Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart. – Paul the Apostle
Sept 1, 2024
Greetings yogis,
It’s a glorious day here in Muir Beach as I sit to write this. This month’s writing explores the idea of work as we circle around Labor Day – especially making it sacred work and how to do it with a pure heart. In the famously wise Hindu masterpiece, the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna asks a burning question to Lord Krishna. “Tell me, Krishna, of those who are established in wisdom, how do they work?”
Krishna (the Divine incarnated) then shares with Arjuna a most sacred and distilled gem of insight, “They are established in wisdom who have removed every trace of selfish motivation from the mind.” He follows that with, “You have the right to work, but not to the fruits of your action.”
Aho! This is sage deliverance from the rising sun of the east. I sit with these words often for reflection and perspective since we here in the west have been sold an entirely different story.
Most of us, cogs in the wheels, are driven by the ludicrous story that joy lies at the end of the journey. It's there only when we’ve worked ourselves to the bones and all that remains is enough money to finally, if we’re able, retire – hopefully with sufficient life force left to enjoy it! One must ask at some point, ‘What of the many countless hours, days, weeks, months and years in between all of that?’
I’m no stranger to working hard, I have toiled and toweled cars off at the carwash until my forearms and shoulders seized up, eventually graduating to the waxing station where the tips made the efforts a little more worthwhile. I swung a hammer for decades, calloused hands building homes for beloved members of our community in Montana. We tilled the land and grew our food, our parents instilling an incredible work ethic in us.
But how do we sanctify these labors? And does it matter? In my opinion – yes. Making our efforts sacred and spiritual holds the key to set us free. Part of this path is to make every moment of it, here and now, sacred. To do our work, always, with peace in our hearts. And Krishna’s advice gives us pause to ask what the why is behind our efforts, what it is that drives us.
Here are my insights:
Whether in an office or the fields, serve solely to serve the divine in each other. Give thanks that you have work. Make it self-less and in turn it becomes an offering to the world. Work as an expression of creative energy moving through you to contribute to the greater whole and you will. Soften the grip on the outcome, you don’t know if it will come. Do all of this with joy and a steady mind, and the work will nearly do itself, with grace. Whatever the task at hand, focus solely on that and let it be a labor of love. Practice all this and you are free – and wise.
I give thanks every day for meaningful work. In so doing, I sanctify it. Sharing yoga has become the most noble, meaningful expression of work I can imagine myself contributing to the world. Countless teachers put in mountains of work, effort and sacrifice to share these teachings and help others find liberation, I humbly bow in at their feet and carry it forward. There is no end in sight that I'm moving towards. My joy is here, now, serving you.
May you all be free,
Nat K |
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