Meditation In my decade as a working parent, the Insight Timer meditation app has been one of my most loyal and supportive companions.  Not all of our “friends” and mentors in life are individual humans, right?  Inspiring books, podcasts that help us feel seen, animals we can snuggle with, and incredibly useful apps guide us to better places, too.

In the early days of parenthood, when my own life felt like it was going off the rails, doing a daily meditation using the Insight Timer app steadied me.  Way back in 2014, I shared with this community my musings on attempting to start a meditation practice while also having small kids. This was a feat I found challenging, but necessary.  Then, all I had were seemingly microscopic slivers of time in my day.  But I learned to use those slivers wisely, by turning on the app while doing a few yoga poses in the morning.  Or while sitting on a park bench for a few minutes during my commute, before heading into my office.

By 2018, I had passed through what I described as the “adolescence and addiction” phases of using this meditation app.  I had finally developed a “mid-life maturity” with it, using it more often than not.  But not beating myself up when I fell off the wagon.  (More on this meditation evolution in Why This Mama Loves Insight Timer.)

Then, when COVID struck, using this meditation app once again became an anchor for me.  A sturdy, reliable lifeboat I could count on to be there for me during the rockiest of remote-schooling-hell storms.  I had a 550+ consecutive day streak going.  Which says something both about the quality of the app, as well as my own desperate state.

MeditationA New Phase for Me on the Insight Timer Meditation App: Teacher!

In no instance of my using app (for 1,626 days over the course of about 7 years), however, did the thought cross my mind that I might one day join the ranks of its teachers.

Never, that is, until August 3 of this year.  That day, I received a message from the head of the Insight Timer publishing team.  She let me know that they were creating a dedicated section of the app for content related to the workplace.  And she invited me to consider contributing my work to their platform.

If you’ve been following along on this blog, you know that I was traveling cross-country in a mini-van during the month of August.  I remember getting this invitation while in Columbus, Ohio, and being in a “please pinch me, because this is probably a spam message” state.  But it wasn’t spam.  The publisher’s interest was real.  As was the idea that amazing opportunities could and would arise, even while I was on vacation.

It is simply not true, my dear working parents, that all of life’s professional opportunities will pass you by, simply because you turn off work for a few days or weeks.  Stop, breathe, and take the time for yourself and for your family that you want, crave, and need, to be happy and healthy.  (Thought you might have needed to hear that today.)

Meditation

How to Follow Along on My Insight Timer Teacher Journey

“But people on this app have millions of followers!  And hundreds of recordings!  And bazillions of courses!  I’m just tiny, little ‘ole me,” my brain announced, as I decided to join the ranks of teachers.  Rather than letting imposter syndrome get the better of me as I step into this remarkable platform, I decided to follow my tried-and-true map of taking one baby step after another.

My reframe?  “Imagine how much content I will be able to share, if I record just one meditation every 1-2 weeks?  In a year, there will be a Mindful Return library on there!”  All of which is to say that I hope you’ll join me on Insight Timer.  This is just the start of what is sure to be an evolving journey and a fun ride.

As of today, you can “follow” me as a teacher on the app. You can also access the following 3 recordings:

I’ll be adding more tracks in the coming weeks and months, with meditations, talks, and even courses.  Please do take a moment to rate and review the recordings within the app (particularly if you find them helpful!).  And if there is a topic you’d like to see me cover or a meditation on a particular topic you’d benefit from listening to, please drop me a note in comments below!

At this stage in my life – and meditation – journey, I’m honored to be invited to share my experience and wisdom with others.  I see the app as another beautiful medium for giving back, and also a way to connect meaningfully with a global working parent community.  Thank you, Insight Timer, and my very helpful editor, Veronica, for your support and encouragement.

More to come, and I hope you’ll tune into the app and join me on this journey!

 

Back to Work After Baby

Want more practical tips on working parenthood?  Check out my book, Back to Work After Baby: How to Plan and Navigate a Mindful Return from Maternity Leave

Our Gift To You

At Mindful Return, we know that calm, thoughtful planning, and time for reflection, are keys to success in working parent life. Our FREE guide, 99 Questions to Ask Yourself Before, During, and After Maternity Leave, is our gift to you and your new bundle of joy.

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