Africa Legal Podcast - Ubuntu Special - 'Building Resilience' with Jenny Canau

Take a Breath! An active training session on mental wellness is the topic for this week’s podcast. Resilience coach Jenny Canau takes Tom Pearson through steps to becoming more mindful and positive, giving him the techniques to change his way of thinking and being. The session is part of Africa Legal’s Ubuntu series on mental health and is an introduction to Jenny’s eight-week virtual resilience courses being run through the University of Cape Town’s Law@Work programme. While Tom and Jenny are physically thousands of miles apart, they move through the session with the ease of two people in the same room. Jenny’s warm laughter and calm voice help Tom through the steps to becoming more considered and positive. “I really enjoyed it and found the activity genuinely helpful,” says Tom. Jenny explains that with training we can grow our mindfulness capacity, which in turn helps to regulate our nervous system and improve our sense of well-being. “Neuroscience shows that regular practise of mindfulness reduces stress and the inflammation it causes in our bodies, which can lead to illness. It helps build our inner-resilience, emotional stability and ability to cope with life’s challenges,” she says. Tom comments how many lawyers live a fast-paced busy and reactive life, denying themselves the joy of being in the moment but, through embracing relaxation techniques, they can reduce stress and focus their thinking and so become more considered and productive. Jenny’s training focuses on cultivating equanimity of mind which can be applied to every aspect of life. In the podcast she takes Tom through several mindfulness exercises followed by a short discussion where they reflect on the impact of the exercises and why they are beneficial. For anyone struggling with negative thinking or battling with stress, this podcast is an interesting insight into what mindfulness training involves. The first course dates fall on days between April 12 and May 31 from 6pm to 8pm (SA time) and the second between June 10 and July 29. For more information on the courses go to: http://www.lawatwork.uct.ac.za/resilience-training

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