Hi, I'm Ela Compton
What our world needs is thriving parents of small children.
It was a freezing cold winter (the kind with squicky snow) when I gave birth to my daughter in my hometown in Europe. I cared for her on my own (friends/family nearby) for 3 months. It was hard.
I was high in hopes of sharing the load with my partner once we join in Seattle.... Although I moved countries before, I hit the wall this time... I remember vividly: feeling depleted, overwhelmed, and isolated, taking care of my infant daughter 24/7 with no support within 5000 miles.
I was craving opportunities to calm down my nervous system, recharge, reconnect with myself.
I already had 15 years of contemplative practice under my belt, and I knew it could save me. But… I never had time for any self-care!
Inspired by near-desperation, I decided to try practicing with my daughter in arms. To my surprise, it worked. Not only did I feel nourished, more calm and grounded but my daughter seemed easier to manage too. Wow! I discovered a way to replenish while caring for my daughter!
It soon became clear to me that many other moms feel isolated and stressed out just like me. Craving emotional self-care and a break. That's when the Parents' Pause started.
Taking moments to PAUSE while caring for our children proved to be potent - the EMOTIONAL SELFCARE rooted in meditation has endless benefits. Reducing the feeling of isolation and negative self-talk, preventing burnout, helping with emotional regulation and coping, improving mood, immune system, reducing stress, reducing Post Part Depression, and lowers the risk of your kids being depressed later in life, etc.
We rolled out programs and tailored tools that deliver those benefits to exhausted, sleep-deprived, and overstressed parents (I've been there, I know.)
Did you know: your baby reflects your inner states, recreates your emotional patterns from day one? Infants mirror their primary caregiver's brain waves, synchronize heart rate, stress hormones, oxytocin, etc.
It means that your transformation and new self-regulation skills allow your kids to grow in a truly nurturing environment.
THIS gives them advantage for life. An emotionally resilient mom is modeling essential coping skills and healthy patterns via osmosis (not literally, but you get the idea). The first 3 years of life are critical.
Scientific research on mindfulness, self-compassion, early child development, human attachment inform our work. The practices are trauma-informed and tailored for new and early parents.
I am excited to invite YOU on this journey of self-caring and emotional strenthening.
Creating a legacy of emotional wellbeing starts with YOU.
Ela Compton MA
Founder of Parents Pause
Mindfulness and Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) Teacher.
Problem-solver by profession and passion, avid explorer and natural-beauty lover.
My professional life has revolved around helping people and organizations embrace change as an opportunity to step up their game. I'm on the mission to support early parents thrive and show up at their best during their child's most critical developmental years.