Infuse a spiritual drive with the milk of kindness

Thomas Moore's Care of the Soul column, "Yoga and Tea" in the March-April issue of Spirituality and Health, is freely available online. Moore suggests the spiritual be bound to the soulful:

"Tea and yoga complement each other well. It’s wonderful to succeed and have some money and get somewhere in life but only if you keep your friends, enjoy a satisfying marriage or partnership, have a real home, and feel comfortable with yourself. The spiritual path is a dangerous one; on it many have lost their humanity.

My rule for spiritual practice is simple: You can go as high as you want in your yearning for perfection, as long as you have an equally deep base on the ordinary comforts of everyday life.

I always have some misgivings about the ambitious spiritual leaders I meet. I admire their achievements, but I wonder if they have a joyful home life and are deeply forgiving and have close friends and love their work. I wonder if they have time for their children and time for play. I know that they meditate, but do they also make music, paint, and tell good jokes? Do they eat for pleasure as well as purity of mind? Do they appreciate the ordinary, imperfect life?"

Moore recommends educators, politicians and business leaders adopt approaches that include pleasure, friendship, and comfort.