Karma Yoga
‘Tis the season to be giving! Festivity is upon us this week, and while we are all in the mood to give, it is the perfect time to bring about some positive Karma.
Karma Yoga is actually a practice all on its own, and forms part of the fuller Yogic lifestyle which includes mindfulness, meditation, and unconditional love. We have come to know Karma as good or bad, people often referring to the nature of cause and effect where deeds will come back around, and the concept of Karma in Yoga Philosophy is quite complicated, but we can bring about positivity in the world through our actions, and here is how.
What goes around comes around. Do good and good will follow you.. For whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap..
What is Karma Yoga?
Karma is a Sanskrit term meaning action or deed, either physical or mental. Karma is the sum total of an individual’s acts, in the present life and in past incarnations. It is also defined as the selfless giving of oneself through the medium of work and stems from love.
Karma Yoga Explained
Karma Yoga means doing deeds purely for the good of the deed itself, not for payment, nor credit, nor even for that “feel good” feeling, but purely to help others with no self gain. This could be as simple as offering to help friends who need help cleaning, moving or finishing a project, this could be volunteering to help care for the elderly or the sick, or cleaning and helping out the local community. This could even mean doing all the housework for those you live, just for the sake of helping out. No effort is too small and every positive vibration you create by selflessly helping and not expecting anything back feeds into the Universe.
How to Integrate Karma Yoga into Your Life
Ideally creating a regular habit of performing Karma Yoga will change the way we behave and react to small things like inconvenience or not getting “our way”. It breeds patience and unconditional love which is the basis of enlightenment. Now that we have come back to the fact that it will naturally give you something back, this is an automatic side effect, but the drive to do the action must not be based in reward. It is one of the most powerful practices and is often overlooked when we consider what it means to be a Yogi.
So if you know anyone or can reach out to anyone who has some very difficult, boring, tedious or undesirable jobs to do, then jump on in and ask if you can help, or don’t even ask, just do!
The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others – Mahatma Gandhi
Happy Karma!
