HEALTH JU LY 2 0 2 2
THE WELLBEING ISSUE
CONTENTS • Start mindful healing • Steps to beat burnout • Apps to help you sleep • Conscious breathing • Global wellness trends • Wellbeing Summit for Social Change • Louisa Zondo’s journey of healing • Living well together for the common good • Spiritual tourism
CONTACT US PUBLISHER Vasantha Angamuthu vasantha@africannewsagency.com ACTING HEALTH EDITOR Buhle Mbonambi buhle.mbonambi@inl.co.za ACTING LIFESTYLE EXECUTIVE EDITOR Buhle Mbonambi buhle.mbonambi@inl.co.za DESIGN Juanita Minshull juanita.minshull@inl.co.za PRODUCTION Renata Ford renata.ford@inl.co.za BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Keshni Odayan keshni.odayan@inl.co.za SALES Charl Reineke charl.reineke@inl.co.za ENQUIRIES info@anapublishing.com
I REMEMBER I was driving and had to stop. I pulled to the side of the road because I started crying as podcaster, Kid Fury, told listeners why we won’t be getting new episodes of The Read any time soon. “I’m so tired,” he said, on the verge of tears. I was triggered. Triggered as I don’t think we have come to terms with what has been a rocky two years. We have kept going and tried to make sense of what I feel is a strange world. It hit me that I was also tired. I think we all are.
It was his revealing how he needed to step away from everything, that inspired this issue of the IOL Health magazine. It’s all about holistic wellbeing and the stories we have in the magazine are to remind us of the important of our wellbeing. One of my favourite stories in this issue is Marchelle Abrahams sharing her experience at The Wellbeing Summit for Social Change in Bilbao, Spain. The summit forced her to look inward and to learn about herself and our collective humanity. You will also enjoy her
conversation with Louisa Zondo, Riky Rick’s mother, who also spoke at the summit. There’s also stories about the steps you need to take before you begin your well-being journey, how we need to become connected to our community again and spiritual travel destinations that will help to align our chakras. This is my final magazine as the acting executive editor for IOL Lifestyle. It has been a pleasure telling stories I believe will have an impact on how you live your life. It has been an honour and a pleasure.
Buhle
MOTOKI TONN
Editor’s note
What you need to know before you get started with
MINDFUL HEALING
MINDFULNESS is a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique. As such, Mindful Healing incorporates the theories of mindfulness with energy medicine, wellness principles, meditation, yoga, and acceptance to reduce stress, and initiate positive changes in health, attitudes, and behaviours. Practising mindfulness is a way of life that can bring healing and
balance to our daily interactions – both external and internal. Research has shown that practising mindfulness actually reduces grey matter in the amygdala, which is the part of the brain associated with stress, anxiety, and emotional processing. This can reduce trauma symptoms, provide tension release, and bring comfort and ease amidst stressful times. The more we practice mindfulness, the more these responses become our natural way of handling life. Mindfulness also enhances our awareness – it allows us to
feel a deeper presence of mind: of our thoughts, emotions, and the sensations around us. Not only can this allow us to have a more accurate perception of our experiences, this can also help us to feel more grounded and stable. Recognising anxious feelings can seem scary, but understanding and honouring them can help guide us in our healing journey. Greater self-empathy is another benefit of practising mindfulness. A key element of mindfulness is observing in a non-judgemental way. This means having insight into ourselves without blaming.
NAPPY.CO
Getting started with mindful healing You don’t need to buy anything. You can practice anywhere. All you need is to devote a little time and space to accessing your mindfulness skills every day. There’s no way to quiet your mind. That’s not the goal here. There’s no bliss state or otherworldly communion. All you’re trying to do is pay attention to the present moment, without judgement. Your mind will wander as you practice paying attention to what’s going on in your body and mind at the present moment. But the wandering mind isn’t something to fear, it’s part of human nature and it provides the magic moment for the essential piece of mindfulness practice – the moment when you recognise that your mind has wandered. Because if you notice that your mind has wandered, then you can consciously bring it back to the present moment. The more you do this, the more likely you are to be able to do it again and again. Your judgey brain will try to take over. The second part of the puzzle is the “without judgement” part. We’re all guilty of listening to the critic in our head. When you practice mindfulness, try not to judge yourself for whatever thoughts pop up. Notice that judgements arise, make a mental note of them (some people label them “thinking”), and let them pass, recognising the sensations they might leave in your body, and let those pass as well. It’s all about returning your attention to the present moment. Our minds are wired to get carried away in thought. That’s why mindfulness is the practice of returning, again and again, to the breath. We use the sensation of the breath as an anchor to the present moment. And every time we return to the breath, we reinforce our ability to do it again. Call it a bicep curl for your brain.
Steps to beat burnout
BURNOUT has become extremely common among people, and has become a big challenge for individuals and corporations. Change is difficult and stressful, but the level of change triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic is indeed mammoth. That’s why it is crucial to take preventive steps to manage our stress levels and seek support whenever we need it, says Namita Piparaiya, yoga and ayurveda lifestyle specialist, founder of Yoganama guide a journey of health and wellbeing. Take mindful breaks Mindfulness is an accessible and highly effective form of selfcare. You learn to disconnect your overloaded senses from all distractions and focus purely on yourself, your body, your breath and the sensations you feel. This helps you shift your brain from the “constantly doing” mode to the “just being” mode. It enables you to tap into a state of calm and peace. You can take mindfulness breaks while sitting at your desk and focusing on your breath. Or you can go out into nature for
some grounding and mindful walking. You can even eat your food mindfully to experience this practice. Practice yoga Nidra If you spot early signs of burnout like irritability, disinterest in your work, lack of motivation and lethargy, you should start making time for yoga Nidra breaks. Yoga Nidra is an excellent practice to include in your daily routine. You can practise it for 10 or 40 minutes, during the day or before sleeping. All you have to do is lie down and listen to the teacher’s instructions. It takes you into a pre-meditative state which is excellent for relaxation and improving cognitive skills. This one feels like a mini-vacation. Explore visualisations One of the most powerful ways to influence our body and mind is visualisations. It helps condition the brain to achieve our goals and re-centres our energies towards our vision. You can use visualisation and imagery to reset your nervous system with relaxing guided meditations.
A popular one is garden visualisation. Imagine yourself in a beautiful garden, and then use all your senses to immerse yourself in that experience. By observing the colours, you can see, capture the various smells emanating from the garden, and use your sense of touch to feel the breeze against your skin. Even though you’re only visualising these in your mind, the effect is still very powerful on your body. Lastly, seek help from others. Especially when it comes to work, you must seek help as and when needed. Whether from your colleagues, HR, or supervisors. There’s a lot more awareness around mental health, and there’s a good chance you will get the support you need. For example, maybe you need to ask your boss to redistribute the work on your plate. Or perhaps you feel you do not have enough say or control over your work. Share your feedback clearly and politely. It can be difficult, but it can also be rewarding. Your mental health is a priority, so don’t let it suffer. | IANS
SACHA VAN NIEKERK
FROM meditation to exercises in mindfulness, there are a multitude of ways to train your mind to stop racing. However, most people do not have access to sleep therapists or the necessary tools to learn how to wind down in time for bed. Thankfully, with the help of these sleep and mediation apps filled with an array of useful features, you’ll have access to a wealth of information to help you get a good night’s rest. We list five apps that will help you sleep better. Deep Meditate • Free on Google Play and App Store With cellphones, TV and gaming, the mind can become overstimulated making winding down more difficult. The purpose of the app is to use music and meditation to help restore an ancient balance to get you to sleep. Equipped with information on mindfulness techniques, you’ll learn ways to become calm, cultivate gratitude, and experience deep relaxation. Sleep Monitor • Free on Google Play and App Store If you’ve been trying to get a restful night of sleep but wake up feeling groggy regardless of how early you go to bed, you may need to monitor your sleeping. Sleep Monitor helps you track and record sleep cycle details so whether you’re sleep talking or snoring, you’ll be able to find out what’s been interfering with your rest. With the smart alarm clock feature, you’ll receive daily reminders to sleep early at night and wake up to gentle sounds in the morning. Sleep Monitor also provides soothing sleep music to help you sleep better. Sleep Sounds • Free on Google Play and App Store The calming sound rustling
GOOD NIGHT, SLEEP TIGHT with these sleep-aiding apps
forest leaves, the ocean, white noise plus a whole host of others sounds to soothe you to sleep. The app allows you to create your own mixes of sound to relax and sleep. You can personalise each playlist to suit your own specifications fromm adjusting the volume for each sound when creating your own mix and setting a timer for when you’d like the music to automatically switch off. The music can play in the background. Free Calm Sleep • Free on Google Play and App Store For busy parents who try to catch a quick forty winks while their child is down for a nap or people who
work overnight shifts and rely on sleeping whenever they have a spare moment – this is the app for you. The Calm sleep app users do not need to have any past experience in meditation, the app will teach all the basics to achieve meditated and powerful sleep. Sleep Cycle • Free on Google Play and App Store Relax, sleep better and wake up feeling rested with Sleep Cycle, the smart alarm clock. Helping you track sleep from bedtime to morning, you’ll get a detailed analysis with the patented sound technology, or accelerometer that makes waking up each morning that much easier.
Breathe in...
THE way we then feel, think and behave in response to what caused our stress all changes for the better. | NAPPY.CO
...breathe out
VIWE NDONGENI-NTLEBI
WHEN we deliberately take the proverbial deep breath in a stressful moment, we create a somewhat better next moment. A deep inhalation brings fullness; it brings relief and we can feel a palpable change in our energy. If we stick with conscious deep breathing for a while, those moments get better and better, and often lead us to completely transitioning to a calmer and more clear-headed state. The way we then feel, think and behave in response to what caused our stress all changes for the better. The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a global mental health crisis with the lockdown restrictions, and loss of life and livelihoods. Siphelele Nguse and Douglas Wassenaar’s Mental health and Covid-19 in South Africa study shows that prior to the pandemic (2018), one in six South Africans already suffered from anxiety, depression or a substance use disorder, with 60% of people possibly dealing with posttraumatic stress disorder. Conscious breathing is simple and always available, you would think we would use this highly effective, free therapy a lot more to combat the chronic stresses of modern life. So says Dr Ela Manga, a medical doctor and the author of Breathe – Strategising Energy in the Age of Burnout. “We are living in times of deep uncertainty and despair,” she said. “ Each one of us has the responsibility to ourselves and each other to participate in the process of healing and growth. We need tools that are simple, effective, empowering and accessible to everybody. Breath belongs to us all. “The function of breathing is unique in that it is automatic through its regulation by the autonomic nervous system but is also in our conscious control. We develop suboptimal breathing
THE way we then feel, think and behave in response to what caused our stress all changes for the better. | NAPPY.CO
habits in response to emotional suppression, societal conditioning and modern lifestyles. These breathing patterns form part of neural pathways that inform our thinking pattern and habits. “When used in specific ways, breathing allows us to release and resolve emotions, belief systems, stresses and memories which are often inaccessible through the more conventional talking therapies. “Conscious breathing is one of the safest and most direct ways to explore our bodies, minds, emotions and spirituality, allowing access to our natural state of energy and inner peace,” she said. Samantha Clayton, OLY, ISSACPT – Vice President, Worldwide Sports Performance and Fitness, shares practical tips for calming your mind with simple and practical meditation techniques: • Don’t think that you need a completely silent and secluded place to practice. In the real world, and especially in a home with kids or at the office, finding complete silence is almost an impossible task. • Do try to remove yourself from all major distractions, such as phones, computer screens and incredibly loud spaces. Simply turn your office chair away from the screen. If you’re at home, close your bedroom door.
• You don’t need any special equipment because you can meditate anywhere. The less stuff you rely on, the easier it will be to practice. • Do try to sit or lie down in a comfortable place where you feel relaxed. You can keep your eyes open or close them, just do what feels right for you. • Don’t force yourself to start breathing with a specific style, like belly breathing or nose breathing. You can work on your breathing technique once you start to feel comfortable with meditation. • Do focus on your breath. Feel the air coming in and leaving your body. Simply be aware of your breath, and how it feels. • Don’t start thinking negative thoughts when your grocery list or to-do list starts to creep into your mind. Redirect your focus back to your breathing. • Don’t have a long list of affirmations or goals that you think about or chant out loud. Just use one or two key words that help you to relax or guide you towards a positive sense of well-being. • Aim to find 20 minutes of quiet time for yourself once or twice a day. Remember that meditation is considered a practice, just like yoga. It may actually take practice to feel the full calming effects.
GLOBAL WELLNESS TRENDS
SACHA VAN NIEKERK
SELF-CARE is always in fashion, but these wellness trends for 2022 are all about mindfulness, manifestation and living clean. Emotional escape rooms Yoga and meditation are ancient art and disciplines that originated more than 3 000 years ago. By practising them, you can reconnect with your body. Through meditation, one learns how to focus, think more clearly and become less reactive. As you gain awareness of the impact of your actions, you are more likely to refine your choices. This means you do not act out of compulsion but out of choice. Emotional escape rooms are growing in popularity as a means to achieve this inner peace while many people continue working from home. Having a quiet spot with a soft, cosy rug, floor pillows, a yoga mat, natural lighting is the perfect indoor escape. The space remains a sacred spot dedicated to the practice of mindfulness. An alcohol-free year According to Business Insider: “Millennials and Gen ZERS have been consuming less than elder generations in recent years. Research also suggests that more Millennials participate in Dry January (July) in larger numbers than their elder counterparts.” There are plenty of benefits involved as outlined by Harvard Health Publishing: “Regular drinkers who abstained from alcohol for 30 days, slept better, had more energy, and lost weight, according to a study in BMJ Open. They lowered their blood pressure and cholesterol levels and reduced cancer-related proteins in their blood.” Luxurious baths Self-care routines are no longer about simply getting the job done; they are about turning ordinary events into an experience. So when it comes to baths, hopping in
SELF-CARE is always in fashion, but these wellness trends for 2022 are all about mindfulness, manifestation and living clean. | MADISON INOUYE Pexels
and out just won’t do it anymore. People are looking to transform this mundane activity into a luxurious escape to ease stress and treat themselves. Scented candles, bath bombs, lavender and salt tea bags, face masks and spa music are part of the vibe. In 2022, we are realising more and more that these luxurious escapes can take place in the comfort of our homes, so why not sink blissfully into a tub to soak away all your worries? Tracking our stress levels Using smart watches or oldfashioned journalling to lean into our mental mindsets to pick up on early signs of being overwhelmed or stressed is a significant self-care trend for the year. From being able to monitor calorie intake, sleep patterns, heart rate, and more, smart watches help us keep a closer eye on our physical health and, in turn, even our mental health. If you prefer to go for low-tech, journalling is also on the increase as far as mindfulness trends go. Writing down positive affirmations, goals, things you are grateful for, and letting go of some of the more challenging parts of
life by putting pen to paper can be as cathartic as actually speaking the words out loud. The Intermountain Healthcare website details how journalling helps keep our brains in shape. “Not only does it boost memory and comprehension, but it also increases working memory capacity, which may reflect improved cognitive processing,” they said. Manifestation and mindfulness The concept that your thoughts can influence your reality is known as “manifesting”. Lately, this mindfulness practice has received a lot of attention on TikTok so it is no surprise that it has been grabbing the public’s attention during such a challenging period. Social media users, celebrities and everyone in between swear that this continuous process of creation can help people build their dream lives. According to Insider: “Manifestation is the idea that you can turn desires and beliefs into reality through a mixture of writing, praying or affirmations.” There is even research that suggests this form of positive thinking can lead to concrete results.
Lessons for change For three days, Marchelle Abrahams found herself in the company of influential speakers from around the globe at the Wellbeing Summit for Social Change SELF-AWARENESS. Intergenerational trauma. Interconnected truths. I’ve heard these words many times before, thinking they were terms made up by boujee millennials. I had no business being in a world so far removed from mine, and I felt it the most when on the first day of the Wellbeing Summit for Social Change, I sat among an audience of thousands in a darkened auditorium, thinking to myself, “what are you doing here?” It was the first global event bringing together social change, governmental, arts and business leaders working towards the common goal of social change and inner wellbeing. I had been invited by the Wellbeing Project to cover the three-day event in Bilbao, Spain.
PARTICIPANTS from across the globe gathered for the Wellbeing Summit for Social Change in Bilbao, Spain. | THE WELLBEING PROJECT
All I had to do was report from the sidelines and observe. Observing. That sounded easy enough. It wasn’t, as I would soon find out. After the summit, there were many things I had learnt about myself but also about our collective humanity. Humour me for a few minutes, will you? Change is inevitable That soon changed when I conducted my first interview with Mallika Dutt. Her website bio says Dutt “wakes leaders up to our interconnected truth and inspires us to question our current paradigms.” Oh sh*t. I was in deep trouble. Even after listening to her podcasts, I was still in a confused state.
She’s acquired a global following – that much I know. She’s used her years of experience to teach others to be more connected to nature. She’s a human rights activist. But other than that, she was like a mythical unicorn with a massive influence. But the more I listened to her podcasts, the more I was drawn to her teachings on how we can take pleasure in the simple things. We chatted for a few minutes without me going off script. I asked her a question about intergenerational trauma in a South African context. We may be free from the shackles of apartheid, but the trauma our parents suffered has been passed on to most of us. It’s a chip on our shoulders that most non-white people live with.
Trauma has us Dutt’s response is what made me realise change happens within ourselves first. “South Africa is a part of the world that ended apartheid, that created this extraordinary social movement to shift one of the most oppressive devices of white supremacy on this planet,” she said. “In the process of doing that, South Africa created a constitution that recognised the rights of so many different people,” Dutt said. Taking a second to compose herself, she pointed out that we are all living with collective trauma. “Trauma has us because we created systems and structures that traumatised us. “In our journey towards transformation, we sometimes forget all that we are doing and that we have done and get focussed on the thing that is not changing. “It is a place of remembering for ourselves but also a reminder of who we are and how far we have come and what we have created. “I invite you to have some grace for yourselves and hold one another with compassion as we move in this direction of our collective liberation,” she said. Just breathe Breathe in through the nose and out through the nose. I’ve been doing it wrong all this time. Taking big gulps of air was normally done through the nose and out the mouth. According to yoga and ancient meditative practices, being aware of your breathing is the first step to self-awareness. Two days into the summit, I started practising breathing exercises and even sat through a meditation session. The meditative practise didn’t fare as well. I ended up nodding off, which is not supposed to happen as I was told afterwards. The breathing, on the other hand - that’s something that I’ve taken with me and incorporated
MALLIKA Dutt presenting her planetary sesson. | THE WELLBEING PROJECT
into my everyday life. People are tired If there’s one thing that pandemic has taught us, it’s that people across the globe are sick and tired, and not only about life. Work. Finances. Frustration. I sat in a workshop on how corporates can incorporate wellbeing practices in the workplace, and most participants said their employers don’t value their boundaries and personal space. The work-life concept is only a theory that most corporates throw around for bragging points when in
reality, most don’t adhere to it. It’s had an effect on our personal lives, so much so that at least one in eight people in the world lives with a mental disorder. What’s even more frightening is that the World Health Organization reported that, on average, countries dedicate less than two percent of their healthcare budgets to mental health. • The Wellbeing Project is catalysing a culture of inner wellbeing for all changemakers. Visit https://wellbeingproject.org/ for more info
Lousia Zondo on the death of son Riky Rick and her
JOURNEY OF HEALING
MARCHELLE ABRAHAMS marchelle.abrahams@inl.co.za
THE late French novelist Marcel Proust once said “Happiness is beneficial for the body, but it is grief that develops the powers of the mind.” Louisa Zondo is one person who fully grasps the meaning of this profound quote. For her, grief was an immeasurable pain; an intangible emotion that she couldn’t grasp after the death of her son. A distinguished advocate, board secretary and chair of Oxfam South Africa, Zondo has a list of
LOUISA Zondo when she reached the Everest Base Camp rock. | LOUISA ZONDO
accolades to her name. Many will know her as the mother of the late Rikhado Makhado, AKA Riky Rick. I had the opportunity to watch Zondo who was the guest speaker at the Wellbeing Summit For Social Change, held in Bilbao, Spain. Walking on to a stage would be daunting for anyone, but for the diminutive Zondo, her larger than life presence was felt by everyone in attendance. Introducing herself as a 58-yearold black South African woman, she said, “I say the word black to take us into a space.” With her vulnerability exposed,
she spoke about how she came to be at that very spot. “I have not shared parts of what has been there,” she said referring to the death of her iconic son. Born and raised in a township outside Durban, she explained: “living in a township was not that easy and hard in so many different ways.” Zondo was the last-born of three sisters. Her mother was a nurse and her father a social worker. “By virtue of their education and line of work, they would have fallen into the category of the elite in the townships. Really, we were
not wealthy, but as children, we really were teased at school about being the haves. “My parents did the best they could, trying to raise their children in apartheid South Africa, and they developed an approach to life of making our home environment very restrictive,” said the CEO of the Bertha Gxowa Foundation. She admitted that as she grew up, she was a young person who closed up to others. But there were contradictions. At the age of 19, she became a mother to a son. Becoming a mother didn’t stop her furthering her education. At age 20, she obtained her law degree. Two years later, she completed her post-grad law degree. In the midst of it all, things fell apart. “My marriage had broken down in a bloody, violent incident,” she revealed. “Four days after that, I was on a plane to study for my masters in law at the London School of Economics.” She left her kids behind, at which time Rikhado was only 14-months-old. “It didn’t even occur to me that I needed some counselling, nor did it occur to anybody around me that this was that was needed. In this space, I just carried on,” she added. But there was one traumatising event that Zondo recalled. At age 33 she fell in love with a comrade whom she had met during The Struggle. “Eight months into that relationship, we woke up to find people who had broken into the house. They held us for hours. They tortured and beat us up, threatened to kill us,” she said, reliving those fearful moments. And even with all the beatings and trying to break her down, psychologically, Zondo said her mind completely shut down. “Even at that instance, I couldn’t bring myself to walk the journey of healing. I couldn’t see myself sitting and reliving what had happened to me,” she explained.
LOUISA Zondo and Riky Rick, left, at the four year anniversary of the rapper’s album “Family Values”. | LOUISA ZONDO Supplied
After her second session of trauma counselling, she stopped. Only after, did she realise there were consequences to her not continuing with it. For Zondo, trauma had become a bedfellow she had learnt to endure. Her 24-year-old son Rikhado was admitted to rehab. “And that’s where everything shrunk. I became the smallest entity as I prayed huge prayers. And that’s when I was thrown into a journey of deeper enquiring.” She continued, “I went into it with hope. I built a community around it to sustain me. And life has been a progressive engagement with the question of who are we? What are we called to do? What does it mean to be connected?” And then there was the death of her son. Taking a deep breath, she finally shared her story. “On February 23 this year, our precious son died. In his studio, he had hung himself. “Some 25 days into that, I was climbing Mount Everest to Base Camp because I had to make sense about how my life had caused a lot of damage to him.
“I just did not manage my resources in the way that would serve to the best of its possibility, including my family and the community that would have benefited.” All these questions flooded her head while climbing to Base Camp. “For me, it was a series of spirited moments that said Rikhado’s legacy lives on. We must do the best that we can.” The intimacy of sharing those grieving moments and admitting to her faults as a mother may have been an uncomfortable experience for some, but not for Zondo. Her strength and willingness to open up is an inspiration to all. While standing on that stage, the awe that many displayed was a sight to see, so much so that she received a standing ovation. I got the opportunity to meet Zondo on the sidelines of the summit. She greeted me with a warm embrace and whispered in my ear. The only words I managed to choke out was, “thank you.” She smiled in response. Her healing had already taken shape.
PEOPLE need social connections to thrive.
LIVING WELL TOGETHER FOR THE COMMON GOOD IZA KAVEDŽIJA
THE World Health Organization (WHO) describes mental health as “a state of well-being in which an individual realises his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community”. In its definition, the WHO emphasises the importance of environment and community for mental health and well-being, and that they should be promoted and protected. But the fact remains that mental health and well-being are mostly seen as states of individuals. A different view might start from a sense that well-being is social: people need social connections to thrive. But it also means recognising that social institutions and organisations
systemically affect health and suffering. Institutional racism and sexism, for example, contribute to suffering in both direct and indirect ways. Health and illness are at once deeply personal and affected by the social situation of the sufferer. Depending on their circumstances or their place within the society, some people are distinctly at a disadvantage. Being poor, for example, puts people’s health at risk in a multitude of ways. My work explores the concept of well-being in different cultural settings across the world. In my latest research, I reviewed work by anthropologists who consider the importance of conviviality and care in the communities they study. Community and conviviality Conviviality refers to the art of living well together. Researchers see
it as important for understanding how people in certain small communities strive to live well when state institutions and other organisations are a relatively remote presence in their lives. Many Amazonian peoples strive to live well by caring for others in their community, by sharing resources and cultivating particular emotional conditions such as tranquillity. Close and intimate bonds are created through sharing food; one becomes kin by eating together, or estranged by eating apart. Until a few decades ago, when many Japanese houses did not have a bathroom, neighbourhood communal baths were abundant. Even now, bathing with friends or family members is not unusual, with the communal bathhouse offering a muchneeded space for socialising and reconnecting. Living well with
others requires skilful effort in modern cities, especially, perhaps, where neighbourhoods are made up of people of different backgrounds. It also entails figuring out how to live with other species – from animals and plants to even the microbes living in our gut. Care makes us who we are In my own research with older Japanese people in the city of Osaka, I observed that although caring for ageing relatives is still a strong family value, many older people were worried about growing increasingly dependent and a burden on their children. They were active in providing care themselves, and looking out for one other in all kinds of ways, from arranging a visit to the dentist to recommending a hairdresser. It became clear that various forms of care worked in interconnected ways: looking after elders and children required looking after mothers, who were often the carers for both. Care, I concluded, is at its best in circulation, continually being “paid forward” between people in numerous ongoing relationships. Conviviality and care draw our attention to the fact that well-being is not only social, but deeply relational. It is not simply what an individual feels about their life, somehow enclosed within a body. It plays out in the relationship with one’s surrounding environment: with materials, with tools and technologies, with human and non-human beings. The way we think about these relationships affects others and their well-being and health, which in turn reflects on us. Witnessing the suffering of others, for instance, or living in a deteriorating environment, is likely to affect us negatively. It is not inconceivable that our current mental health crisis is intertwined with our witnessing of large-scale suffering and neglect of humans, nonhumans and the natural world. Treating mental health as internal,
SURROUNDING ourselves with optimistic people might make us more hopeful.
or as pertaining only to the individual, may be inadequate for addressing these kinds of issues. We not I How then to think about well-being in the context of environmental crisis and rising inequalities? We need to start treating well-being as a process of connecting with others – or even a form of “commons”. Commons refer to resources used collectively and shared, like water. Similarly, the emotional or “affective” resources (such as resilience, friendship or care) that promote well-being do not merely pertain to individuals, but emerge in relationships, spaces and communities. Unlike scarce resources such as trees or urban spaces, well-being and the qualities
that underpin it are not finite. Like the care between generations of Japanese families, they thrive in circulation. A good example is hope. Being faced with hopelessness can be trying, while surrounding ourselves with optimistic people might make us more hopeful. In this sense, affective states like optimism can be contagious. Who we surround ourselves with matters. Perhaps it’s time to think of well-being as a commons that we must cultivate together: the more it thrives for others, the more it benefits us.
Kavedžija is Assistant Professor in Medical Anthropology, University of Cambridge | THE CONVERSATION
THE Hopi believe their religion maintains the spiritual stability of the entire THE Old City of Jerusalem is often listed among the top spiritual places in planet. You get a sense of this as you step back into an infinite time of the world. | UNSPLASH quiet solitude and meditate on the open vistas of the Hopi Mesas.
Spiritual tourism Travelling for inner, self-reflexive experiences and outer destination experiences JAEYEON CHOE AND ALAN A. LEW
THE pandemic has led some people to take a greater interest in religion and spirituality. One of the many definitions of the “spirit” is that it is our inner, nonphysical world, including both our conscious and subconscious minds. Our spiritual self interprets sensory inputs from our outer world and creates our experience of reality. We usually associate spirituality with practices such as worship, meditation and yoga. But for many, travelling can be highly spiritual, as it involves being immersed in an experience different from our normal existence. It is also a “liminal experience” – we are suspended in an unknown setting which opens us to new possibilities. Spiritual tourism, including wellness tourism, was a rising global trend before the pandemic.
The book and Hollywood film Eat Pray Love, for example, drew tourists to India and Bali in Indonesia, seeking spiritual solutions to the challenges of modern life. As the pandemic eases and the world gradually returns to international travel, we expect places known for their spiritual energy and significance will become popular destinations. Spiritual tourism is as much about inner, self-reflexive experiences as outer destination experiences. Here are five places you can visit with great spiritual significance. The Old City of Jerusalem, Israel The Old City of Jerusalem is often listed among the top spiritual places in the world. It contains some of the holiest sites for the Abrahamic religions, including the Western Wall for Judaism, the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Christianity, and the Dome of the Rock for Islam. But even if you’re not a follower of these religions, the sounds, smells, narrow cobblestone footpaths, ancient architecture, and multicultural people, shops and foods open your mind. Some even succumb to Jerusalem syndrome, perhaps remembering a spiritual connection to the city from a past life. But while we can go to the most religious places in the world, they will not be spiritual until we turn inward. For tourists, there are several non-intrusive ways to turn inwards while maintaining respect for the destination. These include setting aside time for contemplation, maintaining a sense of mindfulness and openness to new experiences, and silent
walking and other forms of quiet meditation and prayer. The Ghats of Varanasi, India Varanasi is the oldest and holiest city in India. It was already over 1 400 years old when the Buddha gave his first sermon near here in around 400BC. The city has more than 3 000 Hindu and over 1 300 Muslim holy sites, along with Buddhist, Jain, Sikh and Christian spiritual places. But Varanasi is most famous for the “ghats” along the Ganges River. Ghats are the over 80 sets of steps leading into the river from Hindu temples, shrines, and palaces. Bathing ghats are where devotees cleanse themselves of karma to be free of the cycle of incarnations. There are also cremation ghats. Spirituality permeates the narrow streets of temples, bazaars and artisans. Luang Prabang, Laos Luang Prabang is the peaceful, laid-back, former capital of the historic kingdom of the same name. With 33 Buddhist temples and shrines, it embodies the Buddha’s teaching that our true essence is the silence within. The city is quiet, relaxing, and surrounded by the Mekong River with mountains and waterfalls nearby. Spirituality is everywhere, from exploring and contemplating temples and appreciating the daily rituals of monks and nuns, to taking long walks along the river and in the surrounding hills, and interacting with the people and culture. The Hopi Mesas, Arizona, USA The Hopi Native Americans are among the most traditional cultures in the US today, with Old Oraibi village being the country’s oldest continuously occupied settlement. They are “settled agriculturalists”, living in villages atop mesas (flattopped hills) and farming the lands below. Their religion is secret, but they announce traditional social and spiritual dances to the public
about a week before they are held. Visitors are always welcome to watch the dances or wander the villages to see and buy from artisans. Photography or sketching are not allowed for spiritual reasons. The Hopi believe their religion maintains the spiritual stability of the entire planet. You get a sense of this as you step back into an infinite time of quiet solitude and meditate on the open vistas of the Hopi Mesas. Many are so taken that they become “wannabe Hopis”, though outsiders are discouraged as permanent residents. The Camino de Santiago, Spain The Camino de Santiago is an ancient pilgrimage route to the cathedral in Santiago, to worship the remains of St James, who brought Christianity to Spain. The journey can be long (several weeks) or short (several days) and can start in Spain, Portugal, or France. The most popular path is 780km long, starting from Saint Jean Pied de Port, France, to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Although a religious tradition within Spain, the pilgrimage route attracts many spiritual tourists from elsewhere. As with most pilgrimage treks, the journey is more important than the destination. For some it is meditative, bringing psychological well-being. For others, it offers space to reflect on personal challenges (such as a relationship breakup or job loss). You can enjoy walking alone, but there is also a strong sense of community among like-minded pilgrims from around the world sharing hostel accommodations and meals.
Jaeyeon Choe is Researcher in Sustainable Tourism Development, Swansea University and Alan A. Lew is Professor Emeritus, Department of Geography, Planning, and Recreation, Northern Arizona University | THE CONVERSATION
VARANASI is the oldest and holiest city in India. It was already over 1 400 years old when the Buddha gave his first sermon near here in around 400BC. | UNSPLASH
KUANG Si Falls. Luang Prabang is the peaceful, laid-back, former capital of the historic kingdom of the same name. | UNSPLASH
ALTHOUGH a religious tradition within Spain, the p Hopi Mesas. ilgrimage route attracts many spiritual tourists from elsewhere.
