MEDITATION TIPS FOR MOTHERS, 1-5

 Meditation Practice for Mothers, "Just Do It" Tip #1: Allow your kids to honor your meditation time. Tell them that they may play or do homework quietly while you sit, following household safety rules. When you hear something crash and/or explode, mindfully rise from your cushion and stay present with your emotions, noticing them fully before moving forward with the appropriate response.

Meditation Practice for Mothers, "Just Do It" Tip #2: If your beautiful white meditation shawl from India is smeared with peanut butter, it is perfectly acceptable to use a blanket with Spongebob Squarepants/Disney Princesses on it instead.

Meditation Practice for Mothers, "Just Do It" Tip #3: Find a quiet place inside. Because that's the only place it's going to be quiet...

Meditation Practice for Mothers, "Just Do It" Tip #4: We meditate to connect to our Source, aka Allness, Suchness...and as we practice, this connection permeates everyday life. As such, we infinitely do laundry, cooking, and dishes. Simultaneously, there are no dishes, cooking, or laundry. This is a good thing, for those of us who have no maid.

Meditation Practice for Mothers, "Just Do It" Tip #5: When one begins a meditation practice, usually the first thing that happens is that one becomes aware of the unbelievable number of "monkey mind" thoughts that are taking over the mind. For mothers, these are usually in the form of "to do" lists: "make lunches, call the pediatrician, buy organic strawberries from Co-op or Farmers market but not Publix, work out, email about PTA meeting, make newspaper column deadline by 5pm, change car tires, fix the tractor, berate myself, get nuclear reactor blueprints to boss by 5pm, fix sewing machine, hem Otis's pants, berate myself again for not getting enough done in time, help Susy with her homework, berate myself for doing self-berating, find a better swimming coach, don't freak out, freak out, watch myself from a higher consciousness freaking out, berate myself for freaking out, get mad at husband for not understanding why I am freaking out," etc. As one gets further into the practice, one realizes that there is only one thing for the to-do list: meditate. The rest seems to take care of itself.