Written By Aviva Tulasi
Dogwood Studios is dedicating the week of February 14th to service.
Service Week is an initiative at Dogwood Studios to keep our DE&I statement a living document. You can participate in the initiative by paying for one, some or all your classes this week with the sliding scale. The proceeds from the group classes during Service Week will support Compass Center for Women and Families, a 501(c)3 charitable organization aligned to our values. Their vision statement is: Compass Center for Women and Families envisions a safe and equitable society in which all individuals and families thrive. Learn more at https://www.compassctr.org/.
Service promotes togetherness and builds a strong community. That’s why service is one of the five components of resiliency. Service along with mindful movement, stretching, humor, and pranayama offer a roadmap to thriving when faced with adversity. Doing something good for others is an antidote to isolation. Studies have shown that between 2020 and 2021 there was an increased rate of depressive symptoms. Isolation contributes to poor health such as heart disease, depression, and premature death. In stark contrast, a longitudinal study found a correlation between those who help others and reduced mortality.
Service to others improves our overall mental health because:
It is humbling.
It builds self confidence.
It opens you to the shared human experience.
It demonstrates that you are a good person one who cares for, loves and respects others unconditionally.
It restores purpose to your life.
It combats selfishness because you put the needs of others first.
It promotes contentment because you see that other people can feel gratitude.
We often think of service as a means to doing a good deed. We might call it lending a hand, donating money or volunteering. Often we do these things because they make us feel good. We enjoy the benefits of our actions.
However in yoga, service is seen as something we do for someone else without the expectation we will get something in return. Seva, or selfless service, is the cornerstone for living a balanced life and the fundamental principle of yoga . In an essay by Swami Viditatmananda Saraswati, seva is explained as service done with care. They explain that it is our duty to share our blessings with others so the world can continue to thrive.
As we approach Martin Luther King Jr. Day, celebrate the legacy of Dr. King, with a day on rather than a day off. Take time to do service that resonates with your current position in life. This may be that you start by serving your body and making sure that you engage with a healthy lifestyle, or maybe you serve your family. You can make the conviction that every time you go into nature you will pick up 3 pieces of trash. Or perhaps, if you have the means, you might consider donating financially to an institution that shares your values. You could also find a volunteer opportunity. AmeriCorps Volunteer Search can help you find an opportunity with AmeriCorps, Idealist, Just Serve, California Volunteers, MENTOR, Volunteer.gov (National Park Service), and VolunteerMatch. No matter what you decide to do, let the action start with love.
Dogwood Studios values your opinions. Please take 5 minutes to fill out this survey to share your experience with us and what you would like to see more of in 2022.
Dogwood Studios is committed to learning and growing! We strive for everyone to feel respected and supported, to be treated equally, and to be celebrated for who they are. We are very excited about our ongoing endeavor to make Dogwood Studios a refuge and beacon of compassionate practice by including diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I).
Aviva Chaye Tulasi is a team member at Dogwood Studios. She is a certified yoga therapist (C-IAYT). She applies the teachings of classical yoga to reduce the effects of negative stress and to balance the nervous system. Aviva will be teaching Mindful Movement and Yoga Mondays at 10 am and is available for private sessions. Email Aviva at yogawithtulasi@gmail.com. She is here to help.
SAM Sather, founder of Dogwood Studios, is a certified yoga therapist (C-IAYT), individualizes the yoga practice with appropriate modifications for participants’ unique bodies and medical histories with a focus on finding calm and improving health. She offers several live, online and in person yoga classes as well as private sessions so you can focus on your needs one-on-one.