Love in Action

“They were here for us during the tornadoes, now we’re going to be there for them during the hurricanes.” With these words, many Oklahomans offered their money and services to those affected by the two recent hurricanes. I had to catch my breath when I heard the stories and saw the images of the Humane Society bus able to care for lost and injured animals and the linesman and fire fighters ready to rescue and restore power.

Here is a profound example of living from the heart chakra.

What activates the heart chakra to make it possible for us to love people, animals and places we have never met before?

We remember. Like the woman collecting food, water, sanitizers and diapers for folks in North Carolina, we remember when someone else loved us and cared for us. This memory fans the fire of the heart and makes it burn to do something—anything!—to alleviate the pain of another.

In the Yoga tradition this need to care and share the love is connected to karma. Karma simply means “action,” but it goes much deeper than simply doing something. In yogic philosophy karma is like roots that reach back into the past and move through our ancestral lines. Those same karmic branches have the potential to move into the future too. In the middle between the past and the future is all of us living our lives in the present moment.

We meet opportunities to act every moment of the day.

When we get caught up in discussions about karma being “good” or “bad,” we truly miss the more important point: Now is the only moment in which we can act. Now is the time to care for people, animals and the land. And there is no doubt that the good actions of so many people will ripple for months and years so that others will also say, “They were here for us when we needed them, so we will be there for them.”