The Mindful Mother

The first of its kind, this book will show mothers-to-be how to create an authentic practice of mindfulness to prepare for pregnancy, labour, birth and the early parenting years.

Full of gems and aha moments using simple and helpful tools and practices to keep you connected to yourself while looking after your family' Nadia Narain, Head of Pregnancy Yoga, Triyoga, London 'This is a book I highly recommend to mothers and mothers-to-be. It is like an insightful friend who understands deeply what becoming and being a mother really means' Janet Balaskas, Founder of Active Birth Chunilal offers unparalleled support along with clear and simple meditation and self-development practices based on Buddhist and yogic philosophy to help cultivate a daily practice of mindfulness, which will enable you to be more present during pregnancy, birth and beyond. Having a child has the potential to awaken your heart and bring infinite joy, wonder and delight into your life. Yet when you become a mother, alongside immense delight and excitement, you may also feel a great deal of internal turmoil and confusion, as well as a change or lack of sense of identity. Organised into clear, thematic sections, this book can be dipped into for emergency inspiration or read from cover to cover. It explores common mothering dilemmas with honesty and integrity, helping you to keep both feet firmly on the ground. Issues include: adjusting to having minimal personal time and space, coping with in-laws, managing the balance between work and home, finding stimulation within an often tedious home routine, and dissolving doubts and comparisons with other seemingly happy families. Most of all, The Mindful Mother teaches you to understand your true nature, so your mind is working with you, rather than against you.Becoming a mother is a huge life change and sometimes a complete upheaval of all that is familiar. This is a book I highly recommend to mothers and mothers-to-be. It is like an insightful friend who understands deeply what becoming and being a mother really means; the joys and challenges, the journey of discovery through unchartered waters that every mother has before her at each stage of the journey through pregnancy birth and beyond. It is not a book that gives instructions or makes any assumptions; yet it is very informative, encouraging, and above all realistic, with wonderful guidance for making the inner transformation that enables us to grow into motherhood with wisdom, awareness, and love. Naomi Chunilal writes from the depth of her personal life journey. Her passion and perception blend in a guide that is truthful and inspiring. Every mother will recognize and find herself in this book.—Janet Balaskas, Founder of Active Birth
 
Naomi’s book is timely and much needed. It is inspiring and encouraging, realistic, and open hearted. She addresses the deep challenges and joys of mothering from a truly profound perspective and I am sure her book will be of huge benefit to any woman who ever pauses to think about just what it is we are trying to do when we mother our children. Thank you Naomi for your valuable gift to mothers everywhere.—Uma Dinsmore Thuli, Founder of Womb Yoga
 
This book is great! A book you will keep referring to help inspire a spiritual mindful practice in the day-to-day of motherhood. As I always say, labor is really the easiest part of becoming a mother. Naomi is HONEST and FUNNY, as she traverses the terrain of motherhood using mindfulness as her map. A book full of gems and aha moments using simple and helpful tools and practices to keep you connected to yourself while looking after your family.—Nadia Narain, Head of Pregnancy Yoga, Triyoga, London
 
An essential guide every woman will benefit from reading, as she moves on her journey through pregnancy and into motherhood. This book is full of helpful strategies for coping during difficult times with enlightening and inspiring words, so that you can fully embrace and make the most of your pregnancy. It will encourage and empower you to think about your new role as a mother in a unique, more mindful way, and the important part you play in the glorious process of creation as you bring new life into the world.—Tara Lee, leading pregnancy and postnatal teacher, The Life Centre, London, Registered senior teacher with the Yoga Alliance and author of Pregnancy Health Yoga: your essential guide to bump, birth and beyond, Pregnancy Yoga DVD, Elements of Yoga: Air and Wind Flow, Elements of Yoga: Earth Foundations DVDsNaomi Chunilal is a fully qualified professional yoga and meditation teacher and complementary therapist, with over twenty years of practice experience. As well as being the mother of two children, she teaches a wide range of classes and workshops, touching the lives of many hundreds of pregnant women and new mothers. She has appeared on BBC news, Sky news, Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, BBC World Service, ITV news and CNN news to discuss her previous role as a parliamentary campaigner for a major UK children’s charity and as a promoter of children’s universal human rights. Her other publications include: Reintegration: A Practical Guide for Schools (The Children’s Society, 2000), Examining School Exclusions and The Race Factor (The Runnymede Trust, 1999) and Immigration Act: Support for Children and Families (Children & Society, 1999).