Yoga India Foundation

Karma Yoga: How to Incorporate Selflessness into your Daily Life

Have you heard of Karma Yoga? In Sanskrit karma means action. More accurately, it refers to‚ selfless actions‘. Karma Yoga is the path of selflessness where one serves all without thinking of gaining personal benefits. You must have experienced a situation where you do something nice for someone. Even though you didn’t get anything materialistic back that moment, you might have felt a great sense of joy, love, or oneness.

When we give, help, support, and do things without expecting something in return, we speak of Karma Yoga or selfless action. How can we Incorporate more Selflessness into our Daily Lives? It’s easier than you think. Even though our days are packed with work, appointments, and other responsibilities, you can take some moments to act selflessly.

How about visiting your grandparents and helping them out in the garden?

You can support them by mowing the lawns, cutting the trees, watering the plants, or fixing something in the house. Maybe you have a relative or friend who is sick? Take a Saturday afternoon and cook a good meal for him/her. You can do the grocery shopping or do anything that he or she might not be able to do at the moment.

During the stressful week, we often don’t find the time to do such things. Even at work, at home, or on the way to an appointment, you can start acting selflessly:

  • Clean the whole house
  • Wipe the floor
  • Remove stains from the windows
  • Share your meal with someone
  • Buy a snack for a homeless person
  • Be kind and compassionate
  • Organize a get-together for your colleagues
  • Do a task for your work colleague

Living in a modern world, where people are raised to become more efficient and create lucrative businesses, it might seem difficult to understand Karma Yoga. A person practicing selflessness shouldn’t feel exploited or treated unfairly.
The only one who practicing selfless action every day without searching for personal benefit, will understand and feel its value.