From doula, Ori Kilner

"Holding a Brooklyn Bambini figurine in my hand I close my eyes, and immediately the weight in my hand lends me a meaningful focus. It is weighty in its roundness.  Just as a baby is.

I have been a meditator for 38 years.  I have been a doula.  I am a mother to two daughters.

Giving birth requires focus.  Sometimes for hours and hours. Our minds cannot quantify time and make sense out of what our body is doing while in labor.  We just know we must breathe and stay focused on each breath.  That is a tall order when we are exhausted and feeling so much pain.

Having a baby figurine to focus one's mind on, to feel in one's hands, to remember why one is going though this is a useful tool.

In meditation, having an object to meditate on adds depth to the concept of Now. "I feel the baby in my hand, now." The feeling of the object is constant and informs us that neither the past nor the future are relevant--just now. "I am breathing. Connecting with my baby. Connecting with myself in this moment, now."

Being a mother is the most vital connection with love, life and the focus required to keep coming back to those two things--love and life. Focus is developed; it is not something we are born with. It takes tools to help us keep bringing our minds back to focus. It takes reminders we can see, or feel, to help us to choose the actions required to fulfill our wish for our lives and for the lives of our family.

Each breath, each thought, each action creates what we call our lifetime and that is what we share with our family and loved ones. To practice quiet moments of connection with the essences of love and life, we find ourselves fulfilled. From there we have so much more to share.

These beautiful silver and bronze baby sculptures by Brian Sullivan are symbols of that very essence of connection with love and life."


Ori Kilner
Master of Meditation from the International Meditation Institute Kullu, H.P. India
Yoga Teacher, Doula and Structural Therapist