“Slow down and enjoy this moment. You only get it once.”
Mindfulness in parenting encourages parents to be aware of each moment in the relationship between them and their children. A parent interacting with any child must be fully attentive. Without full attentiveness, effective parenting is out of reach. Kids know when an adult’s mind is elsewhere. They are amazingly astute when it comes to detecting feigned interest or insincere interactions.
Because parents need to make regular interventions in their children’s lives, it is vital that they devote some time (even 5 minutes a day) to developing and keeping their minds at rest. A stressed out mind has a much higher chance of missing out on important cues that require love and attention. And sadly, this can lead to breakdown in parenting, and, in turn, the authenticity in the parent-child relationship.
To help parents not to miss such opportunities, here are few mindfulness-based practices that are a great place to start. As you will see, there is no magic formula here. The beauty and challenge of the practice of mindfulness lies in its simplicity. These practices simply require your presence and daily commitment to doing them.
Meditation
Meditation is crucial to cultivating mindfulness. With meditation, a parent is able to breathe better, and is thus able to control his/her emotions when managing stressful situations with his/her kids. Meditation makes it easier for parents to de-stress, and to pour into that well of inner peace that I referred to in the beginning of this book.
The full benefits of meditation in parenting include;
- Reduction of suffering, negativity and stress
- An increase of well-being, inner peace and joy
- Calming of the mind while encouraging tapping into the parent’s inner peace as well as stillness
- A cultivation of mindfulness in all aspects of the parent’s life
- Enables parents to practice acceptance
- Enables parents to shift their perspectives in a wide variety of situations
- Enhances connection between the parents and their children in terms of empathy, presence and loving-kindness
- Makes it easier for parents to honor their children as special and precious individuals
Yoga
Yoga is a crucial aspect of the mindfulness of parenting. The main challenge of modern parenting is raising a happy and healthy family. Technology has made a mess out of parenting through overstimulation of not only parents, but also of kids. Processed foods have had a negative bearing on human behaviour, as has the unending flow of incoming information.
This is why parents could benefit from learning the basics of Yoga and appreciate the incredible role it can play in lending them the skills they need to be effective parents and mentors to their kids.
The benefit of Yoga to families is two-fold: Yoga is not only good for parents, but also for children. This is especially true for children diagnosed with ADD or ADHD, as well as other Special Needs. And honestly, what child (or adult for that matter) doesn’t have difficulties with attention and focus from time to time?
Research indicates that in North America, more than 11 million people take active part in Yoga for the following reasons:
Aids in development of spatial awareness in children
Increases flexibility
Improves strength
Better balance
Develops posture
A child diagnosed with ADD or ADHD needs guidance from their parent with regard to taking part in Yoga for the following benefits:
- Relaxation
- Focus
- Increased attention
- Improved mood
- Promotes and strengthens the connection between the body, mind and spirit
- Decreases impulsivity
- Decreases fidgeting
- Quiets the mind
- Can promote better digestion and a more balanced metabolic rate
- Improves social skills
ADD and ADHD have a tendency to make the person appear restless and suffer plenty of discomfort. I can attest to this from personal experience. In my primary years, I spent a LOT of time out in the hallway or sitting in the cloakroom of my classroom because I simply couldn’t focus on what was being taught. Parenting such a child can be a huge challenge to any mother or father. Fortunately, Yoga offers these parents the much-needed help of easing a lot of the tension that can come from raising an ADD or ADHD child.
The practice of Yoga provides a way for the body to connect properly with the mind. It is helpful in balancing the production of neurotransmitters within the brain, which in turn, reduces perceived stress levels. Since raising a child diagnosed with ADD/ADHD can be a stress-filled activity, Yoga can provide parents with a means through which to de-stress while improving concentration levels.
The lack of concentration that is a major sign and symptom among children diagnosed with ADD/ADHD reduces gradually when parents expose their young ones to Yoga. Furthermore, Yoga makes the mind calm. A calm mind translates into an equally calm body, which is tremendous progress for a child diagnosed with ADD or ADHD.
The importance of Yoga in treating ADHD cannot be overlooked. In the US, the American Psychiatric Association has discovered that more than 5 percent of all children are diagnosed with ADHD. By 2011, more than 11 percent of all children in the US had been diagnosed with ADHD.
Another aspect of practicing mindfulness is Breathing, or ‘Pranayama’, if using the Sanskrit word.
Breathing (Pranayama)
As the mind becomes emotionally aroused and over-stimulated, the rate of breathing usually increases. But as the mind becomes calm and relaxed, the speed of inhalation and exhalation tends to slow down. And so, pranayama is a practice used by yogis that deliberately manipulates respiration patterns to modify the current state of the mind, body, and spirit.
The act of breathing is unique because it is an aspect of our Central Nervous System (CNS) that can be used either consciously or unconsciously. The breath is the physical link between our mind and body. Therefore, by consciously monitoring our breathing patterns, we yogis believe we can change our state of being. Mind over matter. Through pranayama, we can create a peaceful and accepting state of the body and the mind.
Benefits of Practicing Mindful Breathing (Pranayama)
-Strengthens the muscles in the respiratory system, increasing its efficiency and maximizing lung capacity
-Develops endurance
-Revitalizes by increasing the flow of oxygen into the blood stream, allowing for body and brain to perform optimally
-Boosts the body’s immunity to illness
-Clear benefits to those suffering from Asthma
-Increases focus and concentration
-Calms intense emotions, like fear, anger and frustration
-Slows the nervous system, encouraging a state of relaxation
http://themindfulparent.org/The_Mindful_Parent/Welcome.html
Mindfulness in parenting encourages parents to be aware of each moment in the relationship between them and their children. A parent interacting with any child must be fully attentive. Without full attentiveness, effective parenting is out of reach. Kids know when an adult’s mind is elsewhere. They are amazingly astute when it comes to detecting feigned interest or insincere interactions.
Because parents need to make regular interventions in their children’s lives, it is vital that they devote some time (even 5 minutes a day) to developing and keeping their minds at rest. A stressed out mind has a much higher chance of missing out on important cues that require love and attention. And sadly, this can lead to breakdown in parenting, and, in turn, the authenticity in the parent-child relationship.
To help parents not to miss such opportunities, here are few mindfulness-based practices that are a great place to start. As you will see, there is no magic formula here. The beauty and challenge of the practice of mindfulness lies in its simplicity. These practices simply require your presence and daily commitment to doing them.
Meditation
Meditation is crucial to cultivating mindfulness. With meditation, a parent is able to breathe better, and is thus able to control his/her emotions when managing stressful situations with his/her kids. Meditation makes it easier for parents to de-stress, and to pour into that well of inner peace that I referred to in the beginning of this book.
The full benefits of meditation in parenting include;
- Reduction of suffering, negativity and stress
- An increase of well-being, inner peace and joy
- Calming of the mind while encouraging tapping into the parent’s inner peace as well as stillness
- A cultivation of mindfulness in all aspects of the parent’s life
- Enables parents to practice acceptance
- Enables parents to shift their perspectives in a wide variety of situations
- Enhances connection between the parents and their children in terms of empathy, presence and loving-kindness
- Makes it easier for parents to honor their children as special and precious individuals
Yoga
Yoga is a crucial aspect of the mindfulness of parenting. The main challenge of modern parenting is raising a happy and healthy family. Technology has made a mess out of parenting through overstimulation of not only parents, but also of kids. Processed foods have had a negative bearing on human behaviour, as has the unending flow of incoming information.
This is why parents could benefit from learning the basics of Yoga and appreciate the incredible role it can play in lending them the skills they need to be effective parents and mentors to their kids.
The benefit of Yoga to families is two-fold: Yoga is not only good for parents, but also for children. This is especially true for children diagnosed with ADD or ADHD, as well as other Special Needs. And honestly, what child (or adult for that matter) doesn’t have difficulties with attention and focus from time to time?
Research indicates that in North America, more than 11 million people take active part in Yoga for the following reasons:
Aids in development of spatial awareness in children
Increases flexibility
Improves strength
Better balance
Develops posture
A child diagnosed with ADD or ADHD needs guidance from their parent with regard to taking part in Yoga for the following benefits:
- Relaxation
- Focus
- Increased attention
- Improved mood
- Promotes and strengthens the connection between the body, mind and spirit
- Decreases impulsivity
- Decreases fidgeting
- Quiets the mind
- Can promote better digestion and a more balanced metabolic rate
- Improves social skills
ADD and ADHD have a tendency to make the person appear restless and suffer plenty of discomfort. I can attest to this from personal experience. In my primary years, I spent a LOT of time out in the hallway or sitting in the cloakroom of my classroom because I simply couldn’t focus on what was being taught. Parenting such a child can be a huge challenge to any mother or father. Fortunately, Yoga offers these parents the much-needed help of easing a lot of the tension that can come from raising an ADD or ADHD child.
The practice of Yoga provides a way for the body to connect properly with the mind. It is helpful in balancing the production of neurotransmitters within the brain, which in turn, reduces perceived stress levels. Since raising a child diagnosed with ADD/ADHD can be a stress-filled activity, Yoga can provide parents with a means through which to de-stress while improving concentration levels.
The lack of concentration that is a major sign and symptom among children diagnosed with ADD/ADHD reduces gradually when parents expose their young ones to Yoga. Furthermore, Yoga makes the mind calm. A calm mind translates into an equally calm body, which is tremendous progress for a child diagnosed with ADD or ADHD.
The importance of Yoga in treating ADHD cannot be overlooked. In the US, the American Psychiatric Association has discovered that more than 5 percent of all children are diagnosed with ADHD. By 2011, more than 11 percent of all children in the US had been diagnosed with ADHD.
Another aspect of practicing mindfulness is Breathing, or ‘Pranayama’, if using the Sanskrit word.
Breathing (Pranayama)
As the mind becomes emotionally aroused and over-stimulated, the rate of breathing usually increases. But as the mind becomes calm and relaxed, the speed of inhalation and exhalation tends to slow down. And so, pranayama is a practice used by yogis that deliberately manipulates respiration patterns to modify the current state of the mind, body, and spirit.
The act of breathing is unique because it is an aspect of our Central Nervous System (CNS) that can be used either consciously or unconsciously. The breath is the physical link between our mind and body. Therefore, by consciously monitoring our breathing patterns, we yogis believe we can change our state of being. Mind over matter. Through pranayama, we can create a peaceful and accepting state of the body and the mind.
Benefits of Practicing Mindful Breathing (Pranayama)
-Strengthens the muscles in the respiratory system, increasing its efficiency and maximizing lung capacity
-Develops endurance
-Revitalizes by increasing the flow of oxygen into the blood stream, allowing for body and brain to perform optimally
-Boosts the body’s immunity to illness
-Clear benefits to those suffering from Asthma
-Increases focus and concentration
-Calms intense emotions, like fear, anger and frustration
-Slows the nervous system, encouraging a state of relaxation
http://themindfulparent.org/The_Mindful_Parent/Welcome.html