A group of 10 parents (7 mothers, 3 fathers) participated in the first Mindful Parenting Program organized at Samadhi Vihara from 22nd to 24th of March 2014. This program is a collaborative effort between KL Buddhist Mental Health Association (BMHA) and Aloka Foundation. It aims to provide support for parents and advocate mindfulness in parenting children. The designed program consists of themes of applying beginner’s mind and self-compassion in parenting process.
A total of 3 sessions were conducted with 2 – 3 hours each session. An
approach of group processing was adopted in order to provide space for parents
to share and discuss related concerns. The group was also exposed to learning
of mindful eating, body scan, progressive muscle relaxation and self-compassion
exercises. In the group process, the parents were encouraged to share and
discuss concerns in parenting. The group was guided to reflect and be aware of
their inner self by reviewing their own past upbringing experiences as well as
their relationship with their own parents. The group sharing was a dynamic
process and was deemed as an important factor to promote group growth. The
sharing from both fathers’ and mothers’ perspectives serves an extra advantage
for the parents to understand and empathize better with each other.
The group provided positive feedback on learning how to incorporate
mindfulness and self-compassion in parenting the children. The parents also
demonstrated enthusiasm to apply the learnt skills in their daily living. They
were encouraged to continue practicing the learnt concepts and to support each
other in future.
Being the facilitator, I am grateful to be given the opportunity to
conduct the first Mindful Parenting Program in Malaysia. I am also thankful to
be given such wonderful parents to work with as my first kick start. The
encouraging feedback and learning will serve a good platform for me to continue
promote this program to the community. I would also like to dedicate
appreciation to Dr. Phang Cheng Kar, Sis. Low Mi Yen, Sis. KC Chiang and Bro Pheh
Kai Shuen for the continuous support and trusts that enabling me to have the courage
to make the first step out. I look forward for more to come.
Prepared by,
LIU MOY YUB (MAY)
MINDFULGym Trainer, BMHA.
