When you meditate, you introduce far-reaching, long-lasting benefits into your life. You can lower stress and reactivity, improve focus, strengthen your connection to others, and quiet that constant brain chatter. So how do you actually do it?
I read books about mindfulness for a decade before I started practicing…a decade! Through that experience, I discovered that, lo and behold, application makes a far greater impact than reading. Just like reading about tennis won’t make you a better player, dear reader, you’ll get far more out of this if you actually practice mindfulness.
In this post, I’m sharing my favorite—and most practical—ways for busy parents to weave mindfulness into their days. Don’t worry, I’ve even got ideas if you have an infant or feel like you can’t sit still.
When to Slip In a Practice
The best time is the one you can actually keep. Here are some sweet pockets of the day that often work for parents:
Early morning quiet. Before the kids wake, even five minutes with your coffee counts.
During a baby’s nap or feeding. Nurse or bottle-feed mindfully, noticing the sensations and breath.
Carpool or sports practice waits. Stay in the parked car, set a timer, and breathe before heading inside.
After bedtime. Once the house settles, use those few minutes before scrolling to reconnect with yourself.
Mini breaks. Two conscious breaths while washing hands or waiting for a page to load are tiny meditations too.
Remember: consistency beats length. One minute every day is better than twenty minutes once a week.
Sitting Meditation
No need to contort your legs or hold your hands a certain way. Got a Lazy Boy? Go for it. As long as you can be comfortable and alert, it counts. Sitting meditation is simply bringing your attention back to the present moment with curiosity and kindness.
Find a spot and a time—maybe one of the pockets above—where you can be relatively undistracted.
Sit comfortably but stay awake.
Start small: three to five minutes is perfect for the first week.
Try a guided meditation at first; find some here on MindfulMamaMentor.com, the Insight Timer App, or the Plum Village App (both free)
Choose a neutral anchor—breath, the feeling of sitting, or sounds around you.
When your mind wanders (it will!), gently note it—“thinking,” “planning”—and return to your anchor.
Unclench your jaw and soften your belly.
A helpful phrase from Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village community: “Breathing in, Calm. Breathing out, Peace. Breathing in, Smile. Breathing out, Release.”
Calm, Peace Meditation
When my mind is especially busy, I use a simple phrase with my breath:
Breathing in, I calm my body. Breathing out, I feel peace.
Breathing in, I smile. Breathing out, I release.
Repeat as needed, shortening to “Calm, peace, smile, release” once it feels familiar.
The instant we bring attention to our senses, we’re in the present. A body scan is another wonderful way to practice mindfulness, inviting awareness from the crown of the head to the tips of the toes.
Aim for six days a week around the same time. Start small and reward yourself—your new steadiness will soon be reward enough.
Take action: Pick one of those daily pockets to begin a short meditation. Put it on your calendar and set a reminder. Or try out the Mindfulness For Parents Course here!