The Mindful Mother

The first of its kind, this book will show mothers-to-be how to create an authentic practice of mindfulness to prepare for pregnancy, labour, birth and the early parenting years. Full of gems and aha moments using simple and helpful tools and practices to keep you connected to yourself while looking after your family' Nadia Narain, Head of Pregnancy Yoga, Triyoga, London 'This is a book I highly recommend to mothers and mothers-to-be. It is like an insightful friend who understands deeply what becoming and being a mother really means' Janet Balaskas, Founder of Active Birth Chunilal offers unparalleled support along with clear and simple meditation and self-development practices based on Buddhist and yogic philosophy to help cultivate a daily practice of mindfulness, which will enable you to be more present during pregnancy, birth and beyond. Having a child has the potential to awaken your heart and bring infinite joy, wonder and delight into your life. Yet when you become a mother, alongside immense delight and excitement, you may also feel a great deal of internal turmoil and confusion, as well as a change or lack of sense of identity. Organised into clear, thematic sections, this book can be dipped into for emergency inspiration or read from cover to cover. It explores common mothering dilemmas with honesty and integrity, helping you to keep both feet firmly on the ground. Issues include: adjusting to having minimal personal time and space, coping with in-laws, managing the balance between work and home, finding stimulation within an often tedious home routine, and dissolving doubts and comparisons with other seemingly happy families. Most of all, The Mindful Mother teaches you to understand your true nature, so your mind is working with you, rather than against you.

From hormones to stretch marks, labor pains to diaper changes, motherhood is an adventure like none other. The rapid changes in your body, your lifestyle, and your very identity call for a certain mental agility. Mindfulness can help you meet the challenge and approach every experience with your new baby with open eyes and an open heart. Easy ten-minute meditation exercises and yoga poses throughout this book will help you cultivate greater flexibility and mindful awareness during pregnancy, childbirth, and your baby's first year. Whenever you have a moment to spare, open Mindful Motherhood and discover a skill that will help you find balance and fulfillment during those times when you feel most overwhelmed. Co-published with the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS). Mindful Motherhood contains what so many other parenting books omit:: the consoling information that each mother has the ability to know, deep within, how to care for her child. Mindful Motherhood is a gem. -Christiane Northrup, MD, author of Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom Wise, soothing, and helpful-this is really good stuff for new mothers. -Jack Kornfield, author of The Wise Heart

Strengthening your own foundation is one of the very best beginnings you can give your child. In The Mindful Mom-to-Be, doula and pregnancy coach Lori Bregman guides you in your journey toward motherhood by empowering you to find what works best for you and your baby. In addition to concrete, prescriptive health information, including nutritional advice, natural remedies, developmental milestones, and techniques for labor, she offers simple and enjoyable spiritual and emotional exercises to help you prepare for motherhood. As Lori explains, you're not just birthing a baby; you're birthing yourself as a mom, too. With month-by-month advice, comprehensive checklists, and customizable birth plans, this is your indispensible, holistic companion for pregnancy, birth, and beyond.

In Buddha Mom, Jacqueline Kramer beautifully illuminates the ways in which motherhood can be woven with the spiritual life. Drawing upon her twenty years as a practicing Buddhist, as well as many other wisdom traditions from around the world, she offers powerful insights into cultivating a more spiritual attitude toward parenting. In chapters, guided by central Buddhist themes-Simplicity, Nurturance, Joyful Service, Unconditional Love-Kramer's personal experience of pregnancy, birth, and then raising her daughter to adulthood serves as a guide to integrating the roles of parent and spiritual being. A celebration of all that motherhood can be, Buddha Mom presents an inspiring vision of child rearing.

"A combination of personal narrative and stories gathered from mothers, this guide shows how spiritual and mindful parenting can help all mothers: Buddhists and non Buddhists, be more open, attentive, and content. By guiding mothers on a spiritual path, this evocation also helps them cultivate wisdom, open-heartedness, and a better understanding of themselves and their children. The Buddhist teachings and principles help answer questions that all mothers face, especially those with young children: Who are my children? Who am I? How can I do my best by my children and myself? What to do about all that housework? Written in a clear and engaging style, this warm and simple meditation facilitates parenting with awareness, purpose, and love."--Global Books in Print.

A “Mom Must-Read”—Parents A National Parenting Product Award (NAPPA) Winner Easy-to-follow practices that will help moms find quick, daily opportunities to reset and refocus with mindfulness Moms can feel as if they are sprinting through life, crashing onto the pillow at day’s end only to start again the next morning. In Breathe, Mama, Breathe, psychotherapist Shonda Moralis outlines the benefits of daily meditation and shows moms how to do it—in just five minutes! Plus, she shares over 60 “mindful breaks” that will help moms tune into their own well-being (along with everyone else’s): Eat a mindful breakfast—with no phone, TV, or newspaper! Cuddle your child and take three deep breaths together. Give yourself a mindful-mommy high five—because moms can use positive reinforcement, too. Every mom—whether caring for a new baby, an overscheduled grade-schooler, or an angsty teen—can become a mindful mama!

For any mom who typically runs around with her hair on fire and needs a break! It’s so easy to find yourself constantly overwhelmed or burned out in the hustle and bustle of society today. But it is important to slow down and take a minute to focus on the things that matter most—and the first step is to connect with yourself again. This book will show women that by caring for themselves first, they can better care for everyone they love. In her first book, Ali has woven together a compilation of all the tools she used to transform herself from “hot mess” to “mindful mom,” and is divided helpfully into three parts: • Everyday practices • Tools used as needed • Attitude adjustments made along the way Readers will learn how small tweaks and changes can lead to huge results, and that they too can leave stress behind in favor of calm and peace. With humor, grace, and an extremely relatable manner, Ali gives women the tools to make the same changes in their own lives.

"Mindful Thoughts for Mothers is the perfect present for mums everywhere. It explores a mother’s world, helping the reader to hold a sense of the ‘bigger picture’ while being present in the day-to-day." - Mental Health Foundation "The opposite of hardline, hectoring motherhood manuals, this charmingly illustrated hardback takes a gentle meander through the motherhood journey." - Waitrose Weekend Motherhood is one of the most wonderful and powerful experiences we can have in life. As the early years of our children’s lives unfold, we will undoubtedly experience the joys they bring, but will also encounter the stress and demands that appear daily and nightly on the parenting path. Using mindfulness practice to manage these demands we can become more present and meet life with awareness, in the moment. These reflections on motherhood will help you find greater self-understanding and enable you to navigate a mindful path along this exciting journey.

Become a calmer and happier mother with Buddhism for Mothers. 'This is an excellent, practical guide to everyday Buddhism not just for mothers, but for everyone who has ever had a mother. ' Vicki Mackenzie, author of the bestselling Why Buddhism Parenthood can be a time of great inner turmoil for a woman yet parenting books invariably focus on nurturing children rather than the mothers who struggle to raise them. This book is different. It is a book for mothers. Buddhism for Mothers explores the potential to be with your children in the all-important present moment; to gain the most joy out of being with them. How can this be done calmly and with a minimum of anger, worry and negative thinking? How can mothers negotiate the changed conditions of their relationships with partners, family and even with friends? Using Buddhist practices, Sarah Napthali offers ways of coping with the day-to-day challenges of motherhood. Ways that also allow space for the deeper reflections about who we are and what makes us happy. By acknowledging the sorrows as well as the joys of mothering Buddhism for Mothers can help you shift your perspective so that your mind actually helps you through your day rather than dragging you down. This is Buddhism at its most accessible, applied to the daily realities of ordinary parents. Even if exploring Buddhism at this busy stage of your life is not where you thought you'd be, it's well worthwhile reading this book. It can make a difference.

The Mindful Mother shows you how to cultivate a daily practice of mindfulness, to be present, positive and truly engage in your life - changing journey through pregnancy, childbirth and early motherhood. When you become a mother, alongside falling in love with your child, you can also struggle to put the pieces of your life back together again with a young baby in toe. The Mindful Mother helps you to keep both feet firmly on the ground through the joys and frustrations of having a baby or small child, as you learn to accept, resolve and grow into your new mothering role. It explores how to approach everyday mothering scenarios and dilemmas from a more mindful and calm perspective, giving you the mindfulness tools to live with greater self - awareness, contentment and insight. Using clear mindfulness exercises and techniques, you can understand how your mind works, so you can enable it to work with you, rather than against you. So being a mother becomes a journey of self - discovery, as you get to know yourself more deeply, in the reflection of getting to know your child. The Mindful Mother empowers you to appreciate and fully live in each moment you share with your baby or child, to truly enjoy being the mother you are now. Speaking to the heart with wisdom, insight and humour, The Mindful Mother gives you a practical life and emotional lifeline, helping you to: ·Cope and thrive through common mothering dilemmas· Find balance and equilibrium between work and home· Restore and raise energy, vitality and resilience levels·Engage your mind to work with you, rather than against you· Survive and enjoy daily life with a newborn baby· Awaken the heart to greater love, contentment and happiness.