Mona Minnaar

“If I am going to die, the best way to prepare is to quiet my mind and open my heart. If I am going to live, the best way to prepare is to quiet my mind and open my heart.”

~Ramm Dass~

I  have always been an advocate for holistic health and have studied various holistic therapies in the process. I am a Reiki Master in the Usui and Tibetan system of natural healing and hold diplomas in Reflexology, Color Therapy, Crystal Healing, Life Coaching, Stress Management, Bereavement and Grief Counseling. I am also a Certified Death Doula and the Founding Director of a non-profit organization called Sacred Dying South Africa – Embracing The End Of Life.

Having experienced the death of family members from an early age led me to adapt my way of thinking that there is really no difference between birth and death, as both are equal facts of life. Sometime or the other we will all die. Death is simply an end of the physical body, as the soul prepares its transition back into the spiritual realm. Nobody dies a moment before their time and nobody lives a moment after their time has come.

Moving away from traditional spiritual teachings and embracing a holistic approach to life and death, has assisted me with understanding death with ease. I have realized that there is nothing fearful about death, it is a special time for the dying and the living to partake in a very special way that I can only refer to as the final gift of love.

We live in an era where advanced medicine averts death far better than it assists us in preparing for a peaceful death. However, the holistic and palliative approach to death incorporates the whole spectrum of care – medical, psychological, social, cultural and spiritual. The holistic approach to death which incorporates these wider aspects of care, is good medical practice and is essential to palliative care.