I'm Joanna, mother of Stevie, born at the end of October 2014. I'm the mama behind Colorado Mindful Mama. Or maybe I should say I aspire to be her.
I started this blog to help me stay on a mindful path in spite of being a mother. More precisely, I want to be present for all of the moments of motherhood—for the challenging times when I am up every two hours like the last two nights and for the sweet ones like when Stevie gives me a huge toothless smile while breastfeeding.
My husband and I started our mindfulness and meditation journey four years ago at an Intro to Meditation retreat at the Himalayan Institute. Learning to meditate was my vehicle for becoming more present in my daily life—essentially practicing mindfulness.
Since that weekend retreat, I have meditated most days. This has surprised me because I'm exceptionally good at starting things. I'm not nearly as good at sticking with things I've started. I tend to dabble. But, with meditation and mindfulness, I am learning to accept myself and my life as it is. This practice has helped me to realize I have a choice each moment about how I'm going to respond to what shows up in my life. I do not have to follow old patterns and “jump down the rabbit hole” with a knee-jerk response that I have had so many times before. If I'm present, I have a chance to shift my response. I have a chance to change. They say it's a sign of insanity to do the same thing and expect a different outcome. Mindfulness and meditation are my way of seeking a better outcome in my life.
I find I tend to be a bit of a crab when I don't get my daily self-care time to stretch, do some yoga, and sit (meditate.) This is especially the case now that I'm living on less sleep than I could have ever imagined. I have always loved my sleep. I still do—I just don't get much.
I digress. This blog is a space where I will share my attempt at living mindfully now that I have joined the sisterhood called motherhood. I hope to offer truth, insights I make, some humor, and ultimately I hope it will help me to stay on this path that has been so life-changing for me.
I hope you will join me on this journey of discovery, whether you are a parent or not. If the last few months are any indication of how the future will be, this ride will be full of ups and downs with a good deal of absurdity mixed in. In other words, it will be humbling.
Blessings,
Joanna
P.S. If you are a local Colorado Springs area parent, check out the Mindful Parenting Meetup group I started. www.meetup.com/COSMindfulParenting/
I started this blog to help me stay on a mindful path in spite of being a mother. More precisely, I want to be present for all of the moments of motherhood—for the challenging times when I am up every two hours like the last two nights and for the sweet ones like when Stevie gives me a huge toothless smile while breastfeeding.
My husband and I started our mindfulness and meditation journey four years ago at an Intro to Meditation retreat at the Himalayan Institute. Learning to meditate was my vehicle for becoming more present in my daily life—essentially practicing mindfulness.
Since that weekend retreat, I have meditated most days. This has surprised me because I'm exceptionally good at starting things. I'm not nearly as good at sticking with things I've started. I tend to dabble. But, with meditation and mindfulness, I am learning to accept myself and my life as it is. This practice has helped me to realize I have a choice each moment about how I'm going to respond to what shows up in my life. I do not have to follow old patterns and “jump down the rabbit hole” with a knee-jerk response that I have had so many times before. If I'm present, I have a chance to shift my response. I have a chance to change. They say it's a sign of insanity to do the same thing and expect a different outcome. Mindfulness and meditation are my way of seeking a better outcome in my life.
I find I tend to be a bit of a crab when I don't get my daily self-care time to stretch, do some yoga, and sit (meditate.) This is especially the case now that I'm living on less sleep than I could have ever imagined. I have always loved my sleep. I still do—I just don't get much.
I digress. This blog is a space where I will share my attempt at living mindfully now that I have joined the sisterhood called motherhood. I hope to offer truth, insights I make, some humor, and ultimately I hope it will help me to stay on this path that has been so life-changing for me.
I hope you will join me on this journey of discovery, whether you are a parent or not. If the last few months are any indication of how the future will be, this ride will be full of ups and downs with a good deal of absurdity mixed in. In other words, it will be humbling.
Blessings,
Joanna
P.S. If you are a local Colorado Springs area parent, check out the Mindful Parenting Meetup group I started. www.meetup.com/COSMindfulParenting/
