Mindfulness, one breath at a time

"Pregnancy is a natural time to begin or deepen the practice of mindfulness. The increasingly dramatic changes that occur in our bodies and in our very perceptions, thoughts, and emotions invite new degrees of wakefulness, wonder and appreciation. For some of us, being pregnant may be the first time we experience being fully in our body." - Myla Kabat-Zinn

This weekend I had the opportunity to attend a workshop of mindfulness and parenting with mother and author, Myla Kabat-Zinn. She is an extraordinary woman. I loved how authentic she was. She didn't pretend to know all the answers and she spoke honestly and openly about how challenging and beautiful life can be. She spoke about the journey in our lives as parents and how we can use the struggles and joys to bring more depth and insight to our lives. We can begin by cultivating self awareness, bringing attention to our thoughts, our feelings and then becoming more familiar to how we act and react in life. By witnessing who we are moment to moment, we can gain a greater understanding of ourselves and parent from a more grounded and clear place.

We can work towards acknowledging and making friends with all sides of ourselves, even the sides that may not be so likeable. This is what I love. Treating oneself with kindness and non judgement. We may not "like" certain parts of ourselves, but if we can notice them and not push them away, they may not rear their ugly heads so often. And when in fact they do, we can say, oh yes, here you are again...