45: Community Conversations: Conscious Parenting with Dana Diament

One of the foundational principles of yoga practice is to bring mindfulness to everything we do. Today host Rachel speaks with Yoga Medicine teacher, studio owner, and mother Dana Diament about bringing that awareness into the crucial relationship between parent and child through the practice of conscious parenting.

In this episode, Dana shares her experience of learning to parent with more self-awareness, how it’s never too late to try a new approach, the importance of “repair” when interactions don’t go as planned, and the many overlaps between the yoga journey and the parenting journey.

You don’t have to be a parent to benefit from this episode, which, at its core, is about learning how to build kinder, more patient relationships with others, as well as with ourselves.

“It’s very much about going inward and being able to notice that internal state.” – Dana Diament

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“Conscious parenting allows us to bring the yoga into the relationship.” – Dana Diament

Show Notes:

• Dana’s introduction to mindfulness through journalling [4:04]
• Children as a mirror of unconscious scripts [6:35]
• A key difference between parenting and other close relationships [10:40]
• Defining conscious parenting [12:45]
• Dealing with external expectation and pressure as a parent [16:22]
• An example of conscious parenting [17:20]
• It’s never too late for “repair” when interactions don’t go to plan [20:48]
• Tools for kids to recognize and resolve agitation [25:01]
• Application to other relationships [29:40]
• “SMILE”: techniques to connect with children [33:20]
• Our primary relationship, with ourself [37:05]
• Relevant themes from yoga philosophy [38:21]
• Separating the parent’s identity and expectations from the child’s [46:55]
• Dana’s takeaways [51:15]

Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Yoga Medicine Online Teacher
• YMO Monthly Dose – Tips from Yoga Philosophy
• Conscious parenting books and resources:
  • Good Inside Podcast – Dr. Becky Kennedy, @drbeckygoodinside
  • Joyful Toddlers & Preschoolers – Faith Collins
  • Mothering Our Boys – Maggie Dent
  • The Whole Brain Child – Daniel J Siegel, MD
  • The Conscious Parent – Dr. Shefali Tsabary
• Connect with Dana Diament:

Facebook | Instagram | Lennox Yoga

“Children will always respond to how you’re showing up in the present.” – Dana Diament