Karma

One of the first things to do in sadhana (spiritual practices) is to regulate actions and speech, promoting the positive and useful, while setting aside the negative and not useful. This is the first part of breaking the cycles of actions and reactions, or Karma.

principles and processes of Karma apply to all people, regardless of how we might conceive this core of consciousness.

It is extremely useful to become a witness to our own emotional processes during our actions in the world. Isn't it true that we often, and easily observe the gestures, body language, and emotional reactions of others? If we can so easily see it in others, we can also see it in ourselves. By clearly seeing our own positive and negative emotions (those are the culprits), we can promote or strengthen the positive, useful emotions like love, compassion, benevolence, and acceptance (See Yoga Sutra 1.33 for meditation on these positive emotions). Witnessing our own body language, speech, actions, and our emotional reactions will give us a mirror reflection of our Deep Impressions or Samskaras. It also allows us to see the predictable ways in which the Four Primitive Fountains (food, sleep, sex, self-preservation) play out. Thus, we not only learn to regulate our emotions in positive ways, but also come to see the roots from which they arise. This self-witnessing in daily life is a major part of Karma Yoga, going along with doing our actions selflessly for others.

This is not bad, and is not to suggest that one should suddenly attempt to abandon all desires in the world. Rather, it means being aware of how the unconscious process of karma works so that those desires do not make you a slave to their intensity.

If one's desire (kama) is achieved or fulfilled, then there is the emotion of pride, or muda, having what others do not. When one attains what is longed for, then attachment comes; this attachment is called moha. Moha is the incorrect sense that, “This is mine!” When one is attached to something, one becomes greedy, which is called lobha. Once there is attachment to something, it is as if one can never have enough.