Tips for Mom on Spiritual Routines

Our Mother’s Light: Tips for Mom on Spiritual Routines

Moms. I’m talking to you. But you’re not just a mom, are you? You’re a cook, a maid, a babysit- ter, a bookkeeper, a receptionist, a manager, a writer, a student, a healer, a servant, an initiate, a teacher, a leader, a spiritual activist, a revolutionary, etc. You fulfill a lot of roles and you don’t have a lot of time, right? Of course you don’t. 

I’m betting you’ve had times in your life where you have “fallen off the horse” in terms of fulfilling your spiritual responsibilities. For some reason everything else gets taken care of, but the one thing that you will sometimes allow to be cast aside is your own personal prayer, meditation, zemzem, or similar practice. 

As the old adage goes, “a woman’s work is never done” and as a personal observation, mothers in particular tend to put themselves last. So that is why we have compiled some advice on how to keep up with your spiritual practices. 

Let’s begin. 

ONE. RECLAIM YOUR SPIRITUAL IDENTITY 

Remember who you are, and more specifically, who you were before you had children. You were (and still are) a human being with a spirit who has to face the reality of death one day. After you had children you became the entire world to another human being and you lost sight of the original goal of your spiritual evolution. You must reclaim your goal of transcendence and cultivate the attitude of a warrior who will have to battle for that time in your day to purify your spirit. You are an initiate of the traditions and you cannot see failure as an option. Sound dramatic? What are you going to do when you die and you didn’t take care of your spirit? 

TWO. MAKE FRIENDS WITH DISCIPLINE 

Now that you have the right attitude, you need to begin habituating your routine with meditation. Not an easy feat. Most people can’t integrate new lifestyle changes into their routine without quitting. You will have to incorporate this into your daily life for many years before you are able to know the deeper benefits of meditation and therefore it will take discipline. From my experience, consistency in keeping up with my spiritual practices is the best thing I can do for my children. I have to be at my best to take care of my family, so I would not use the excuse that I have other chores to do first before accomplishing my meditations. Carve out a time in your day and stick to it on a daily basis. Choose either a morning time or an evening time. Just keep it up once a day until you get it ingrained. It may take you a while, that’s ok. At least you’re doing it once a day. When you can successfully keep to that routine, add a second slot into your routine. 

THREE. KEEP CALM WHEN LITTLE ONES INFILTRATE 

If your child/children throws a tantrum and you lose your focus or purity by getting frustrated, I would suggest you move away from your prayer space (scoot back from your designated space) and finish your spiritual practice anyway. This will serve to teach your little one that this is what you’re going to do despite the tantrums. If you give in and break your concentration one time, your child will think that crying will work every time to seize your attention. The calmer you are, the faster they will give up. A tantrum is not an emergency, and it is not a reason to leave your meditation to begin disciplining your child. Save the disciplines for later, this is not the time. 

FOUR. WORSHIP CORRECTLY (PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY) 

One thing you want to avoid is getting into the wrong habits and forgetting the original ways of practicing your meditation. As it turns out, our memory is not that good. Once you start making modifications in your technique, your brain will automatically reprogram itself to think your shortcut is actually the correct procedure, and you will begin to lose your pure technique. If for whatever reason you can’t use your hands (nursing your little one, perhaps) make sure you are still doing the correct technique mentally. This is very simple, very easy to do, and in preserving your memory of the techniques, it works. 

FIVE. FIND YOUR INNER PEACE

The nature of our spiritual practices is to achieve a harmony within and without. What does that mean? It means that honestly, there is no excuse for losing control of your emotions and actions. Whether you have a loud noise in the background distracting your focus (the husband is watching TV for example) or you can’t stop thinking of the tasks you need to complete, be calm and focus on your inner peace. You will notice your peaceful nature will permeate not only during your meditation but throughout your entire day. You will see over time your family has taught you more about self-control than you ever thought possible. Make a point to practice this aspect of your meditation, even in the face of your motherly duties, and you will be grateful that you did. 

SIX. TELL YOUR CHILDREN WHAT YOU’RE DOING 

Before I begin my spiritual practices, part of my routine is taking a shower. Before I go to the shower I tell my daughter, “I’m going to do zemzem.” When I say “zemzem” I mimic the hand movements I do while I’m sitting in my prayer position. She recognizes the movements. She tries to say the word “zemzem” and I help her pronounce it correctly. When I start to go to my prayer space she comes with me. She knows now what I am about to do, and she will spend her time doing a combination of hanging out in that area, and even trying to do some of the zemzem with me. Now when I come to my room at that time of day she prompts me by asking, “Mama, zemzem?” Try this out and see if your children get excited to know what to do next. Use whatever word you use to call your prayer practice and pair it with some of the physical movements your little one may see you doing. They might even learn how to do it by watching you every day. 

SEVEN. DO AS MUCH AS YOU CAN 

Regardless of if you can get through your daily prayers or not, I would recommend that each day you do some form of exercise which includes mantras, stretching, breathing, or clapping. There are so many benefits to doing this for mothers including improved focus and emotional stability. If, for whatever reason, you can’t accomplish a full session (your daughter locked herself in the bathroom perhaps?) compensate throughout the day by trying to understand an aspect of nature or spend time thinking about how you can improve yourself. These activities don’t necessarily require the rigidity of a full meditative session but are just as important to your mental and spiritual well-being.