Karma Yoga as a way to excellence

Paramanand Institute of Yoga Sciences & Research at Indore provides an excellent opportunity to the participants across world to go through holistic and enriching traditional style of ashram learning through various resident programs.

Karma Yoga is the discipline of yoga outlining the selfless action as a means to perfection. We may question is there really any connection between excellent and selfless action? We may also feel it is a service to the place we are residing. But is there something more than that? There is a powerful secret behind this Sadhana of Karma Yoga and it is being revealed to you now.

Can someone who has been used to the chaos, turbulence, commotion and the hustles of life be at peace, happy and composed if they are surprisingly put into a peaceful and quiet place? It is certainly not that easy as it sounds to be.
The Yoga Institute is actually giving us an opportunity to have some right action to develop our strength of mind. Yoga is beyond asanas and in order to experience true yoga, Sadhana with the right kind of action is to be experienced. Would all actions become Yoga? No, only those that are liberating us from the action become Yoga. Every mental and physical work that we do leaves an impression on us and forms what is called as karma. If we involve with any work painfully, we would not be able to flow with the flow. If we creep through the process with pain, then more and more impressions are only accumulated. By blissfully absorbing ourselves in any activity, we beautifully move through the process and it ruptures the karmic make up.

The action that is performed without the intention of particular gain out of it, yet performing with total involvement, becomes a process of liberation and transformation. Any activity that is done as a process of liberation becomes yoga and anything that is done with inner motives creates more karma and it cannot become Yoga. It is thus very crucial to keep on introducing activities in a rightful manner to the participants because without that they become victims to the mind.

In Karma Yoga, what and how much we are performing is not significant, but with what mindset and how we are executing a simple task is very important. By getting engaged in simple deeds without likes and dislikes with the outlook of doing something for one’s own growth that is also going to benefit others in the process, one gets an opportunity to go beyond me and myself.

By watching a person doing common actions, one‘s personality is realized through Karma Yoga. It is the simple tasks that reveal us. In the resident program, while staying at the Institute, if a person is introduced to such a perspective of looking at any work as a liberating process, then slowly and gradually it starts to function in the subconscious even after leaving the Institute. Action that is done without selfish motive facilitates one to discover, unveil one’s highest self of true knowledge. The hard covering of one’s soul is slowly and progressively removed through Karma Yoga. If only one has the endurance, persistence, and patience to practice the unselfish act, one reaps the real divine reward that is not asked for. Only gradually the egotism can be removed away. Only excellence is manifested and highest is revealed out of such a deed. Wherever and in whatever action the person is put into, it only expresses expertise out of that being.

Thus if we practice Karma Yoga with such a right mindset, in whichever environment we are being put into, we can be blissful. We can perform powerful deeds in the midst of silence and observe stillness in the midst of too many activities. Wise ones discover this powerful formula to develop will power and discipline. Thus we do not help others. Karma Yoga is one’s own growth instrument. The place is giving us an opportunity to practice the selfless deed and it s a privilege to be allowed to go beyond one’s self. Let us reflect upon and have the perspective towards Karma Yoga right.