Conscious Family Journal

Deepak Chopra and My Washing Machine

Or, How Conscious Parenting and Meditation Just Might Converge in the Laundry Room

I’ve mentioned before, that I am a fledgling practitioner of meditation. I’ve been trying to meditate daily for over a year now.

Some days, my meditation experiences are transcendental. Others, well, not so much.

I wish I could say that I was meditating to access a heightened sense of consciousness, but mostly I just do it to stay sane.

Meditation helps me be present for myself and my children. On a good day, I let go of past regrets and future fears and truly live in the moment.

On a really good day, I relax into a state of joy, where I experience each moment as a gift.

A well of grace.

Mmmmm.

What's An Over-Protective, Conscious Parent to Do?

 

Yesterday morning was tough. 

  

As I was dragging my tired, cranky body through the kitchen, lecturing my sons on why they should already be in the car, ready to go to school, my youngest started fretting about being the only one in his class to not have a picture of some obscure early American for his “media blender” project.

 

Huh?

  

This provided a perfect opportunity to launch into a new lecture, on the topic of being responsible for yourself and living with the consequences of your actions – or inaction – as we drove down the hill to school.

  

It didn’t take, though.

  

My son was clearly chastised, and more worried than ever about facing his teacher, who he describes as “stern.”

  

The problem was with me. I was already feeling bad, clearly unprepared to actually allow my beloved child to live with the consequences of his actions.

 

Retreat! Retreat!

A Review of Kripalu, a Yoga Retreat Center in Lenox, MA... a Home Away From Home for Conscious Parents and Families

Greetings, Earthlings!

I just returned from a weekend retreat at Kripalu. I am suffering a bit from my usual “Darn, I am back in my real life” post-retreat letdown, but it was definitely worth the upheaval.

Before I launch into my review of Kripalu (and I do recommend that you check it out, if you have the chance), let me just say that I am highly in favor of retreats in general.

We are all bombarded continuously with the small and gigantic stressors of daily existence. Such is life in the twenty-first century.

The thing is, these stressors will not go away.

If even one of them should happen to evaporate one day, six more will arrive instantaneously to take its place. You know how it goes.

In my journey to become a more conscious parent, I find it impossible to go it alone. I need to steadily and persistently replenish my body and spirit. Sometimes I need a cup of tea with a good friend. Sometimes it takes a village.

Help! My Kids are Using the Law of Attraction to Control My Life!

Does Conscious Parenting mean teaching our children about their own powers of Conscious Creation?

 

The Law of Attraction has been getting a lot of attention in recent years. 

       

Regardless of whether you’ve read the uber best-selling The Secret, you have probably heard about it. 

       

Put simply, the law suggests that we get what we think about, whether we want it or not.  

       

Practitioners do emphasize that you need to have these thoughts consistently, and you need to put some emotion behind it. 

       

For example, if you believe intensely that you will pass a math test, you will.

       

Further details include the idea that you may need to take inspired action to achieve your desires. 

       

For example, if you believe intensely that you will pass your math test and you are suddenly inspired to study for it – and you do study for it – you will pass your math test.

Seven Things Worth Teaching Our Children – and Remembering Ourselves – in 2009

Conscious Parenting with Meg Brown for www.BodyEcology.com

   

There is something about a brand new year that just feels good.

  

New inspiration. New hope. A chance to forgive and forget all those things that didn’t happen as planned in the previous year.

  

People have been making New Year’s resolutions for thousands of years. Today’s most popular resolutions range from losing weight to saving more money to taking that trip to Paris that you’ve been putting off for years.

  

This year, I invite you to put conscious parenting front and center on your New Year’s resolution list.

  

What will you teach your children in 2009?

How "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall" Re-charged My Meditation Practice

I was just trying to meditate... extreme emphasis on the word trying.  As usual, I struggled to turn off all the chatter in my mind. 

   

My goal in meditation is to make myself calmer and more open to my children; to clear my emotions and access a bit of Divine wisdom.   

    

I started meditating regularly just over a year ago, as a means to reduce my stored stress.  As I tried to explain to my family at the time, my “stress bucket” was full. 

 

After years of fighting corporate politics while juggling the responsibilities of a single parent and still trying to figure out my purpose in life, I was overflowing with the stuff. 

New Year's Resolution: Resolve to be Conscious in 2009

Happy New Year!  This is the time for New Year's Resolutions, so I want to help you get started:

To kick the new year off in style, I will be publishing a multi-part series, "Resolve to be Conscious in 2009."  I invite you to join me in getting serious about conscious parenting. 

Let's rediscover the joy of parenting, together. 

"Resolve to be Conscious in 2009" will be published in the Conscious Family Journal Newsletter, so if you haven't enrolled, there's no better time than right now!

Simply enter your email address in the box provided on the upper right corner of this page and follow the instructions.

Conscious parenting starts with making conscous choices about our parenting practices. I hope you will choose to join me in making 2009 a great year for my family and yours.

Want to start changing your perspective right this minute?  Get yourself a copy of Connection Parenting by Pam Leo.  It is short, sweet and powerful.  Enjoy!