The Blessings of Seva

Kundalini Yoga teacher, Taranjeet Kaur, performing seva at the Winter Yoga Festival, 2013. 

"Seva or service is infinite giving. Service is not finite giving. If you do some service and say, 'I served,' then you have totally missed the point. Service is when you feel honored by doing something. You don't feel honor in the company of many. You feel it within your own self. That is service. Seva is when your inside is honored, when you honor yourself. When I am honored in my consciousness for doing something, it is seva. When I stand before my consciousness, I feel good, and I say, ‘Well, I am so blessed that I could do it.’ That's seva." - Yogi Bhajan 

Seva is a concept that many are probably unfamiliar of and not know that it is part of yoga. Seva is selfless service. One who performs seva, serves others from one's highest self, not from the ego. 

Seva can take different forms: working at a soup kitchen, donating money and items to charity, taking food to a sick neighbor, praying for others, picking up trash in the neighborhood...even blessing people that you do not know from your heart can be a form of seva! 

Many benefits come with performing seva:

• Teaches us to let go of the ego, and serve from our highest self. 
• Allows for spiritual growth. 
• Forms meaningful connection with fellow human beings.  
• Helps to open the heart for love and blessings. 
• Builds community and teamwork. 
• Cultivates leadership. 
• Opens the flow for prosperity. 

Yoga Phoenix is a community that focuses on spiritual growth and human connection. We have many opportunities for seva and personal growth. 

What opportunities are you looking for?
Do you want to serve regularly, occasionally or just one time?

At Yoga Phoenix, we're flexible! Contact Harisaran Kaur at harisaran.yp@gmail.com. Do seva! Honor yourself, connect and grow!

More seva quote by Yogi Bhajan: 

"Seva, a service of giving without thinking of result, is a very simple thing. It makes you a leader whether you are or not—whether you deserve to be or not. And it brings you opportunities, prosperities, and all the goods, and God, and goodies of the Universe."

"There's only one thing which will bring happiness to the life of a man in abundance—when you put yourself on the side and serve others, then God will fill in the gap and shall serve you."

"Love is seva. It’s offering yourself and helping to increase the vitality, the surroundings of somebody, giving somebody grace." 

"The only power of a human being on the other human being is how much one can serve the other." 

"Once Brahma gathered demons and invited them to eat. The only rule was they couldn't bend their elbows. They got food everywhere except their mouths, they could not enjoy it. Then he gave a feast for angels. They knew they could not bend their elbows so they sat down and fed each other and had fun with it. Being for each other is the ecstasy, the divinity." 

"By giving from the heart, we reconnect to that source, elevating our soul and fulfilling our destiny. The psyche of giving is very simple but difficult to understand." 

Related Article:

A Story of Seva