There is such a spirit of community that comes with yoga which naturally lends itself to service to others. There is even a word for it: seva which means selfless service. It was fun to read about the various ways that people are inspired to give back to their communities and how it is tied to yoga.
Mark Lilly founded a nonprofit called Street Yoga that provides free yoga lessons to at-risk youth in Oregon. He says "Yoga is a tool of transformation. With that transformed Self, you can show up for others and be of service." This is a great example of how Yoga is more than just a physical fitness tool. The mental and spiritual aspect is huge.
Another teacher, Seane Corn, said that yoga made her "feel gratitutde for the gifts yoga had given me, and I wanted to give back." She began to teach a class for adolescent prostitutes. After her first class, she left in tears. The girls were defiant and rude to her and she did not think she could help them. As the class went on, their attitudes began to change while at the same time, she began to learn new things about herself to help her grow as a person. That is the beautiful thing about service. While it is intended to help others, it almost always also helps yourself.
Seva means going outside of your own comfort zone and extending yourself to others. Corn said that while she wants to give selflessly it is impossible for her because every time she tries to give to people, she ends up getting back more than she could ever give. What an amazing heart!
I have always loved doing community service and I hadn't even though yet of the possibilities of yoga in community service. I will definitely visit the Yoga Service Council website to find out how I can help!
http://www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/3072
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