touched by her experience and felt it was a good cause
Mindful yin yoga combines the influences of mindfulness, Indian Yogic practices, Chinese Daoist principles with western science to improve our health on many levels. With its emphasis on long held, passive stretches, mindful yin yoga increases flexibility in the back, hips and pelvis, mobilises and strengthens the joints and allows both body and mind to
We know that the physical and emotional impact of a cancer diagnosis and its treatment can be very challenging. More and more people are using complementary therapies to help manage their stress and anxiety before, during and after treatment. There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that complementary therapies: encourages relaxation eases pain
