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.
Sign up for The Mindful Parent newsletter and receive
information and tips on mindful parenting. It's easy, free, and
fulfilling.
The Daily
Sip: Holiday Colors and a
Rainbow of Light Between You and Your
Child
With the holiday season upon us, colorful displays
line the streets, shopping areas, and various public and private buildings
and spaces. These colors can serve as helpful mindful parenting
cues.
The practice of mindful parenting deepens our connection
to our child by opening awareness to the presence of our child in
our lives. The colors of the holiday season can remind us of
the colors of the rainbow, and in doing so help bring about
a deeper connection between us and our child..
These colors
Form a rainbow of light
Between me
And my beautiful child
Today, when you see a colorful holiday
display, recite today's verse and imagine a rainbow of light spreading
out between you and your child. Visualize one end of the
rainbow filling your body with color and extending out from the
top of your head and over to the top of your child's head,
filling your child's body.
Breathe deeply as you visualize this
imagery. Sense the energizing light connecting you with
your child. As you move, sense the light moving with you.
Imagine your child moving and the colorful light moving with your
child.
Notice whether the colorful light is vibrant
or dim. As you breathe deeply, bringing fresh air into your
body and exhaling stale air out of your body, sense the colors becoming
more vibrant and alive. This sensation can fill you with greater
energy and help awaken the deepest of connections between
you and your child.