How to Raise Spiritually Balance Kids

Having opened a yoga school 3 years ago, working day and nice with fierce passion, finally finding what feels like my dharma, up to this point anyway….a few things have been neglected. For example, romantic vacations with the hubby where we lay in the sand half naked and drinking margaritas all day. now involve me teaching yoga in tropical places,  having discussions on dharma, artha, kama, and moksa, and entertaining a group of yogis all week long.  Great stuff but can take a little of the spark away! Family vacations have also fallen to the wayside, and my 6 year old was starting to question this, reminding me, that we promised we would go back to Disney when she was 6 and her sister was 3, three years ago. She was right on schedule, and I wanted to be truthful to her, because to me, the number one rule in parenting, is to follow through with your word.  I looked up from my computer and told her to pray about it because we didn’t have enough money right now, but if she prayed and believed it would most likely work out. 

Less than a month later we have our room booked and we are driving to Disney next week. Wow, powerful manifestor, these little ones are. I want to teach her to have faith and that she is a co creator, but how do I make sure I do not cross the lines into the spiritual materialism many of us have encountered over the past decade. 

Other comments I have heard this week are “Me and God did this.”-Cool she sees herself as a co-creator!! And then… “Mom, some kids don’t know Jesus…. Or Santa Claus..”

STRIKE. There is was, the confusion that I knew would kick in at some point coming from a family of Yogi/Philosophers who are more spiritual than religious, having an evangelical Christian grandmother, and an Atheist Grandfather who was mocking me in my head since I heard the statement comparing Jesus to Santa Claus.

I went from teaching her to have faith and being a co-creator, to teaching that God is like Santa Claus, oh and by the way you will find out once day that all adults are big LIARS.  Even though my #1 parenting advice is truthfulness.  All I could in that moment, surrounded by the image of my family (in my mind) laughing, shaking their heads in disapproval of what a lousey mother I was, was to look her deep in the eyes, lump in my throat, and say,” well honey they are not really the same thing.”  Thankfully the comments stopped there, for now. 

I have since decided that all I can teach her is to be strong in her relationships. Her relationships with Faith, with God, and with the Gifts we receive. 

I paid off my car last week and received an overpayment check of .02 Cents. My husband laughed, and almost threw it away. To me it was important to make the trip to the bank and deposit that check because it represents my relationship with receiving gifts and abundance in my life.  We shouldn’t reject the gifts that come into our lives, we should go to the source of the gift with Gratitude weather it is from Santa, the Bank, or the Divine.   It always goes back to the Divine. I will continue to teach my daughters the Truth, and that is, when we are Grateful and Faithful we just may discover our strength and feel a glimpse of just how much we are Loved. As for the Santa Myth, I will deal with that later.

Learn Yoga and Become a Jedi!

I was having lunch at our local food co op the other day, and started having a conversation with a guy I had seen around a couple of times, about yoga. The topic of yoga usually comes up in conversations with me, with anyone willing to talk about it.  It is the topic of conversation that I have a tendency to light up at more than any other, begin a self proclaimed “asana addict”. Yet this person threw me a curve ball when he asked, “have you ever been illuminated,” after less than 5 minutes of conversation and no alcohol involved.  WTF!! When did this become typical conversation for a Thursday afternoon, with someone you just met?  I didn’t know if I should rejoice in that kind of spiritual interest or be pissed off.  I chose the latter.

My teachers warned me to not get caught up in the circus tricks of yoga, and my inner Guru teaches me to let go of results, so when I see students striving to attain siddhis, special powers, through the practice of yoga, I get discouraged. I feel like  they are missing the point, the same way the student coming just for the yoga butt, is missing the point.  I see the pendulum swing from one extreme to the other.

  

As Yogis, we should evolve into practices, just for the sake of the subtle bodies, because our subtle bodies are what govern our physical, mental, and emotional health, and to be a Yogi means to be rooted in Self.  But I do not care for any special Jedi tricks or powers, most of the time. 

Even if I have been illuminated it wouldn’t be something I would share, there, in our 5 minutes of getting to know each other.  This would only cause separation, unless of course he had a similar experience, and then I would think he was nuts.

The kundalini awakening that is sought after by many intrigued students of yoga, is often short lived and leaves the body completely wacked. In the past, if it happened and a student wasn’t ready, an Ayurvedic Practitioner could help in returning balance to the physical and mental bodies.

As I witness the shift of consciousness in the world from materialism to spirituality, I am sure we will have more conversations about this. A refreshing change from, “what teacher will give me the best workout.” However, we should make sure our intentions are pure, and that we don’t just swing to spiritual materialism.

Just as we should not compare the shapes of our postures, we should not compare the brightness of our souls.

 We come as spiritual seekers and each of our paths are as differently shaped as the bones in our bodies.  We all have the ability to become illuminated not from some special yoga mudra, pranayama, or vigorous asana practice, but by choosing faith, devotion, and connection.   A wise one once said, Once I became Enlightened I never met another person that wasn’t. 

My Irish Ode

When Saint Patrick’s day rolls around there are usually a few things on my mind:  Hanging with my dad, drinking Guinness, anniversary of when chris and I became “official”, green silk camis, and hanging with my sister on her 21^st birthday because that was the first time we had met a full blooded Irishmen!! It was a bit of a disappointment when he claimed I was a FookIng disgrace for pouring a Guinness with bubbles, and claimed that I would be in trouble if I wasn’t married. (whatever that means)Little did he know I found him a prepubescent, pissin drunk boy. The only thing that made him cool in the slightest was that he was truly Irish. I am just a American half-ly Irish girl, and always have been.   Anyways, this unforgettable 21^st birthday was the night when my sister and I coined the term  Hiya Paddy! Something that is only funny between sisters and after several cocktails , but comes up every st paddy’s day.

This year is different. All I can think about it my grandfather, who past away this February, and the best complement I ever received from anyone…

I sat by his side, as he was suffering and ending his long journey with cancer, and he said “You really are a beautiful Irish lass”  He was still a charmer and full of it, but anyone that knows me as Dani, not Vani, the teacher, knows that flattery will get you everywhere.

God knows I am not nearly as Irish as grandpa but I have learned a few things from him about being Irish. , and it really isn’t about Guinness, green silk camis, and Irish boys at all. 

I learned that to be Irish is to be resilient; To be emotional, there is no middle ground like there is in Yoga.  It is either lovin or fighten. The Irish love God and trust Him to do all the work because, well, he is God and we are human. So we can sit back, enjoy a beer, and screw up as much as we want.  I learned to go to church, and to make sure everyone else goes to church,  but to find God in nature. The Irish don’t need much to be happy; just a little log cabin, a dog, a beer, and family. But mostly, family. They are just a little bit mystic.  I remember grandpa calling Wisconsin God’s country as he would go for long walks and soak up the green.  He didn’t drink a ton(when I knew him), but he would drink a beer, and cheers to family, ritual, and calling one another out on their bullshit.  It is said that The Irish people are a fair folk, they never speak well of one another, but that wasn’t true. I will hold on to grandpa’s compliment forever, because like a true Irishman he knew how to exaggerate like the rest of them.  Most of all I learned that the Irish are loved and lovers.

 My Grandpa and Katie

I’ll leave you with a quote from the eminent Historian Carl Wittke on the Irish Temperament.

"The so-called Irish temperament is a mixture of flaming ego, hot temper, stubbornness, great personal charm and warmth, and a wit that shines through adversity. An irrepressible buoyancy, a vivacious spirit, a kindliness and tolerance for the common frailties of man and a feeling that 'it is time enough to bid the devil good morning when you meet him' are character traits which Americans have associated with their Irish neighbors for more than a century."