Mindful Moments with Marita

When we were younger our teachers asked us to write compositions. Sometimes you were given a topic, other times you were given a series of pictures and asked to develop a story based on the images shown. We are older now; no one is asking us to write compositions but oftentimes we still choose to do so. We scroll through social media (or general media) looking at images of people’s lives and we begin composing, developing stories based on the snippets we see. Yet like our young selves we are heavily using our imagination; we do not know the life...

Many persons are drawn to yoga for the physical benefits, predominantly gaining greater flexibility. However, the heavily popularised physical asanas (poses) are actually a very small part of yoga. Asana sequences are meant to prepare the body for meditation. Asanas work the body so the mind has a healthy home. They work on strengthening weak areas and releasing tension where tightness exists so one may easier come to sit in stillness. That stillness after a flow is where the magic happens, a typically racing mind is allowed a few moments of peace. In those moments one begins a journey into...

Stress is often described as a feeling of being overwhelmed, worried or worn-out. An extreme amount of stress can adversely affect the immune, cardiovascular, neuroendocrine and central nervous systems. While most persons can overcome acute minor episodes of stress, chronic stress is constant and persists over an extended period of time. It can have a psychologically and physically debilitating effect on the body. Untreated chronic stress can result in serious health conditions such as anxiety, insomnia, depression, heart disease, muscle pain, high blood pressure and a weakened immune system. Research has also shown that there is an association between acute...