My Two Children

by Dominika Borovansky Gaines

In essence, I have two children. My first, a daughter, was born in late November. The second, a studio called Kinesphere, was born a year later.

My first-born experienced a mother trying to be the best. I believe in the tenets of Attachment Parenting and did my best to feed on-demand, co-sleep, carry and hold as much as possible, and not be away for any extended periods of time. I spent hours singing and reading aloud and giving of myself.

My second-born was demanding in different ways. Not ever crying out and keeping me awake in the night, but requiring my complete and undivided attention and a lot of energy. I felt compelled--because I was offering a service-- to give everything I could. The great thing was that clients were responding. The difficult thing was that being a small business owner means you are responsible all the time. Just like being a parent.

My first-born went to a Montessori school and was given every opportunity to grow into a thoughtful, intelligent and kind human. Kinesphere grew alongside her, first with a more narrow offering of two modalities, and later expanding her interests.

I've always been in awe of the thoughtful, kind and intelligent person my child was becoming and often feel that she was a gift entrusted to me to nurture and send forth into the world. And as I feel my child is a gift the Universe shares with me, I also feel that Kinesphere is the gift I share in return.

Raising a child cannot be done well in a vacuum, and a community of like-minded friends and family are needed to assist the child and parent with their needs; likewise, growing a studio also cannot happen without the support of others.

I have been blessed from the beginning to have a sister-in-spirit/confidante/business advocate/second-in-command as my best friend. When my child was young, my second-in-command (SIC) came along for trainings and nannied. When she was older, the same SIC mentored my daughter through a rite of passage project. The business began with the two of us working alongside each other and filling in the gaps, taking on the roles that suited us best. Many times my SIC took over while I ventured off for more training. And over the years we nurtured and coddled and held hands and worried and celebrated all the various milestones that Kinesphere has achieved.

Gratefully, we've met others along the way who share the vision and desire to be a part of it, and at this 15-year juncture, I am profoundly grateful to my SIC for holding my vision is such good care and extremely proud of what Kinesphere has become: a studio for the mindful practice of movement guided by a remarkably intelligent and compassionate staff.