Stress Relief for Parents (video)

I've started a Spiritually Aware Parenting tool box on Youtube and here's the first video.

Feel free to subscribe to keep posted on any new additions!

Be well, happy and thrive everyone!

Meditation and other play things for a boy

Our son wasn’t beside me when I woke up this morning.

He’d come in to our bed in the middle of the night. It’s the usual routine. But he needs his hugs even more so at the minute, as he’s heartbroken. His cat of 3 years decided to get mad and leave our home 10 days ago. Little kitties arriving is my reasoning, but the reason doesn’t matter. Our boy’s routine is entirely thrown out and every so often he’s on my lap in tears. He loves that cat, even if he kind of just laid around in a bad mood. Einstein was kind of a grumpy cat now that I think about it, but he was a loved one. Our son has made it clear though. It’s not even the fact that he’s gone and he can’t be replaced by a playful bundle of kitten love. It’s the fact that he didn’t want to stay. Our boy’s got hurt feelings and no one can help it. It hurts to watch... and that’s not where this post was supposed to go.

So, our boy wasn’t beside me when I woke up this morning. I lifted my head off my pillow and saw him at the foot of our bed.

Legs crossed.

Eyes closed.

Hands folded in lap.

In a deep meditation.

I quickly closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep. I didn’t want to interrupt the sweet communion.

I’m not mentioning it to him. It’s between him and his Source, not me. All I know is that when I was “woken up” I was told he was “great” when I asked how he was this morning.

Inner peace and spiritual journeys are great indeed.

Life is funny. Parenting is funnier. We tend to think that as parents it’s our job to teach spirituality, when really, they’ve been in a state of pure positive energy a lot more recently than us. Connection is what they know. Spirituality makes sense to the core of their being. We are simply here to tie it into the fabrics of their days and to see it as a tool to their emotional ups and downs.

Our son sees us meditate daily. He sees his parents both use it when things get stressful, upsetting or even just uncomfortable. He takes part in his sister’s homeschooling “circle time” routine which consists of a yoga workout and a short guided meditation after.

Actually, yesterday was the first time he took part in the meditation exercise. We use the Yoga Pretzel Cards and personally like the “Favorite Place” Time In exercise, where you chose a place you love and imagine yourself there for a time. You imagine the smells and sights and let it relax you and make you feel happy. For the first time I saw it sink in with our, now 6 year old, boy. Usually he’s off by the end of the exercises, but this time he chose a place and spent some time there. I guess maybe, this is where he was this morning.

I’ve never forced any spiritual practice or made it a big deal. I didn’t want rebellion against a state of natural beingness. They have to find their own path. I guess he’s paving his. Using spiritual tools to heal his upset heart and maybe spend some time with a lost, bratty, cat.

I’m currently undertaking writing a new book, a spiritual curriculum to offer 3-9 year olds. It’s an exciting, yet daunting journey as, like my son illustrated, we are not teachers in spiritual tools. Rather we are door openers, offering opportunities, offering example, offering dialogue. Our children are quick to adaption. They can capture an energy and align to it faster than us. They can develop new neural patterns effortlessly and when we offer them a path to feel better by, we not only create spaces that they can use to improve how they feel, we also offer them emotional validation. We create a space where they can feel sad, upset, stressed and mad and then they can chose to use tools to feel better by. We offer them freedom to feel and then freedom of choice.

It is in the offering of awareness, through dialogue, games, stories, play and example that create the web of support our children need to bring spirituality into their every day and it was so exciting to see our son using what he’s been offered to create a better feeling space for himself.

And no, feeling great didn’t last all day. He had upsets and was tired, and yes, he’s still missing his cat like mad. But, he is coming from a place of centred awareness of himself, which in my mind pretty incredible.

And, yeah, he might not meditate again for awhile. I stopped meditating for years. We all use different things at different times. We all forget to go to places which feel good, even if it’s just in the silent places of our hearts and minds. But, when something is woven into the daily fabric of our lives it is easier to remember, and having it offered (not even given... simply offered) is how we find it there.