Roger Walsh, M.D., professor of psychiatry, philosophy, and anthropology at the University of California at Irvine and one of the founding teachers at the Integral Spiritual Center offered a Karma Yoga Seminar in Boulder where he outlined 9 steps for practicing Karma Yoga.
Karma Yoga is the yoga of work and action and service in the world where daily activities are transformed into a contemplative practice. The essence of Karma Yoga is: 1) dedicating whatever you’re doing to a higher goal (traditionally offering it to God); and 2) while simultaneously relinquishing attachment to the outcome.
1. Stopping what you are doing
2. Coming into the present moment
3. Setting your intention & dedicating the activity
4. Doing the activity as impeccably as you can (committing to impeccability – giving yourself 100% to the activity)
5. Bringing as much awareness at you can to your experience and monitoring all the reactions that come up
6. Consciously working with those reactions
7. Attempting to release attachment to how things are going (i.e., to results)
8. Taking time to reflect and learn about the whole process
9. Offering or dedicating the benefits
A point that Roger makes throughout his presentation is that one can practice karma yoga in all of life’s activities – at work, doing the dishes, through service work, in relationships, etc. This is an important mind shift for me as it’s much easier to be conscious of doing karma yoga when involved in meaningful service types of activities versus when I’m cleaning the house!
In 5 short video clips, Roger goes into more depth on each of these points. In order to view them, you need to be a member of Integral Naked ($10 per month, cancel anytime and the first month is free).
The Karma Yogini Journals explores contemplative service (aka karma yoga, seva, engaged spirituality) from an interspiritual perspective.
