For example, if it’s your shower, really focus on the feeling of the water on your skin, think about the temperature, notice the pressure, appreciate the smells and texture of the soap, tune into the sound the water makes and the sight of the soap as it lathers. You may be reading this still pregnant, wondering (if this is your first baby) how you will think and feel as a new mother. If this is your second, third, fourth or fifth baby, you may still be questioning your abilities to cope with life as a mother to another child and how you will still find time for your other children. You may have just had your baby, and finding this blog because you are looking for ways to cope as a new mother. You may be looking for a way to simply live with greater ease as a new mother; learning and transforming one moment at a time. Children are our best mindfulness teachers as they are naturally mindful and observe their surroundings as if for the first time every day. Encouraging a mindfulness practice from a young age helps them to access an inner calm and the ability to understand when the mind and body are relaxed. It helps to develop key skills such as concentration, discipline and focus. Detach/Disconnect - from the outside world or social media if it makes you compare or become anxious. Also family members who make you feel this way too!

How we breathe tells our body and brain how we feel. Taking a few minutes each day to do some focused breathing is one of the most helpful things you can fit into your day. Firstly, notice how you breathe during the day and try and get into the habit of breathing in through your nose rather than in through your mouth. Then choose a time in the day to do some belly breathing: take a big deep breath in through the nose and feel your belly rise, then out through the mouth and feel your belly fall. A Sensory Activity Compromise - this does not mean giving up or giving in! It means finding your middle-ground and where you can accept life as it is. What good will it do to fight it? How will using your energy fighting it make you feel about yourself and others? What can you do to find compromise? Mindfulness can help us deal with issues more productively. We can ask: "Is trying to solve this by brooding about it helpful, or am I just getting caught up in my thoughts?" This isn’t about changing anything or slowing down the breath; it is simply teaching them to notice and observe their breath and hopefully begin to connect with it. While breathing ponder what you would like to cultivate in your day, express gratitude for the good things in your life, and tune into your bodily sensations.

Mindfulness-based therapies are recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as a way to treat less severe depression. But, if you practise and practise and practise... that's what you need to do with mindfulness, it does take practise. So you practise your tennis and the tennis ball is still going to be coming at you at what seems like a hundred miles an hour - it's like life coming at you - but once you've been practising for a while you start to recognise patterns. You think, ‘Oh, I've seen this kind of play before, I know where this is going.’ That little tiny sliver of space begins to open up for you, in which you can choose how to respond rather than simply react to it.” Listening and being more present in the moment is a fantastic way to become attuned to your child and deepen your relationship. Try to focus on your child’s non-verbal cues to determine how they are feeling.

Studies show that mindfulness can help with stress, anxiety and depression. More research is needed to show whether it helps with other mental health conditions. I wrote “Mindfulness for Mums” to share short, simple and effective mindfulness tips that can be introduced into your day to help you find the calm in the chaos of motherhood.It's easy to stop noticing the world around us. It's also easy to lose touch with the way our bodies are feeling and to end up living "in our heads" – caught up in our thoughts without stopping to notice how those thoughts are driving our emotions and behaviour. What advice would you give to parents beginning a mindfulness practice for themselves or their children? When I walk to the washroom, I slow my pace, notice my legs moving me forward and become present with each movement.

The way we respond and express emotion influences the way our children handle emotions. Being a strong role model is one of the qualities of a good motherand can significantly impact your child’s life.For many of us we judge ourselves, we blame ourselves, we can belittle ourselves without even really recognising it,” says Sian. Journaling is an activity done in the present and allows you to clarify your thoughts and ideas. This 6 minutes diary is a simple and effective way to increase mindfulness, happiness and productivity. Notice any feelings and emotions as they arise. Can you let these come and go without pushing away those that you don’t like, or jumping on to those that you do like? Include everything within your awareness with a kindly perspective. Days, weeks and months can even go by before you realize that you haven’t spent ANY time doing ANYTHING you love.

Being mindful during bath time simply requires you to tune into your senses. It is a lovely time to learn from your own baby as they naturally do this… they splash, roll over, pop bubbles and enjoy the water without a care in the world! One of the keys to experiencing more meaning and happiness in your life is to set an intention. Setting an intention is easy and only takes a moment. Instead of starting on autopilot, living intentionally gives you a goal to strive for during the day. Pausing before responding allows you to respond consciously rather than unconsciously. Considering how you feel versus how you will respond will enable you to think through the options.Remember: ‘what you dwell on you can become’. By dwelling on the enjoyable aspects of life; learning to appreciate them and giving them your full attention, day by day, you can begin habitually to help overcome that feeling of merely existing on a treadmill. Studieshave shown that mindfulness can positively impact children’smental health, wellbeing, mood, self‐esteem, self‐regulation, positive behaviour, and academic learning. You can guide your children to be more mindful by asking them questions and asking them to focus on their senses. Mindfulness for moms is an evidence-based method for being a more patient, kind and loving mom.When you are a busy mom, staying calm in the chaos can be challenging.