Meditating Mamas in South Orange/Maplewood

Just a few years ago, South Orange resident Rita Garcia, now 42, was a crazed and stressed stay-at-home mom, juggling three children under four  and a new business.

"I was trying to be Super Mom," explains Garcia.

She was trying to launch a business marketing Young Living Oils. She found herself working late evenings, making phone calls while nursing her infant son.

One day, when her husband Enrique asked "Are you happy?" the stunned Garcia took a minute to reflect.

"I knew something had to change," she said. "I kept on getting sick. One time I had a coughing fit during one of my business phone calls. Clearly my body was trying to tell me something."

Garcia enlisted the help of a coach. Together they began discussing her issues. One of his suggestions was taking a break from her business. "While I was terrified of that idea, I decided to follow his advice. I began to meditate, journal and exercise. I looked at my activities and took myself out of doing. I stopped saying yes all the time."

During this journey, Garcia found herself more at peace. She instinctively knew that other mothers must have had similar experiences, of constantly being torn in different directions. "I felt inspired to share what I was going through. I e-mailed about 10 friends to come over my house. Three showed up."

That evening, Garcia walked her friends-who did not know each other-through a guided mediation, followed by talking and sharing of thoughts and feelings. This same group has continued to meet every Monday night for an hour and a half since last spring.

Garcia felt that she might have found her calling. However, she was still apprehensive when she spoke to her coach about it. "I was nervous that he was going to dismiss the idea," she recalled. "But he said he thought it was great!"

Garcia began e-mailing her coach with her thoughts and ideas. "My coach didn't mind these e-mails, but he pointed out that they were almost like blog entries." That's how Garcia got the idea to start her blog.

Helping others comes as a natural for Garcia. She received her Master's in Social Work from Columbia University and then was a social worker in New York City, working with low-income families for a decade. She also worked as the director of a program where she assisted mothers who were trying to get a better life for themselves and their families.

Garcia was invited to teach a six-week meditation class that was held at Shakti Yoga in Maplewood. Her groups are now called Meditating Mamas. She also offers two-hour Meditating Mama monthly workshops that focus on specific issues, such as anger, guilt and abundance. (Workshops are $30 for a two-hour session with follow-up 90-minute group sessions for $25. Follow-ups are generally two weeks after workshop. The workshops are held on Saturday mornings, and the follow-ups are on Wednesday evenings.) In addition, she is now offering private one-on-one coaching sessions, where she helps other moms work through parenting issues.

So, what's next? "I am working on a series of books that I plan on self-publishing," said Garcia. "And I am also working on a guided mediation CD."

Garcia's husband, Enrique, no longer asks if she is happy. "He is very supportive," she said. "He is so happy that I am happy."

If you would like to reach Rita or subscribe to her weekly inspirational e-mail blast, you can e-mail her at rita.desnoyers@gmail.com or call her at 973-761-8756.