Avoiding a “Mom Meltdown—which anyone who cares for children has at one time or another experienced—is found in MOMfulness by award-winning author Denise Roy, who combines the hard-won wisdom of a parent with religious and spiritual insights to teach us how to bring grace, balance and a much needed “peacefulness” to our on-the-go lifestyle.

Inspired by teachings such as Yogi Bhajan’s that women have the power to change the world one family at a time, and the Buddha’s words in the Metta Sutta, “even as a mother protects with her life her child…so with a boundless heart should one cherish all living beings,” Roy coined the phrase “momfulness” as a way of describing how motherhood, when practiced with mindfulness, compassion, and a willingness to let it awaken our hearts and transform our lives, is a spiritual path. Roy gives advice on how becoming connected with one’s inner self allows moms (and others who care for children) to slow down and regain a spiritual center.

MOMfulness outlines six spiritual lessons: developing true presence, practicing embodiment, paying attention, cultivating deep compassion, recognizing the sacred in all things, and the value of community. Through these lessons, Roy helps mothers be more attentive to not only their children’s needs, but to their own needs as well.

Denise Roy is the author of three books including My Monastery Is a Minivan. Roy is a spiritual director, a licensed marriage and family therapist and the mother of five children ages 11–25. She is also the founder of FamilySpirit, an organization that offers a variety of resources and workshops to nurture family spirituality.