Gunas in an active modern mother’s life

“The Gunas … successively dominate, support, activate, and interact with each other. Sattva is buoyant and shining. Rajas is stimulating and moving. Tamas is heavy and enveloping.”
Ishvarakrishna Samkhyakarika, translated by Gerard J. Larson
Strictly following the Gunas’ clock, here is what a day should look like:
– Tamasic state from 8:00 PM to 4:00 AM, for instance sleeping
– Sattvic state from 4:00 AM to 8:00 AM, for instance practicing yoga
– Rajasic state from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, for instance working
– Sattvic state from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM, for instance relaxing listening to classical music.
As a mother who decided to take the 200-hour yoga teacher training, here is how my day really looks like:
– Rajasic state from 6:00 AM to 7:00 AM: getting myself and the kids ready for the day through showering, dressing up, eating breakfast
– Rajasic state from 7:30 AM to 1:00 PM: sweating heavily on my yoga mat and learning actively about muscles, bones, digestive, respiratory, digestive, endocrinal systems …
– Rajasic state from 1:30 PM to 8:00 PM: juggling between laundry, grocery shopping, cooking, picking up the kids from school, taking them to the dentist’s, helping the kids with their homework and doing my own yoga homework
– Sattvic state from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM: interacting with my husband and reading, most of the times, yoga books
– Tamasic state from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM: deep sleep
The balance between Rajasic and Sattvic states is obviously not respected here. But adding more Sattva into my life would imply taking less care of the kids or of the house and is not possible at that time of my life. I believe that recognizing it and admitting it is the first step to inner peace, and thus to more upcoming Sattva.
Carole A.