Living in Service: A Privilege, A Practice, A Path to Soul
At Alma Sanctuary, we believe that to live in service is not just a duty—it is a privilege. Service is not limited to grand gestures; it is found in the simple, everyday acts of devotion, compassion, and care. To serve is to embody love in action.
Service to Self
Every act of service begins within. We cannot pour from an empty vessel, and so the first sacred responsibility is to honor and care for ourselves. Service to the self is not indulgence—it is nourishment. It looks like creating rituals that restore body, mind, and spirit: practicing yoga, sitting in meditation, journaling to release what weighs heavy, or savoring slow moments of stillness. It is also found in the choices we make daily—choosing food that fuels us, moving our bodies with joy, setting boundaries that protect our energy, and speaking to ourselves with compassion instead of criticism.
When we choose to live in service to ourselves, we begin to radiate wholeness outward. Our well-being becomes the soil from which our love for others can grow. By tending to our own needs first, we serve those around us more fully, with presence and authenticity.
Service to Family
Family is often where our first acts of love in service naturally flow. To a spouse or partner, service shows up not only in grand gestures of devotion but also in the small, everyday choices—to truly listen, to show up with presence after a long day, and to walk beside one another through every season of life or make their coffee exactly how they like it every morning. It is the willingness to celebrate joys, weather storms, and offer encouragement in moments of uncertainty. Service in partnership can be as simple as making a preparing a meal, tending to household tasks with care, or speaking words of affirmation that remind the other: you are seen, you are valued, you are loved.
To children, service is an even deeper offering. Parenthood asks us to give of ourselves completely, day after day—through patience, guidance, and unconditional love. It looks like holding them close during tears, cheering them on in their triumphs, teaching them values and life lessons, and creating a safe space for them to discover who they are. Parenthood, in its essence, is the ultimate service because it requires us to pour ourselves into another being while also being transformed in the process. Our children become some of our greatest teachers, showing us what it means to love without condition and to surrender control to the unfolding of their unique journeys.
To parents, as they grow older, the cycle of service comes full circle. The roles we once held as dependents shift, and we are called to give back the same care, tenderness, and presence they gave to us. It may be sitting with them in doctor’s offices, preparing meals, or simply offering time and companionship in their later years. This cycle of giving and receiving across generations is one of the most profound human rituals we share—a sacred honoring of the life and love that was poured into us.
In all of these relationships, service to family is not about perfection but about showing up with love, humility, and the willingness to care. Whether through the quiet sacrifices, the daily devotion, or the long-term commitments, these acts of service weave the fabric of connection that sustains us all.
Service to Community
Beyond the walls of our homes, service expands outward into the community. Every community is woven together by acts of kindness, generosity, and connection, and each of us has a role to play in strengthening those bonds. Service to community may look like volunteering, mentoring, or contributing resources—but it can also be as simple as extending empathy, offering a listening ear, or lending a helping hand to a neighbor in need.
For me personally, one of the most joyful ways I live in service to community is by bringing people together around the table and feeding them. Sharing a meal is a universal language of love. It transcends cultural boundaries, softens divisions, and creates belonging. A table filled with nourishing food and warm conversation becomes a place where souls are fed alongside bodies.
Community service doesn’t require extraordinary effort; it is found in small, intentional actions. Checking in on a friend, tending a community garden, or offering your unique gifts and talents for the good of others—all are powerful ways to embody service. When we show up in this way, we remind one another that we are not alone—that we are part of something larger, a living, breathing network of love.
“The greatest among you will be your servant.” – Matthew 23:11
Service to the Greater Whole
Finally, service expands beyond the self, the family, and the community into something vast and eternal: service to the greater whole, the universal consciousness. It is here that we come to understand that every act of kindness, no matter how small, ripples outward into the collective field of energy we all share.
Ram Dass spoke often of this higher calling through his teaching: “Love Everyone, Serve Everyone, Remember God.” This phrase, which grew into the Love Serve Remember Foundation, invites us to embody a life rooted in love and service not for recognition, but as a spiritual practice. When we serve with no attachment to outcome—when we do it simply because it is our nature to love—we step into karma yoga, the yoga of selfless action.
This level of service asks us to let go of ego and control, to release the expectation of how others will receive our offerings, and to trust that even the smallest gestures contribute to raising the collective consciousness. A smile to a stranger, a prayer for peace, a quiet moment of gratitude—all of these serve the greater whole in ways we may never see or measure.
In this way, service is not only an act but a way of being. It is living as though every breath, every gesture, every word has the power to uplift the soul of the world.
Service Without Attachment
In yoga philosophy, the Bhagavad Gita reminds us of karma yoga—the yoga of selfless service. True service is not about recognition, reward, or attachment to results. It is done for the sake of the act itself.
We serve because it is in our nature to do so. The act itself is enough. By releasing attachment to the outcome, we free ourselves from ego and align with the greater purpose: raising the collective vibration of consciousness.
Service as a Collective Vision: The Alma Sanctuary
Here at Alma Sanctuary, our vision is to create spaces—both online and physical—that nurture service as a way of living.
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First, through our online community, where we gather in shared intention, learning, and mutual support. This virtual sanctuary is a sacred meeting place for souls who believe that life is meant to be lived in love, service, and remembrance.
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And in time, through brick-and-mortar sanctuaries, where we can meet in person, share meals, practice together, heal in nature, and grow in community. These physical spaces will be temples of service—cultivating, nurturing, and feeding the soul of the collective.
Service is love in motion. Whether through self-care, raising children, caring for parents, feeding neighbors, or lifting the spirit of the world—we are all called to serve in our own way.
And when service becomes our way of life, we don’t just nourish others—we nourish the soul of humanity itself.
At Alma Sanctuary, this is our prayer:
To love. To serve. To remember.
