The most significant lesson I have learned about meditation as a parent is not to divide my parenting and my practice.

If I pit the two against each other, instinct will make sure that my parenting wins, and I will loose my practice and all the benefits it gives me and my family.

However, our parenting and our practice needn’t be in conflict. In fact, it can be incredibly beneficial to our children for them to witness us engaging in our meditation practice. But how do we do it?

The key is to watch out for any inner divisions. “I’m practising now”, or subtle tendencies to think of our kids as a “distraction”. If we take a welcoming attitude to our experience, and to our children when they approach us, then there need be no division.