Waking Up in South Africa: Recent Episodes
Institute for Mindfulness South Africa
Mindfulness Informed Conversations – Using mindfulness to engage real world issues from diverse South African perspectives. Conversations hosted by Simon Whitesman, Mbuyi Yanta and Yanna Romano de Greef. The Waking Up in South Africa podcast is produced and published by The Institute for Mindfulness South Africa (IMISA). Supporting sound by Modern Ancient.
In this episode, Thobi Zulu guides us through a trauma-sensitive meditation with a gentle intention on self compassion.
In this episode, Annette Weyers guides us through a simple breath awareness meditation.
In this episode, Mbuyiselo Yanta guides us through a simple breath awareness meditation.
Yanna speaks to the founder of Ubuntu Bridge, Craig Makhosi Charnock, about how his journey of waking up (in South Africa) has motivated him to learn and teach isiXhosa for the sake of integration and healing.
Mbuyi speaks to life coach, Yako Jackson about what it's like waking up in the context of South Africa and the challenges to the waking up process.
Simon is in conversation with Australian-based health journalist Shannon Harvey, who produced and directed the superb documentary “My Year of Living Mindfully”.
In this episode, Mbuyi and Yanna speak to teacher, author, and activist, Thanissara, about social activism through the lens of mindfulness.
In this episode, Dr Cleve McIntosh guides us through a mindfulness meditation, drawing on qualities of both groundedness and openness. This meditation is accessible for everyone whether you are an experienced practitioner or are new to meditation.
In this episode, Simon and Mbuyi talk about Mindfulness and Trauma with Paula Ramirez, who has worked in various traumatised communities around the world.
In this episode, “Being Mindful of Loss”, Simon enters a rich conversation with Makgathi Mokwena PhD, a Coach, Teacher and Truth Seeker.
Waking Up in South Africa is an unfolding conversation using the lens of mindfulness to sense into and respond to real world issues that move us. Through deep listening, respectful attention, and kind intention we hope to establish and model the foundational grounds for meaningful exchange – demystifying mindfulness, sharing its value to wider audiences, and locating its relevance in an African context.
One week into lockdown – of being inside – Simon and Yanna discuss the potential of the brain-body link to anchor the wandering mind in the present moment.
At the beginning of South Africa’s 21-day lockdown in the face of Covid-19, a meme reading “If you can’t go outside, go inside” has been doing the rounds. The hosts use the lens of mindfulness to unpack how they are each experiencing “going inside” or resistance thereof.
Reacting is an internal orientation of the mind, brain, body and behaviour. It is based on patterning that we don’t see most of the time. In this Covid-19 crisis the question is – how can mindfulness help us in these times?