Wednesday, March 7, 2012

"How Yoga Taught Me To Juggle Motherhood, Work and Marriage"


This month’s blog is written by my friend and fellow yoga teacher Heidi Camuti. Heidi specializes in teaching yoga to children in the under-served populations in Newark NJ, as well as special needs children. She is devoted to making yoga accessible to all people and sharing its healing powers. Her gentle flowing hatha classes are designed to align the body and enliven the spirit. Heidi is also the proud mother of 9-year-old Olivia, who teaches her the importance of yoga each and every day.


The Sanskrit definition of Krama is: “one after the other, gradually, sequentially.”  Vinyasa yoga refers to the linking of body movement with breath. Juggling motherhood, work, and marriage is like creating a sequence that agrees with my intentions.  It involves an awareness of time, energy, strength and flexibility.  I like to look at each day like a sequence that will create the results I need to deliver my balancing act with grace, flow, and happiness.

It sounds very flowery and dreamlike, but it’s not.  That flow involves a lot of stability, effort and boundaries.  I used to put so much emphasis on flexibility and openness not really factoring in where my threshold was.  Motherhood opened my eyes to how decisive and warrior like a woman has to be.  Recently, I’ve been aligning myself with that on and off the mat.  As mothers, when we are decisive, strong, and clear our sequence flows.  Being definitive and on point relieves the stress of feeling hectic, unorganized and unsupported.

As a yoga teacher, I see the world through yoga goggles and relate to life from that point of view.  In February, Jivamukti Yoga School’s focus of the month was Sutra 2.46, “The connection to the earth should be steady and joyful.”  This sutra gives us the advice to take hold of a comfortable able seat and not to react to everything around us. At a recent workshop with Sanskrit expert Manorama she shared one of her well dubbed “pearls” which is now one of my favorite mantras…it goes like this: “attention without tension.” 

Here are some ways I weave yoga into the vinyasa krama of my daily life to make me a better wife, mother and professional.

TIP #1:  BREATH & MEDITATE
I practice pranayama (manipulated breathing techniques) along with meditation regularly. Meditation creates space in your mind between thoughts and actions, self-awareness, authentic speech, patience and understanding.  I find commuting or waiting in the car at school pick up is a perfect time. Whenever I have even 5 minutes alone, I meditate.  Constant mental dialogue serves no purpose and drains valuable energy.  I take the time to clear my head whenever possible, so I am truly present when family or work needs my full attention.  That means not using the time to get an email out or make a cell phone call.  So, yes it takes discipline to form this pattern.

TIP # 2:  MANTRA
As a big Kundalini Yoga enthusiast, I am a firm believer in the power of mantra and its ability to shift my mind stream in the right direction.   Sometimes I say them silently in my head, sometimes I sing them out loud in the car with my iPod playing Snatum Kaur, Joseph Michael Levry, or Guru Ganesha Singh.  When I’m listening to Krishna Das, I don’t care who cuts me off or gives me the finger or worse yet be that person who honks half a nano second after the light turns green. For me…mantra really kills the negativity, anxiety, and irritation that sometimes crawl around my brain. Besides, who wants to radiate that into the world especially with family and colleagues?

TIP# 3:  CREATE GOOD RELATIONSHIP KARMA
The philosophy of karma tells us that we have to create the circumstances for the results we want. That means if you want a satisfying career and a happy loving family, you can manifest that with your own thoughts, words, and actions.  One way to do this according to Geshe Michael Roach in his book, “The Diamond Cutter” is to use the Buddhist practice of Jampa.  This is the practice of putting your mind in the other’s body and basically doing a mental switch becoming aware of their needs from you.  So, instead of asking yourself what you’re getting out of a situation, ask yourself what your child, spouse, or boss needs from the situation.  A few years ago my husband was laid off from his job, and I practiced Jampa by not panicking and making matters worse by stressing him out more than I’m sure he already was.  Also, my husband hates getting interrupted with phone calls while he’s working, but he likes affectionate emails.  So, I practice Jampa and do what makes him feel good. By doing what works for others and being “in their shoes” you create the ripple effect.  My husband tucks our daughter into bed every night and brings hot coffee to me in the bedroom every morning.  That alone makes me want to do anything for him.  The key is subtle actions have big impact.  Yoga asks us to be at that level of awareness.  It’s hard, but the results are worth it.