Sadhguru: The whole process of yoga is to give yourself. It is possible to simply sit, close your eyes and give yourself to the world. But that level of awareness is not there in most human beings. Without activity, most people may not know how to give themselves. They need action to give themselves to something. Volunteering is a tremendous possibility in that direction – you can offer yourself through your work.

Normally, there are calculations in whatever little work we do – “How much should I do? Why should I do? What will I get out of this?” In these calculations, all the beauty of doing is gone.

The very process of life has become ugly. Most of the things that you do in your life are things that you have actually chosen to do. In spite of that, we struggle so much in day-to-day activity to do simple things because we are unwilling to give. People have forgotten that we started this willingly. Whether it is your work, your marriage, your family or whatever, you started all these willingly because you wanted them in your life. But once you start, you forget why you started this and now we have started giving unwillingly and it has become a painful process.

Volunteering is a way of learning to make our lives into a process of just giving. “Volunteer” means one who is willing – not just to do this or that, but simply willing. He is willingness. No spiritual process will happen to any human being unless he becomes willingness.