Restoring dignity as part of healing has been a core theme for postcolonial southern Africa and the global South. What are the practices that bring heartfulness, courage and presence when facing difficult contexts and histories? How does the relationship I have with my ancestors play into this? What do we remember of their ancient ways? What role do inner work and self-realisation practices play in fostering the patience, robustness and momentum needed for transforming wounded social realities? Where do we even begin?
We invite you into a circle to explore the questions that matter to you in this regard, sharing some of the realities and learnings from Southern Africa, Colombia, South Sudan, Bangladesh and Yemen spanning diverse realms of work from mindfulness-based programmes, trauma therapy, to gardening, to dance, yoga, movement and breath work.
Paula Ramirez is a Colombian national. While studying Anthropology—and because of an illness—she became curious about the ways in which human beings can build peace from within, and how resilience and healing can be inspired and guided through the body. She began her humanitarian work in India, Nepal, Thailand and Burma working for the Tibetan Government in Exile among others. Paula has been Co-Directing RESPIRA in Colombia (now Breathe International) since 2013 where through mindfulness, somatic body work and anthropology she has worked with teachers in conflict affected areas, survivors of torture, Gender Based Violence and landmines in Colombia, South Sudan and with Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh for the International Organization for Migration (IOM). She has an MA in Conflict Transformation from Javeriana University, is an MBSR teacher from the University of San Diego California, and is a Trauma Sensitive Yoga facilitator through the Trauma Center in Boston.
Linda Kantor, born in Harare Zimbabwe, is a Counselling Psychologist, Hypnotherapist and Yoga Teacher, based in Cape Town, South Africa.
Her mother survived the Holocaust and she is passionate about the innate capacity we have as human beings for compassion and healing. She has been deeply committed to bringing mindfulness-based interventions to the South African context. This work has taken her into a variety of settings, including teaching a compulsory mindfulness programme to Executive MBAS at the University of Cape Town, as well as co-facilitating teacher trainings and supervising community-based interventions.
South Africa offers many new possibilities of adaptation and creativity. Her PhD “Applications, Understandings and Perceived impact of mindfulness in the organisational context”, developed an understanding of how mindfulness training might promote a way of dealing with the three poisons of greed, hatred, and delusion.
Undine Whande, born in Germany, has lived and worked continuously in Southern Africa since the mid-nineties.
She worked with the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Healing of the Memories, later providing community mediation support and accompanying transformation processes in institutions. '
Throughout her life she has held a personal line of inquiry asking how the histories of countries, communities, families and individuals are intertwined, and how we can grow and evolve from our wounded histories. Accompanying herself through an extensive personal healing process as child of parents deeply traumatised by war, led her to systems constellations work, mindfulness and meditation practices. She has since been working with leaders and their teams in intensive creative reflection processes based on their own questions