“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” – Mahatma Ghandi

Weekly Focus: Seva (selfless service)

Seva is service in offering to others and practiced without expectation of return or acknowledgement. Seva is a transformation of heart that helps direct us towards our purpose as the very work we do becomes an offering daily. It is this intention that transforms the every day in something extraordinary.

Seva is typically defined as selfless service. This means that every action we take, every role we serve, is an offering or devotion. Depending on the yoga tradition from which you practice this may mean an offering to the Divine, to the Universe, or the greater human Collective.

So what does it mean to perform selfless service and how does this pertain to our role and function in life? Dharma, or our life’s purpose, is finding how and what we are meant to be in life. To take it further,  dharma is about discovering how we fit into the puzzle of the Universe. When we find ourselves in service of devotion, we are connecting our piece of the puzzle exactly where it goes.

Seva can be a tool on the path to seeking our purpose just as our purpose should connect back to Seva. It is a unified, connected cycle.

Seva can look like many things. When we practice our daily rituals as devotion to the Divine or to the Universe, we remove an attachment from outcome to the ritual. Singing, cleaning, gardening — when practiced not for one’s self or the sake of perfection becomes an offering of yourself. Seva involves transforming the intention of the action into something entirely selfless. Sure, you may better yourself in the process, but you are not attached to the outcome, as long as you move with integrity and love.

When we practice our roles and professions as devotion to the Collective, we practice Seva. Whether you are a teacher, a nurse, a parent, a partner, a lawyer — when your work is offered in service of others, you practice Seva. We strive to be better, not for ourselves, but the benefit of our loved ones. We hope to perform well at work, not for personal gain, but in respect of those we work with and service.

This action of intention, integrity, love and devotion; this is yoga. Here is how we bring yoga from the mat into our everyday life and find purpose, meaning and often beauty in even the mundane.

In what ways do you practice Seva? Who in your life do you see as a role model for Seva? How does this concept resonate with you?

Passive Pose of the Week: Parsva Savasana Variation (side-lying stretch)

This variation on parsva savasana is a big but gentle lateral stretch. A perfect place to offer rest to yourself. Caring for your body can be itself an act of devotion.

• Begin sitting on the floor on your right hip.
• Use either a bolster, a firm stack of bath towels, or a thickly rolled blanket and place it horizontally on the mat. You want the prop placed so that you can lie on your side and have the ribs lifted and supported. 
• Drape your body over the prop support. Decide to kep your knees bent and stacked or to straighten your legs long.
• You can reach your arms overhead, using the bottom arm as a rest for your head. If that doesn’t work, pad the head with a blanket. 
• Stay here for 7 – 10 breaths before sitting up and switching sides. 

There are many ways to support this pose to get comfortable. This is essentially a fetal position with a lift of the ribs. For the biggest stretch, straighten the legs and let the top arm reach up and overhead, maybe grabbing for a block or a chair. For a more gentle stretch, bend one or both knees, maybe squeezing a pillow between the knees, or staggering the legs and resting the top knee on a support, as seen in the image above. Wherever you end up, find the place that will allow you the most stillness. Focus on breathing into the open ribs, expanding the lateral side of the body with each inhale and exhale.

Active Pose of the Week: Vashistasana (side plank)