Karma Yoga

One aspect of life in the ashram is participating in karma yoga or 'selfless service'. Basically, everyone was assigned a daily chore for their stay in the ashram. I was asked to help serve the meals. Mealtime was interesting as we all ate together in a large dining hall. We all ate seated on the floor in long rows. You were asked to eat in silence, however it seemed that the rule was seldom observed. The diet was strictly vegetarian, however you could eat as much as you needed, as we only ate two meals a day. As servers we would roll out mats to sit on, set out the metal plates and cups, and serve the food out of giant pales. Walking up and down the rows of guests shoveling food into their mouths, eager faces would nod...signaling another scoop of sanbar or rice. The sweet rice was the ultimate treat that everyone coveted, which never lasted until we had finished serving and were ready to eat. While the meals were tasty, they were quite bland...and after 12 days were excruciatingly redundant. However, I quite enjoyed my karma yoga duties of food service as mealtime was such an important part of everyone's day. I was also working with a Korean women, who was one of the most kind and inspiring people I have ever met. She worked tirelessly and always had a smile on her face...inevitably brightening my day.