Wednesday, October 19, 2016

How Meditation Has Helped Me As A Mother

Vidhya Shailesh
19th October 2016

Meditation has been one of the greatest blessings of my life.

I came to meditation with mixed feelings, not very convinced that I really needed it. As any parent would attest, parenthood presents one with several challenges. However, not once did it occur to me to consider meditation. After all meditation was something I had to do for myself, all my challenges were outside of me, and it was others that needed help. This thinking changed completely as I embarked on my journey into the world of meditation.
Signing up for the course on Meditation was one of the best investments I have ever made. It gave me the wisdom and tools for life from a perspective I had not considered before. What struck me first and foremost was how wrong I was in my thinking and it taught me how important it was to be able to manage my own mind first.

The meditation training was phenomenal. In simple, practical ways, it helped me see how often I was becoming a victim of my own thoughts and how I could stop that from happening. The benefits could be felt from the very first day. I could feel the calm and peace within after just a few minutes of practice. While I have always been an optimist, I often struggled with my ability to manage my own emotions. Needless to say, the children were often victims of my outbursts. Meditation taught me how to manage these emotions and to be more balanced in all situations, helping me focus on my conscious response.

By focusing on the good and the positive, it gave me the ability to create my happiness. The kids too were delighted to see the new “me”.

My engagement with the children has been enhanced significantly. I have become more aware of my own thoughts and feelings and certainly able to manage them better. A regular meditation practice serves as my daily happiness pill. It helps me stay balanced. When conflicts do arise, it helps me respond to them in a calm manner. When I am more in control of myself, I find even the children become more receptive, and willing to reason. There is certainly more peace and harmony in our relationship.

While challenges continue to exist, I believe the one thing that has changed is my ability to handle them. Meditation has taught me to choose happiness always. It has opened my heart in many ways and I find myself more able to give love and happiness to those around me. My world around me is a result of what I put out. Meditation has helped me create a life by choice.

It is a practice I am committed to not just because it makes me a better mother, but because it is making me a better person.