Mindful
parenting meditations guide us into the stillness that is present in
every moment. It is from within this stillness that love
and joy explode not just into our hearts, but throughout our entire
being. This stillness though, is an elusive space and one we think
our way out of all too quickly.
We search for the stillness
and silence that we sense is at our core and the place where we will
find true happiness. Of course, every moment presents us with
the opportunity to enter into that space. But, the distractions
and assumed realities of our existence make finding such
comfort, let alone keeping it, all but impossible.
One of
the keys to the doorway of stillness and deep joy is found in our
connection to our children. Time and again our hearts melt
when we observe and are with our children. At these
moments, we are in a state of pure awareness -- the joy creeps in
without us knowing about it. Then, without fail, our thinking
mind kicks in telling us just how precious and wonderful is the moment.
That feels good, but we are no longer experiencing the joy of the
moment; we are instead reflecting on a memory of the moment.
If only we could sustain that very present, very aware state of truly
being with our child. So it is every moment of our lives.
But it can be difficult to pierce through the moment into this stillness.
It is less difficult to do so through our connection to our children.
Mindful parenting meditations help us to find our way back to
the space of stillness. The following meditations connect us
deeply with our children in ways that transend thought. As with
many of the verses, these meditations direct our awareness to our
bodies, or our child's body. As the energy that feeds our
repetitive thinking is redirected toward the body, we open into
the stillness. We emerge from the meditations feeling refreshed
and soothed. When we are with our children, we find the doorway
to joy slightly ajar. We approach it and, perhaps for the
first time, begin to peer inside.
Have the following mediations
read to you or listen to a recording. You may contact The
Mindful Parent at info@themindfulparent.org and request that a
free recording of the mindful parenting meditations be sent to
you. Or, read a meditation slowly and absorb and interact with
the sensations elicited by and expressed in the meditation.
(c) 2003-2004 Zen Health.
The Mindful Parent
is a trademark of Zen Health.
