Relaxation is the balm which soothes the body and mind. A relaxed attitude energizes a person and makes her enthusiastic and serene in any situation. According to yoga a balanced state of mind where a witness-like attitude and objectivity are enthused in daily living makes a person function with discrimination in any situation.

The technical word in yoga is vairagya which means to “Let Go.” It is our ego which colours most of our reactions, so taming this ever present entity would be the key to relaxation. The mind can make heaven of hell and hell of heaven and can bind us or set us free. The choice is ours to let people and circumstances make us tense.

Very often we want to be relaxed and why is this so essential to us to be in this state? What is there in this state that beckons us? Well we have seen that if the body is not relaxed it will not allow you to sit, the body is unable to enjoy being at peace with itself.

If the mind is tense we are not able to sleep, to eat well, not able to do our normal routines or our duties to the best of our ability. The end result is poor. There is no concentration, the attention span is minimized considerably, the anxiety level rises, and the tolerance level is a short fuse. The frustration and anger build up slowly but surely and all this gradually floods our very being and then overcomes us like a tidal wave.

A relaxed person values his balance, his tolerant view of life, his inner joy! His whole personality is infused with his quiet, relaxed demeanor; this slowly encompasses those around and could create a joyful atmosphere.

So how do we go about being relaxed? Yoga says that if one does ones duties with the karma yoga attitude then the mind which is duty bound is held in our control. If we work without wanting the fruit of our actions then too we are relaxed! When we realize that nothing is really in our hands and all that we can do is, do our best and leave the rest. Thus the burden of living is not on our shoulders! We have the faith to live life fruitfully! We have the ability to accept life as it is, in the moment and not according to the plans which we have made in our own minds.

Very often we make our plans but God has different ideas and if we don’t flow with that which is presented to us then we don’t go with the flow of life rather we become obstacles to the reality of what is actually happening. Sometimes it is seen that we do our best in a situation and the fruit goes to someone else and if we get upset about this then we do ourselves harm. But if the mind is trained to know that our only interest is to do the work to the best of our ability and not hanker for the results then and only then can we sleep peacefully and arise to a new dawn joyfully.

In the karma yoga idea it is how you do the work that matters not the work itself. With what attitude are you working? What are your motivations? Yoga says that all our actions have 4 motivations. These motivations are Dharma - Duty, Artha- Wealth, Kama- Pleasure tinged by our Likes/Dislikes, Moksa – Selfless Service.

Those actions which are done with the idea of the Duty which we have to perform is called as Dharma. If our action is for our desire to earn a living then it is Artha. Those actions which are motivated for our selfish desires, or our likes and dislikes are called as Kama, and those actions which is motivated by desire to serve others selflessly, to serve only God those actions are motivated by Moksha.

No wonder, in the good old days, mothers were encouraged to impart some Samskaras (impressions) to the child within, from the day it was conceived. Visiting holy shrines or reading scriptures and biographies of saints, and avoiding excessive bursts of emotions were quite the norm for expectant mothers way back in time. If only we could understand the significance of working of these practices and habits, a lot of good would be reaped by mother and babies.

We could look at this whole aspect from the point of view of duty. Conceiving and giving birth to a child is not an end in itself. It is just the beginning of a wonderful opportunity for parents to carry out a lifelong duty to their progeny; duty signified by selflessness and characterized by unfathomable love and devotion.

The sense of duty that builds up a happy pregnancy needs to continue even more strongly after the birth of a child. Often social obligations compel the mother to deviate from doing what is necessary for both herself and her child. Visitors and domestic responsibilities have simply got to wait. Standing firmly with a strong sense of duty, the mother can definitely steer clear from all that disrupts the healthy routines for the two of them.

In the beautiful world of nurturing and loving there is no room whatsoever for egos and selfish pursuits. In effect, loving and giving must be the basis for every mother in her act of caring for her child. Every sacrifice she may have to make clearly leads her on to gaining spiritual maturity.

Each action can release energies for immense loving, sharing, and giving. The little word ‘duty’ would then evoke positive emotions of joyful support rather than mundane, mechanical trifles.

From the Yoga point of view the birth of a child provides the best learning situation to the mother. Through every experience she is able to transcend her basic interest and desires, opening the path towards selflessness, humility and spiritual understanding. God has given this gift, to nurture and you are honoured to serve Him.