About Us
About Gerry
Everything has its time. Having worked for almost 30 years in Marketing & PR – a big part of it in the Entertainment Sector – change came gradually at me. Having left the corporate world, my journey into mindfulness teaching in Mozambique began at the tender age of 53 while on holidays in India in 2015, celebrating a friend’s 50th birthday.
Taking some yoga sessions in a retreat close to the Himalayas, I found just what I needed, shortly after the death of both of my parents six months before – the ability to inhabit both body and mind and reach a place of calmness and stability.
The discovery of my mind/body connection set me on a path to finding out what it meant to be “me”, eventually leading to my studies in Wales, where I completed my Masters in Mindfulness-Based Teaching at the Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice at Bangor University, Wales, one of the most renowned institutions for mindfulness research and practice.
The amalgam of contemplative traditions from Buddhism and Western science resonated with me and has given me an in-depth look into mindfulness and how our minds work, and has deepened my personal practice.
Before this, I had been a Vice President in a large American entertainment company, working in this area for almost thirty years.
In 2009, I felt that there had to be more to life than the constant pressure of work – even though it had, in the main, been an enjoyable ride. Having spent 11 years living and working in the Netherlands, I settled in the Algarve for almost 10 years, and am now based in the town of Vilanculos, Mozambique, facing the beautiful Bazaruto Archipelago.
About Christina
Born and bred in Friesland, in the north of the Netherlands, I started travelling when I was 17 and have always been interested in new paths and adventures.
I fell in love with the African continent in 1995 when I first visited the north of South Africa – then Vendaland – followed by a traineeship at the University of Pretoria in 1996, and have always wanted to go back since.
2020 was challenging and a turning point in many ways. I had always been interested in healthy food and the relationship between our body and mind. I was fortunate to have been able to combine work with a relaxed lifestyle in Portugal for the last 10 years after we left Amsterdam, practice yoga with some wonderful teachers and enjoy the nutritious food there.
Portugal already taught me many lessons. When Gerry and I came to Vilanculos, Mozambique in 2021, we felt that this could be a place to work and bring our experiences and skills together. Moving to Africa felt like a new and exciting path in our lives and for me, a deeper search for our connection with nature and ourselves.
That’s why I set up Unique Mozambique – a travel service which reflects the philosophy of MindWise by offering personalized trips, Mindful Holidays and Retreats, and wellness packages. A Mindful Holiday in Africa, where you combine sustainability, local living & cooperation with body & mind practices.
Living in Africa is a completely different experience compared to being on holiday or traveling. Life here challenges me in many ways, and I find that the most difficult aspect of mindfulness is actually living it.
In the West, we are taught to be very goal-oriented and individualistic, often forgetting that we’re all part of a bigger universe.
Letting go, trusting life, and not worrying too much about the future is one of my hardest challenges. While developing our work in Africa, I feel there’s still so much more to learn from the African people and nature.
The connection between the body and mind shows up in various forms, and together with Gerry, I’m working to give shape to that. While Gerry focuses on teaching mindfulness and is the creative brain behind the retreats, I am the organizer and connect people to unique travel experiences in Mozambique. Together we are hosting guests, at home here in Vilanculos and on our retreats.
I’ve always loved hosting guests and having people around! Life is a continuous journey, and I’m embracing every step of it.
About MindWise
MindWise offers you the chance to find the stillness and peacefulness within that is always available to us but which we usually ignore.
Through mindful meditation you can discover other ways of knowing – a quieter, wiser voice that is usually drowned out by the over-ruling, louder thinking mind, a place of silence and knowing that is always here.
You can discover this place by planning an online session or full-day online retreat with me, where together we will discover and explore the presence and silence of awareness.
Or you can experience the peace and serenity of Mozambique and participate in a relaxing holiday retreat here with us.
All MindWise mindfulness activities are specially curated for individuals. You can plan a chat with me to see what might work best for you.
“Don’t push the river”
The expression “don’t push the river” sums up how we are constantly trying to fix things and wanting them to be different in any other way than the way they actually are right now.
Mindfulness helps to bring us right into the flow of the river of life, where we can ride the currents, swirls, and the calm, still waters in balance and equanimity, knowing that underneath flows a great river of stillness, which is beyond all of these surface activities. Come join me here.
