The practice of karma yoga has transformed my life, the way I interact with others & the way I mother. It is the way to combine spirituality with daily activity so you can practice all day.
Satyananda has said, "The purpose of karma yoga is to create a stable base for the mind. Everyone who is practising yoga should transform their daily activities through the philosophy of karma yoga. The purpose of your daily work should become spiritual, or rather you should realize nature's spiritual purpose behind your karma." From Niranjan, "You have to understand that the whole of life is karma and if you avoid karma then you do not exist. Understand that karma is not only cause and effect, not only action. Karma is a subtle ripple-like movement affecting all dimensions of creation. Karma is movement that happens in the body via the senses and in the mind via the mental projections and experiences. Karma is awareness of the movement of life. It is not hard work, it is not service, it is not cause and effect, it is an understanding of how we interact with ourselves and with our environment."
The following statement from Satyananda explains what karma yoga is & what it does. Please read it very carefully.
"In the Bhagavad Gita it says that every action produces a threefold reaction - desire, aversion and a mixture of both. If you receive something that you want very much, that makes you happy. However, if you receive something that you don't want, it makes you very unhappy. If you receive something that you like and dislike, you will be both happy and unhappy. When the mind is affected by negative reactions, it often becomes depressed or deranged, thereby allowing such diseases as asthma, cancer, hypertension or diabetes to take hold. At these times one may even commit suicide or divorce one's wife or husband. Anything can happen because the karma affects the personality and the behaviour. So we have to find a way of creating karma whereby the consequences do not affect us. That path is known as karma yoga."
There are 5 stages of karma yoga; becoming aware, observing the reaction, developing immunity, managing emotional expression, letting go of the obsessions.
As a mother an example of karma yoga is as follows. I wake up in the morning, yawn & stretch. I step out of bed & go out into the kitchen. I notice the children have been getting their own breakfast. It is all over the floor & there is a carton of empty milk lying on the table. The children have moved outside & the cat is lapping up the milk from the table. Because I've been practising asana for many years I've developed awareness of how my body feels in a normal state. Now today looking at this scenario I can establish how my body, mind is feeling. Now to the next stage, observing my reaction. I can feel the blood rise, I feel annoyed & frustrated. This is not how I wanted my day to begin. Through meditation experience I observe the changes in my moods, consciousness and mind. When we are aware of the manifesting mental expressions, then we are able to direct and guide our mental expressions. Then I progress to the next stage, developing immunity. This stage takes time, & by no means am I saying that I have it 'nailed' all the time but when I do I'm able to move beyond the self-focused, self-centred awareness. "It's just spilled milk." "The children are trying to manage their own independence they will perfect it." Becoming aware of how you are able to manage your emotional expressions is the fourth component. Niranjan says, "Can you maintain your serenity in success or failure? If you can do it you will have a very balanced personality. However, you need to have trust, faith and belief in yourself, and at the same time you need to believe or have faith and trust in some higher cosmic nature which guides your life." The next stage is letting go of the obsessions, the personal hang-ups, the unrealistic expectations. I think to myself, 'Yes, I want a clean tidy house but I also want my children to develop self-sufficiency.' In summary, I walked into the kitchen, observed my reaction from my awareness, I didn't suppress my emotion, I just observed it. I looked at the mess objectively & justified it. I maintained my equilibrium & I didn't react - so I didn't create more karma - I let the emotion go. I understand that these children are not my children - they came through me & I'm their caretaker, they are God's children. I'm doing God's work here. It is my service.
Bernard Pothast 1882 - 1966
Lastly from Satyananda, "Why are you bored with your work? It is due to your attitude. If the attitude is correct, you can go on doing the same work for fifty years. When you consider your work as a duty, a way of serving others, it never becomes dull. It is only when you think of it in terms of your own development or pleasure that work becomes intolerable and monotonous.
It is actually far easier and more motivating to work for others than for yourself. This is the secret of karma yoga which few understand and are able to apply. This is the difference between karma and karma yoga. You create karma when you act with yourself in mind, with your personal desires and problems as a motivation. When you act, not for yourself but as a service, an offering to others, the mind is freed and you experience the benefits of karma yoga.
So karma yoga is a necessary part of life. It is as necessary as eating, talking or walking. For you must go on creating karma as long as you are alive. You cannot live without action. Therefore, let your actions be performed as a service to the evolution of all beings and you will enjoy a life of utter freedom, simplicity and bliss. All your needs will be bestowed on you as if blessings from God. You will never be lonely or suffer any ills. When the mind is at peace with itself, the body attains health. People are drawn to such a person like bees to nectar. It is impossible to keep them away."
