Weaving Mindfulness into Family Life

Mindful Practice

Find a time each day for everyone in the family to sit quietly for a few minutes. This can be done all together or separately.

Mindful Seeing – Beauty Alert

Be on the lookout for beauty. Notice the natural beauty all around us, a tree in bloom, the way the light shines in through the window, the glow of the moon. In my family whenever someone notices something beautiful we declare, “Beauty Alert!” and we beckon the rest of the family members to see the beautiful thing.

Mindful Eating

During family meal times try to take one mindful bite. Really get into that one bite of your meal. Notice the texture, the smell, the flavors, the way the flavors change as you chew. This is a great practice with a delicious dessert.

Body Scan

Before falling asleep, lie on your back and put your attention on each body part for one breath. Start with the toes and move up the legs, to the torso, to the chest, arms, hands, fingers, head. The body scan is a great thing to do if you have problems falling asleep.

I hope some of these ideas make their way to your families.