The Mindful Mother: A Practical and Spiritual Guide to Enjoying Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond with Mindfulness

The first of its kind, this book will show mothers-to-be how to create an authentic practice of mindfulness to prepare for pregnancy, labor, 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.

Naomi 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).