Mindfulness For Mothers (For Beginners)

In this session we will continue our focus on cultivating calm by learning how to feel relaxed, safe and centered even amidst the busyness of motherhood. We will learn that cultivating feelings of relaxation and safeness is a powerful way to reduce experiences of stress and low level worry or anxiety as mothers. We will think of ways we can grow these feeling and experiences in our busy days to help us cultivate mindfulness of mind, body and heart as mothers.

In this session we will learn that activating our senses gets us out of our thinking heads, into our bodies, hearts and the beauty and joy of the present moment. We will learn that engaging our senses involves attention, curiosity and sustained focus and that this shift from thinking to sensing is available to us anywhere, anytime. We will reflect on which senses we are most naturally drawn towards, and think creatively about ways we may engage our senses both on our own and with our children.

In this session we will cultivate mindful awareness of our thoughts. We will learn that we are not our thoughts, we are the awareness that notices our thoughts. We will learn that when we attend to our thoughts with curiosity and openness, they can ebb and flow like the tide. Through attention, curiosity, compassion and acceptance, will we learn to interact with our thoughts in more positive ways. In so doing, creating more space in our minds, hearts and bodies for presence, connection and love for ourselves and our children.

In this session we will continue our focus on mindfulness of thoughts by paying particular attention to our inner critic. We will get to know our inner critic, and learn to interact in more positive ways with this negative voice. We will learn practical strategies to challenge these negative thought patterns. We will learn to support ourselves when our inner critic appears. In this way, creating more space to be present towards our experiences as women and mothers.

In this session we will learn that gratitude is a powerful tool for expanding our awareness and bringing us into the present moment. Through a grateful body scan, we will cultivate gratitude for our female bodies, including the wonder of pregnancy and birth. We will learn to experience gratitude in our bodies, hearts and minds. Finally, we will reflect upon how we could experience more gratitude for our bodies in our daily lives.

In this session we will continue our focus on being thankful by learning how to cultivate gratitude for our lives as they are right now. We will learn that feeling grateful for what our life already is, for what we already have, is a powerful way to experience present moment awareness, well-being and happiness. We will learn how to let gratitude flow through our body, mind and heart so that we can experience the joys and gifts that life and motherhood may offer.

In this session we will learn about how feeling connected to ourselves, our children, family and community is crucial to the well-being and happiness of mothers. Through connecting to our hearts and a practice of loving kindness, we will learn how to cultivate greater feelings of connection. Through this connection we will increase our capacity for love, joy, presence and compassion. In so doing, strengthening our ability to parent in more natural and heartfelt ways.

In this final session we will reflect on what we have learnt about mindfulness, about ourselves as women and as mothers. We will ask ourselves: What type of mother do I want to be? What values do I want to live by? What values do I want to teach my children? Through this reflection, we will plant the seeds for a more mindful life and in years to come we may enjoy their fruits and flowers.