Momfulness E-Book

Denise Roy

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 193

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2010

Beschreibung

Denise Roy combines the hard-won wisdom of a parent with the insights of meditation to create a spiritual practice that goes to the heart of everyday life: mothering with mindfulness. Through anecdotes, reflections, and specific practices, this book invites mothers to wake up and embrace their lives, discovering that they are always standing on holy ground.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Introduction

Momfulness

A Beginning Definition

Why Momfulness Matters

Developing a Practice

Presence

Breathing Meditation

I See Me in Your Eyes

Rolling Hippo Meditation

How a Mom Prays

The Alone Hat

Porch Swing

Attention

Plan B

Autopilot

The River

Mouth Yoga

The Ideal vs. the Real

Clearing Clutter

Compassion

Late-for-School Practice

Pier Pressure

Walking the Night Hallways

When Someone Deeply Listens to You

No Good Very Bad Day

Mobilize the Mothering Instinct

Embodiment

Hugging Meditation

Body Blessings

Water Blessing

Ponytail Practice

Laying On of Hands

Gratitude Practice

Coming-of-Age Blessing

Seven Nights in a Row

Generations of Bodies

Saved by Wonder

Close toThings

The Sacred in All Things

Where Does the Wind Come From?

Lobster Tale

Framing the Day

Morning Offering

Evening Prayer

Nurturing Family Spirit

Grace

Family Circle

Community

Sacred Circles

Our Many Mothers

The Holy Family Commutes

Are All the Children In?

The Mother Is Standing

What Do Trees Have to Do with Peace?

A Final Word

Suggested Reading

Acknowledgments

The Author

Copyright ©2007 by Denise Roy. All rights reserved.

Published by Jossey-Bass A Wiley Imprint 989 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94103-1741 www.josseybass.com

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Credits are on page 240.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Roy, Denise, Date.

Momfulness : mothering with mindfulness, compassion, and grace / Denise Roy.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN-13: 978-0-7879-8197-6 (pbk.) ISBN-10: 0-7879-8197-4 (pbk.)

1. Motherhood. 2. Mothers—Psychology. 3. Mothers—Conduct of life. I. Title

HQ759.R694 2007

204’.41—dc22 2006030497

PB Printing

To all who bring the passion of a mother to their work on behalf of the children and of the planet

You have to find a mother inside yourself. We all do. Even if we already have a mother, we still have to find this part of ourselves inside.

Sue Monk Kidd, The Secret Life of Bees

Introduction

So there I was, twenty-seven-years old, waddling down the aisle to the front of the church to receive my diploma. I carried my eighteen-month-old son in my arms and my soon-to-be-born second son in my belly.

After four years of studying at a seminary, I was receiving a Master of Divinity degree. I wanted to be a minister, to put into practice the teachings and values of love, compassion, forgiveness, peace. What I was just beginning to grasp, as a very new mother, was that my spiritual practice was ultimately not going to involve preaching to a choir but, rather, preaching to my kids! It was not going to take place primarily in a church, breaking bread and sharing wine; more often than not, it was going to take place in the kitchen serving up graham crackers and chocolate milk.

As the mother of four children (and the foster mom of a fifth), I can attest to the fact that motherhood leaves stretch marks on us—in so many ways! I have been stretched physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. My limited notion of what constitutes a family has widened, and I have been pulled (sometimes kicking and screaming) into the present moment. Through great challenges and even greater love, my heart has grown to hold more than I ever thought possible.

Motherhood continues to stretch me to this day, and I see no end in sight. It teaches lessons that many spiritual disciplines teach: the transforming effect of true presence, the importance of close attention, the need for deep compassion, the celebration of embodiment, the recognition of the sacred in all things, and the power of community.

Momfulness is the word I use for this spiritual practice of conscious mothering. When we mother with mindfulness and compassion and a willingness to let this vocation awaken our hearts and transform our lives, we walk a spiritual path. We discover that care for our children and family is not a distraction from sacred practice but is the very essence of it.

My husband and I conceived of the word Momfulness at (appropriately enough) our kitchen table, and since then I keep discovering more and more what it means to be Momful. My oldest son Ben calls it entering the “mama zone.” That may be as good a characterization as any. Words can’t capture its full meaning, because Momfulness is best understood through experience. The reflections and practices in this book are designed so that you can deepen conscious mothering in your own life.

And so I invite you to join me in exploring the spiritual practice of Momfulness, whether in the midst of sticky kisses or at the point of sheer exhaustion, at the moment when your heart is broken or at the point when it stretches wide open, as together we cultivate a mindful, compassionate, mothering presence with ourselves, with our children, and with our world.

Momfulness

I want to be straight with you. Momfulness is not about perfection. It is also not about motherhood as bliss. Nothing is bliss all the time. I love being a mom, and at the same time, motherhood can be incredibly grueling and frustrating, often pushing me to my limits.

Momfulness is also not about adding another thing to your to-do lists. So if you think you’re too busy to engage in a spiritual practice, think again. You can do this right where you are. If you’re steeped in dirty diapers, if you’re dealing with acting-out teenagers, if you’re trying to balance work and home and it feels like you have time for neither, this is the practice for you.