Yogic Motherhood Through Conscious Parenting
The mother is every being’s first teacher.
Once a child is born, the mother is also born. The woman has always existed along with whatever identities she has chosen for herself. But the mother- the mother could not exist until the baby exists. For the first three years of life, the aura of the mother and the baby are intertwined. The baby’s happiness is directly dependent on the mother’s happiness.
This is why the energy in the immediate environment of mother is so important- it sets the tone for the baby’s energetic imprint. A mother who is constantly living in fear, lacking roots, or feeling unloved will unintentionally pass this same energy to her baby. But recognizing when it’s time to seperate the child from ourselves is a key part of parenting. Children might come through us, be intertwined with us, but ultimately they are their own beings. This is why in essence, the foundation of yogic motherhood is conscious parenting.
Conscious parenting is simply being aware that traditional parenting paradigms, where the parent considers themselves greater than the child, simply produce dysfunction and disconnection in families. Instead, parents focus on creating a new model of parenting where child and parent are equal, both focused on a path of growth and increased consciousness. Parents view their children’s “bad” behaviour as a reflection of the parts of themselves that still need to mature, develop and grow. The focus is always on the parent’s awareness rather than externalized through the child’s behaviour.
The way to let go of old parenting paradigms is to recognize that unconsciously we parent how we were parented, egotistically- through control, demands and conditioning. Yogic motherhood acknowledges that to truly connect with a child, we must put aside any sense of superiority or power, which stems from our ego.
When we are caught up in our ego, we are unable to be present for our children and show up for them in the way that they need us to. Daily mindfulness practice helps to keep us aware, conscious and mindful to the way we parent. Only through a state of heightened awareness are we able to identify the difference between a reactive state of ego, versus the calm state of our true self.
