The festive season is the ideal time to practice some good karma, an element of yoga. Karmic yoga is seen as a selfless practice, the concept of which relates to acting in accordance with your duty in life without seeking anything in return. This can be anything from smiling at a stranger to volunteering or helping out a friend without seeking anything back from them – just small changes to the way to act around people can make a massive difference to your day. Here are the top five ways to be a better person and improve your karma.
Patience
One of the best and easiest ways to practice good karma is through patience, with your children, partner or co-workers. Whether you simply let others finish speaking before you start talking or are more attentive when having a conversation with your family, patience is easy to include in your day – drive slowly, breathe deeply and remain calm in order to limit your anger.
Courtesy
When you’re out and about, be friendly towards other people – smile to others, greet people when you pass them and say thank you to cashiers or fellow shoppers. In addition, you could give up your seat on public transport or let other cars merge when you’re driving.
Kindness
Listening is one of the kindest things you can do for other people, so call a friend you haven’t spoken to in a long time and see how they are. When you greet people, compliment them and offer words of encouragement.
Generosity
The festive season is a great way to bring out your generous side – bake for your co-workers or donate your old clothes to charity. You could even volunteer at a homeless shelter or senior centre and help others less fortunate than yourself. Doing something for others will make their day and give you a wonderful feeling as well.
Gratitude
With the Christmas season, it can be easy to take but not give back – during this time, make sure you remind people how thankful you are for their time and effort. You can do this through a friendly phone call, writing thank you notes or sending a letter of appreciation.
Improving your karma is something that sounds like a complex task, but in reality you can make small changes that make a massive difference to your day as well as others around you. You will be surprised at how much better you feel simply by making more of an effort with the people around you.
