Mindful Mothers' Groups
Mindful Mothering Group
The Practice of living meditation is not to run away or disregard the distractions but to use these distractions themselves as our focus to practice mindfulness.
Mindful parenting is the practice of embodying wholeness, of being fully present with our children at any given moment such that our hearts may be a little more open and our minds a little clearer. To parent in this way means that we strive to be conscious of our children as separate beings. In seeing them as separate, we can be more deeply connected. Parenting mindfully is hard work. It requires a kind of discipline that helps free us from our habitual reactivity, and creates the space for us to respond in a more thoughtful and conscious manner. With this practice we can notice our own contractions, our fears, and our projections, and can choose to respond in more skillful ways.
While at times we can feel like our children are a distraction from our spiritual practice, we can also see children as our spiritual teachers. If we allow our attention to be fully present, with our children, we can dramatically deepen our connection to them and to ourselves.
This MIndful Mothering Group is for mothers of babies between 5 and 24 months. The group creates a play-space within which mothers can explore the path of mindful mothering, through moment-to-moment awareness. In holding the intention to be fully present to our little ones, while simultaneously being present with ourselves, we may experience a shifting sense of togetherness and separateness, as our awareness moves back and forth between who and what is in the foreground at any given moment. If we allow this fluid process to occur, without clinging or avoiding, we can experience greater calm and less suffering.
Bringing mindfulness to infant-parent attachment and the transition to motherhood
Come join other new mothers and their pre-crawling infants in a supportive meditation/discussion/support group aimed at reducing stress, securing self-confidence, and strengthening your emotional connection to your infant and partner. We will practice mindfulness skills, no prior experience necessary, talk about infant-parent attachment, and other topics related to early mothering. Group meets for 8 weeks and cost $280.
Here is what other mothers are saying about this group:
" I really enjoyed this group! I always felt like the group was a very safe and warm place to share experiences without any judgment."
"Your facilitation was thoughtful and helpful without being intrusive."
"I really like the way you helped us all to remember to be kind to ourselves in this time of growth and change. I also loved the way our mindfulness practice often calmed the babies."
"This practice helped me learn conscious techniques for calming my baby and even helping her to sleep."
“I thought the meetings were wonderful. The atmosphere was so comfortable and warm and I truly felt like I could share anything. I never worried about feeling judged or compared to other mothers.”
Mindfulness Focused - 2nd Time Moms’ Group
Similar to the Mindfulness-Based New Moms’ Group the 2nd-Time Moms’ Groups are a combination of meditation/discussion/support group geared towards mothers of babies up to 6 months of age, who have one or more older children. These groups meet for 8 weeks and provide an opportunity for moms to talk about the joys and challenges of integrating your newborn into your family and balancing the care needs of your children, yourself, and your partner. We will practice mindfulness skills, build community, and discuss topics relevant to Mindful Mothering. Sample topics might include: balancing the needs of two or more children, helping older child in the transition to becoming an older sister/brother, attending to your relationship, and staying “present” in the midst of the chaos. While these groups are only able to accommodate moms with newborns these groups tend to meet in the mornings when older siblings may be in school or with another care provider.
Gina Hassan, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist,
and mother, with over 20 years experience working with
pregnant and postpartum women
For an evaluation or information about the Mindful Mothering Group call Gina Hassan PhD (PSY13473) at 510.644.1097 or ghassanphd@aol.com