RESOURCE
Basic Yogas
Are you befuddled by the seemingly endless paths and kinds of yogas? Treat yourself to the "Illustrated Beginner's Tour" at the Yoga Research and Education Center (YREC), located atwww.yrec.org/tour.html. The tour clearly explains the differences betweenhatha yoga, raja yoga, karma yogaand the various yogic paths, reminding us that traditional yoga is meant to be practiced as a comprehensive lifestyle with the goal of discovering ultimate Reality. This comprehensive site has over 100 yoga articles online, links that cover a wide array of yoga resources, teachers and organizations, as well as the presentation of a plan to build the first yoga university in the West. YREC was established in 1996 by Georg Feuerstein.
INDIA
Online Puja
The Hindu diaspora has taken East Indian people to every corner of the world. Ingrained with the darshan from visits to childhood temples, these devotees long to experience the sweet bliss of these sacred places, but don't often get the chance. Now they can get digital blessings atwww.saranam.com.Pujascan be purchased from temples in every state of India for as little as $9.75. Plus Saranam guarantees that theprasada,or blessed items package will be delivered to your door free of charge. A fancy package is available for an additional fee.
TECHNOLOGY
Phone Home Cheap!
National and international phone calls using the Internet are much cheaper than your regular calls–some are even free. The quality varies with the Internet traffic and company, but is generally acceptable. Among the dozens of services out there that get you connected, check outhttp://home.rochester.rr.com/netphones/. Some outfits enable you to make calls from your computer (www.dialpad.com,www.net2phone.com, etc.). Others require you to buy a device that connects to your regular phone (www.net2phone.com) and once set up, works like a regular phone, only cheaper. Net2phone and others also offer a calling card so you can make calls cheaper from any type of phone.
EDUCATION
About Asia
Children, parents and educators will delight in this exciting online source, bursting with information on Asia and Asian American studies (www.askasia.org). There are extensive lesson plans for teachers which cover India, China, Japan, AustralAsia. These are very detailed, so expect to spend the better part of the day following them! Children can go to an Adult-Free Zone and find e-pals in Asia or follow Fun Links that will take them to all corners of Asia, exposing them to maps, culture, environment and important social issues. Ask Asia will also answer questions kids might have via e-mail. The Ask Asia website, created by Asia Society, is dedicated to fostering worldwide understanding of Asian culture and ways of life.