Many people consider themselves spiritual just because they meditate once a day, don’t eat meat, and practice yoga. Then they come back from their retreats and start terrorizing their loved ones, telling others how to live, and refusing to do everyday chores because “ordinary” life is not for them.
Your spirituality isn’t about meditation, retreats, or yoga poses. It’s about how you live your daily life, how you do everyday tasks, and how you talk to your loved ones. Are you ready to be honest with yourself?
What Is Karma Yoga
Karma yoga is action for the sake of action, work for the sake of work. It means doing simple things without attachment to results, without expecting anything in return, without the desire to be noticed. In India, the practice of karma yoga often looks like mopping the floors in ashrams, cooking for others, serving.
In everyday life, we’re not used to doing things selflessly. Most of the time, we expect gratitude for our work—preferably in the form of money. After all, everyone values their time and doesn’t want to waste it on “ungrateful” people, right? We can’t even do things for ourselves with full presence—because doing house chores is boring, and we’d rather do something more interesting.
Recently, I had a real revelation about the true essence of karma yoga. The incredible depth of this teaching and its ability to transform life and liberate us from the Ego. Let me tell you how this happened to me.
I Thought Meditation Meant Sitting with My Eyes Closed. I Was So Wrong 🙂
I’ve been meditating for a long time, and my favorite (and in my opinion, the only true) meditation is the meditation of doing nothing. You sit in a comfortable posture with a straight spine and just exist in the “I am.” You feel your breath, your chest and belly rising and falling, the warmth in your hands and feet, the beat of your heart, the blood flowing through your veins, your stomach digesting. You notice how comfortable it is to sit, the feel of fabric on your skin, you inhale the smells, hear the sounds… And you simply accept everything that is in this moment—without the desire to change anything or process it in your mind. Every thought that comes is met with the word “yes,” and then it leaves. For example: “Wow, that dog outside is barking so loudly” — “yes.” That’s it. The inner dialogue ends there. I just accept the fact and don’t continue thinking about it.
So, about a year ago, I was on a vipassana retreat — a more advanced meditation course. In the second week of complete silence and continuous practice, we were told we could now meditate with our eyes open. More than that, we didn’t have to sit or even stay silent. We could do anything — integrating meditation into life. This became a true revelation for me — I learned to meditate while standing, sitting, moving, even talking. I just kept doing what I was doing, but instead of drifting off in thoughts or living on autopilot, I stayed here — in the present moment. While speaking to someone, I pronounced each word clearly, felt the movement of my lips, the vibrations in my body, my breath, studied the person’s facial features. It awakened a completely new level of perception in me. The world changed, time slowed down, and beauty appeared in every action. It’s terrifying to imagine how much LIFE I used to miss.
Your Dishes — Your Guru
Now let’s return to karma yoga. In the morning, I’m usually not in the best mood, and the mess around the apartment, the trash, and the dishes really turn me off. I usually ask my husband to help and try to finish this “nuisance” as quickly as possible to get to the “real” stuff.
But one morning, I woke up in a surprisingly clear state, deeply connected to my soul (this happens sometimes, and everything feels magical). I turned on some beautiful music and went to the kitchen to deal with the morning chores. And suddenly, I slipped into that meditative state: my hand with the sponge slowed down, I felt the rhythm, every movement became full and vivid. Time stopped, and each dish I washed brought an incredible sense of bliss!
That’s when I fully understood what karma yoga is. Suddenly. Completely. Here it is — the simple actions, the everyday tasks that liberate us from the Ego. You don’t need to rush through this moment, dreaming of something else or hurrying to the “real” work. Because this is the real work. This is life.
You are immersed. You are in the process. You are living each moment. Time stops. The mind quiets. You learn to accept what is — without reaching for the future, without dwelling on the past. Without the desire for more than what already is. Because when you’re in the mind, tasks like washing dishes feel unbearable. You want to skip them, to “fast-forward” the moment. But when you’re fully in the body and the now, your soul doesn’t care what’s happening — because you are this moment. And there is nothing else you need.
This is meditation — right here, for life! Being in the present moment, fully engaged, training the highest level of awareness. The vibrations rise so high that after a while, it no longer matters what “you” are doing, where “you” are, who “you” are. You’re washing dishes, lying in bed, even feeling pain with gratitude — because being in the present moment means there is no more “I.” No one wants to escape. Everything becomes one. Everything becomes sacred.
And then, you become a true master of your craft. Everything you touch is done with such love, attention, and reverence that no one can compare to you. Except maybe the Gods — Gods just like YOU.
