Seva

It's been a while since I posted because it is taking me some time to recover from the long weekend. We went camping on the Bonnechere River and there was a lot of laundry to do and of course I had to sardine all the camping equipment back into the hall closet - no small feat! Then I was called in to do a seva yesterday afternoon, so time really flew by and I haven't had a chance to come write anything since we got home on Monday night.

Seva is the word used at PranaShanti to designate volunteers and volunteer work. I think it's the Sikh word for service, but don't quote me on that. In actuality, at PranaShanti, it is not so much volunteering as an Energy Exchange. For every hour I give of my time, I get an hour of yoga for free. It's a sweet deal. :o)

I used to be a regular seva at PranaShanti until I had to stop due to health reasons. Now that I am feeling stronger, I have let them know that I wanted to try to start again, but on an occasional basis. They can call me if someone cancels, but I can't commit to going once a week just yet. I don't know how I will be able to handle it, so I'm starting out slowly.

I had two reasons for starting to seva again. One is that I have been feeling down about myself, basically not liking myself very well, and I realized that I haven't given much lately, although I am constantly thinking about how to receive (take) and often I worry about what is being taken. My energy, my patience, (my youth!)... It is often a case of something being taken that, if I were in better emotional shape, I would gladly give. Doing seva duty seems like a positive thing that I can give, and since it's physical work, I am encouraged that, if nothing else, at least I am moving. I can consider it exercise.

The second reason for returning to seva duty is the free yoga I earn. For the past several weeks, I have done at least one yoga class a week, but often two or even three. These are free classes I earned in the past, but I am worried about what will happen when they expire. I can't afford to pay for classes, and I am afraid that I will give up the yoga instead of continuing to practice at home. So really it is not for completely unselfish reasons that I have decided to volunteer, but what is important is that some good comes out of it. I do feel good about helping the yoga center because it is such a great place, like a safe haven. You really do relax when you step through the doors. Volunteering also gives me peace of mind, prolonging the yoga classes that I can attend for free.