The fruit of love is service. Prayer in action is love, and love in action is service."

SEVA

The Sanskrit word Seva translates directly as string, implying that all things are connected in the thread of existence. To engage with one is to engage with the whole. Likewise, to serve one is to serve the whole.

In its current use, seva is a spiritual practice of selfless service, springing from two forms of yoga, Karma Yoga which is the yoga of action, and Bhakti Yoga, the yoga of worship inspired by divine love. Seva can be as simple as helping a child cross a street, or as difficult as caring for refugees in a war torn land a world away. Nevertheless, seva is one of the most profound and life changing of practices. However we chose to express our own unique seva practice, we ultimately test our altruism and put our spiritual knowledge into action.

Through the spirit of selfless action, when we have nothing to gain and nothing to lose by not doing, performing Seva all the time to our family, and our activities, we attain that height of realization whereby our mind becomes absorbed in God. The practice of Seva becomes a path to self-realization which is the essence of yoga.

Seva should be done with no expectation of reward or even acknowledgment of the work that is done. We serve not to convert or save a soul, but simply to serve and for no other reason. No strings attached. No carrots. Make yourself invisible and do acts of kindness without expectation of return, coming from a place of love.

-James Bailey
www.sevanti.com

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"Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison of selfishness by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in itself a part of the liberation.

: Albert Einstein

Dance for Life
Yoga Trance Dance for 1,080,000 Trees
Moving Activism Partnership with Trees for the Future

Join a people to people movement centered around one of the most crucial issues and solutions of our times - the power of trees to transform global warming and air quality, restore ecology and empower community.

Our goal is to sponsor 200 villages in some of the poorest and desertifed regions of the world, primarily focused in South India to plant over 1,000,008 trees with the sustainable, integrated approach of Trees for the Future, which has planted over 38,000,000 trees all over the world. Through Yoga Trance Dances across the country, community pods of 12 people (at $41 each memberships that can sponsor one village), and people to people yoga and seva travel in India we awaken and serve the source of life - prana - that breathes within us all.

For more info, visit:
Trees for the Future (www.treesftf.org)
Shiva Rea (www.shivarea.com)
Acorn Media (www.acornmedia.com, www.acaciacatalog.com)

For upcoming events click here.

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"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.

: Gandhi

Community Partners

A link to all our creative partners, yoga studios, teachers and friends.

Coming Soon!

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Shiva's Music Playlist

Music for Prana Flowâ„¢ Yoga and Yoga Trance Danceâ„¢

Look for new releases of Jala and Nataraja compilation CDs on Sounds True 2006 compiled by Shiva Rea.

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Articles

• Come to Your Senses
  Sleepwalking through yoga these days? Shake up your practice and your life with the animating force of rasa.
• Consciousness in Motion
  Vinyasa yoga teaches us to cultivate an awareness that links each action to the next—on the mat and in our lives.
• Movement Meditation: Centering Breath
  Meditation invokes a shift in consciousness, whether in stillness or motion.
• Poetry in Motion [download pdf]
• Rasa: Cultivating the juice of Yoga [download pdf]
• Riding Your Breath Home
  This concentration practice grounds you in the present moment.
• So Hum: Contemplation Meditation
  This contemplation meditation is an opportunity to focus "thinking mind" on the mystery of being.
• The Divine Dance
  Through the vibrant and spirited art of Indian classical dance, Western yogis have found a new way to connect with traditional Indian culture.
• The Practice of Surrender
  Ishvara pranidhana is not about what your yoga can do for you, but about approaching your practice in the spirit of offering.
• Vertical Yoga: Freedom at the Edge
  The next time you find yourself going through the motions in your yoga practice, why not imagine that your mat ends at the edge of the Grand Canyon?
• You Are Here
  The five koshas, or 'layers' of the body, constitute a map for navigating the inner journey.

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YOGA JOURNAL
For Beginners series by Shiva Rea

• Janu Sirsasana
  Head-to-Knee Forward Bend brings flexibility to the hamstrings and spine while calming the nervous system.
• Adho Mukha Svanasana
  Down Dog teaches you the push-pull dynamics of yoga where movement in one direction is balanced by action in the opposite direction.
• Utkatasana
  Though it looks like you're sitting in an imaginary chair, this is definitely not a passive pose.
• Virabhadrasana II
  Warrior Pose can teach you how to act with wisdom, courage, and unwavering focus.
• Bhujangasana
  Like many backbends, Cobra Pose is a heart opener, subtly releasing held emotions within the rib cage to bring greater joy within the body.
• Anjali Mudra
  Anjali means "offering," and in India this mudra is often accompanied by the word "namaste."

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Sevanti Ayurveda

Sevanti Ayurveda is the private clinical practice of James Bailey, LAc, MATCM, MPH, Dipl Ayu, Ayurvedic Practitioner, acupuncturist and doctor of Oriental Medicine. Located in Santa Monica, CA. Sevanti Ayurveda offers a full range of Ayurvedic and Oriental Medicine clinical practices, traditional diagnositics, consultations, and treatment modalities such as panchakarma, acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutritional therapies, and more. For more information www.sevanti.com.

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