Making Meditation Easy for You and Your Kids | POF52

Parenting Our Future - A podcast by Robbin McManne

Uugh, here we go with another person telling us to meditate!  Right? I know, I know but my guest, Josephine Atluri, is here to help us simplify the practice of meditation so we’ll WANT to do it! The truth is, we set the tone for our family with our energy and everyone feeds off whatever you’re bringing!  That means if you are stressed, your kids will be stressed.  If you are anxious, your kids will be anxious. Aren’t so many of us feeling more anxious lately? Do you know that simply taking a few moments to connect to your breath throughout the day can really help you!  We need to learn to ride the wave of anxiety and not let it suck us under.  Meditation can do that for us.  Listen in for tips on how you can get started, for you AND your kids, and visit this episode’s website to access free meditations from Josephine. About Josephine Atluri Josephine Atluri is an expert in meditation and in overcoming adversity to find joy.  Through a unique and trying fertility journey, Atluri navigated the intense uncertainties and stress of pregnancy loss, IVF, international adoption and surrogacy, ultimately becoming a mother of five. Channeling the power of perseverance, calm and courage, she now helps others navigate life’s many curveballs, through group and individual online meditation training, and her podcast “Responding to Life.” Atluri’s path to her true profession was far from conventional. After graduating from the University of Chicago with a B.A. in Public Policy, she became a management consultant with Ernst & Young. But after a few years, she decided to take a hiatus from the business world and pursue her love for cooking.  She earned an Associate’s degree from New York’s prestigious Culinary Institute of America, and then worked in a Boston catering company. Eventually, she would combine her management and catering skills to co-found an event planning business which she ran for more than five years. Perhaps the most defining period of Atluri’s life has been her 13-year journey to motherhood, one that made her a warrior and advocate for all women seeking to overcome infertility. To create their own family, Atluri and her husband endured a heartbreaking miscarriage and then pursued a combination of non-traditional methods, adopting their eldest son from Kazakhstan, carrying twins via IVF and adding yet another set of twins via surrogacy. Through it all, Atluri developed a personal perspective on these different paths to family creation, and came to understand all too well the impact of infertility on one’s body, psyche and relationships. It was this struggle that led her to seek out meditation, at first as a personal coping mechanism. Realizing she could use it to help others, she became certified at Unplug in Santa Monica, CA, under the renowned Guri Davidji, former COO of the Deepak Chopra Center. Today, she teaches weekly classes there. She also conducts group meditation sessions for companies, having even taught staffs of such prestigious entities as Cedars-Sinai Medical Centerin Los Angeles. Her group and individual sessions teach simple and practical coping techniques for stress, anxiety and loss, and help improve balance of mind, body and spirit, especially during challenging times. Atluri’s podcast, “Responding to Life,” not only highlights her fertility journey, but features noteworthy guests who have used positivity to overcome a variety of obstacles.  Her forthcoming book will also chronicle her personal story and provide inspiration, guidance and meditations for anyone struggling with stress, uncertainty or loss. During the coronavirus pandemic, Atluri is offering free weekly online meditation sessions. For further information, please visit www.jatluri.com   Instagram: @josephineratluri,