By Jessica Gale
©Jeffrey Vock
Recently, upon borrowing mats from a
yoga center for a workshop, I reflected on new connections
and coincidences since moving to Toronto, Canada, and teaching yoga.
I thought about my growing social
circle and sharing yoga with them; the yoga center I borrowed mats
from; the workshop venue which was rented inexpensively to me by
friends of friends (whom I had taught at home); and that all these new
contacts kept me in the loop of any new jobs and opportunities and promoted my
teaching.
All of this started with my eagerness to
share yoga and my belief in karma yoga (selfless service). Acts of selfless service are free from the idea of receiving
something in return and instead focus on the act of giving and surrender.
Selfless service will always be a part of my teaching. The wonderful surprise is that for all I give,
positive returns come back to me.
Here are a few ways to include selfless
service in your life:
·
Teach for free
or barter
One of my students has chronic Lyme disease.
I too had Lyme disease for several years and know firsthand that yoga helps.
When I met his partner and heard of his situation, I immediately offered to
teach them both. They were reluctant at first because they could not pay but
they were willing and wanted to barter. In exchange, I receive muffins,
preserves, and other small treats every week when I come to teach. But the real
payoff and is seeing a friend recovering from a lengthy illness and there is no
amount of money that can match this true
reward.
For many of us, yoga is sometimes our
sole profession and teaching classes for free is not feasible. However, a few
karma yoga classes go a long way in helping people that cannot afford to attend
but will reap the benefits of yoga.
Students, the elderly, even the
unemployed with limited or no income, would greatly appreciate this and many
are willing to pay in their own way by service or gifts in kind. Know the
limits to what you can give and then give as much as you can.
©Jeffrey Vock
·
Teach what
someone wants to be taught
As lovers of yoga, we sometimes forget that
yoga can be overwhelming for some people. For example, my neighbor had
difficulty with her breathing and I offered to teach her yoga. She was keen to
learn breathing exercises but due to her age and inexperience, was not
interested in the physical practice. While I knew that she would benefit from
the physical exercises, I decided not to push it and I only taught her some
simple pranayama exercises. She found
relief from the exercises and continued to talk about how beneficial it for
months afterwards.
·
Share your time
and your experiences
People are very curious about yoga
teachers and I often find myself answering questions and sharing what I know. It
can be overwhelming when you are in the midst of something or in a hurry! So when I find myself becoming anxious or
glancing at my watch during these situations, I try to remember to slow down and to share what I was so lucky to learn.
·
Volunteer
My first connection to potential
students was made through volunteering. I helped out twice a week at an urban
farm for some time and it was fantastic to help nurture plants and assist busy
farmers. A number of wonderful connections developed from this time and it all
began with selfless service.
©Enid Johnstone
·
Focus on small
acts
Selfless service may sometimes seem
like a tall order but really it’s not!
We don’t have to make huge sacrifices
to include it in our day. Small opportunities occur around us all the time, but
the first step is to slow down.
I believe the key to Karma Yoga is to remember Ahimsa (compassion or non-violence) and to think, what are the loving acts I can do today?
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