"You are a bright and shining star"
We say that the that at the end of every Magic Carpet yoga class. We go around in a circle and the parent and child say it to each other. At the end of the circle many of us are in tears, why? Because parents don't often say the words of gratitude and compassion to themselves. Hearing their children say the words to them even makes it so much stronger.
Self-care hardly feels like it is in the realm of possibility right now for parents.
I have a couple of suggestions to fix that!
When you put your children to bed lie down with them and do a meditation together. When my kids were little I used to play Swami Satchidananda's meditation and we would all listen together.
At bedtime say what you are grateful for in them and have them say what they are grateful for you back to you. This is a win-win because it trains them for later in life, to remember what they are grateful for in you.
Do a family mindful walk together, no phones allowed!!! Connect with nature, feel the sun and see the blossoming flowers.
Find a few moments after they've gone to sleep to take a warm bath, play some music, put some Epson salts in and some essential oils and relax. This could be something you look forward to all day.
Read a book, write in a journal or get lost in a TV series. I highly recommend “Little Fires Everywhere.” Not only is the story pull you in with many twists and turns, the acting is superb. In the end it's a beautiful story and commentary about what it means to be a mother.
I think we're all seeing that it is the simple things that bring us joy.
For now, I am finding great joy in going for walks in Central Parks and seeing the blossoming trees. I often meet my daughter at our favorite organic juice place on the Upper West Side of NYC. We get green juices together and walk in Riverside Park with our dogs. My daughter Kara and I planned even a beauty day where she did my nails and I did her hair. My other daughter Kayle posted a picture of walking her dog in the empty college campus of St. Michael’s College in Vermont where she lives. We are all living in the moment now, we don’t know what tomorrow will bring.
Keep it simple, don't sweat the small stuff, be grateful when you can feel your feelings even the bad ones.
Breathe, Move, Love
This week in the yoga class we focused on feeling our feelings and on love. We took a mindful walk to the beach, saw starfish, crabs, sunshine and a rainbow. We sent love out to the world we held the earth in our arms. We sent love from our hearts to every child on the earth. Next week we're going to a secret garden join me every Tuesday and Thursday live on Facebook and Instagram 10 AM to 10:30 Eastern Time.
Check out my new book for all the Star children out there bringing so much light into the world. "Good Evening Star Baby" is available on Amazon here.
