TYS Sevites
Traditional Yoga Society and Shakti and Bhakti come from a living tradition over 5,000 years old. We adhere to the classical approaches to yoga and are very much believers in selfless service. It was ubiquitous to hear Swamiji tell his students, "I want you to be happy." It doesn't take long to examine Swamiji's life to see he was a genuinely content and happy person. Swamiji had dedicated his entire life to selfless service. Therefore, when listening to him lecture, reading one of his books, or talking with his students, one can quickly deduce that his happiness came from serving selflessly. To serve selflessly, one must know one's Self, which comes from constant practice. At TYS and Shakti and Bhakti are committed to our practice both individually and as a group. You will find us chanting, meditating, singing, studying scriptures, practicing asana and pranayama, cleaning, working on the mandir grounds, and eating together. We strive to take our practices seriously and grease all of our actions with love knowing that we are here to serve the sages of our tradition by serving all beings.
As our closing prayer says,
Let me Cherish those that God Cherishes
Let me forgive those that God forgives.
Let me Serve those that God Serves.
Let me love those that God loves.
With this in mind, we consider ourselves Sevites which means we practice seva yoga—the yoga of selfless service. Everyone you see teaching, singing, cleaning, and working on the technology is doing it out of love and dedication to making themselves better humans. No one on the TYS or Shakti and Bhakti "staff " receives payment; we are here to serve Swamiji, the sages of the tradition, and all beings.
As you peruse the sevite pages, read the biographies of this committed group of aspiring yogis and yoginis. And if you have any desire to serve or volunteer, reach out to us. We always have jobs that need attention.