Daily Mindful Minis
Tiny mindfulness practices for the fourth trimester
There are shelves worth of books out there that extol a range of baby rearing philosophies and strategies. This is not one of them. Instead, contained within these pages are eighty-four days worth of mindfulness practices and wisdom, culled from my fourth trimester experiences, that focus on caring for you, the mother. Nothing can fully prepare one for the highs and lows of this transformational period. Instead, I invite you to engage in these practices so that you can approach all the moments— enchanting, terrifying, mundane— from a place of compassionate awareness.
May this book serve as a reminder, each day, to stay with your real-time experience by connecting to the senses. May it help you welcome the storm of emotions that accompany your first twelve weeks postpartum. May my experience be helpful to you, dear mama, on your journey into this challenging and magical time.
"Erica Marcus adeptly integrates mindfulness principles and practices to serve as grounding and inspiring resources for parents. The book offers parents, particularly moms, an opportunity to pause, reflect, and be with the wide range of thoughts, emotions, physical sensations, and experiences that often accompany the 4th trimester. During this amazing time when the newest human beings in your life are being introduced to family and the world for the first time, taking advantage of the opportunities in this book, each day, will hopefully support, nourish, and encourage you as a parent."
Kathryn Byrnes, Ph.D., Mindful Educator, Educational Developer at Bowdoin College, Past President of the Mindfulness in Education Network (MiEN), Faculty at Teachings in Mindful Education (TiME) in Maine, and Mom
“Erica strikes the perfect balance – her prose is honest, humble, practical and to the point. Each entry is short and easily readable yet densely packed with pertinent and accessible information. Highly recommend this for new mothers and mothers to be!”
Tara Healey, Program Director of Mindfulness Based Learning at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
“In this lovely book, Erica gently guides new mamas through the fourth trimester with wisdom, honesty, and compassion. She introduces mindfulness as a powerful practice for the motherhood journey, one that helps mothers savor this special, wondrous time with their newborn, AND that helps them navigate the long days, sleepless nights, and intense emotions of new motherhood. Daily Mindful Minis gives fourth-trimester mamas exactly what they need: empathy, humor, and a soothing deep breath.”
Sarah Rudell Beach, Executive Director and Mindfulness Instructor, Brilliant Mindfulness, Writer of Left Brain Buddha
“Erica offers a great mix of realistic, practical, and hopeful ideas for a postpartum parent. There is so much about becoming a new parent that you just don't know until you're in it. These small daily doses of wisdom and encouragement are a wonderful resource!”
Birth Roots Center for Community Supported Parenting, Portland, ME