The Whole World is Your Yoga Mat

 "Change the world by changing yourself. Heal the world by healing yourself. Find a need and fulfill it. Service is the greatest form of spiritual practice. Everybody can be great because everybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve, You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love." ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

Seva comes from the Sanskrit words saha, which means “with that,” and eva, which means “too.” Thus, seva means “together with.” The practice of Seva is an expression of compassion for others and a genuine desire to uplift those around you through selfless service. With no expectation of reward or acknowledgment, the practice of Seva becomes a path to self-realization, which is the heartbeat and true essence of yoga.

Give your hands to serve and your hearts to love." ~ Mother Teresa

A true dharma of the heart...

Every day, yoga practitioners around the world roll out their mats and devote some time to their practice. And while this time on the mat is an integral aspect of a dedicated practice, the real transformation begins when we expand our practice to include the moments of our life off the mat. When you begin to see your whole life as your practice and the whole world as your mat, the larger and deeper realizations begin to reveal themselves to you.

Our innermost nature is a giving one...

How might the world be a different place if each of us focused more intently on what it is we are placing into the world rather than what it is we are looking to get out of it? The beautiful and profound irony in it all is that by engaging in this selfless service to another, we are offered the grander opportunity to experience that not only is our true nature one of kindness and compassion, but that what we do for another, we do for ourselves too; because ultimately, there is only one energy...one love.

There is only one of us "in the room."

What are some of the ways you can engage in a practice of Seva?

Oftentimes it is in the smallest of moments and the simplest of gestures in which selfless service manifests. A smile extended to someone, without a need for it to be returned. Pausing to hold an open space for another person to move into while walking, biking, or driving in your car. Volunteering at a local shelter, humane society, educational facility, or special needs organization. Your seva practice may even show up through an invitation to make a financial contribution or donation of material items to someone whose life may be less than easy.

It is our intention here at Black Cat Yoga to place ourselves into the role of selfless service within our local Jacksonville, Florida, community. We stand alongside you in expanding the capacity of our hearts to love and include all living beings on our planet so that our world as a whole can experience more love, more compassion, and a greater sense of peace and freedom.

In love and devotion,

Lisa and Kevin McCormack

Owners of Black Cat Yoga

Black Cat Yoga began with a simple idea: bring people together through yoga, music, and community. What started with a single class has grown into a heart-centered gathering place for Kirtan, sound baths, and shared practice. Our intention has always been to support people in discovering their own path, and the joy of walking it together.