Although I've been a daily Internet user for the past 15 or so years, I'm always amazed by the things you can find on the web. I remember when I was in college I attended I seminar on the 'Future of the information super-highway', aka the Internet. I remember when my department organized 'Internet classes' for students. And today the Internet is everything. It's the news; it's the way we stay in touch with family and friends; it's even where we turn to for spiritual advice.
I will allow myself to sidetrack a little from the topic of Yoga on today's post to write about a blog I came across and really liked. The URL is
http://www.spiritualzen.net/. It's author is Jared Akers and his story is a long one which I won't share with you here; you can visit the ABOUT section of his blog and read it first hand.
I came across this website one morning after having an argument with my oldest sister; I wasn't feeling too great and I needed some words of advice. I could have called a friend or a relative but I often feel that consulting the I Ching or any kind of spiritual book is much more fun and less emotionally draining.
The article I came across was titled:
'Avoiding family drama over the holidays'Let me explain: I'm the youngest of three sisters all raised by a powerful matriarchal figure: my mother. I love my family to death but sometimes all the motherly energy can be overwhelming. Even when I turn 80, I will always be the baby of the house.
I'm 35, married and about to become a mother myself (of another baby girl who will perpetuate the long line of strong female figures that precedes me). Needless to say, family relationships ain't always easy.
In my attempt to use Yoga in my daily life, I sometimes need a little help from the spiritual teachings. I find it useful to consult the I Ching or even the Bhagavad Gita. But sometimes it's nice when someone else has adapted the theory to daily life.
Two useful ideas I pulled from the article I just mentioned and which also apply to the yogic path were:
1. Work towards being understanding rather than being understood.
2. Create the memories that you want to have of the time spent with family members.
These are the areas where I will put my energy during the upcoming weeks as my husband and I welcome our first baby into the clan.
Namaste!
