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Sophrology: Europe’s alternative to mindfulness
When I recently visited my friend Marie in Nantes, her 5-year-old daughter Daphne was about to start attending sophrology classes at school. Neither Marie nor I had been particularly familiar with sophrology (I had personally read an article in the Guardian, and that was pretty much all). So, we understandably struggled to explain it to Daphne. Since my return to England, however, I have tried to learn more about sophrology. Amongst the resources I used were the books ‘The Life-Changing Power of Sophrology: A practical guide to reducing stress and living up to your full potential’ by the Swiss sophrologist Dominique Antiglio, and ‘The Sophrology Method: Simple mind-body techniques for a…
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Skyros: the island of wellness & wellbeing
My home country, Greece, has 6,000 islands of which 227 are inhabited. Having been to a dozen (including Mykonos, Santorini, Amorgos, and Koufonisia), I am often asked to provide tips and inside information. When people ask me which Greek island is my favorite, or which one to visit (a frequently asked but rather difficult question to answer), Skyros is always the first to come to mind. I have to admit that I am somewhat biased, as this is my late grandfather’s home island; not only I have precious memories of spending my early childhood summers there, I also have beloved relatives still living on the island. For this reason, I’ve…