Mindfulness Meditation for Parents: A Year in the Life of Children

Teacher(s):	LISA KRING AND PALOMA CAIN TEACHER BIO Lisa Kring and Paloma Cain Lisa Kring is a licensed clinical social worker, with a experience in child and family therapy and family court mediation. Through her studies with Dan Siegel, M.D., she began practicing mindfulness with the Mindful Awareness Research Center over six years ago, and later began the MBSR certification process with Bob Stahl and Jon Kabat-Zinn. She also leads ongoing mindfulness groups with cancer patients at the SIMMS/MANN Center for Integrative Oncology at UCLA. Lisa recognizes Trudy Goodman and Christiane Wolf as guiding teachers and mentors, and is deeply grateful to be a part of the Insight LA community. Paloma Cain's approach in teaching is to be a friend on the path. She brings with her a lifelong appreciation for the synthesis of daily life and spiritual practice. Her studies in Tibetan Buddhism, Insight Meditation, clinical and depth psychology, and the visual arts influence her strongly. Parenting informs and inspires her work and she blogs about mindful parenting on InsightLA's website. Paloma has studied closely with Tsultrim Allione, Trudy Goodman and Alan Wallace, and attended many retreats with Tibetan teachers. She has been walking this path since 1997 and teaching at InsightLA since 2009. She was formerly the director of Tara Mandala Retreat Center and currently teaches mindfulness to clinical staff in hospitals and shelters.
Date(s):	September 15 (Saturday) - June 15 (Saturday)
Time:	3:00pm - 6:00pm
Description:	Participants will focus on developing a committed practice over the course of a year, with the intention of using this cultivated mindful awareness in a family context. Each session will include meditation practice, instruction, and group support/discussion, incorporating a specific theme each month, such as managing strong emotions, stress reduction, mindful communication, cultivating joy, etc. Parents of children of all ages welcome. Mindfulness means becoming more in touch with our life as it is unfolding. Parenting through mindfulness has the potential to penetrate past surface appearances and behaviors, allowing us to see our children as they truly are, moment to moment. Old patterns, that usually stem from wounds from our own experiences as children, often mindlessly rule our behavior as parents. To be mindful with our children, and to gain insight into these old patterns, we must first learn to be in the moment, as we are. This class will involve specific guided mindful meditations, education and sharing, making the space for increased wisdom, connection, compassion, insight and joy that can emerge through the experience of mindful parenting. EXCERPT FROM "EVERYDAY BLESSINGS" By Myla Kabat-Zinn and Jon Kabat-Zinn: The greatest gift you can give your child is your self. This means that part of your work as a parent is to keep growing in self-knowledge and in awareness. We have to be grounded in the present moment to share what is deepest and best in ourselves. This is ongoing work, but it can be furthered by making a time for quiet contemplation in whatever ways feel comfortable to us. We only have right now. Let us use it to its best advantage, for our children's sake, and for our own. This class will meet monthly, on the following dates: 9/15 10/20 11/17 12/15 1/19 2/16 3/16 4/20 5/18 6/15 If you would like to pay for the course in installments, or wish to inquire about reducing the fee through a limited number of work exchange opportunities, please email programs@insightla.org. To purchase a copy of "Everyday Blessings", please click on the image below, which will take you to a page on Amazon.com. (Your purchase supports InsightLA.)
Location:	InsightLA Olympic 1430 Olympic Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90404
Directions:	See Map
Contact the teacher	Contact by email (expect responses Monday - Friday, only)
Level:	All Levels
Cost:	$500
Enrollment Limit:	30 \| There are still openings for this class.
Items to Bring:	Wear comfortable clothes, and bring a blanket and socks if you are sensitive to the cold.
Contact Information:	Email us at programs@insightla.org.