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Category Archives: Child
A Prayer For The Families In Newtown, Connecticut
My heart and prayers go out to all the families and loved ones that were victimized by the horrible tragedy in newtown, connecticut.
jennifer
A Time When The Future Can Be “Hope In The Moment” For Women At The Recovery House
By Jennifer Miller
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Greeted with open arms andTaken into their tribe.
Trust, yet so many new young
Women at the Recovery House.
I am here to give hope.
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One girl with a love for yoga is low;
I give her a gentle kiss on the cheek.
Inner thoughts: “we are one”.
Hard life of addiction.
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Glancing around at all the growing
Bellies with babies inside.
Talk of jail, probation, and the
Reality of where they have been.
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They must climb a mountain to
Gain their lives back.
Finding something special
In each girl’s practice.
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Connecting Mind, Body, and Spirit
Will be transformational.
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One girl can’t practice so
She sits in lotus, like a yogi.
Arms not moving as they hang
Alongside a stomach holding a new life.
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Kneeling down to bring my face near
Her face, so that we are heart to heart.
No words, just open hearts.
Click on book to purchase and benefit the Heart Based Healing Foundation.
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Our class and time together end as
Young children rush into mother’s arms.
I see the future.
Today they are clean.
HOPE in the moment.
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“Your primary purpose is now to enableconsciousness to flow into what you do.”
Eckhart Tolle, from “A New Earth: Awakening To Your Life’s Purpose”
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Namaste, Jennifer
Contact Jennifer Miller at yogagoddesslaguna@yahoo.com
Posted in Addiction, Asanas, Child, Daughters, Heart-Based Healing, Hope, Knowledge, Life, Mothers, Pain, Quotes, Trust, Wisdom, Women, Yoga
Tagged Addictions, Addicts, Jennifer Miller, Pregnant Women, Recovery, Recovery House, Women, Yoga, Young Women
No Easy Day With Addictions: “A Donut…Really?”
By Jennifer Miller
The term “tough love” is often used when dealing with loved ones who are battling addictions, and it is often “tough” to know when to detach and let them go. My youngest son has been in and out rehabs as a minor and, now, as an adult at 19, reached out to me for help in getting into a recovery program.
“There are no decisions; there is only interaction with what is in front of you. Decisions come because you have attachments, desires, and fears. The only thing that will help you is to let go…”
Michael Singer, from “The Untethered Soul”
Ultimately, letting them go will help them “save themselves”. Fixing and constantly rescuing will only enable. Letting go is the hardest thing a parent can do. But an honest request for help must be listened to. So I got him into a 30-day detox and recovery program and prayed that he would welcome sobriety.
I have learned to expect the unexpected with addicts, and, sure enough, after just a few days, his father arrived with a donut… The man has not been a part of his children’s lives for years, and now suddenly appears AFTER his son goes into recovery and brings him a donut.
Contact Jennifer Miller at yogagoddesslaguna@yahoo.com
I felt anger but knew I had to take the higher road. I used breath control to calm my mind and soothe the wound that reopened in my heart. As I bring food to my son later that week, I thought how humorous it would be to bring a dozen donuts. But healthy granola bars, fruit, nuts, toiletries, clothes and books will have to do.
An addicts journey is ultimately their own, but if burdens loved ones with its ups and downs and…craziness. I pray that I can remain strong for my family, and hopefully give others the courage to remain hopeful and make the right choices during times of struggle.
Namaste, Jennifer Miller
Posted in Addiction, Child, Detachment, Family, Hope, Knowledge, Life, Mindfulness, Mothers, Quotes, Soul, Wisdom, Women, Yoga
Tagged Addictions, Addicts, Drug Addiction, Jennifer Miller, Michael Singer, Mothers, Quotes, Sons
“Finding Our Soul In The Little Girl Who Beat To Her Own Drum” By Jennifer Miller
“I am who I am”, not to be defined by conventions regarding a “role” as wife , mother, or daughter.
As a child, I was always told by people that ”I beat to my own drum”. And because I did not always conform to the “rules”, my actions were frowned upon by my family and schools that I attended.
I can now see the beauty of following our soul and not caring what others think or say about us. Although I would lose this part of my soul at times, life would always bring it back to me.
Women, by allowing society and others to “define” them as daughter, wife and mother, come to believe that their “identity” resides outside their soul and bodies…Our ego becomes attached to these external realities, and it makes reclaiming our soul very difficult at times.
When my life collapsed several years ago, destroying all of my so-called dreams of having the “perfect family”, I found my soul again in the little girl that “beat to her own drum”. And her little voice told me that “I am who I am”, not to be defined by conventions regarding a “role” as wife , mother, or daughter.
”I am me…a soul free to grow and expand beyond societal restrictions”
As women, we must reach out and embrace the infinite as this is always in the best interest of the soul. Do not let anyone or anything define your Dharma. We should strive for independence, and like a child follow our hearts.
The best path to understanding the connection with “our truth” is to start living it, breathing it, thinking it, acting it and ultimately “feeling it”.
Namaste, Jennifer Miller
Posted in Balance, Child, Family, Freedom, Gratitude, Life, Mothers, Reflections, Soul, Wisdom, Women, Yoga
Tagged Connection, Conventions, Finding Our Souls, Happiness, Heart, Jennifer Miller, Roles, Soul
A Poem For My Mother: “If Only You Knew The Things I Could Say…” By Savannah Robison
“I love you with my heart…”
Mom,
If only you knew the things I could say,
Painting a picture of my love is a task I will slay.
I’ll start with the little things, for they happen so much,
A kiss on the cheek, a slap on the butt.
You have that special touch whether in food or in love,
But really all I need is something to be proud of.
You stand tall regardless of impending hardship,
You have taught me so much, like getting my grip.
Your beautiful blue eyes or your abs of steel,
I give you my body, and I get yours, deal?
Our fights are often, and we know how to punch,
But what people don’t know is what happens at brunch.
I guess all I can say is thank you, Mom;
I love you with my heart, you are the bomb.
Savannah Robison
Quotes For Mothers: “Making The Decision To Have A Child – It’s Momentous…”
“Making the decision to have a child – it’s momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking outside your body.”
Elizabeth Stone
“The Importance Of Balance In Life” By Jennifer Miller
“Balance” is truly the key to life. Critical to my path towards self-realizaton is a process of “witness consciousness”, where I can observe myself and my emotions. When I am a little bit ”off”, I can hopefully identify those emotions that undermine my feelings of peace and “balance”..
What I feel in my body, the world will project back to me. When I feel grounded, things just seem to go smoothly. It is so very important to have “fun and joy” in life, as part of our balance.
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When I feel that the child in me needs to play, I should always take the time to play. While at the beach yesterday, I looked out into the ocean and I saw something moving out in the water. What could it be?
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Looking closer, I could see that it was two seals frolicking and playing together.
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I felt pure delight. I had never seen this before! And they continued on for at least 20 minutes. I felt pure joy. These two seals shared the wisdom of the importance of play.
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Years ago, when feeling really happy, I would perform my “horsey dance”. I had a beautiful standard poodle, Harvey, who would get so excited during my dance that he would nip at and actually bite my bottom. We nicknamed him “butt-biter”. It seems so silly, but it was so important. More recently, as I have been going through a very difficult time in my life, my horsey dance has not been as spontaneous or frequent. But today, I feel the need to dance, feeling the ”pure joy of being alive” and being grateful for all that I have. And all that I am.
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What did you love to do as a child?
What do you have that makes you giggle and laugh for the pure joy of it?.
Strive to find your inner ”silly child”. It is so important to be able to laugh with and at ourselves.
Don’t let anyone or anything take away your happy.
Happy Dancing.
Jennifer Miller
Reflections: “My Day Teaching Yoga At The Recovery Home”
"I am here to rejoice with these girls who are in recovery; to see that their young babies and children have a chance."
Each time I walk into the Recovery Home I think: “Here we go”. I never know what I will encounter. As class starts, a small girl (in my eyes) walks in. She was not feeling well and because she was pregnant, I thought she had morning sickness. I comfort her . After she walked back out of the room, the other girls inform me: “She is dope sick”. My heart sinks and I feel my stomach getting queasy.
But I must move forward and continue teaching yoga to the other girls, all in different states of recovery. But my mind streaks back to ”how could she do that to the growing baby inside?” I feel a “state of judgment” overwhelming me .
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“I am not here to judge…I am here to spread the light and the beauty of yoga….”
“I am here to rejoice with these girls who are in recovery; to see that their young babies and children have a chance.”
That they have hope: isn’t that what recovery is all about? Spreading hope? I have been there with my son. I have seen the depths that addiction can take a young man or woman..
“We must support and not judge.”
To rely on the rational mind, there is seldom any understanding. So I go to my heart and find everything I need: Hope and Belief in these young women’s lives.
“But am I reaching them?”
When I left yesterday one of the girls said: “You are the highlight of my week. I look forward to you being here all week. Thank you”. Those words meant everything to me.
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At the end, the women brought their young children and babies to meet me. The love that mother’s have for their children is universal; no matter how far apart our worlds may seem, we are all connected by the love felt for these babies.
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The older children walked up to me with huge grins on their faces; they felt connected. These little angels are gifts put here on earth. No words were spoken as we stood there smiling, connected in our hearts.
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Namaster, Jennifer Miller
Posted in Child, Knowledge, Life, Light, Praise, Prayers, Recovery, Reflections, Women, Yoga
Tagged Hope, Jennifer Miller, Pregnant Women, Recovery, Recovery House, Young Women
“To Feel The Other Side Of Darkness…Is Light” By Jennifer Miller
Picture in your mind’s eye when you were a child; a beautiful time in your life. How old were you? What are you wearing?
How did you feel?
"...the other side of darkness...is light."
What were you doing?
Keep this picture with you when your mind starts to go to the dark place…and bring in the light of the young child.
Ask the child: What do you need?
Listen and allow yourself to feel any emotions that surface. I like to place my hand on my heart and allow my feelings to flow. I have learned to mother myself and “be” with the moments of sadness.
The only way out is to feel within our bodies all the repressed emotions that need to surface.
Allowing, accepting, and feeling the other side of darkness.… is light.
Namaste, Jennifer Miller
Posted in Child, Darkness, Life, Light, Recovery
Tagged Feelings, Jennifer Miller, Light, Reflections
