Mindful Kids

It is safe to BE.

It is safe to feel.

It is safe to express.

It is safe to receive.

It is safe to create.

It is safe to heal.

It is safe to rest.

It is safe.
You are safe.

No matter what’s going on around you. You are safe.

It's Time to Ignite!

It's Time to Ignite I'm sitting in my meditation chair with Solfeggio frequency music playing, my eyes and head heavy and at peace, as we experience the eclipse energy. All day today I have been cleaning and clearing, moving and meditating, listening and loving, writing and ruminating. Oh and drinking tea! Isn't that t...

Check out this new page on the site where you can learn more about working with me! You can schedule intro calls and drop in sessions on the calendar.

I'd call it an inspired blend of Spiritual Therapy + Conscious Counseling + Energetic Alchemy. ✨✨✨

https://www.mindfulkidscommunity.org/work-with-heather

One more reminder about this beautiful group of people coming together to share their work and messages for the collective evolution and healing. I hope you'll tune in!

And if you're curious about my talk, I'll give you this little bit now... During the interview I share more of my own story and how I came to do this work. And this is the wisdom that shines through all the words:

You hold your own medicine.

This interview is a journey of discovery. As always, I ask a lot of questions, of myself and the listeners.

What if instead of looking at what is wrong, broken, or needs to change, we look at what is being asked of us and shift what it is we see?

What if it's not the things that are happening but how we are experiencing them that truly shapes and defines our reality?

In this talk, I discuss how we can make meaning in our lives, in our families lives, by making life holy with rhythms and rituals that ground us and allow us to infuse the mundane with our own unique magic.

I hope you'll join us next week. My sense is that you will know when and where to tune in so you'll get the exact messages you most need at this pivotal time in your journey.

I send you love on your path, and am grateful for your presence in this community.

Have you signed up yet? It starts Sunday.

Spiritually Aware Families Summit Join an event designated for spiritually aware families. Families that are weaving spiritual practices in their everyday lives and/or spiritually aware parents, raising their spiritually aware, intuitive, sensitive children. ...

There was extra magic in the air today, did you feel it?

It's a special day, 2/22, and I have something special to share with you...

I am participating in my very first summit!!

I said yes for many reasons. First, the topic, spiritual parenting, is one I am so deeply passionate about.

Second, I believe that the other participants have profound gifts to share and I'm excited to learn from and with them.

And, lastly, I wanted to be part of a gathering with the kind of magnitude to amplify and activate healing in our global community. We are all in need, and it's time.

Registration is free, and you can reserve your spot here: https://spirituallyawarefamilies.com/

Check it out and join us March 3-10!

Now that I have your attention, let me explain.
I don't often make blanket remarks like the one above, but right now I am feeling called to do a little disrupting. Perhaps because it's when our patterns are interrupted where we have the most potential for growth.
First, I understand that what you may be witnessing in your child's behaviors/emotions/development may lead you to believe that something is going on and they need support/guidance/direction, and in that way, you are correct. They do.
And I'm here to tell you that you are the person who is perfectly equipped to provide it for them.
Like the exact key that unlocks the door.
Now that doesn't mean that other outside support isn't necessary or won't be of benefit to your child. Indeed, it may be and it could! But the deepest change, the most integrative growth and healing that is possible for the development of their psyche and their spirit, is something only you can provide. How, you may be wondering?
Through your own internal work.
I know, it’s a bittersweet thing to hear. Some of you are going to read that and be like, oh good, I can do that, bring it on. And others of you or other parts of you, are scared. And that is understandable. As I said in one of my last emails, there are triggers and trauma. There is reactivity and rage. There is confusion and comparison. There is overwhelm and overdoing. There are shadows and shame. There is grief and grappling.
Doing our work means stepping into places we’ve protected, places we've hidden. The shadows in our own being that we’ve done our very best to manage, compensate for, and have figured out how to function despite.
And then these gorgeous beings come along and we love them more than anything and they hold a sacred invitation, welcoming us deeper into ourselves. Asking us to walk through our own fire so we can all rise transformed. They are our ushers, our midwives, our gardeners. They know who we came here to be and we know who they came here to be, so together we dance this new creation in the name of expansion and evolution. It's powerful alchemy.
We gave birth to them, but they birth us right back! (Cont. in the comments)
http://wix.to/zN8k6HM

Can parenting be a spiritual practice?
Do you consider changing a diaper a spiritual act? What about packing a school lunch? Or nursing your baby? And what about choosing a caregiver or school for your child? Can you see how these actions, mundane as they may seem, can be experienced as deeply sacred and filled with meaning?

I imagine you can.

What if we take it a step further to tantrums, meltdowns, sibling arguments, or teenage rebellion? Or what about confronting bullying, rage, depression, anxiety, and acting out? Those may feel less than spiritual, especially in the intense and uncomfortable moments, but these too are portals into the holiest of places, our spiritual heart. A place where we can join in the great flow of unity and greet our humanity and our divinity. In fact, any chance we have to witness our humanity, is an invitation deeper into our divinity. And so parenting, with its raw, vulnerable, heart expanding tenderness is the perfect portal into the most ancient and glorious spiritual practice we may ever know.

But how do we really take it in?

How do we not let the moments of opportunity pass us by and instead engage? How do we step out of what may feel like overwhelming tasks or insurmountable challenges and step into the flow of meaning to attune ourselves to the rhythm of love? How do we not ignore that what's right in front of us is a wellspring if we choose to open our eyes and see? How do we make meaning in the mess and the magic?

PRACTICE. That's how. But there's something else.

This is not an innate way of being.
I often tell people that parenting is one of the hardest and most beautiful things we will ever do. And if someone says it's easy then they probably aren't doing it well. Seriously, though. It's not meant to be easy.
There are triggers and trauma. There is reactivity and rage.
There is confusion and comparison. There is overwhelm and overdoing.
There are shadows and shame. There is grief and grappling.
You see, we think we are raising them, but we are raising us too.
Maybe that's all we are doing. And here's the thing...

We need support.
(Continued in comments)

I am excited to share that I have openings in my private practice!

I work with children, teens, young adults, parents, and families as well as teachers, schools, and child care professionals. I offer counseling, spiritual guidance/companionship, mentorship and consulting. If you have followed Mindful Kids for any period of time you know that the work I do is pioneering and has immense breadth and depth. Because I am trained in many different therapeutic modalities, I can offer a hybrid model of care. I believe deeply in the family system and engage the whole person and the whole family in the healing process, as available and appropriate.

If you or someone in your family is feeling the call of expansion, the pull of struggle, the chaos of overwhelm/burnout, the breakdown of breakthrough, we aren’t meant to walk those paths alone. Let’s create a gentle container to sit with the questions, sift, sort, and create meaning and purpose. Together we can usher in freedom and opportunity for you and your family!

Curious to read more?
If you’d like to explore this work further, check out the Mindful Kids website. If you’ve never heard of Spiritual Direction/Guidance/Companionship, I’ve gone into depth about it on the Spirit School page. I specifically discuss Spiritual Direction with children because it is rarely explained, but everything applies to adults, and even more so in certain instances.

Ready to talk?
I offer 20-30 minute info sessions that are totally free with no strings attached (literally or energetically!), so if you are feeling a tug while you read this, comment below or send me a DM! I also offer all of my Mindful Kids clients a sliding scale so there’s nothing to impede your growth or the healing of our global community.

Let’s explore if we are in alignment.
I work with families who are trailblazers in their willingness to break cycles, heal generational trauma, and engage in awakening and integration. I am often called to work with children (and parents!) who are highly sensitive/empathic and are here to change the systems, break the barriers, and create a new world for us all, from the inside out.

Can't wait to walk with you,
Heather

Latest news!!!

Spirit School is born... Hello Friends! Did you get to see the lunar eclipse last night? It's a potent time to be alive and creating in this world. I'm writing today with an exciting new beginning. I mentioned a month ago that my hybrid counseling and spiritual guidance practice for children and families was going to be off...

Crying is Like the Rain was published in Turkish and is making its way around the globe! Meanshile, I am tagged in so many wonderful posts by Turkish reviewers. I can’t say I always understand the translation but this one really touched me.

Yesterday I was walking my dog and saw a little girl with big loud tears running away from her mama. Who I can only imagine was her grandma was perched nearby and as soon as she saw me yelled over to her granddaughter, “look, a doggie!” I got immediately got that the grandma was doing her best to distract the child from her tears using what I have experienced and seen countless times and like to call the ‘quick, change the focus and they’ll stop!’ response.

At the same time I could see the mother, unsure of herself in front of her own mother or mother in law or in her own self doubt at her capacity to lead, wonder if she should follow along and use the dog to halt her child’s experiencing.

But, the best thing I saw in that split second of connection as my dog and I continued to walk by was the little girl who indeed looked up, saw that my dog wasn’t worth more than her need to express herself, and went on sobbing in her mother’s arms.

So I sent the little girl a gentle energetic hello, letting her know I saw her and to keep guiding them. She’s their future looking back and waving them forward.

Oh it’s so heartbreaking to witness this dismissal and I also see the beauty in the possibility of this being another way. And then I opened my phone and found this… a note from a mom in Turkey who read Crying is Like the Rain, and wrote about her own work, the hard work, the often uncomfortable work, of being with our children and being with our inner children (which in many ways are one in the same - but that’s for another post) while they feel, process, and integrate the humaness of this precious existence.

Be gentle my friends.

Mindful Kids is now on WhatsApp.

let's talk about seeds... You may have noticed I have been quiet lately. I just recently finished a huge new training, expanding my knowledge and practice and now have two new certifications. One in Spiritual Guidance and the other in Spiritual Guidance with Children. When I say it has been a transformational 18 months, that...

Our latest meditation is out on mindful.org! And if you’ve missed any so far, they are all here too.

This is a written and recorded guided imagery meditation to engage in a multi sensory experience of grounding, receiving and releasing.

This is a powerful resource for families, educators, and beyond!

Ammi’s Adventures: A 5-Minute Mindfulness Meditation for Kids This engaging meditation uses the energy and imagery of trees to foster inner connection and emotional regulation.

This is a wonderful read for parents or educators to deeply see into and understand the importance of honoring the innate spirituality within our children, all children. It also goes into how we might create opportunities to foster, cultivate, and nurture their knowing of themselves in this way. ✨ Our children lead the way. ⭐️

Have you checked out the latest mediation from Heather Hawk Feinberg and her daughter on mindful.org?

So far they've created guided meditations about Wind, Leaves, Roads, and now Clouds! The latest one is so, so good!! ☀️

There is a short intro to read aloud and then a recording to experience together. ☁️ Preschool to elementary school aged kiddos will enjoy and engage with these! ☁️

They are wonderful resources for parents at bedtime, for teachers during quiet time or transition time, and for anyone who wants to connect to their inner child by spending 5 minutes nurturing themselves! ✨

Ammi’s Adventures: A 5-Minute Meditation for Kids - Mindful This meditation uses the imagery of clouds to foster inner connection and emotional regulation. Join your child on a mindful adventure.

Loving reminders from Oregon. ✨ 0 miles… you can begin anytime, anywhere, anyhow, any way. ✨

Yesterday was a beautiful day to come together and make an impact on our organization. 🌟
We are so grateful to all the sponsors, all the players, all the individuals and businesses who showed up to give their time, energy, expertise, care, and love!
🌟
We can’t wait for next year... and until then, the real work begins... 🙏✨✨✨🙌

There is so much goodness in the world. ♥️

We are getting closer...May 14th is our very first fundraiser and it's so beautiful to see all the support! We are so honored and grateful.

These funds will allow us to extend our reach and offer so much more to the community. We can't wait to share what we are creating...

Thank you to these awesome sponsors!!

If you are interested in participating in the event in any way, please make sure you reach out to us!! We welcome your donations, we welcome your presence, we welcome YOU!!

Twelve Rivers Realty
Rise Title of Texas
Simpler Moving & Packing
Grapevine Signs & Designs
Thunderbird Bar
ShadowGlen Golf Club
Premier Party Cruises
Guild Mortgage Company
Pure Grade Supplements
Wildflower Wealth
Anywhere Healthcare
Stitch and Stone
Wanderlust Craft BBQ & Coffee
Micah Wagner
StretchLab

Have you checked out Ammi's Adventures yet? It's a mindfulness adventure series written by Heather, our founder. Whether you and your children are brand new to guided imagery or mindfulness practices or quite experienced, you will LOVE this.

There is a written intro that you can read aloud and then press play and listen to the soothing voice of Ammi, a wise and gentle child, guide you in a nature based adventure within!

Ammi's next adventure just came out today on mindful.org. This one is about leaves! Enjoy and share!

Ammi’s Adventures: A 4-Minute Meditation for Kids - Mindful This guided meditation uses the imagery of leaves to foster emotional regulation. Follow along to join your child on a mindful adventure.

This was an awesome convo!

Honesty about how we were parented...how we tried to do it differently...what’s said and unsaid...sensitivities and empaths...boundaries...raising ourselves...sitting in our own pain, and theirs...truth telling about being human.

We also go into grounding practices!! I teach the Treasure Hunt visualization game helping guide the intuitive process into awareness. ✨✨✨

Home is the best place to be...

Ok, this may not be my child’s best handwriting but she just scribbled this in my work journal the other day.

She send me these little love notes all the time. As if channeling then directly from (fill in the blank with your comfortable word or words for what you know I’m talking about).

This one is so true. Except as we know, home is not a house or a town or a city or a country or even a person or a feeling, all of which can of course remind us of home, but true home is a place within our being, a remembering of our oneness with all things. So, appropriately she adds a spiral in the ‘o’. Because she’s just that ALIVE with LOVE. ♥️✨🙌🌀

Mindful Kids is 5 years old! We are in kindergarten now and ready to be out in the world in new, big ways!

We have a new board, a new website coming along, and pioneering new programs and resources for parents, educators, professionals and kids - all with virtual and interactive components!

We are living our purpose and putting it into action.

And now, our first fundraiser!

Austin Business Owners: This is an awesome opportunity to market your business and make an impact in our organization. Please use the QR code to check out sponsorship opportunities and let us know ASAP if you'd like to participate!

Austin Golfers: Register, save the date, and get together a team!

Everyone else, wherever you are, I would be honored if you considered making a donation to the event - your donation goes directly to our organization and to our work with children, families, schools, and more!

Last but not least... Come for the after party to listen to live music and enjoy two awesome food trucks!

https://www.mindfulkidscommunity.org/burton

On this Monday before the last full moon of the year when we are all feeling ready to bring in 2021, I offer you an entertaining and hopefully inspiring podcast I did a couple months ago with some amazing people.

I'll warn you in advance: I get all jazzed up when I'm talking about things I'm super passionate about. I can promise you will laugh, you may feel deeply too, but most of all, I hope you will have some insights about yourself or your children or just life.

Deep love from my heart to yours. May 2021 bring us closer to remembering ourselves and loving one another. Let's create the world we want to inhabit.

Love, Heather & the Mindful Kids family

Full Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=ce5HW5ykj1s

Short Excerpt on Grounding: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsHqVUTFXFM

Signs in the shells... This one stopped me in my tracks. What do you see?

May these special days bring light and lightness to our hearts, heads, and homes. ✨Heather

I was bustling around in my tiny kitchen the other evening, frazzled and exhausted and frustrated with myself for being so frazzled and exhausted. My kids were filling our tiny house with their high energy selves and I just wanted to rest, but there was so much still to do. I was overwhelmed and tired of the constant bombardment from all over. I looked at the fridge and one of my kids had arranged these words. At the time, I chucked a bit with the irony of it all. But then I took them to heart and I went and sat down for a few minutes. My kids noticed and came and sat with me. We hat a really wonderful few moments full of cuddles and sweetness. Today again, I am noticing the benefit of those words. There is still so much to do, as it seems there always is, but today, it is merely a switch in my mind. The energy my kids bring into my life is boundless and continuous and magnificent. If I can hold onto that awareness and let myself move in that space, I can indeed “peace out” a bit more. On this shortest day, the winter solstice, let’s all take a moment to peace out. 🥰Erica

How do we teach our children to weather life's storms?

Our children learn self reliance and resiliency when they understand how to operate and care for themselves and one another in our ever changing world. Noticing, naming, and being with our feelings is a vital skill of an emotionally intelligent individual.

But our children receive so many incongruent messages about their feelings. They are embedded in our cultural norms, they are passed down overtly or covertly in our families, they are on our screens - literally programmed into our minds, hearts, and bodies…

Kids are shushed, asked or told not to cry, and when they express themselves their feelings are lessened, misunderstood, or even controlled and manipulated. Sometimes we think shielding our kids from experiencing sadness, anger, or frustration is our responsibility as parents. Sometimes we don’t know how to handle our own reactions and responses to their emotional expression. How can we give them tools we weren’t given ourselves?

It’s time for change.
No, not just change, it’s time for an evolution.

If we knew that ALL our feelings have a purpose, how would that change our relationship to our feelings, to ourselves, to one another?

If we knew the storms of life are not just inevitable but meaningful, how would we teach our children to navigate them instead of avoiding or fearing them?

Introducing a brand new book that is an invitation to look with new eyes at the way we experience feelings - ours and others’ - especially the feelings we tend to ignore, hide, or label as wrong or negative. A new way of seeing and being with our feelings...

💧 Crying is Like the Rain 💧A Story of Mindfulness and Feelings

This is an empowering story about navigating and understanding our feelings as a healthy, important, and very natural part of our lives. Our feelings guide us toward understanding ourselves and one another. Learning how to be with ourselves as we experience feelings is an invaluable practice, one we can learn and teach our families.

“A family primer for the evolution of humanity.” Carrie Contey, PhD

Link to purchase: https://bit.ly/CryingisLiketheRain