Karma

As I began practice a couple weeks ago with a favorite teacher of mine, Cat, she opened her class with a quote as she does most days – “How you treat me is your karma; how I react is mine…”.  Like the many asanas of yoga, I love the shared simplicity and intricacy this quote inspires.

In Sanskrit, karma means action and is most often translated to indicate one’s destiny brought upon by previous deeds, either good or bad.  It is commonly thought of as relating to the concept of “reaping what you sow”.  Learning to help others and how to control our emotions in an effort to receive compassion and have others remain calm with us, are more obvious examples of how karma works for each of us.  Yet, following the same line of thought, for each action we take we will unlikely make everyone happy.  Inevitably, someone will find fault with what we do, citing our action as too much or too little.  Therefore, when things don’t work out, we can allow karma to become the culprit for what happens to us.

Yet, when I reflect on the quote Cat shared with us, it takes the fault off of karma and places it back on us as individuals.  Countless times I have heard people blame karma for what has occurred forgetting that in reality what surrounds us we have actually created.  Our karma is constantly changing; evolving as we grow and adapt to the conditions around us.  How we react as we are tested by our world is truly what will determine that which we receive back from the universe.  Be your best you can be; attempt to see the world from a perspective other than the one you have always known;  and, remember to practice presence and patience with not only others but yourself as well.

~The divine in me salutes the divine in you, Namaste~