We have touched on some of the benefits of practicing mindfulness for mothers in a past blog so I want to go a little bit deeper into what mindfulness can bring into your life, as a parent and as a member of a family unit.
We have been spending huge amounts of time at home with our families this past year, mindfulness will help you to really make that time count. If you learn techniques and skills to help relax and destress as a family unit you can remind each other of these skills and tricks in stressful situations. If one person in the household practicing mindfulness can improve the atmosphere in the house imagine what a difference the whole family coming together to practice could do!
Once I started teaching my Relax Kids and mindfulness classes online I realised that for practical reasons I would like the parents to be present but the more classes I taught with the whole family the more I saw the benefits for everyone involved. I love watching parents and children come together in their own homes to learn techniques and skills that I know will benefit and help them long after my time with them has come to an end. Having to find space at home where relaxation, fun and time together as a family are possible encourages the home to become a place where all of these things are possible. Too often we see mindfulness or yoga or even having fun as something that is done in a park or in a studio or in a class somewhere else, somewhere outside the home. Through teaching online classes from my home to yours I have realised and I have watched lots of families realise that they can do all of these things in their own home, no special equipment required and just some short, simple directions from me.
Even through the computer screen I can feel the atmosphere in the home change as we move from hight energy, fun games to calmer and more relaxing activities. My favourite section of the class to teach to families is Feel. This is where we learn how to give someone else a gentle massage to help them relax and calm their mind and their body.
A mindfulness practice on an individual level helps to develop body awareness and it brings energy to our whole system while decreasing physical tension that we hold in our bodies. Concentration can be improved and the mind becomes calmer and clearer, memory retention can also be improved with a decrease in stress and mental tension and listening skills can also be improved. These are all fantastic, invaluable benefits which are all there for the whole family, with some added extras when the learning is done together.
Mindfulness in Action
Our Mindfulness in Action this time is for you to simply continue with your 5 minutes of meditation with a little bit added onto that. Now I want you to keep a notepad or a journal beside you when you meditate and after the 5 minutes I want you to write down how you found it. Write what happened for you during this time.
Feel free to increase your 5 minutes if you wish but also know that you don’t have to, 5 minutes is perfect if that is what is working for you. If you are going to increase it I would suggest you increase it by 5 minutes at a time, you don’t want to jump to 20 minutes and find it really difficult and then stop meditating altogether so baby steps.
And as usual let me know how you get on, how you find it and if you have any questions!
