The Morning Cup, March 3, 2005: Keeping Yourself Grounded With Your Child's Help

Your mindful parenting practice tip of the day. Be sure to sip slowly

From the Archives

The Mindful Parent

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.

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Thursday March 3, 2005

The Daily Sip:  Keeping Yourself Grounded With Your Child's Help

Yesterday's Morning Sip on slowing down offered a verse and visualization that involved imagining your child pulling on an imaginary rope tied to your back.

Today's sip looks to those times when we lose focus and feel distracted. Often, this happens when we become overwhelmed with the tasks and projects at hand. Today, if you begin to feel anxious or stressed, or overwhelmed, check yourself and sense whether you are having a hard time focusing or approaching matters with a clear mind. If so, recite the following verse, which is a slight modification of yesterday's verse.

          My beautiful child(ren)

          I see you behind me

          Thank you for bringing me back

          To the present moment

Imagine yourself floating through the air like a helium balloon. You want to touch down and feel grounded, but your mind is a whirl. Then, open awareness to your child. Imagine him or her pulling on a rope attached to your back, slowly bringing you back to Earth. Breathe deeply.

As you engage in this visualization, open to the sensation of the rope pulling against your child's fingers and of the ground beneath your child's feet. Allow these sensations to ground you further in the moment.

As you recite the verse, feel the pull of the rope against your back.   Sense yourself being pulled slowly back to Earth until your feet touch down. Conscious breathing during this process will help to ground you further. Come to rest and stop moving for a few moments. Empty your mind of any lingering thoughts.

Take another deep breath. Visualize your child, wherever he or she may be, and smile.