Seva-Helping Others

Seva...meaning selfless helping

The summer months have been quite different for me this year.  My mother suffered severe macular degeneration from one day to the next.  My two sisters and I wanted to make sure she was not left by herself at any time.  Although mum is feeling sad about losing her independence she has been lucky enough to experience much help during the past few months.  Meals were provided for, her clothes were washed , the house was cleaned, plants were taken care of, many visitors have come with homemade cakes and special drinks, listened to her and much more.....I have been lending my eyes in reading mum a daily story which carried her thoughts into another world for a little while.  

In my mind I was thinking of all the uncountable people that are helping in so many situations and are serving their fellow humans in difficult conditions and all situations especially at this time. 

Putting our own wants away for a moment (some offer help for much more than a moment) and being there to attend to the needs of another is what the Indian Guru's call SEVA, selfless service. 

From scientific research we know that this selfless seva is not only beneficial to the receiver... in the contrary.  Something does happen to our mental wellbeing when we offer seva.    

Firstly, we are freed and experience a rest from our own, often incessant, thoughts to do with either our work, our relationships, our chores, our shortcomings etc., thus doing seva, focusing on another reduces our own stress.  A sense of purpose arises which always is the forerunner of boosting our self-esteem and consequently our happiness.  Research has shown that we experience improved cardiovascular health (not surprising as most giving comes from our heart) which in turn enhances our immune system.  Unfortunately, we had been mislead and made to believe that serving ourselves only and entertaining competition would be our salvation. 

For many years I had been facilitating a Power of 8 group in which a small group of persons had been sending healing and positive energy to people or animals in need.  I can truly say that these sessions did uplift us-each in their own way-and influenced our own lives in a very positive way.  Lynne McTaggart, the founder of the Power of 8 work, reports of miracle healings that not only occur for the people who receive but also to the persons within the group that are sending the healing.

Whom else can we trust more with his words than Mahatma Gandhi, who practiced what he preached,

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."