Banana Peel, Light Switch, Alarm Clock,
arma: what is it? Simply put, Karma is the law of cause and effect. Seed and fruit. You plant a lettuce seed and lettuce grows. There is never a time when you plant a lettuce seed and produce cauliflower from that seed. The seed determines what grows; that is an unvarying law. Understanding the law of Karma can help us unite how we say we want to live, and how we actually live. Intention and action.
My first yoga teacher defined Karma in 3 forms:
Banana peel Karma is the most instant and obvious kind of karma. Step on a banana peel, fall down.
Light switch Karma: flip a switch and a light turns on. It’s still instant but there are also hidden wires and unseen connections at work.
Alarm clock Karma: set an alarm clock, go to sleep and 8 hours later the alarm goes off. Time has elapsed, other actions have taken place, but the connection is still clear. Cause and effect, seed and fruit.
Karma Yoga is more specifically the practice of giving back to the communities of which you are a part, and can manifest in any of the 3 varieties.
In its purest form—Seva, or selfless service—it is an act of kindness and generosity that neither demands, nor expects, reciprocation. So, helping someone immediately who is in need, giving a ride to someone who is stranded, donating money to a cause, working for a need-based agency, all of these are Seva.
At Upper Valley Yoga I have always tried to include Seva as part of the daily workings of the studio, to insist that as a business owner I am practicing Karma Yoga. I don’t make a lot of money personally, so I don’t have much extra to give away, but I believe giving back to our community is vital to being a studio of depth and substance. The instructors who teach our monthly free classes—generous angels of yoga that they are—are the clearest example of this.
The scholarship fund, our own “Karma Fund” is another. This fund acts as kind of our own “alarm clock Karma." If someone comes to me, strapped for cash but hungry for yoga, I like to be able to offer them some free classes. When there is credit in the fund, I am able to do just that. And then, who’s to say the ways in which that act might reverberate both in that individual’s life and also its ripple effect outward into the community and world.
This Friday I will teach a by-donation class at the studio and the proceeds will all go to the Karma Fund. I hope you will come join me in Seva, donate any amount, and help us strengthen our own immediate community and by the laws of Karma, help that effect ripple outward through our surrounding communities. And in the process, enjoy a fun, feel-good practice to kick off your weekend. I hope to have a robust turn out. Please do sign up to hold a space, so I can plan accordingly. Time allowing, I will make some treats to enjoy after class, and you are welcome to stay and enjoy Kirtan with Angie and Josh at 7:30!.
