Meditating Mamas: How Sitting & Doing Nothing Improves Parenting
This article originally appeared on Yoganonymous.com.
Is meditating really the most selfless thing a mother can do?
According to Emily Fletcher, a celebrity meditation instructor, it is. In this article posted by People.com, Fletcher spoke about how mothers rarely make time for themselves, and how meditation is one way to recharge and refuel your energetic tank.
She recommends that moms take a chunk of time, whether that is five minutes or 20 minutes, and fully commit to meditating. She acknowledges that meditation can be a difficult practice, especially if you have a lot going on—but it’s important to work it into your schedule.
If you need to continuously tend to your children there are two tips Fletcher recommends for you to still honor your meditation time:
1. Talk to your partner about your meditation practice, and have them spend that time with your kids
2. Include your children in your meditation by having them meditate with you
If you still aren’t sure how meditation will help you with your parenting, Ali Katz wrote that meditation helped her heal emotional wounds from her childhood, and helped her restore her life, and that meditation isn’t “about having a different life, it’s about have a better life," (Chron.com).
The decrease in stress and anxiety in her day to day life helped her become more patient with her children and brought back the joy to her day-to-day living.