The term and meaning of karma has, in my assessment, been highly misinterpreted and misused in the west. “It’s your karma,” and “bad karma,” are often the first phrases uttered, often with a mixture of pity and contempt,  whenever someone finds themselves in the worst of circumstances — either by accident or their own making. Astrologically, karma is often associated with the planet Saturn, the bestower of hard knocks – but also hard-won rewards.  When the sensationalized western sturm and drang is set apart from the ancient eastern meanings we come to understand that the essence of karma is movement and taking action. Period. Karma is not set in stone. It is ever-evolving.  Life itself is a karmic act. A baby’s first breath is karma. I choose to bless that breath and that karma. 

In Tibetan, the meaning of karma is “shining star,” and is often used as a given name. Thus, I call my yoga offering KarmaStar yoga, both for the meaning of the name as well as the astrological implication.