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sevaka (Worker)

All life is yoga. - Sri Aurobindo

That which you see as
other than righteousness and unrighteousness,
other than all this cause and effect,
other than what has been and what is to be—tell me THAT.
-Katha Upanishad

यत्करोषि यदश्न‍ासि यज्ज‍ुहोषि ददासि यत् ।
यत्तपस्यसि कौन्तेय तत्कुरुष्व मदर्पणम् ॥ २७ ॥

Whatever you do,
whatever you eat,
whatever you offer or give away,
and whatever austerities you perform
do that, O son of Kuntī, as an offering to Me. -Bhagavad Gita 9.27

The greatest men in the world have passed away unknown. The Buddhas and the Christs that we know are but second-rate heroes in comparison with the greatest men of whom the world knows nothing. -Swami Vivekananda, Karma Yoga.

Our first duty is not to hate ourselves, because to advance we must have faith in ourselves first and then in God. He who has no faith in himself can never have faith in God. -Swami Vivekananda, Karma Yoga.

BhaktiKarmaRajaJnanaSattvaRajasTamasSamadhiDhyanaDharanaPratyaharaPranayamaAsanaNiyamaYamaSelflessSelfishAtmanivedanamSakhyamDasyamVandanamArchanamPadasevanamSmaranamKirtanamShravanamAdvaitaVishishtadvaitaDvaitaYamaKarma YogaNiyamaBhakti YogaAsana,PranayamaHatha YogaPratyaharaJapa YogaSattvaRajasTamasRaja YogaTraditional Four YogasSynthesis into Raja YogaDharana,DhyanaSamadhiJnana YogaExternalInternal

Before we can perform the right actions in the world we need to build ourselves. We need to build our morality and character that is devoted to a higher purpose than money or power. The sevaka path is a framework built on Vedanta philosophy and Patanjali's Yoga Sutras that is designed to help individuals build strength, courage, wisdom, and devotion. This path is one of action, service, and lifelong learning.

  • Karma Yoga. Path of selfless work and service to others. This limb is focused on the interpersonal interactions and how we serve and treat others.
    • yama. Moral Restraints
      • ahimsa. Nonviolence
      • satya. Truthfulness
      • asteya. Refrain from Stealing
      • bramacharya. Celibacy
      • aparigraha. Refraining from Coveting
  • Bhakti Yoga. Devotion to the divine and love for all beings. This limb dictates how we interact with the world.
    • niyama. Observances
      • saucha. Cleanliness
      • santosha. Contentment
      • tapas. Austerity, Discipline, and Routine
      • svadhyaya. Study of the Sacred Texts and Mantras.
      • ishvarapranidhana. Surrendering the fruits of all action to the Divine
  • Hatha Yoga. Health and Exercise. This limb is focused on the physical body and how we take care of it through the food we eat and the exercises we do.
    • asana. Posture and Exercise
    • pranayama. Breath and Food
  • Japa Yoga. Practice of mantra repetition and chanting. This limb is how we center and focus our mind on the divine.
    • pratyahara. Mantras and Japa
  • Jnana Yoga. Self-Knowledge and Wisdom. This limb is the stilling of the mind so we can perceive the true nature of reality.
    • samyama. Meditation
      • dharana. Concentration
      • dhyana. Meditation
      • samadhi. Absorption