What is Karma Yoga

The idea of selfless service (karma yoga) is an important concept in both ayurveda and yoga traditions. Since we are all interconnected, serving others leads to serving our own selves and we begin to experience unity in all that surrounds us. Therefore, this residential program is designed following that formula. It is designed to help you to practice selfless service (Karma Yoga) in action and spirit in daily life.

We are happy to announce the launch of our Karma yoga practice program based on the Pancha Maha Yagnas.

The Pancha Maha Yagna Program is a residential program, with the spiritual volunteers fully immersed in the community for a minimum of one month. The goal is to learn the practice of karma yoga in a one-of-a-kind, Ayurveda eco-village in South India.

Pancha Maha Yagnas areas and examples

Bhu Seva
serving and looking after the environment
Jnana Seva
serving the quest for learning
  • Swadhyaya (self-study)
  • spiritual diary
  • satsang, prayer attendance

  • hall setup for prayer and satsang times

  • hall assistance during prayer and satsang
Go Seva
looking after animals, especially the cow
  • cow bath
  • goshala cleaning
  • feeding, walking, milking cows
  • cow pooja assistance
  • taking care of other animals
Bala Seva
looking after children and inculcating in them similar values
  • assistance at Balagrama (our boys’ home)
  • food time/cleaning kitchen
  • supervising chores of children
  • organized games
  • homework help
Nara Seva
serving our fellow human beings
  • feeding at the local community kitchen
  • go with our Jeep to serve the local community
  • assistance at Group dinner
  • pooja and activities support
  • helping therapists refill patient waters
  • service in one of our 3 kitchens

  • social media marketing support

  • IT technical maintenance
  • Your Content Goes Here
  • store assistance
  • front desk support

Karma Yoga Program

Introduction to the Practice of Karma Yoga
30 day program – $450 donation
  • shared accommodation
  • three delicious vegetarian meals
  • regular meditation, spiritual study, and spiritual diary (Swadhyaya)

  • morning and evening Prayers and one Satsang (teaching lecture) required per day as your karma yoga schedule allows

  • 3-5 hours daily duties
Advanced Practice of Karma Yoga
Three Month Program – $750 donation
  • shared accommodation
  • three delicious vegetarian meals
  • regular meditation, spiritual study, and spiritual diary (Swadhyaya)

  • morning and evening Prayers and one Satsang (teaching lecture) required per day as your karma yoga schedule allows

  • 5-7 hours daily duties
  • 2 full days off per month
  • Monthly Donation Installments are:
    – Month 1 – $ 450
    – Month 2 – $ 200
    – Month 3 – $ 100

FAQ

Karma Yoga is the practice of offering all of our actions for the good of the action itself without any personal reward. When the action is done without the expectation of fruits, then all of the negative qualities like egoism, hatred, jealousy, ideas of superiority, and selfishness will begin to vanish. We develop a broad and liberal outlook on life and experience oneness and unity.

  • willingness to serve and lead a healthy, ayurveda lifestyle

  • attend a daily karma yoga meeting with the karma yoga coordinator. This is where daily duties are assigned and is our opportunity to check-in & talk about any issues coming up at group level
  • upon arrival, participate in our Karma Yoga orientation. This includes learning the about the practice of Karma Yoga, including the practice of writing & adhering to a spiritual diary
  • daily attendance to one prayer session (morning/evening), and one daily satsang lecture/activity at Vaidyagrama (offered in the afternoon, times to be announced)
  • attend all daily duties and karma yoga assignments. If you are sick or unable, please report directly to your coordinator
  • you will not leave or be out of the community in the evenings after 8pm, without explicit permission
  • wear modest clothing, respecting the traditions and usual attire of the community
  • refrain from any consumption of alcohol, tobacco, non-veg food, or illegal drug use while participating in the program(on and off premises). Please inform us of any prescribed medication
  • respect the ambience of the community and refrain from playing loud music or talking too loudly
  • seek assistance from your coordinator when you encounter any challenges and/or conflicts
  • if assigned to tenting accommodations, please bring your own tent, bedding, and towels (there are some shops located in Coimbatore if you are having trouble travelling with these items. Also, Amazon India does deliver to our address so you can have these items shipped to our facility upon arrival)
  • inform the staff and sign in and out at reception if you need to go to town for any items.

These are a brief summary of the “Pancha Maha Yagnas”, or the 5 Daily Worships, which are so beautifully enunciated in all of our scriptures.
These Pancha Maha Yagnas are based on the principles of love & respect (bhakti & arcana) for –

– Mankind including patients, friends, colleagues & family (manuSya)
– Environment including all living and non-living beings (bhUta)
– Past which creates the Present and helps us to view the Future (pitR)Learning leading to wisdom (brahma / RSi)
– Self; the cetanA within one’s own self (deva)

“By daily doing such acts of kindness and sympathy, man develops mercy. Hatred vanishes. His hard egoistic heart is gradually softened. He cultivates cosmic love. His heart expands. He has a wider outlook on life. He tries to feel his oneness with all beings. His old feeling of separateness on account of selfishness and egoism is gradually thinned and eventually eradicated. He learns that he can be happy only by making others happy, by serving others, by helping others, by removing the sufferings of others and by sharing what he has with others.” Swami Sivananda

Punarnava Community is located around 20kms outside Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu in South India. It is in the middle of farmland and the place is generally quiet, peaceful and free from noise and dust pollution.

It is best to fly into Coimbatore International Airport which is connected by daily flights with Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi. You can also fly into Coimbatore directly from Singapore and Dubai on specific days in a week.
From Coimbatore International Airport, Punarnava Community is around 30kms away (a car drive of around 50 minutes).
If you inform us your travel plans in advance, we can arrange to send you a car from our local travel company to pick you up from the airport. The average price to travel from the airport in a small sedan is around $20 USD.
Please note: this price is approximate & is subject to change based on the prevailing rates.

Please do remember to verify with your home country whether you need to get a visa for landing in India. Karma Yogis from most countries need to have a Tourist visa to come to India. The process of getting a visa can take anywhere between 1-12 weeks (or sometimes even more), depending on where you are located.

ONE MONTH Karma Yogis:

Can apply for the E-Visa option. This is valid for 60 days, with no option for extension.
For those of you who get an e-visa, please do verify the airports in India where you can clear immigration with the e-visa – currently, you cannot land directly in Coimbatore International Airport with an e-visa.
3 MONTH Karma Yogis:

you will need a regular TOURIST visa (usually valid for 5/10 years, depending on your home country). Please be aware that the application process for this visa does take considerable extra time.
In case of any doubt, please do speak with your travel agent to ensure that your journey to India is smooth and without hurdles.

  • any medication that you are currently using
  • simple, comfortable, and modest cotton clothing (based on the season that you are here); it is best to bring some old clothing which can be discarded if necessary due to outdoor karma yoga requirements. Local cotton garments & other natural fibers are the best for allowing air to flow in the heat.
  • comfortable non-slip footwear for karma yoga duties, slip on sandals, shoes should be very durable as we are oftentimes walking on uneven ground
  • essential reading material for swadhyaya (Self-Study, please note that we do have a library of books available for rental)
  • herbal mosquito repellent
  • a torch
  • yoga mat, meditation shawl, meditation cushion
  • water bottle, travel mug, or tumbler
  • light rain jacket
  • alarm clock
  • sunscreen
  • toiletries
  • light sweater or shawl
  • 2 copies of all travel documents (passport, visa)

Your recommended donation supports the following:

  • Supports you being an integral member of a blossoming international community that is committed to sustainable eco-living and providing support to the less fortunate surrounding villages.

  • helps you gain experiential knowledge of living the ancient principles of Ayurveda in an authentic eco-village
  • 3 vegetarian Ayurveda meals per day, prepared in one of our 3 kitchens
  • daily satsang teaching of Ayurveda life by leaders in the field of Ayurveda
  • shared accommodation costs
  • monthly donation to support Punarnava Community Trust activities

These activities that you will be supporting include:
– daily feeding of the local elderly villagers in need,
– Moon Project Sanitary Pads for local women empowerment,
– Balagrama local boys home for children from troubled homes,
– monthly free Ayurveda medical camp & community lunch,
– periodic eye camp for local villagers in need of cataract surgery,
– local sustainable farming initiatives, and Laxmigrama, which is the home for 33 Indian breed cow

Please note: Your recommended donation DOES NOT include:

– Single Accommodation
– Ayurveda Consultations & Medication
– Ayurveda Body Treatments
Please inform your karma yoga coordinator if you need to be seen for any reason, and appointments for these services can be made for an additional cost.

Travel medical insurance is not a requirement of the karma yoga program, but would be useful in case of any emergency medical need during your stay in India. If you do have a medical emergency, Punarnava does not have the extra funds to cover an extended hospital stay. Please check with your travel agent about the possibility of acquiring overseas travel medical insurance in the case of such emergency. This is only a suggestion, not a requirement.

Karma Yoga application form

If you are interested in our program please send us some information to start the application process. We will respond to you as soon as possible and will send more detailed information.

    First name

    Last name

    Date of birth
    [text* text-786"]

    Email

    Phone

    Adress

    City

    Region/State

    Postal/Zip Code

    Country

    Which program are you interested?
    1 Month - 30 days3 Months - 90 days

    Your planned arrival date / approx.

    Your planned departure date / approx.

    Have you ever visited Vaidyagrama as a patient or worked with Punarnava Community before? If so, when?

    Question or comments