Mindful Day / Half Day at home
Being mindful for a full day, as best as you can, in the midst of your family, is a practice that helps you to generalise the learned mindfulness and practices and skills to daily life. It is also a nurturing practice that may have surprising effect on you and your family.
Choose a day in which you are around your family, but can possibly be without obligations or appointments, for example, a Saturday or a Sunday. Explain to your partner that you are going to have a mindfulness day, and describe briefly how you are planning this day and what you need from your partner and the family.
Make a program for the day/half day, that consists of:
• Periods of meditation and yoga/movement
• Mindful eating and drinking
• Work meditation (non-stressful, repetitive work such as cleaning,
gardening, ironing)
• Doing mindful activities with the kids
• Being mindfully with kids and partner.
Try to detach from devices and external sources of entertainment
Mindfulness practice – alternate each day or both
Alternate – Sitting Practice / Movement Practices each day
Mindful Parenting Practice
Informally practice being mindful of the other people in your life, taking care to listen with all of yourself. See what impact this has on your interactions and your state.
If a conflict arises between you and your child, or you and your partner, or a conflict with another person, take a breathing space and try out the rupture and repair suggestions.
Ask your partner and child to remind you to take a Mindful Moment or Breathing Space when they feel you need one.
