Being a Karma Yogi: The Path of Karma Yoga

Our spiritual teaching is founded on four pillars – meditation, study, karma yoga and integrating the shadow.  If you feel inspired to develop the pillar of karma yoga, there are many ways you can put this into practice.  Below are some ways you can begin to practice Karma Yoga.

 Karma Yoga Opportunities

Combine retreat and karma yoga with Clear Sky’s new hybrid program

One of the many benefits our having our own base at Clear Sky Retreat Center in the BC Rockies is the opportunity for people to experience karma yoga in a supportive and focused setting. 

For Existing Students:

Another great way to explore this pillar is to join Clear Sky meditation centre's hybrid retreat / karma yoga package.

Designed for students of Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat, this affordable program offers you a way to combine a personal or group retreat followed by a period of karma yoga, benefiting from quality time onsite learning and training with the teachers’ and resident sangha community.

The program also gives the opportunity for you to work remotely at your livelihood so that you don’t have to give up your income to join.

For Newbies:

If you have not yet met the teachers or community, consider applying for the three month immersion program at Clear Sky. Led by senior students, Clear Sky offers a 3 month karma yoga immersion program that we have found to be incredibly transformative for participants. Three Month Karma Yoga Immersion Program

Why Be a Karma Yogi? 

Why would you want to be a karma yogi?  Here are some thoughts from our community of students who practice Karma Yoga.

Personal Experiences of Karma Yogis:

Much of my life I’ve been a nice guy on the surface, and aggressively competitive underneath.  I wouldn’t like to hold people accountable or get into conflict on one hand; and on the other I would roll over people to get what I wanted.  Particularly through Catherine Sensei’s integrity and compassion, and in the context of the melting pot of working together doing karma yoga with the Sangha to create and grow Clear Sky, I eventually hit a point where this ego strategy simply stopped working.  I had to finally witness these blind spots, and start to see the huge cost this was having on me and others.  This was immensely healing as I began to see these patterns drove so many unhelpful and unhappy patterns in my life.  I’m not sure how I could have brought these crippling blind spots into awareness and start to heal and transform them except by the path of karma yoga and the compassion of my dharma trainers.

Duncan Cryle, Toronto, Canada, 2017

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Video: Cara Conroy-Low, Calgary, Canada, 2017

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Through Karma Yoga, I have worked through an incredible amount of resistances and blocks. I will always be a work-in-progress, but the biggies have gone. The weight of heavy generational suffering has gone. The self-hate, shame and guilt has lessened a lot. Today, I hardly have a bad day. When I said bad day, I mean, I let things go more quickly, I don’t hold on to things as much as I used to. There is hardly any vague sadness, depression and anxiety with me today. I laugh more. Well, actually, I can laugh today. I don’t take myself so seriously and the tendency to take things personally has decreased a lot. I feel a lot lighter, less of a victim, and feel more confident that I actually have something to contribute to the world.

Karen MacAllister, Toronto, Canada, 2017

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Video: Christopher Lawley, Calgary, Canada, 2017

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Being part of Planet Dharma’s Karma Yoga team has changed some views I had about Karma Yoga.

• To observe one’s state of mind while doing Karma Yoga is the key for me. It is about not just blindly ‘doing’. The path, process and experience of ‘doing’ is as important as the results.
• The process of communicating with my karma yoga colleagues slowly uncovers the blind background programs that are running in the mind and body. I usually love to work alone, doing “my thing”, “my way”. But reflecting with another being is so much faster to uncover the unseen. The ego doesn’t like it very much at the beginning. But more minds simply see more things. It is therefore very enriching.
• Everything is Karma Yoga, the moment I put awareness into it. When I do that, on a physical and emotional level the sense of prosperity and generosity that I get from Karma Yoga expands into my so called “normal daily life”.

Andrea Netscher, Germany, 2017

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Video: Ava MacLean, Calgary, Canada, 2017

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I’ve been practicing karma yoga at our retreat centre, Clear Sky for over ten years.  The benefits are ripe – for example now I am more able to see what is needed in the moment and take action to address it. I am less frozen in self conscious thinking. Karma yoga is a practice of not getting stuck in my feelings, emotions, mental thoughts.  I’ve learned to communicate better with my community – keeping team members informed as well as reframing and rephrasing until all parties feel understood.  Rather than staying passive I’ve learned to take control and direct as needed.  I’ve learned to act quickly to listen, problem solve, forgive emotional upsets and move forward to addressing what needs to be addressed.  I don’t get as stuck in views of who is right or wrong. I’m able to take on more responsibility, and get comfortable with both leading and following.

Maureen Smith, BC, Canada, 2017