Karma is Not a Bitch…………….

Karma has accumulated a bad rep in this country. Karma is not always bad. And it isn’t necessarily a punishment. It is an opportunity to learn. It is an opportunity to hold yourself accountable for your actions because there is nothing so bold as to admit your shortcomings and hold yourself responsible for your behavior, even the good moments, but especially the bad ones. It is both enlightening and empowering. Spiritual growth is almost guaranteed and you are less likely to get stuck in a fixed mindset. You have one that nurtures new ideas, new viewpoints, a different outlook. And you get to have some control over what comes your way.

Karma literally means action. It comes from the Sanskrit root kr which means to do. Though there is a cause for every action and likewise an effect. Karma’s broader meaning implies that the actions we perform deliver back to us, that there is a moral quality to them. We reap what we sow. That divine manifestation. What we put out there comes back to us. Sometimes to haunt us, yet always to educate us. Not to punish us. 

It’s about what you put out there. Run around yelling all day, showing impatience to others, honking the horn at someone who is probably simply and merely exercising caution, not stupidity (or whatever judgement that comes to the honker’s mind), that junk comes back to you. John Lennon’s song Instant Karma comes to mind, yet karma is not always an instantaneous event. There is a build up. It’s simply a way for you to control your life and the events around you. As Mr. Lennon writes, “it’s all up to you” (“yeah, you”).

In yoga, we seek action on the mat by holding poses and transitioning from one to the next. This movement can be both strengthening and also a way to let go, to shed the unwanted tension and pain from the body and put it to better use. It might be smaller and more subtle actions, gentle and quiet, with an eye towards relaxing. The immediate results depend on your intentions and the style of yoga you practice. The more subtle results tend to have similar ultimate results: equanimity. Peace of mind. Empathy and compassion for others. Greater physical and emotional health. But one must practice and practice consistently, with a sense of duty and integrity, to fully reap the benefits of  yoga, the gifts and secrets it ultimately can reveal. 

It doesn’t always have to be a physically challenging event. It doesn’t have to be a 75-minute session on the mat, mostly on the feet with lots of vigor and big, broad movements. It can be taking a few moments to sit, tune in to your body and breath and meditate. It can be taking the time to listen to a friend in need, without judgment, but with care and attentiveness. That can be your action. The important thing is, what was the effect of that action? That is where karma really begins to settle in. 

Yesterday I called a state service to research the assistance that is out there for those of us hit particularly hard by COVID. The woman with whom I spoke was absolutely lovely, calm, helpful, and really held space for my call. Her language throughout the call seemed so yogic in nature and as we were about to finish our conversation, I asked her if she did yoga. She said sadly, that she does not because she finds it physically unattainable. She suffers from cerebral palsy. She went on to say that she lives deep in the woods on very quiet, private land, and often sits outside to listen to the sounds and to breathe in the beauty around her. I told her that was her yoga. Afterall, that was what early yogis and yoginis strove for, to sit in contemplative and reflective silence for hours on end. Her actions are small. Her karma is large. She put out such positive energy. She had an amazing positive effect on me that day. Debbie is her name. Thank you, Debbie, your positive aura is strong!

Here’s a link to John Lennon’s lyrics to Instant Karma! 

Instant Karma!