Finding My Center: Integrating Contemplation, My Children, and Higher Education Into a Balanced Life

• In Event: Self-Care Strategies in Academia: Perspectives From the Field

Abstract

In this presentation I demonstrate ways in which integrating mindfulness and other contemplative practices creates deep authentic practices that allow for wellbeing and work-life balance. In creating mindful self-care practices, it is possible to find the balance in the seeming chaos that comes with being a working mother in higher education and a hands-on involved parent in a world that often creates little space for this form of wellbeing and balance. “Mindfulness shows us what is happening in our bodies, our emotions, our minds, and in the world. Through mindfulness, we avoid harming ourselves and others.” (Thich Nhat Hanh 2000). The research in this paper stems from sixteen years of auto-ethnographic work as an Academic Mama who integrates various contemplative practices into all aspects of my life from connecting with my children and my college students to my scholarship as an educational psychologist. I explore the power of presence and grounding as a tool to maintain balance in the often frenzied world of being a scholar and working mother in higher education. I examine work done using practices ranging from traditional mindfulness practices such as Yoga and meditation to more novel approaches. One area explored in depth is the link between breastfeeding as a mindful meditation and the establishment of daily wellness practices that supports both the baby and the mother in the transitions that occur in the first year(s) of life. I explore how this mindful practice of connection from the birth of a child is critical in establishing long term practices that support wellness for both the mother and baby. I expand from the breast of mindfulness as self-care into examining ways that daily practices that assist educators and mothers in maintaining their mindful center allows for space for them to more clearly and deeply self-observe and self-evaluate in order to be reflective and present practitioners both at work and at home. I explore the deeply personal aspects of my journey of mindfulness and wellbeing from being a single mother of a toddler when I was completing my PhD to becoming an active mid-career scholar with a 5 and a 15 year old for whom I am both the primary provider and the primary care giver. I will integrate both work from my personal journey as an academic mama and my professional work with both pre-service and in-service teachers with breath work, guided meditation, and heart centered communication. It is my assertion that mindful practice is one of the simplest pathways to creating an authentic heart centered life that allows for pro-active wellbeing, work-life balance, improves parenting skills for working professionals, and allows for a more joyful life. I discuss and share daily mindful practices that can be done individually, as well as with children and students.

Author

• Michelle L. Tichy, Rollins College