Monday Meditations for Black Maternal Health Week 2021

A daily meditation practice increases your capacity for a creative practice - which is what we’re all about here YOGAMOTIF.

During Black Maternal Health Week, April 11 - 17, 2021, I’m thinking about some tips that made meditation more accessible to me as a mother. My meditation practice is a life practice- the routines I do on the mat help manage life off the mat. So in addition to maintaining a less reactive presence as a mother (i.e. when my children booby-trap the living room with slime), this practice helps reduce my anxiety, lowers my stress, prepared me for birth, and helps manage the endlessly annoying tasks of running a home and raising these (just precious) children. 

Mediation support being fully present in the moment - an act that reduces stress and anxiety and increase a sense of calm. For me, motherhood invites endless worry about things that have already happened and things yet to come. Meditation grounds me into the presence, a trauma-sensitive practice that supports my ability to receive myself fully and reduce trauma responses.

If you’re thinking about adding meditation to your routine, here are few thoughts that have supported me to develop a daily practice. 

(1) Start with 1 minute of stillness

Meditation can feel inaccessible for mothers, parents, caregivers - people who are literally responsible for other peoples lives. It’s stressful. So when folks ask me how they can start a mediation practice my advice is always the same - start with 1 minute of stillness. It can be the minute you open your eyes in the morning, the minute you enter your car, the minute after you turn off the car, the minute after you brush your teeth, the minute after a meeting. Whatever it is, take that whole minute and give yourself uninterrupted stillness.

(2) Meditate anywhere

Although meditation can feel ideal in a sanctioned, pillow-room - know that it can happen anywhere. You can stand, sit, kneel, be inside, or be outside. Don’t let your physical location or the sounds around you be a barrier to where and when you’re able to meditate.

(3) Practice a movement meditation

There are many types of meditation including movement meditations. This includes movement through walking, running, dance or yoga - and extend to taking your kids to the zoo, nursing a baby, changing diapers, washing dishes, and sweeping the floor. I’m not trying to have us sound like Cinderella out here, but I’m naming what is - parenting involves a lot of activities with the kids and time spent cleaning. However you find yourself on this mothering and parenting journey, bring your full self to the experience and know that meditation can be accessed anywhere.

Here’s an example for a mediation for washing the dishes (as a person who hates washing the dishes)

Start by noticing your breath in, and noticing your breath out. How can you shift your body to be more comfortable right now? Continue to adjust your. body throughout this moment to invite more ease. Notice the sound of the water. What temperature is it? Should you change the temperature? Are there any bubbles? How does it feel on your skin. How is the water supporting you in this moment. Notice your breath, your body, and see how you might bring your full presence to this moment.

Note: This doesn’t mean we wash the dishes in a sloth-like manner, but it does mean that we bring our full awareness. We bring our full breath to this moment. We notice what is happening around us without judgement.

(4) Go at your own pace

Ideally, we want to meditate every day. But committing to mediation everyday can be hard at first. So instead, start whenever and as often as you want. This can be once a month, once a week, or whenever the mood strikes. Personally, I like to meditate whenever it comes to mind so I don’t feel like I’m adding another thing to my to do list. Meditate at your own pace until you find your personal rhythm for the practice.

(5) Invite ease

No matter how you begin or maintain your practice, do things with ease. It shouldn’t be work, it shouldn’t be forced, and it shouldn’t be hard. Make it a gift to yourself and something to look forward to. How can you make it more fun? If you have time, what sounds, smells, or tastes can make the moment more accessible for you? Allow this practice to fill you up and sustain you with joy. 

Whatever you decide, go slow, take breaks but don’t overthink it. Meditation isn’t about thinking, it’s about being. How can you be in this practice with ease?

About our work

YOGAMOTIF is a creative wellness studio that offers art and yoga classes to youth, pregnant people, and the community at large. Our work recognizes the Indian lineage of the 8-limbed path of Raja Yoga and we honor this work through self-study, accountability and fierce joy practices. We serve Black Mamas at our core and are honored to share space with the greater community through movement, laughter, and art.

Visit studio.YOGAMOTIF.com for livestream and on demand classes.