Friday

Practicing with a Newborn

By Rebekka Henriksen

Surrendering to things as they are is one of our central aspirations as meditators on the path of awakening. Yet we often insist on clinging to our many agendas, resisting what is and creating suffering for ourselves and others.

The birth of a child brings such an intense level of daily chaos and unpredictability that, inevitably, our many agendas must be dropped in favor of simply being in the present moment if we want to survive the first few months. As Shambhalians of course, rather than simply surviving the experience of parenthood, we aspire to fully experience this fleeting period with joy, sanity and compassion, holding the view of our own basic goodness and the basic goodness of our beautiful baby.

Yet, in the groundlessness of the first few months, it is easy to try and flee our experience, mentally removing ourselves from our child. And of course, formal meditation practice is extremely difficult if not impossible during the first months of infancy as baby adjusts to being in the world and in his body, an adjustment that requires constant attention and care from the parents. Continue…