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: Let The Word "Child"
Resonate And Tone Down Thoughts
We human beings are marvelous
and complex creatures. Of all the parts of the body,
the human brain (and its thoughtful mind) is perhaps the
most revered and least understood. Curiously, we tend to view
our brain and our thoughts as separate from the rest of our body.
The thoughts belong to "I" and "I" has a body. We spend much
of our day with thoughts racing through our mind.
Much as we
might enjoy our thoughts (and wonderful as they may be in many cases),
the more our mind races, the less we connect with our child.
How many times have you been with your child only to realize, during
or after, that you spent most of your time absorbed in your thoughts
-- not really present with your child at all.
Today, let's spend
more time really being with our child. A simple exercise
can help tone down the thoughts. When you are with your
child (or talking with your child, or even thinking about your child
and where your child is "now,") allow the word "child" to slowly
resonate over and over in your mind. Repeat it to yourself often.
As
you are looking at your child, or holding your child's hand, or listening
to them, recite over and over "child -- child -- child -- child --
child." Try to do it without thinking too much about doing it.
Doing it should help tone down the thoughts.
Even if you only
do this exercise for a few minutes, with fewer thoughts, you begin
to become aware of a deeper presence. It is a presence that
exists at all times and from which feelings of bliss arise.
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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