A young girl starts her day with a practice of mindfulness. As she moves through her morning, she experiences moments that allow her to pause, place her hand on her heart, while paying attention to her breath and how she is feeling. Wake up with loving attention. Pause, place your hand on your heart, breathe in and out. Wake up to mindfulness and start each day with a grateful heart. May you be peaceful. May you be happy. May your day be filled with lovingkindness! About the Author: Lizelle Marpa Tucci, a mother of three young boys, lives north of Toronto. She has been a health care educator for over fifteen years and a dedicated lifelong learner. She started her doctorate of distance education with Athabasca University and felt overwhelmed with her studies, work, and family life. She discovered the stress-reducing benefits of mindfulness and mindfulness meditation, reminding her to pause and take a breath! Lizelle meditates with her sons daily and has noticed how this has reduced their anxiety. She has found that a regular practice has allowed her to pause, opening the floor to heartfelt conversations with her sons that have improved their resiliency and overall well-being. She hopes that this book will help parents experience the benefits of mindfulness and mindfulness meditation with their child. Trust that the practice of placing your hand on your heart releases oxytocin, which promotes feelings of love and well-being! Author Q&A: 1. What inspired you to write this book? The study and practice of mindfulness and meditation has made a positive impact on my professional and personal life. With the busyness of life, learning to pause and pay attention to my feelings has allowed me to appreciate all that is good and be gentle with feelings of confusion or negativity. Learning this has encouraged me to share this practice with my children. Observing my sons’ decreased levels of anxiety inspired me to write a children’s book to share with anyone who is curious about how mindfulness can be practiced with children. 2. Why did you decide to publish? As a health care practitioner, educator, and researcher, I was skeptical of the effectiveness of meditation. Through my study and practice of mindfulness meditation, I began to understand the importance of pausing and being present- an awareness that I feel would have benefited me as a child. I wanted to publish a children’s book to give parents and caregivers the opportunity to not only experience a practice of mindfulness themselves but also to teach children about mindfulness. 3. What do you hope readers will get from reading your book? I hope readers will enjoy a practice of mindfulness with their child and feel the benefits of taking the time to pause, breathe, and be present. I hope they begin to trust that the practice of placing a hand on their heart releases oxytocin, promoting feelings of love and well-being! Three-Minute Breathing Space A Daily Mindfulness Practice with my Children At the end of the day before bed we lie down together, get comfortable, and practice a Three-Minute Breathing Space meditation. The breathing space offers a way to calm down and reconnect with each other and the present moment. I will be honest- some nights are more hectic than others but as long as we end our day together, all is good! 1 . A W A R E N E S S We pause. We bring ourselves into the present moment by closing our eyes. I then ask them to pay attention to their thoughts, and how they feel. 2 . G A T H E R I N G We place our hands on our hearts. I then redirect attention to breathing, to each in breath and to each out breath - one after the other. Paying attention to our breath functions as an anchor bringing us into the present moment and helps us tune into a state of awareness and stillness. 3 . E X P A N D I N G As we breathe in and out, paying attention to our body and how we feel, we begin to expand our field of awareness. The breathing space provides a way to step out of automatic pilot mode and reconnect with the present moment. At the end we repeat together - I am happy, I am healthy, I am here. |