building a practice

I’d like you to do an exercise today,  to take 2 minutes away from whatever you’re doing to tune in to yourself…

… ready…?

Close the door, go outside, find a quiet spot where you can.

Breathe.

Feel deeply into your body; past anxiety, under stress, around tasks, through expectations…

… to your core.

Do this gently.  Let your energy lead you to its source.

You’ll know when you find it… the place of deep peace within you, your energetic center.  It’s in different places for different people – in your solar plexis, your heart, your base chakra…

wherever it is, notice how it feels to be there.

Stay with it for a moment if you can, longer if you wish.

Get to know this place.

Repeat this exercise at least once a day.  The more often you visit, the easier it will be to return, until it becomes second nature to go here.

Once you become familiar with being at your core, you can begin to operate from it.  Not that you will live here in every moment, but it’s a place to get crystal clear on your values, to discover what works for you in moments when you’re not centered, to recover from difficult experiences.  It is a place for guidance and deep listening.

What does this have to do with parenting?  I’m guessing you already have an idea, but here’s the story…

Every interaction you have with your children comes from either habit or intention.  You know how it feels to really want to make intentional choices, but find yourself running into habit over and over again?  That’s where this practice comes in.

Think of this as the groundwork to changing your habit patterns, which is the deep work I do with clients.  (You can find more info about that here.)

You may already be familiar with this place in yourself.  If so, please share how it’s helped you along your journey.  If not,  I’d love to hear how this exercise went for you.  Either way, leave your comment below!