Mindfulness for Families: More than Meditation, a Way to Press Pause amid Busy Lives
by Alexandra DeGeorge, PsyD

What parents can do: Mindfulness at home

Here are a few simple forms of mindfulness practice you can try with your kids.

Lie on your backs with a stuffed animal or pillow on your bellies. Focus on your breathing for a minute or two. Remember, you don’t need to change your breathing—just observe the breath as it occurs naturally. The animal or pillow will help you be aware of the rise and fall. When it’s time to stop, take a moment to check in with your child and talk about how you both felt before and after. If your mind starts to wander (and inevitably it will!), try to be aware of it and bring yourself back to the focus on your breathing.

Find a place to sit with your child for a few minutes. It could be a public or private space, indoors or outside. Ask your child to focus on what she hears in the surrounding area and explain you’ll do the same. You can close your eyes or keep them open, depending on what’s most comfortable, but try to pay attention to sounds. After a minute or so, talk about what you heard. What stands out most? How did various sounds make you feel (calm, happy, annoyed, scared?). Did they bring up memories or associations? Remember not to judge. There are no right or wrong answers.

Practice following an itch. Sit or lie down, and take a moment to bring your attention to an itch anywhere on your body, but don’t scratch it. Attend to the sensation; does it wax and wane in intensity? Does it go away? Try to stay focused on it. Also be aware of judgments; if there is no itch, don’t judge yourself, simply scan your body and make note of that.

When driving or walking home one day, try to make it a mindful practice. Don’t call a friend or family member, or even listen to music. Simply notice what is in front of you (or around you) and describe what you see. Take note of when and how long your mind wanders and attempt to keep bringing your focus back each time this happens for the duration of the walk or ride home. You can prompt your child or teen to do the same, either with you, or on their own.

When you see your child doing three things at once—doing homework, listening to music, and instant messaging with friends, for instance—remind him to take a moment and focus on one thing at a time. This could mean just closing his eyes and really listening to the song he’s playing on his headphones; stopping to actually call his friend and spend five minutes chatting about how they are, giving the conversation his full attention; or taking a break to go outside or just sit quietly and focus on his breathing for a minute.

Link to full article: http://www.aboutourkids.org/articles/mindfulness_families_more_meditation_way_press_pause_amid_busy_lives

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Transforming Trauma: A Qualitative Feasibility Study of Integrative Restoration (iRest) Yoga Nidra on Combat-Related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
International Journal of Yoga Therapy, December 2011 (Issue 21)

Yoga: An Alterative Therapy for Wounded Warriors with PTSD
Warrior Care Blog, DOD Office of Warrior Care Policy, January 19, 2012

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Some children are excited to see their friends and teachers and share tales of their vacation adventures, some are nervous with anticipation of new classes and some are sad that the summer is over.

Parents also enter into a transition in routine and engagement. Perhaps there’s a sense of relief that we can return our focus to work, perhaps a sense of sadness as our children grow older, and maybe there is also a sense of gratitude as we reflect on warm memories with our family and our summer activities.

What serves parents in transitions like these — regardless of the time of year — is the quality of attention we bring to each moment. Called mindfulness, this is the practice of truly being present at home and at work by listening and participating with our children, family and co-workers. It also includes listening to ourselves, what our mind and body are telling us.

Learning to be more mindful, and helping our children learn as well, can improve our overall health and well-being, improve our focus and creativity, boost test scores, yield better sleep, more kindness and empathy, better coping skills and more self awareness.

The next time you sense something is brewing with your child and have ruled out hunger, tiredness or hormones, come to the same level with them and make eye contact. Listen to them. Repeat back what you hear. Encourage them to breathe — consciously — and model it. Breathe together, in and out, three times. Ask them how they feel in their bodies as they breathe. Taking the time to connect with them as they are experiencing something can help them find balance and calm. When we as parents dismiss or try to change or fix children’s behavior, that is often when the behavior escalates and disconnection occurs.

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Simple, yet effective, skills can be practiced to invite clarity into our day-to-day lives. Whether five minutes a day or a few hours a week, there is time enough to cultivate that which most enriches us: Awareness in the Present Moment.

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