We all know someone who is less fortunate than we are; sometimes we only need to look as far as next door.   The city-dwellers amongst us, in particular, come across countless daily encounters of deep unhappiness and suffering - from the homeless sleeping rough, to the broken families, to the lonely and the sick, etc. Even though we may feel a pang of hurt in our hearts on witnessing or hearing of such misfortunes, few of us are actually willing to act upon it; we are all very good at relegating what brings us disquiet to the back of our mind and forget about it as if it is of no concern to us.   We are masters at finding excuses for not acting. 

The frantic pace many of us adopt in our every day living leads to high levels of stress due to high expectations and extreme self-centredness; because many of us find it already difficult to bear our daily load of worries, we are very reluctant to take on others’ too.    We are afraid that we might succumb under so much suffering.  We fear that by reaching out to others and sharing what we have, we will have less for ourselves and therefore be less happy and less comfortable.  

As we journey on the spiritual path, we suddenly find that the joy we feel from helping others carries us through their suffering.  Placing ourselves at the centre of all things prevents love from flowing but placing others at the centre of all things brings a totally new meaning to our life.  Joy is born from a feeling of inner peace, our ability to give and receive, and how we see ourselves and others. Joy is a state of gratitude and compassion.  Each and every one of us can be a channel of healing and love to those around us.  There are times when we feel that there is something special we should be doing with our lives; and that we just need to find our purpose.

It is not by closing our heart like a door to someone’s face that happiness will come our way.  Happiness comes when we turn to others to serve them in whichever way we can.  How can we be happy when others are so unhappy?  Everything we do to help one single person in the community helps towards creating a better world. 

Each day brings a new opportunity to help others and to show our compassion.    We all need to turn our awareness into action, so that the world can become a better and fairer place for everyone.   We can all make a huge difference in the life of another being. 

There are so many things each and every one of us can do to help.  One person can make a difference, one person can inspire others.

As our thoughts turn to our families and friends in the season of goodwill, let us not forget that we are also part of a much bigger family.  Let us reach out further to give a helping hand or lend a listening ear to those less fortunate than we are.  Many people would like to do something but do not know where to start.  So here are a few ideas that yoga teachers may want to try - whether they want to improve the world for one person or wish to contribute to the healing of the whole planet.  Taking the first step should not be the hardest thing to do.  Many people now see the need to do karma yoga as part of their lives.

- give your time as a teacher to organize a free yoga /meditation /alternative therapy day for members of your community;
- donate all/part of the proceeds of a regular yoga class to a worthy cause/charity of your choice;
-  offer your time as a yoga teacher and teach in a community centre, at a school for special needs children, at a rehabilitation centre, etc. if you are qualified and insured to do so;
- ask your students for donations of non-perishable food items and toiletry gifts, put them in a well-decorated box and take them to an old people’s home;  alternatively suggest they donate any unwanted good toys/books to brighten the Christmas of less fortunate children.

If you would like to organize a fund raising activity but do not know which good cause to support, please visit this website:  www.easyfundraising.co.uk.

If you would like to sponsor Ruth Leaver, one member of our yoga community who has taken part in the Bristol Cancer Help Centre Yogathon on November 18, please do so by visiting the following site: www.justgiving.com/ruthL

Ruth doing an advanced variation of scorpion

This section is intended to be continually evolving, and we will keep on adding new ideas regularly.  If you feel that you can contribute in any way and would like your ideas reflected on this page, please let us know, we would love to hear from you.