Heather Grace MacKenzie - Awakening Child: A Journey of Inner Transformation Through Teaching Your Child Mindfulness and Compassion

Heather Grace MacKenzies wonderful book invites parents and those working with children to engage in a journey of self-acceptance and self-compassion in order to create a more peaceful life, both for ourselves and for our children. We come to realise that the best way to learn something is to teach it. Her words reflect her deep understanding of the subject-matter and, as always, come from the heart.

Lorraine Murray, author of Calm Kids: Help Children Relax with Mindful Activities

The insightful advice included in your book is in high demand at the moment, and the addition of your own experiences with your sons and from your teaching that you use to support the advice makes it all the more powerful and convincing. This combination works well, and I am sure there is a large audience for a book such as yours on mindfulness, especially with regard to parenting, at present.

Claire Gillman, Book Report for Writers Workshop

First published by O-Books, 2016

O-Books is an imprint of John Hunt Publishing Ltd., Laurel House, Station Approach, Alresford, Hants, SO24 9JH, UK

www.johnhuntpublishing.com

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Text copyright: Heather Grace MacKenzie 2015

ISBN: 978 1 78535 408 3

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016931750

All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical articles or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publishers.

The rights of Heather Grace MacKenzie as author have been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Design: Stuart Davies

Printed and bound by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon, CR0 4YY, UK

We operate a distinctive and ethical publishing philosophy in all areas of our business, from our global network of authors to production and worldwide distribution.

My circle of allies: my children, stepchildren and my beloved, my departed loved ones (grandparents, parents), the Mindfulness Association (including, in particular, Rob Nairn, Heather Regan-Addis, Fay Adams and Choden), those whove lifted me and taught me to fly (Lorraine Murray, Amy Palko, Kathleen Prophet, Annu Tara, Peggy Dylan, Stephen Mulhearn, Oona McFarlane), my friends and those whove chosen to learn with me. In particular I would like to thank Rachael Young for her unfailing belief that this book would reach the bookshelves and find its way to the hearts of those who need it. Deepest gratitude to those who have provided ceaseless support, love, and held a desire to co-create a world thats a better place for our children.

The most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.

Thich Nhat Hanh

All parents know that parenting is the toughest job in the world were on duty twenty-four hours a day, looking after the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health of our child. It almost feels like a part of us is living outside of our body, and the unconditional love that we feel for our child can render us very vulnerable and potentially very fearful. We often feel like were getting this parenting thing horribly wrong and beat ourselves up for our parenting failures almost incessantly. We worry that we are failing to instil in our child the necessary skills to enable them to live happy and fulfilling lives. We can be riddled with self-doubt and what if? questions.

An argument could be made that the job of a school teacher or social worker comes a close second, in terms of the level of difficulty, to the job of being a parent! Whilst this book is predominantly written for parents, there is much within the following pages that will be very relevant for those working with children. So whether youre a parent, a teacher, social worker, counsellor or work with children in some other capacity, it is my sincere hope that this book will inspire and motivate you as well as give you some very practical ideas for bringing mindfulness into your relationship with your child or children that you work with, and for teaching children the power of mindfulness and visualisation.

There is a special place in life,

that needs my humble skill,

A certain job Im meant to do,

which no one else can fulfil.

The time will be demanding,

and the pay is not too good

And yet I wouldnt change it

for a moment even if I could.

There is a special place in life,

a goal I must attain,

A dream that I must follow,

because I wont be back again.

There is a mark that I must leave,

however small it seems to be,

A legacy of love for those

who follow after me.

There is a special place in life,

that only I may share,

A little path that bears my name,

awaiting me somewhere.

There is a hand that I must hold,

a word that I must say,

A smile that I must give

for there are tears to blow away.

There is a special place in life

that I was meant to fill

A sunny spot where flowers grow,

upon a windy hill.

Theres always a tomorrow

and the best is yet to be,

And somewhere in this world,

I know there is a place for me.

Anonymous

I watch him quietly, this little miracle of creation. Hes sleeping now; his boisterous energy has come to rest. The soft glow of the lamp illuminates his perfect alabaster skin and slightly flushed cheeks. Little freckles dot his cheeks and nose, his chest gently rises and falls and a small sigh escapes from his lips. Hes wearing his favourite light-blue farm-vehicle pyjamas; theyre mostly covered by his bed covers, but a little foot peeks out from beneath. As I reach out to touch his silky blonde hair, he stirs and moves his head to snuggle his cheek into my hand. A glimmer of a smile plays across his face as if he knows mummys here, and I know that on some level hes aware that Im close by. I witness each beautiful moment unfolding, aware of the flow of my own breath, feeling the cool air rush past the insides of my nostrils, the expansion of the chest, the stretching sensations in the muscles of the abdomen, the pause, the softening of the belly, the fall of the chest, the warmer air rushing past the insides of the nostrils on the out-breath. Im aware of the sensations of pressure and contact between the soles of my feet and the soft carpet fibres, and tiny adjustments that my muscles make to keep my body balanced. The faint awareness of my pulse, the beating of my heart, underlying each moment. Using all of my senses enables me to inhabit the moment as fully as I can.

Being Logans mother for the past six years has been one of the greatest gifts of my life, along with mothering his two older brothers, Connor (aged fifteen) and Ethan (aged thirteen). Each of my children shows me, in each moment that Im present, whether my communication is clear, whether they feel heard and therefore respected, and whether Im present to their needs and also my own. Meditation, and in particular the practice of mindfulness meditation, brings us to this place of presence, where it is possible to connect in each moment to a feeling of aliveness in every cell of the body, tapping into a deep ocean of stillness and wisdom within and a heartfelt sense of the common humanity that links us all. This doesnt mean that we are always in a zen state of complete equanimity far from it! But the possibility is always there, that in any moment of conflict we can choose a different path the path of present-moment awareness, which allows us to respond more skilfully to whats going on.