Attitudes for the Family and Professional Life

Karma yoga is not just for those who are pursuing a spiritual life or living in an ashram. There are important practical benefits to be gained from the performance of karma yoga for those immersed in the hectic world. A key gain is the mental resilience and immunity to outside influences. Where others get drawn into the drama of life, suffer imbalance and fall into crisis mode, the person walking the path of karma yoga remain steadfast and balanced.

People with family and professional obligations often spend their days tilting from one crisis to the next. The children have pitched a tantrum or are complaining about the food. The spouse is angry. There is ongoing friction and enmity with a co-worker. The future is uncertain due to the loss of a crucial business contract. Through karma yoga it is possible to cultivate mental attitudes that allow you to remain unaffected by the different circumstances that arise in life. You can manage yourself even in the face of major life events such as divorce, loss of employment, or the death of a loved one.

Below are some practical examples of how the yamas and niyamas or inner attitudes of karma yoga can be cultivated and applied in daily life to maintain balance and prevent crisis. The full expression of lokasangraha, working for the good of all, and samarpan, making every action an offering to a higher goal, are left as a sadhana for the those dedicated to the spiritual life.

Karmasu kaushalam and phalamtyaga

Balance and regularity do not imply routine and indifference to the actions that you undertake. The attitude of karmasu kaushalam, skill in actions, is to bring creativity into what might otherwise be routine and to do your best, without reaction, no matter what task you are faced with. You can begin training yourself by becoming aware of any likes or dislikes related to jobs you have to do. Perhaps you resent always being the one in the family who ends up doing the dishes or taking out the rubbish. Then consciously set aside your likes and dislikes and seek efficiency and excellent in everything you do. Over time, you will find new, more satisfying ways to wash the dishes or collect the children from school.

Setting aside likes and dislikes will also help you avoid procrastination and persevere with any duty. Whatever can be done today need not wait until tomorrow; whatever you feel like giving up today take up with a fresh approach tomorrow. These attitudes will help prevent feelings of frustration and resentment from welling up and creating friction and imbalance in your relationships with others.

Together with karmasu kaushalam comes phalamtyaga, working without expectations of a reward. The challenge is to complete all tasks in a perfect manner, even when there is no one to see the result. Nothing should be mechanical; every action should be done with full awareness. When you do your work for the sake of the work, rather than for money or recognition, there will be no fear of criticism or failure. A great number of crises can be prevented in life if you can stop worrying about the results of your actions.

Samatvam and akarta bhava

Cultivating the mental attitude of samatvam, being balanced and composed no matter where life takes you, brings about an acceptance that everything that happens is for your own good. Happiness is in the end always a choice. Rather than brooding over the loss of a job or a contract, you can decide to view it as an opportunity to learn a new skill, to try something new. Instead of sinking into a depression when your spouse files for divorce, you can accept the change as a chance to learn and to grow. If you are able to remain unaffected by failure and success alike, you will also become less competitive and less judgemental in relation to others. This will improve interactions with family, friends, colleagues and neighbours, and help maintain more positive relationships.

Coupled with samatvam is the attitude of akarta bhava or none-doership. If you understand yourself to be an instrument for carrying out an action, it is easier to be non-personal in relation to others. You can distinguish between the issues and problems that arise and the person involved. Seeing yourself as part of a greater cause will help maintain inspiration and motivation; try to view yourself as part of a team of others working towards the same goal. Instead of demanding rights for yourself, share and be cooperative.

Atmabhava and dharma

In their full expression, atmabhava, feeling oneness with all, and dharma, right living, are a higher sadhana. However, even while you are immersed in the world with family and professional obligations, you can develop the essence of these more all-embracing attitudes; the key is consideration for others. This will hasten the shift from selfishness to selflessness, which is the ultimate attainment of karma yoga. You may also notice an improvement in your relationships when you think less about what you want and more about what you can share with others – even if it is on a small scale, supporting a friend in need or offering to make tea for your wife or mother.

Following some simple principles of atmabhava and dharmic living makes it possible to prevent a range of frictions and imbalances in relationships, among them miscommunication, tension, confusion, resentment and feelings of inferiority. The following are some examples:

• Try to speak only as you would like to be spoken to, avoiding hurtful expressions and body language.

• Let people finish their thoughts during conversation and resist having the last word in heated discussions.

• When asked to assist with a task, such as helping to carry a load or answer a query, try to help even if you do not feel like it.

• Do not point fingers or make a scene when you see a light left on or a piece of garbage lying around; simply let your actions be a quiet example.

• Give credit when it is due; ensure that the work of others is recognized appropriately and not wrongly credited as your own.

• When someone does a selfless deed for you, or smiles for no reason, consciously, as a natural expression do the same for someone else when the opportunity arises.

Shantata and niyamitata

Underpinning the mental shift away from crisis and imbalance are the inner attitudes of shantata, serenity, and niyamitata, regularity. The development of these inner attitudes can be supported by external factors like orderliness and a balance routine.

Balance and regularity start from the simple material level. If you work involves being static all day long, sitting in front of a computer, you should make sure to include physical movement in your routine. Similarly, your daily routine should maintain balance between the two brain hemispheres. People with an active right brain should make sure to perform at least an hour of left hemisphere activity and vice versa. Make these shifts between activities conscious and regular.

The inner attitude of serenity is supported by an environment that is well organized: a tidy room and wardrobe, a well-organized office or workspace, and a practical kitchen where your kitchen cupboard is arranged with common sense – often used items at the front and rarely used items at the back. This external organization will spill over into mental orderliness.

The overall yardstick of progress in karma yoga is the ability to maintain moment-to-moment awareness of your attitude no matter what the circumstances. When you stop identifying with friction and conflict and begin to approach relationships from a perspective of consideration for others, many crises will be avoided. Harmony and balance will be restored in your life and your environment.

A spiritual aspirant should be ever active and, at the same time, feel inwardly that he is the non-doer and non-enjoyer. He should have a deep interest in everything and yet be perfectly non-attached, a witness to the events in life. He should do his prescribed duty and serve everyone with intense love but without expectation of fruits. This is the essence of karma yoga.

-Swami Sivananda Saraswati

By the practice of karma yoga one can do any action or duty; one can live any life and still be able to clear the accumulating effects of karma at the same time. Karma yoga is the system of attaining awareness through activity. It is the performance of daily work with constant awareness and without any expectation of reward.

-Swami Satyananda Saraswati

In karma yoga we try to awaken the strength of our mind so that we can handle different situations not with frustration and anxiety but with joy and happiness.

-Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati