Tag: canadian made

Danielle Chassin Mama Mala Thief and Bandit

Motherhood is Magic: Yoga, Meditation and Mindfulness

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Danielle Chassin Mama Mala Thief and Bandit

Motherhood is magic. It really is. It’s also really hard, most of the time. But those moments of magic remind us of how special motherhood is, of how fortunate we are to share our lives with children. In my view children are the best teachers, showing us the everyday magic around and within us. They show us how to forgive and forget quickly. They show us how fascinating life is. How special a flower petal is or how inspiring a stick is. They show us how we can live life full to the brim with curiosity and joy. Children are magical beings, full of wonder and belief. 

mama mala meditation

In reality, all this magic I’ve described, the things I’m calling magic are the simplicity and yet deep complexity of the natural world and human perspective – which we are too often closed to. Magic, essentially is about bending reality against the normally understood rules of the universe. With magic, things do not go as planned, our expectations are challenged. I suppose this is the magic of motherhood: things do not go as planned. But when we open our perspective to the beauty and potential of the unknown, the unplanned, to the awe of the moment and the complexity of life, we are opening ourselves to everyday magic. We’re encountering reality with a fresh perspective, one that does not repeat stereotypes and closed perspectives. With magic things appear very simple and yet are actually very complex. This is the same as nature. Nature, its scale, diversity and complexity are truly mind-blowing, and yet nature appears to be the simplest of things. We can find the magic of nature in ourselves and around us, with the help of a child’s perspective.

As mothers and primary caregivers we are fortunate to be part of that magical world children see, spin and invite us into. A large part of this magic comes from living present in the moment, opening our perspective to something new, rather than applying existing expectations to a situation. Children are expert at being here now. Opening themselves up to all the opportunity and wonder available in front of them and inside of themselves.

I was asked to share a yoga, meditation or mindfulness practice as part of the Motherhood is Magic week, and I couldn’t think of better inspiration than children. Below you’ll find easy instructions for a simple meditation you can do alone or with children.

 

 

Motherhood Is Magic Graphic

My friend Heather, from Mama Malas, has organized a week long challenge celebrating presence and intention in motherhood through yoga, meditation and mindfulness. Starting this past Monday, a simple challenge is shared by one of the hosts each day, a yoga pose, a meditation or mindfulness exercise to help mothers. Although Monday has passed, it is not to late to join in! We know mothers are busy people, so join in when you can. Participants in the challenge who follow the hosts and sponsor accounts and share a photo on Instagram will be eligible to win prizes. { update: winners were drawn and notified on March 14, 2016 }

Here’s how to participate:

  1. Find the hosts on Instagram and follow them to get notified of the daily challenge: Hosts are: @coldcupoftea, @ameliakyoga, @hippieindisguise, @mamamalas, and @namastetiff.
  2. Find the sponsors on Instagram and follow them to be eligible for prizes!
    1. @BYogaNow is a Canadian yoga mats, accessories and apparel line that is eco friendly! B Yoga Now is offering a B YOGA Mama Pack, a B Mat Strong (6mm) – extra cushioning and thickness for Mama’s comfort, and 2 B Blocks- for support and modifications for Mama, plus a surprise Pre-release B Yoga Product
    2. @kanthabae is an American textile inspired brand making gorgeous handmade designs for women and babies. Kanthabae is offering a stunning RingSling
    3. @thelovemoreshop is an American shop selling products inspired by love, encouraging others to love more. They share the profits with couples to help them nurture their relationship by sponsoring date nights. The Love More Shop is offering a Gift Certificate
    4. @mamamalas  is a Canadian company making mindfulness jewellery. Mama malas is offering a mala of the winner’s choice
  3. Repost the challenge image (see above) on your Instagram account OR tag a few friends on the Instagram image and ask them to join you, link to the image here
  4. Post a photo of you on Instagram completing any (or all!) of the daily challenges and tag #MotherhoodIsMagic and the hosts and sponsors

Join in as often as you can!

So, here’s my challenge to you: 

I have found profound benefits through meditation and mindfulness practice, especially since having children. I like meditation because you can put just a little time in a get a lot of benefit out of it. At first, I was thinking of sharing a meditation practice that I do with my children, that is relatively simple and enjoyable, but I was really inspired by the simplicity of the challenges shared by Amanda (a mindful walk) and Amelia (savasana/corpse pose) earlier this week, so I wanted to share something everyone could accomplish. Often, for the uninitiated yoga, meditation and mindfulness can seem complex. On top of this, mothers and primary caregivers usually don’t have a lot time or energy to spare, so I wanted to share something that anyone could fit into their day. (However, if you are craving a slightly more involved meditation with children, check out this post here, where I explain the Sa Ta Na Ma meditation I practice with my children and myself.)

Tea Meditation

My challenge to you is to find the magic in a moment, an ordinary moment, by bringing your full attention to it, by connecting to the present. This means focusing on now. Be here now. Be where you are now. Be here in space and time. Leave out thoughts of things to do later today or tomorrow. Leave our regret of things past. Just be in the moment. Do this alone or with your children. Try to spend 5 minutes just living now, only now. As I said above, children are very good at this so don’t hesitate to include them.

If you haven’t done this sort of mental exercise before you may find it challenging. Your mind will wander forward and backward in time. Your mind may be drawn to check your phone, to pay a bill or to compose a grocery list. You might imagine yourself in a different room or outdoors. When it wanders just gently bring your focus back to the present. It will really help if you have something to easily focus on in the present.

Making yourself a warm cup of tea before you start will help. Start your five minutes with your hands gently hugging the mug, feel the heat, the sensation will keep you in the present moment. Feel your skin against the mug, feel the gentle vibration between your hands and the mug. Observe the smell, observe the steam. If you find your mind wandering hug the mug with your hands, remind yourself to be here now, be present. (If you don’t like tea, substitute another drink, if you like cold drinks that works too). It may help you to gently, slowly repeat the mantra “be here now” aloud or in your mind.

This meditation encourages mindful presence and connection to the moment. Children really enjoy this, so feel free to include them in it, with their own cup of (luke warm) tea. And, of course, you can choose something else to focus on, tea is just an example, but a tasty one!

Mama Mala with lavender tea
I hope you enjoy this challenge and find a way to practice it not just today, but everyday. Five minutes of pure presence will be greatly beneficial to your mental energy and your feeling of inner calm. This sort of active meditation can help reduce stress and anxiety and encourage compassion, patience and understanding. Enjoy!

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Long time readers of this blog might remember that I’ve interviewed a few of the mothers hosting this challenge. If you’d like to know more about @Namastetiff read an interview with Tiff here “Empowering Motherhood” (and see some stunning photos!), @mamamalas read an interview with Heather “Malas and Human Connection” here, @coldcupoftea (and @thelovemoreshop owner) read an interview with Amanda about the Love More Stories here.

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Love Your Mother in Luv Mother

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“We wanted a name to represent more than just the collections we put out, something that truly defined the spirit, integrity and intention behind the brand. The two words ‘love’ and ‘mother’ are packed with positive meaning and we tip our hats to all moms, mother earth, the mother of invention and the idea that with a little luv anything you put your mind to is possible.”

Kevin, Co-Founder and Creative Director, Luv Mother

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We were fortunate to receive samples from a new Canadian brand, Luv Mother, just before our trip to the United States, where we travelled to big cities, small towns, a peninsula, an island and beaches. I know, from my husband’s experience that merino wool is a very versatile and a durable material for clothing, and that it also transitions well from cold to warm weather. So I was excited to test it out with the kids, especially for our beach days when the warm sun would give way to cool windy evenings on the beach, best enjoyed with a bonfire, s’mores and good friends.

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Luv Mother makes merino clothing for children. My husband, Matt, has worn merino almost exclusively for his tops for the last decade. Having read about the durability of merino wool, and some of the amazing stories of people wearing a single piece for 40 or more days straight without washing (or 100 days in a wool dress shirt), he was sold on their light environmental touch (imagine how much water and energy are saved when you can wear something 10, 20, 100 times before washing it!), which was only made better by the durability of wool. Add to all this, that being a natural fiber, wool is biodegradable once there is no life left in clothing, it gives new life by nourishing the soil.

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Luv Mother’s clothing is designed and sewn in Canada, and the merino is sourced from Australia and New Zealand. As many of you know, I am very particular about bringing animal products into our home. But I also consider the durability and environmental impacts of my purchases. This is why we opt to buy durable leather shoes over plastic or foam ones that may be kinder to some animals, but breakdown more quickly from use and yet ironically live on in landfill forever (plastics will eventually breakdown into plastic ‘dust’ but they don’t actually biodegrade), thereby harming many animals in the long run. Wool is another animal by-product that we include in our home, on occasion, when we can be assured that it is from an ethical source, where the sheep are free roaming, are treated well, are not mulesed, and are from farms that are monitored and certified to treat their animals according to animal welfare principles (RSPCA and the New Zealand Animal Welfare Act). Fortunately Luv Mother is a company that sources exclusively from ethical producers.

It makes sense, then, that Luv Mother’s tag line is “sourced in earnest.” For them this phrase is all about being conscious about every decision they make. And they really do follow through on this, every aspect of sourcing and producing their clothing is done sustainably and ethically. For example, Luv Mother: has carbon neutral shipping (they purchase carbon offsets/credits for the emissions resulting from shipping their clothing); all paper products and hangtags are printed on FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified paper; working with their clothing factory to reuse and upcycle fabric scraps through creative partnerships.

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In addition to the sustainability and great usability of the clothing, I love how “packable” their merino clothing is. The clothing is  very lightweight and easily packed into my minimalist travel bag (an oversized purse from Nena & Co). What little wrinkling occurred while the clothing was in the bag fell out quickly as the children wore it. Great, because fussy clothing is banned while on travel! (Merino is machine washable and can tumble dry on low, but really it dries so fast it’s easy to air dry it and save some carbon emissions). Oh and did I mention the merino is soft? The kids didn’t complain of itching at all. Win-win-win-win.

The merino proved itself to be an exceptional fibre. But, then again, nature doesn’t often get this stuff wrong. Thousands of years of evolution has led to smart hairs growing on sheep. They are able to keep you warm when you need it, but keep you cool when the sun is out. We used the tops to transition from afternoon to evenings at the beaches, on windy ferry rides, and even an impromptu dip in the ocean — I forgot Sen’s swim suit on one occasion, so he went in with his merino top on. I would have let him swim naked, but he was too quick to run into the waves. I was delighted to find that his top had completely air dried within about 30 minutes, his cotton pants, on the other hand, were still soaked hours later. It was a good lesson for me: on those occasions when the kids might get sweaty or wet, dress them in wool!  While I didn’t know it at the time, I’ve since learned that wool is also considered a firesafe fabric and is self-extinguishing, it won’t melt or stick to your skin. Winning!

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All in all, we loved the clothing and found the brand name quite apt. The children played in  the sand and sea, climbed rocks and dunes, enjoyed the wind on a blustery ferry ride, enjoying the elements mother earth offered them in this part of the world. While their spirited childhood hearts would have fueled the fun and enjoyment no matter what, I’m pretty sure comfortable clothing helped them extend their fun a little longer.

Clothing details: Ro wears top and skirt from Luv Mother; Sen wears top from Luv Mother and organic cotton leggings from Mabo; best, most durable and stylish sandals around Salt Waters from Mini Mioche.

Find Luv Mother on Instagram @luvmthr

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Have you subscribed to the Global Guardian Project yet? These are monthly learning capsules for children and their families to learn about global stewardship. Each month features a different country’s wild life, landscape and challenges, and includes art projects, activites, meditation, recipes and more! Use my discount code:HIPPIEINDISGUISE for 10% off and read more about it here.