Rolf VanAnders, a fitness coordinator and yoga instructor, will demonstrate the principles of mindfulness and meditation at 7 p.m., Monday, May 14, at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon, Metairie.

This event is free of charge and is open to the public.

VanAnders says that bringing mindfulness to any activity transforms it into a kind of meditation. He says that mindfulness dramatically amplifies the probability that any activity in which you are engaged will result in an expansion of your perspective and of your understanding of who you are. Much of the practice is simply a remembering, a reminding yourself to be fully awake, not lost in the complications of the thought process.

VanAnders says that posture is very important and that positioning your body in certain ways can have immediate effects on your mental and emotional state. Being aware of body language and what it reveals about one’s attitudes and feelings can help one change attitudes and feelings just by changing physical posture.

For the past eight years, Rolf VanAnders has been on staff of the LSUHSC Medical Center as a fitness coordinator, personal trainer, program designer and instructor in the field of mind/body medicine and wellness exercise. He presents mindfulness training programs at various departments with the LSU Health Sciences Center and Medical School.