Yesterday I drove up to a car wash fundraiser and enjoyed some minutes in the sunshine while high school students washed and dried my car which really needed it. I felt good knowing that these students were selflessly serving the program for which they were raising funds by washing cars. I also felt good knowing that the money I would other wise spend on a regular carwash could go toward a good cause. Similarly, this is how I feel about participating in the Journey to Sacred Peru. Yes, a retreat to a resort in Mexico sounds great too, but there is just something special in knowing that the money I will spend to stay at Hanaq Pancha in Peru for this retreat is going directly to the Casa de Milagros orphanage. I watched the interview with Mama Kia on the Chandler Sky Foundation website which relays her commitment to these children, and I feel so good knowing that I am a part of something that will help this heartfelt orphanage to keep taking care of these impoverished children.
I’m also really looking forward to spending time at Casa de Milagros and serving the needs of the orphanage wherever I can. As we journey along the yoga path, we all get to a point where we realize how much yoga extends outward in all directions, that it’s not simply the time we take to get on our mats and move and breathe. Yoga is about how we live our life and what values we hold dear to us. Being of service is one of those values. Seva yoga is usually described as service, but this word does not quite capture the essence of seva. The word seva is made up of two words, ‘saha’ and ‘eva’. Saha means ‘with that’ and eva means ‘too’. The word seva means ‘together with’ and is describing those actions that seek collective upliftment through an understanding of the needs of others and are based on togetherness and integration. Seva is an expression of compassion, of the desire to uplift and assist people. With the practice of seva yoga, we confront the image that we have of ourselves, and begin to juxtapose it with the reality. The image is created by mistaken identification with the outside world, and is also illusory. Identification with such things as culture, nationality, gender, socialization, education, career and reputation creates what we attach to as our ‘personality’. This artificial construct called personality is the illusion that the practice of seva yoga begins to dissemble and purify. Many times during the practice of seva yoga we are asked to do tasks that are not in accordance with our way of thinking or behaving. This creates an internal friction, as the limiting and illusory aspects of the personality are challenged and it is precisely at this point that the practice really begins. Seva yoga is part of the larger practice that is our sadhana, our commitment to evolving as a human. Donating money to a high school fundraiser, giving away a percentage of one’s income to help those less fortunate than ourselves, investing in the journey of a lifetime to Peru and spending time at Casa de Milagros…these are all examples of seva yoga. I feel blessed to be co-leading this trip!
-Kerry