Mindful Parenting is a contemplative practice through which we become more mindful of our children and, in doing so, experience a more joyful life.
The Mindful Parent is an organization devoted to sharing with parents
and other child caregivers ways in which to enhance the many joys
of parenting. By mindfully attending to our children, both when
we are physically present with them and when we are physically separated
from them, we can enhance our sense of connection to them and, in
turn, our connection to the cosmos. This makes us a better parent,
a happier person, and a more vital human being.
To facilitate
a more mindful approach to parenting, The Mindful Parent publishes
on its website, and in its bi-weekly
newsletter, mindful parenting
verses
and commentaries. The Mindful Parent website also serves as
a community forum that encourages and supports a mindful parenting
dialogue and the sharing of mindful parenting experiences.
In
the spirit of developing a mindful parenting community, we encourage
you to
submit a mindful parenting experience through verse,
commentary, and imagery to share with others. We believe that
through our collective experience, we can help each other develop
a deeper and more meaningful mindful parenting practice.
Click here to learn more about making a submssion. We thank
everyone who has contributed or is considering making this very compassionate
contribution.
Click
here to learn what recent events are taking place
and of changes to The Mindful Parent website. Please
contact
us with your questions about mindful parenting or to share a mindful
parenting experience. We are devoted to working with you to
enhance your ability to "be" with your children, and to experience
the bliss that awaits you.
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fulfilling.
The Daily Sip: Time
and The Present Moment
The relationship between the perception
of time and the practice of mindful parenting is an interesting one.
Because the practice opens a doorway into the present moment,
the passage of time "feels just right" -- not too slow, not too fast.
The
measure of time can also serve as a helpful mindful parenting cue.
Today, when you look at your watch, a timepiece, or ask someone for
the time, pause for a moment when you become aware of the time. Breathe deeply and slowly. Associate your breathing with the
movement of a second hand. Allow several seconds to tick away as
you take a full inhalation. Allow several seconds to tick
away as you take a full exhalation.
Select either the hour or
the minutes. For example, if it is 3:15 focus on the "3" or
the "15" and visualize your child at "3" or at "15." Depending
upon the age of your child, you may want to make the unit of time
months, instead of years. The number you select may
be an age your child has already been. It may be an age your
child will one day become. Soften your gaze and smile as you
open awareness to your child at this moment passed, or moment yet
to be.
Then, visualize your child today, wherever
he or she may be. Your child is always growing, always changing.
And your child is always here in the present moment; always has been,
always will be. Take a few moments and continue to breathe deeply.
As you breathe in, visualize your child the age of the current time. As
you breathe out, visualize your child as he or she is today.
Repeat this for a few breathing cycles.
The present moment is
such a gift.
