Karma Yoga: The Path to Selflessness, Positivity & Inner Peace

Stay positive with karma yoga as it is all about inner peace and the path of unselfish action. From what it actually is to how to involve it in our daily lives, get to know everything here!

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Howdy! There’s a quote that says,”The mind and body are not separate, what affects one affects the other.” So, it becomes very important to take the best care of both of them. Yoga is a path that helps us in achieving a good balance of both mind and body. Of which karma yoga is a path to spiritual liberation and helps to purify the mind.

What is it about selfless acts and doing something for someone that makes us feel good? Whether you believe in collecting good karma or not, selflessness is the key to inner peace because putting others needs before ours makes us feel like we’re contributing and leading a wholesome, fulfilling life. The health benefits are just a cherry on top of this cake of positivity.

So, let’s plunge into the details of karma yoga here!

Yoga in Hinduism

Yoga is a physical and mental practice that originated in ancient India. It’s been super popular for years now owing to the benefits it gives to the body and is also practiced for relaxation.

yoga-hinduism-karma-yoga-four-types-of-yogaThe 4 Branches of Yoga

The four paths or branches of yoga are karma, bhakti, raja and jnana yoga. All are approaches on how to live life healthily, happily and peacefully. The basic idea behind all the different branches of yoga is to get rid of negativity – both in the mind and body.

What is Karma Yoga

Karma is all about doing good and reflecting on the actions you have done in the past! Hindu people believe a lot in the concept of karma. They say anything done badly will not be ignored and we will have to repay for our mistakes or wrongdoings someday. Every action we do, either good or bad, has consequences and those results affect our lives in the long run. That means, if you’ve done something good in the past, you’ll lead a happy life for sure and the opposite is the result of the bad. Never ever forget that all your actions matter. So, act accordingly!

karma-yoga-helping-other-donating-good-feels-good-charity'The Science Behind it: Importance & Benefits of Karma Yoga

Karma yoga is a type of yoga that helps us in molding our life in such a way that we can live regret-free.

Benefits of Karma Yoga

1. Depression and other mental issues have been on a rise amongst people of all ages. One of the reasons people face these is having loads of negative thoughts, lack of purpose and a feeling of uselessness in the world. At times, it’s common to have such issues but practicing karma yoga can give us a purpose and help us fight mental health problems.

2. Loving and caring with the right attitude is very important for reducing stress and anxiety, which can lead to a lower blood pressure and lower the risk of heart disease.

karma-yoga-path-selflessness-animal-love-latest-3. A healthy mind is a must for a holistically healthy body. Reflecting upon our actions helps us get to know ourselves more. Knowing our strengths and weaknesses is very important in maintaining a better mental health.

4. Doing good for others puts our problems into perspective and can reduce the risk of panic attacks and depression.

Karma Yoga in Bhagavad Gita

According to Bhagavad Gita, karma yoga is not just meant for spiritual people but also for common people. Also, here’s what I read and loved in the Hindu website, “Selfish actions or desire-ridden bind men to their consequences and subject them to the cycle of births and deaths.

At the same time, one cannot escape from karma by shunning their responsibilities altogether. Inaction or non-action is a solution to the problem of karma. Liberation cannot be attained by abstaining from work or by renouncing work because it is not possible for anyone to remain inactive even for a moment”.

karma-yoga-helping-others-compassionate-poor-old-aged-helpKarma Yoga: The Path to Moksha?

According to Hinduism and Jainism, moksha means liberation. It is the obtainment of freedom from one’s life and getting ready for the next. In short, it’s the opposite of hell! People strive all their lives to achieve moksha. It’s believed it can be attained only by selflessness, good karma and a positive attitude.

The root cause of all things happening in life is expectations. People do something good and expect in return something, which leads to hatred, or disappointment. Or we expect others to be like us, or a certain way, which leads to jealousy or judgments. So avoiding expectations could be a perfect start to attain moksha through karma yoga.

Involve Karma Yoga in Your Daily Life

Involving karma yoga in just a matter of adopting positive outlook and habits. You need not do anything special; just changing a bit of your lifestyle will help you reach the path of inner peace.

karma-yoga-inner-peace-positivity-selflessnessHow to Practice Karma Yoga

1. Unlike, other types of yoga, karma yoga isn’t done with asanas, poses and postures. It’s all about how you coordinate your mind and soul. As I mentioned earlier, karma yoga is the reflection of our actions. So, in order to have a good peaceful future, make up your mind to have a beautiful today!

2. Repentance is very important in Hinduism. Of course, the bad deeds done by us cannot be underdone but by realizing the severity of our actions, making amends and learning from them can make our lives easier. Just train your mind to make this a habit.

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Start With Yourself

3. Start with teaching yourself with basic moral values as they say, “if you want to change the world, start with yourself”. So, it’s very important to bring a change in you first and that can be achieved by karma yoga.

4. Keep a track of your actions and keenly observe what you do every day. This will change your perspective on life. It will also help you to understand yourself better!

5. Being more humane is another thing that can be done with karma yoga. Help others, by helping it doesn’t always mean contributing money but also sharing knowledge or showing compassion. Listen and share your insights. Feel free to share feelings with others instead of hiding them. The more knowledge you share, the more you get!

6. Giving up on all the materialistic pleasures of life is also considered the path to moksha as it helps us be totally selfless. Attaching yourself to everything around you will make you more selfish. So never think anything as permanent and try to be happy even in absence of these pleasures.

7. Always be sympathetic, never judge a person by the situation! You never know what is going on in their lives.

Staying calm and peaceful is the key mantra to leading a successful, happy life and is that possible through karma yoga. So, we hope our guide was helpful and inspirational. How do you practice karma yoga and how has it changed your life? Do let us know by tweeting @shilpa1ahuja.

Also read:
Guide to Om Yoga | Your Gateway to Meditation & Stress Busting
Prana Yoga: The Benefits of Breathe Yoga & A Beginner’s Guide
Bikram Yoga: A Complete Guide to Its Benefits, 26 Bikram Poses & FAQs
– Guide to Shakti Yoga | Release Your Inner Goddess of Strength

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