Seva: Selfless Service

I worked as a waitress for 4 years. I sweat my butt off as I served tables, cleaned up others' messes and dealt with unhappy customers. It wasn't an easy job, but I held on for the tips. Certain customers would tip generously, while others left pennies (literally). I resented those who didn't tip and simply smiled goodbye to those who were generous. I was chasing the dollar, one table at a time. 

Letting Go of the Ego

I eventually left the restaurant industry and am now teaching yoga full-time. I absolutely love teaching yoga, however, I periodically feel sick of hearing my own voice and stress about money, even feeling tempted to get back into serving for the extra cash.

As these thoughts continued to cloud my mind, I decided to add more asana and meditation practices into my routine in search of some clarity. I realized I was solely focusing on me vs on my students. My ego had taken over and I lost sight of why I started teaching in the first place: to help others - not to make the big bucks.

Serving should be a selfless act, not a selfish one. The more I meditated on this thought, the less I thought about money and the other stresses in my mind before teaching. My energy lightened and I felt more present & connected to my students' needs.

No Tips Required

Seane Corn describes seva (selfless service) as "going outside of your comfort zone and extending yourself when you might normally withdraw". Corn continues, "I'd love to say everything I do is selfless, but there has not been one experience where I haven't gotten more from it spiritually that I could ever give".

Moral of the story, in giving yourself fully, you open your Self to receive. 

xx