There’s a moment after class...the classic yoga glow, that post-savasana feeling where you leave the studio a bit lighter and smilier than when you arrived. If we practice regularly enough, that sense of ease can start to seep out into the rest of life. We might notice a different tone in how we speak to people, or to ourselves. What we pay attention to. Whether we try to soften or tighten as we move through the world. That has certainly been my experience of it.

“Yoga does not just change the way we see things, it transforms the person who sees.” — attributed to B.K.S. Iyengar

Seva in ordinary life

In yoga philosophy there’s the idea of seva - service.

It’s often described as selfless action, but my experience is anything but that... the positive effects are very clear, smile on your face, warm feeling inside, pride, gratitude, connection, endorphins...nervous system regulation. It's fab.

Seva, for me, is very rewarding and gives way more than it costs. Small acts of kindness from my little Pause yoga community matter. A bit of time. A bit of care. Thinking about others, lifting them up, helping people to feel seen, or to progress in little ways or to find a bit more comfort and joy in every day.

Yoga practice invites awareness to our breath, body, mind and as that awareness develops, it changes how we meet ourselves, and that naturally affects how we meet other people. In yogic philosophy, this is reflected in the Yamas with principles like non-harming, truthfulness, and wise use of energy. The Niyamas turn that same awareness inward, shaping clarity, self-study, and how we take responsibility for our inner state. Together they point towards something very simple: practice doesn’t stay personal for long. It influences how we behave, and how we contribute to the people around us.

Seva sits within that -  service as part of practice, not separate from it.

What science notices too

There’s a term often used - the “helper’s high”. A lift in mood that can come after doing something for someone else. It’s linked with the brain’s reward system, but most people don’t need the neuroscience to recognise it. You feel it in your body before you can explain it.

Studies in positive psychology suggest that people often report higher wellbeing when they give time, energy or resources to others, compared with when everything is directed inward. Volunteering is also linked with lower stress and greater life satisfaction over time.

Awe and connection are at the heart of this. When we contribute to someone else’s wellbeing, this takes us slightly beyond ourselves and we tend to feel less separate in our own lives.  Psychologists describe awe as experiences of “vastness” that can shift how we see our place in the world. It might be standing in nature, watching a storm roll in, or even witnessing human kindness.