Relationships To Yourself And Others

Relationship is the way in which two or more concepts, objects, or people are connected, or the state of being connected. If we exist, we are in relationship, whether it be to ourselves or others.  The body needs life force (prana) to exist.  Our existence is a relationship between matter (our body) and spirit (our soul), and the prana (life force) connects these two entities.

People with a low prana tend to be weak, lack energy and are in poor health either physically or mentally.  Maintaining a good physical routine and doing meaningful work and activities help cultivate prana. Sometimes it is difficult to do the 'good' things needed to build prana because of the relationship we have with our self.  We may neglect our physical and mental health by over doing work and/or indulgences, not listening to what our body/mind really need.

In our interpersonal relationships with others we may also neglect to listen or understand what another person needs.  It is easy to become myopic and only focus on our needs.  When we are able to understand what are our needs and another's needs, we can interact better in relationships. We are less prone to miscommunication and grudges.

Having the ability to introspect and assess our personal point of view and another's point of view, allows us to manage conflict and become closer through understanding each other.  This ability needs to be cultivated because it is easy to simply react to conflict or discomfort rather than choosing to act more caring to ourselves and others.

Recently I read a wonderful book that teaches this skill through stories and examples.  The stories model situations in an enjoyable and subtle way.  The insight gained comes through compassion for others but it is very effective. I highly recommend the book for people of all ages to improve on all of their relationships. Ellen Gendelman is a licensed psychotherapist and she wrote this special book, "When Ice Cream Is Not Enough" and it is available on Amazon.

Stay healthy & well,
Lisa