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 Morning Sip: Listening To What
Your
Fingers Have To Say
The practice of mindful parenting involves
letting go of egoic needs that can make interacting with our child
difficult. Even if the interaction is not difficult, we
may nonetheless not be fully present when we are with our
child. Through the practice of mindful parenting, we become
more aware of what motivates us when we interact with our child.
As that awareness grows, we naturally slough off parts of ourselves
interfere with our ability to connect fully with our child.
When
you interact with your child today, regardless of whether it is an
enjoyable or uncomfortable interaction, the moment you "feel" the
interaction or begin to reflect on it, recite the following verse:
My fingers know
What I feel
As you recite this verse, look to your hands and wriggle your
fingers. You might be surprised what your fingers absorb, what
your fingers can tell you. Take a deep breath and open awareness
to your fingers. Can you feel a slight tingle that surrounds
them when you give them your attention.
Listen to
what your fingers have to say.
This exercise may sound silly
but it serves to open awareness to your body and lull awareness
away from your egoic mind. As awareness shifts to your
hands, a peacefuland mindful state emerges from which deep
insights surface. Allow these insights to roll over you
like a gentle surf on a wide open beach.
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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