Community 

by Deborah Lomond

I wasn't sure whether to call this article community or happiness. Let me explain further...Kelowna Yoga House hosted a four day workshop on therapeutics last weekend. There were 30 Iyengar Yoga Teachers from all across Canada who attended this event. This was part four of a six part course. Whenever we take on the responsibility of hosting such an event, it is an opportunity for us to work together as a community and the yoga house community shone. Many of the visiting teachers took us aside during the course of the weekend and commented on the amazing energy in the studio.   

One of the definitions of community is a social group whose members have a common purpose. Well, what would be the common purpose at Kelowna Yoga House? I am sure that we all could answer that in a different way but I see it as living a more healthy life. A life where success is not determined by personal achievements and acquisitions but rather a life based on acquiring skills and ways to live honestly and compassionately. A life lived with awareness. Community offers us a way to be supported in this goal and to support others.

If you were to attend a Buddhist Meditation retreat, the meditation sitting often starts with paying homage to the Triple Gem. The Triple Gem being the Buddha( the teacher), the Dharma( the teachings) and the Sangha (the community). It has always struck me that the community is so revered. The Buddha said that the success of any spiritual life depends one hundred percent on spiritual friendship or community.  

The ancient yoga teachings encourage us to cultivate the "divine abodes": the states of maitri ( friendliness), karuna, ( compassion), mudita (gladness in the joy of others) and upeksanam ( equanimity). The teachings even say that our consciousness changes and becomes more serene and benevolent when we practice these qualities. So just like your mother told you " We best help ourselves by helping others." Even the biggest and most complex problems come down to what is in our hearts. Our modern society can sometimes disdainfully mock the simple virtues like sharing but this can transform our lives. This empathic connection relaxes boundaries and encourages a frame of mind that lets more in. It dissolves the sense of self and other.  click to read the full article...

Krisna and Deborah in Toronto at the IYAC AGM

Karma Yoga has become somewhat of a buzz phrase at many local studios these days. People are trading their time in service for yoga classes. This is not true karma yoga. In fact, years ago at Kelowna Yoga house we had discussions amongst the teachers that touched on this very topic. At the time, we had a "Karma Yoga program" but realized upon reflection that it was merely an exchange of services with personal reward attached. We now call it "work exchange".   You may already be aware that the word karma means action. We are always in action. Even when seemingly doing nothing, we are thinking, breathing, sleeping etc. Karma Yoga is the yoga of action--it is the intentional application of action with a corresponding attitude. It is expounded on in many spiritual works; one of the most often quoted is the Bhagavad Gita. 3.19-20 "Strive constantly to serve the welfare of the world; by devotion to selfless work one attains the supreme goal of life. Do your work with the welfare of others always in mind. It was by such work that Janaka attained perfection; others, too, have followed this path." (This is just a sample, the whole chapter is glorious)

Giving selflessly is karma yoga. If we are trading our time for money, there is nothing selfless about it, we are getting a reward. What makes any act one of karma yoga is the attitude and intention behind it. If we are serving others for the benefit of others, this is truly selfless service. Less self, more focus on the other. Personally, I have worked under the guise of karma yoga for many years. However, I must admit that not all of that work was done with the right spirit of selflessness. There are times when I took on projects that looked selfless but I must admit that there were some subconscious motives for doing that work.   Our motivations can be very tangled and convoluted. It takes constant self-observation to reveal those hidden agendas.  click to read the full article...