HOW TO COPE WITH TOXIC MESSAGES THAT PERVADE MODERN MEDIA
(slightly shorter version published originally in Yoga Living Magazine, September-October, 2008)
Work Should "Wake Up the Soul"
Karma Yoga--it's the yoga of work and service. In an increasingly sit-down, keyboard-focused, stare-at-the-screen workplace, good CyberSense can help 
you stay whole and healthy. So I could write here about ergonomic chairs, good monitor placement, frequent stand-up-and-stretch breaks.
Those are all important. Care for your body. Do your asanas (yogic exercises)--or some form of preferred physical activity. But you can look up ergonomics and stretches easily elsewhere. Let's talk here about what you are exposed to on all those screens, and in print as well.
In his classic book Karma-Yoga, Vivekananda says: "the aim of all work is to bring out the power of the mind ... to wake up the soul." My last CyberSense essay contrasted reading with video. Too much video, especially with the prevalence of "eye-candy," actually dulls the "power of your mind." Attention span, and imaginative focus on the mythic journey of your own soul--these are more likely strengthened by certain sorts of reading.
But What Kind of Messages Pour In?
Now with all the material your mind consumes, via whatever media, at work or play--there is this other, deeper issue. What kind of messages are pouring in? And what are you doing with those messages?
