Spirit of the Season

Lately, I have been doing a lot of thinking about what I wanted to say for my Karma Yoga class on Christmas day. I was not raised as a Christian but it seems to me, there is something to be remembered when we acknowledge Christmas. When I think of Christ, I think of love, not all the warped things done in his name or of the giant commercial holiday we so often associate with Christmas.

At the heart of Christ's teaching is the message that all beings are worthy in God's eyes. The humbleness of ones origins, ones profession and ones wealth having nothing to do with ones value in the universe. What really matters is what we make of our time on this earth and how we treat our fellow man. There is more to be gained in giving than in receiving. Christ said, "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven," so why not give freely of what we have to offer? That is Karma Yoga at its core.

The story of Christ whether it be myth, legend or fact teaches us to love and value our fellow man. It teaches us to look beyond the outward packaging at the light shining from those around us. The word Namaste is loosely associated with the phrase, "The light within me acknowledges the light in you." I believe that this was part of Christ's message as well: look beyond the exterior to find the beauty in others. When I think of Christmas in this light, it brings a smile to my face and a longing to my heart to give something to others and to bring them some of the comfort and joy that giving and teaching brings to me.

On this day which is at its core is about love, think of someone in your life or in the world who is struggling. Fill your mind's eye and heart with this person and then offer up and dedicate your practice to them.

Karma Yoga for Christmas

Get your Karma Yoga on…

Give good karma for Christmas and enjoy a donation-based Hatha Yoga class with our beautiful yoga community.

What: hatha yoga class on Christmas day
When: 12:00 pm-1:15ish, Friday, December 25, 2009
Where: Harmony Yoga, 560 S. Holly Drive Denver
Why: Support Denver’s Urban Peak Shelter with cash and non-perishable food donations then enjoy a relaxing hatha yoga class


Join Nadja Tizer and the Harmony Yoga Community this Christmas day to help out Urban Peak. Urban Peak supports, shelters and educates homeless and struggling teens in the Denver area. All of your food and cash donations will go directly to the shelter in the name of Harmony Yoga. This is a great way to celebrate all we have and to help others in the process. Please join us Christmas day for this special karma yoga class. Reserve your spot today!

Gratitude Part 2: Karma Yoga

We receive so much in our lives; constantly. Sometimes it is easy to lose track of the ways we are blessed but most of the yoga students who attend my classes are truly blessed. When we acknowledge what we have to be grateful for, we can become more whole. We become even more whole, when we take the time to give to others.

One of my favorite prayers is one attributed to Saint Francis beginning, "Lord make me an instrument of thy peace." The prayer ends with the words, "It is in giving that we receive and in death to self that we are born to eternal life." This provides for me a rationale for Karma Yoga. In Karma Yoga, we give freely of ourselves with no thought for reward, save those to our spirit.

I find that personally, I gain far more joy from giving than from receiving. Giving can mean little things. It can mean listening to a friend. It can mean giving someone a wave, a smile or a hug. Little acts of giving can make a huge difference in the lives of others. Even these small things are Karma Yoga.

Take a moment right now to think of someone in your life who could use a little love. Then, set the intention to dedicate your practice today to someone else. As you practice Karma Yoga in your life, think about what you have and offer it to others.