Karma Yoga
What is Karma Yoga?
Karma Yoga is a universal value found in many yogic traditions. It involves selfless service for the benefit of others and the community. In Kundalini Yoga, Seva holds great significance, leading us towards Shuniya (oneness) and a transcendent experience of serving others. Engaging in Karma Yoga nurtures grace and humility, allowing us to radiate while remaining humble.
To truly serve our fellow humanity, we must not seek to gratify ourselves, temporarily or materially. The source of this wisdom lies in the idea that all that is in time and space passes, the only thing that lives forever is the spirit. Thus, in satisfying the spirit, without concern for the ego, we elevate our position from one of finite consciousness to an infinite consciousness.
Working together to support and serve one another is a hallmark of the Aquarian Age.
“It is Dharma that you through Karma, yoga will serve anybody and everybody without discrimination. Thus, you will cleanse yourself of the Karma and you will be enlightened in your grace and happiness of accomplishment. You are here now, none of us has features like each other, we are different in size and weight and shape, in caliber. Even in consciousness, even in development, we have come from different backgrounds, we have different experiences, we have different ideas. With all that, we are one.”
~ Yogi Bhajan
Karma Yoga at Solstice
Karma Yoga is an integral part of the Solstice experience, just as important as Morning Sadhana or daily Kundalini Yoga classes. By participating in Karma Yoga, you will have the opportunity to meet new friends, build mutual support, and delve into the highest form of spiritual practice.
The experience of giving back through service can bring immeasurable satisfaction and joy, knowing that your service has a very direct impact on the success of the event. Everyone serves 2 hours a day as a Karma Yogi on a Service Team, or you can choose the option to be a Service Exchange and attend at a reduced rate, working 5-6 hours a day. The entire camp operates on the combined efforts of all individuals, making this your camp a chance to engage in a collaborative and fulfilling experience.
The Impact of your contributions
Solstice only happens because 99% of the attendees serve in some capacity to help run camp.
All of the people who participate in this event help us to fulfill the mission of Solstice – to live in community while practicing, sharing, and deepening our experience and knowledge of Kundalini Yoga. The contribution of your time and talents allow our Solstice ticket prices to stay at a competitively low festival price so this event is accessible to people from all walks of life.
Sign up for your Karma Yoga area when you register for the event. Your seva is deeply appreciated by all.
Choose Your Karma Yoga
Karma Yoga is how daily operations happen at our Summer Solstice festival. You sign up for Karma Yoga when you register. Your seva is deeply appreciated by all.
Karma Yoga Opportunities
Audio Visual: Assist in helping to run the sound systems in all the teaching and performing spaces, set up mics and TVs. Some AV technical experience is highly appreciated, but not essential to serving on this team.
Divine Souls Foot Soaking Station: Summer in New Mexico is hard on our feet so we need many hands to refresh the water tubs, give people pumice stones, oils and creams for their feet and help set them up so they can work on reviving their feet.
Hydration & Watermelon Team: Altitude and a dry climate are conditions that make for very thirsty beings so help quench their thirst and keep them happy, healthy, holy and hydrated. You would also cut and serve watermelon for participants every afternoon.
First Aid: Keep the first aid building clean and tidy so that medical professionals can assist those in need.
Green and Clean Team: It ain’t easy being green! Facilitate the removal of all the recycling, trash and compost we make around camp and keep our bathrooms and public spaces neat and clean. This is a fun area for those who are passionate about sustainability and care about being stewards of our camp spaces. If you like to do physical work and don’t mind getting a little dirty, this seva is for you.
Kitchen – Bean Sprouting: Sort through all our mung beans for dinner and help with sprouting for our salads.
Kitchen – Breakfast Soup: Start to heat up the soups each morning at 5 am.
Kitchen – Clean Up and Dishwashing: Keep the kitchen as clean as possible and work off some karma scrubbing pots, pails, and buckets!
Kitchen – Dinner Team (Mung Beans and Rice): Prepare and cook our classic yogi dinner of mung beans and rice, carrots, beets and salad.
Kitchen – Dinner Team (Sides and Salads): Make our Solstice Salad, carrots and beets!
Kitchen – Yogi Tea: Prep and serve Yogi Tea daily. Shifts are in the morning before breakfast and before/right after dinner.
Kitchen – Lunch Team: Make our delicious lunch! This team also helps to make Sunday langar lunch.
Kitchen – Solstice Youth Camp Food: Help prepare food for our youngest attendees.
Kitchen – Veggie Chopping: Wash and chop all veggies for all our meals that fuel our nutritious camp diet. Most veggie chopping happens in the morning, between 5-10 am. This team is great to serve on if it’s your first Solstice.
Karma Yoga Service Support (KYSS): Educate people about their Karma Yoga participation during registration, and round up the camp for their Karma Yoga meetings each morning. This team is for people who have been to at least one previous Solstice.
Luggage: Welcome new arrivals to camp, unload and deliver luggage to their chosen tenting site or cabin, and pick-up luggage and deliver back to the luggage area at the end of camp.
Meal Serving: Serve breakfast, lunch or dinner daily. This is also a great team if it’s your first time at Solstice.
Programming: Facilitate smooth operations for all our classes, making sure teachers have the supplies and equipment they need to teach. This team can also be called on to help with large program events like evening concerts, International Peace Prayer Day, and Ransabhai.
Registration Check-in: Assist attendees as they arrive and get checked-in to camp. Check-in includes giving out badges and guiding them to sign the event waivers.
Security: Patrols the grounds; works together with the Event Director, Gatekeepers, and the Sheriff on site; has excellent familiarity with 3HO Emergency plans; and helps educate and assist other teams with safety and security measures.
Senior Seva Team: “I serve with my presence”. This team acknowledges the many and varied contributions that elders have made to the community. In honor of this service we ask elders to only sign up for a service team if they wish, otherwise they are invited to serve with presence and as a living wisdom counsel for the camp.
Solstice Youth Co-op: If you are a parent or guardian, your Karma Yoga will be to serve at Solstice Youth Camp. Other people may choose this area as well even if they aren’t a parent.
Tantric Burgers: Help to assemble Tantric Burgers so they are nice and fresh every day! All of the Karma yoga for this team is on Tantric days from 3:30-7:00 am. Must be able to attend each morning.
Translation: Serve as a translator for a needed language, which often includes Chinese, Spanish, and Portuguese.
Wake-up Call: Rise in the early morning and wake up camp with the “Rise up” song recording. This team will take turns with this early morning walk under the stars. No musical experience necessary, but you must be an early riser!