Meaning of karma yoga

When people think of the word ‘yoga’, they imagine different yoga asanas combined with special breathing techniques. There are some different forms of yoga, and each of them has been designed to help a person develop a higher level of consciousness and attain unity with the mind, body and the soul.

Karma Yoga is the form of yoga that is related with our Karma.Karma Hinduism means ‘deeds’ or ‘actions’. Therefore, the meaning of karma yoga is that it is the ‘yoga of action’, and is a consistent dedication to selfless service. Karma yoga involves doing your duty without any reservations and expectation of the results that are obtained from the act.

Generally, a person is bound by a feeling of getting positive rewards for the action he/she performs, but one can have the correct attitude in life by performing the act and detaching from its results, or you can say the consequences. This concept is known as karma yoga and the person who follows this path, people called them as karma yogi.With karma yoga, the person does not ask for anything in return. The seeker is working with the hope and aspiration of serving God.

In Karma yoga, the seeker’s only desire is to fulfill the will of God. Taking action to alleviate suffering, to give people hope when they are depressed, stressed or alone is one of the highest forms of human activity that a person can perform. When a person stops being egoistic and turns his/her attention towards the needs of others, without looking for a fruitful outcome in return, he/she is performing karma yoga.

Benefits of karma yoga

The fruits of practicing karma yoga are innumerable. Below listed are some of the karma yoga benefits:

• Karma yoga helps to open and purify the heart.
• It softens the feeling of anger and fear and washes away old sorrows.
• It gives a renewed hope in life.
• It prepares your mind for the reception of knowledge to enable the most creative and efficient utilization of your energies.
• It helps to get over feelings of jealousy, hatred, sense of superiority and fill the heart with qualities like mercy, tolerance and sympathy.

How to do karma yoga?

Meditation is an important part of yoga and should be practiced regularly. It is the first step you have to follow before starting your yoga asana practice. Karma yoga is considered to be the basic step of all yoga forms. So, if you have decided to learn yoga, then you will have first to learn karma yoga. Unless you follow the guidelines for karma yoga, you will not be able to perform any other yoga asana properly, and all your efforts to do other yoga forms will be a waste.

Maintain your equilibrium and balance your actions wisely. Do not be extreme in any attitude and maintain a healthy communication between your heart and your mind. Let your feelings and thoughts blend into your wisdom. Meditate to become aware of the truth and reality of your finest ideas. Once you are aware of your link with God with every action you perform, you can be sure of the fact that you have learnt karma yoga in the right way.

The second step in learning karma yoga is that you should have courage. To go on the right path and follow the right actions, you need a lot of courage. You must have the courage to face the truth and to stick to it. It will not be easy for you to have courage all the time to reach your goal. But with enormous practice, you will be able to attain full confidence and strong willpower that will help you achieve your goal. You must have the power to take a correct decision at the correct time and follow it.

So now that you know what is karma yoga.You should try and follow a karma yoga schedule and enter the path of detachment. This will not make you inefficient but will instead channelize your entire energy into the task you have at hand with utmost dedication and will help you give in your best. Hence, the results of such actions are the best, and you get fruitful results.