Altruism (Karma Yoga), a Wonderful Way to Start the New Year!

by Ram

The Rescue by Pablo Picasso*

The underlying principle of the Yoga philosophy is the well-being of an individual at the level of body and mind and helping an individual re-connect to his/her true nature through direct and personal experience. One of the methods by which Yoga prepares the body and mind of the individual for the eventual liberation and enlightenment is through Karma Yoga, which is the yoga of selfless-action. Altruism aka Karma Yoga aka seva in Sanskrit translates as a selfless service without expectations for service provided. Any individual can achieve mind-body awareness and ultimately attain enlightenment by practicing seva/Karma yoga without any personal expectation. A Karma Yogi—an individual rendering selfless service—gets rid of all egoistic tendencies while offering such a service and puts the well-being of others as a top priority ahead of his/her personal gain or achievement.

Selfless service requires an individual to perform any service without attachment or expectation, and remain unaffected by the results of such service. At the same time such an individual needs to cultivate a loving attitude towards the selfless task, without developing any stress from it, no matter what the outcome is. Performing a task without any expectation, letting go of all results, whether good or bad, and focusing on the selfless action alone is the essence of Karma Yoga. In the light of non-attachment, the selfless doer attains freedom from emotional disturbances, including but not limited to desires, ambitions, fear, worry, anxiety, judgment, and rage. This leads to true happiness.

In one of my older posts Caregivers: The True Karma Yogis I extolled the selfless service of caregivers. In my opinion, caregivers are true Karma Yogis since they perform their duties selflessly as a service without looking to reap any benefits. Caregivers provide a wide variety of selfless services to a recipient, including assisting with daily tasks like personal care, providing meals, helping the recipient with their daily physical activities, administering medications, meeting with healthcare providers, coordinating treatment regimens, managing the recipient’s medical care and health insurance among other duties. Mother Teresa also comes to my mind as a true Karma Yogi, who declared that, “As to my calling, I belong to the world”. Mother Teresa kept reiterating the inner joy and well-being that she experienced through her selfless service.

A recent research study Motives for volunteering are associated with mortality risk in older adults  on selfless service and its effects on longevity confirm the importance of these acts. People who volunteer, and whose reasons for volunteering are to help others rather than themselves, may live longer than those who volunteer for selfish gains. The reasons why volunteering with an altruistic attitude helps an individual to live longer are manifold including among others:

1. When helping others, the body releases an important hormone called oxytocin which assists in buffering out stressful thought.
2. Merely thinking of a selfless service releases certain “feel-good” chemicals that reduces stress providing stability to the min.
3. The feel-good chemicals in turn also improves cardiovascular health.
4. Self-esteem builds and confidence levels grow when you are passionate about helping others in need, resulting in a stronger mind.

Yoga philosophy describes in detail how altruism is one of the many qualities needed to reverse pain and overcome mental afflictions (vrittis). BKS Iyengar alludes to altruism when he elaborates on karuna (compassion). Karuna is not just displaying pity or shedding tears over a miserable situation. True compassion is when you couple it with a selfless action that relieves the misery or suffering. A true karma yogi is one who without any expectation or reward:

• uses all the available resources to mitigate pain, misery and suffering
• provides courage and strength to the weak
• provides shelter to all

Providing selfless help without attaching any benefits provide Karma Yogis the greatest joy and a sense of fulfillment. It is of no surprise that the authors of a recent research study Volunteerism, health, and civic engagement among older adults compiled empirical evidence on the benefits of selfless service, concluding that adult volunteers may enjoy good health and longevity because being useful to others instills a sense of being needed and valued.

With several research studies to back the philosophy of Karma Yoga, how about committing to selfless acts on a regular basis to achieve a longer health span and using this extended life to foster sincere relationships and bring greater fulfillment to your life? I cannot think of a better resolution for Y2015!

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