Highlights
- Wayapa Wuurrk translates to “connect to the earth" in the languages of the Maara and GunaiKurnai peoples
- The practice combines ancient Aboriginal knowledge of connection to country, earth mindfulness, narrative meditation and physical movement
- It aims to give participants a tool for using nature to find stillness and quiet their mind
The SBS Great Minds podcast introduces a mindfullness practice called Wayapa Wuurrk, which draws from Indigenous wisdom to encourage wellness through a deeper connection with the earth.
The practice originated in 2014 when Jamie Marloo Thomas, a GunaiKurnai man and Maara descendant, was teaching a group of distracted and unfocused Indigenous teenagers.
An uncle recommended meditation to calm them and Jamie decided to add some slow traditional moves to the breathing exercises.
The results were inspired Jamie and his partner Sara Jones to create Wayapa Wuurrk in consultation with Elders.
We can't be well if our planet isn't: Wayapa Wurrk teaches us connection and care for Country Source: Getty Images/Feliz Cesare
Ancient earth mindfulness
Wayapa Wuurrk may be a fairly new mindfulness method, but its roots are ancient. Australia's Aboriginal cultures are among the oldest living cultures on earth.
The words Wayapa Wuurrk mean “connect to the earth” in the language of the Maara and Gunaikurnai peoples. The practice draws on Aboriginal knowledge of connection to country, earth mindfulness and narrative meditation.
Led by Jamie, this episode of Great Minds asks participants to begin with simple breathing exercises and to feel their connection to the ground.
Participants are led through poses that represent all the elements of nature.
As well as promoting mental wellbeing, the practice also reminds participants of their responsibilities to care for the planet and respect all living beings.
Jamie Marloo Thomas, founder of Wayapa Wuurrk
Jamie understands the pain of disconnection from country. For him, Wayapa Wuurrk is a lifestyle rather than just a practice, and involves taking care of the environment as the starting point for true wellbeing.
The practice draws on his extensive experience in the areas of wellness, men’s health, drug and alcohol support, family violence prevention, youth mentoring, cultural heritage and ancestral remains repatriation, as well as Aboriginal dance and ceremony.
He says that Wayapa Wurrrk is a way of “honouring and respecting and creating a world which can be passed from generation to generation”.
