a seeker’s journey

– The Bhagavad Gita chapter 3, verse 35

As I celebrate another year around the sun, it invites me to take pause and reflect not only on the past year but also my journey and the inquiry into if I am truly living a Dharmic life by honoring and exalting the gifts I have been bestowed.

The word Dharma can take on varied meanings based on the context in which it is used. Some of the translations include soul’s purpose, aim in life, truth, procedure, structure, and duty in regard to one’s societal and cultural norms.

Dharma is the first of the four Purusharthas or aims of the Soul. The Purusharthas are first mentioned in the Vedas, ancient texts in which the science of Yoga was also first referred.

Purushartha is a compound Sanskrit word that can be broken down and defined as:

• Purusha – immaterial essence; Spirit; Soul
• Artha – purpose; meaning; object of desire

Hence, Purushartha can take on the translations purpose of being human, object of human pursuit, or aims of human life. The four teachings of Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha are then defined as:

• Dharma – righteousness; moral values
• Artha – prosperity; economic values
• Kama – pleasure; love; psychological values
• Moksha – liberation; self-actualization; spiritual values

Dharma becomes the foremost concept to put into practice as it keeps Artha and Kama in balance and opens the gateway into Moksha.

Dharma and the teachings of The Bhagavad Gita

The Bhagavad Gita illuminates the teachings of Dharma through the tale of Arjuna, a warrior, and his quest to seek and fulfill his sacred duty. The Bhagavad Gita is also a parable about fear and doubt with Arjuna being caught in the “horns of a dilemma”. Arriving at the center of the battlefield, flanked by two equally fierce armies, Arjuna surveys both sides and makes the realization that to go to war would jeopardize not only his own kinsmen but also the families of the opposing side and the structure of the kingdom as a whole. Suspended between the two forces, Arjuna casts down his bow and arrows and crumbles to the floor of his chariot, stricken with the grief of his imagined outcomes of the battle. Arjuna, paralyzed by fear and doubt, tells Krishna, his charioteer, “I will not fight.” After witnessing such, Krishna begins his teaching of Dharma and the human dilemma – the separation from Source. Arjuna has forgotten who he is and because of this, he does not know how to act. Arjuna has yet to fully understand and experience his life’s calling – a call of Truth that extends far beyond being of the warrior caste. The teachings of Dharma continue with Krishna laying the building blocks for Arjuna to investigate, discover, and refine his own Soul’s purpose.

In the Gita, Krishna teaches Arjuna to look to his own Dharma or essential nature for guidance. Krishna encourages Arjuna to then live his Dharma full out, to let go of the fruits of his work, and ultimately, be a channel for Dharma – stop doing, start being.  With this newfound knowledge of Dharma and Self, perspective shifts and action and awareness merge which creates a state of flow. This state of union is Yoga.

The Bhagavad Gita offers additional teachings regarding Dharma with the concepts of Swadkarma and Swadharma. Swadkarma or self-action involves resolving one’s past actions – to unlearn habitual patterns that no longer serve in order to become free.  Swadharma or self-path involves becoming open to the opportunities that enable movement and growth – to be open and embrace the Spirit that resides within. Swadharma can also be viewed as the path already laid out based on social norms – i.e., Arjuna, the warrior. The practice of these two concepts becomes about retracing one’s steps – to reflect and reconcile past experiences and to then utilize these steppingstones to grow and become one with Spirit. The challenge is to keep karma from running over dharma – to not get caught up in any past narratives or even daily happenings but to cultivate and nurture the qualities of the path towards Self.

“Dharma is badly needed in our world. Dharma is truth and truth is eternal. Such eternal religions last forever. Leading a dharmic life is a great blessing. It brings joy and peace to everyone. It’s the highest grace of God…. Try to lead a pure life. Right conduct and self-control are the two feet of the Lord. They are the doors to God. Open these doors and bring them into your life.” – Swami Kripalu

Discovering One’s Dharma

To unveil one’s essential nature, one might take guidance from additional Yoga philosophy with the first verse of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras – “Now, the inquiry of Yoga.” Can you be in the space of exploration – to remain vigilant in the state of curiosity? Can you be open to the endless possibilities – both known and unknown?

Dharma is patiently waiting yet it is also seeking you as much as you might be seeking it. Can you be open and curious into the world of possibility and the call of your unique Truth?

I believe that it is part of our human nature to seek our soul’s deepest desire and the practice of Yoga repeatedly beckons the question, “who am I?” From an early age, we are asked “what do you want to be when you grow up?” I remember writing in my school memory books anything from an artist to a nurse to a veterinarian. I recall a day during my junior year of high school when I realized that becoming a veterinarian was not in the cards after being told that I should look for a different class to fill what would be calculus. While I loved and excelled in biology and am still a complete geek when it comes to anatomy and physiology, the amount of math I would need to take to become a veterinarian would cause much struggle. I remember being heart-broken and I turned to one of my first teachers for some advice. My dad offered the following: “You be you. You have some amazing gifts – use your passion and talents of music and theatre to discover what you want to do with your life.” The following year, I filled my day with journalism, broadcasting, music classes, and theatre rehearsals – which ultimately led me to graduating with a BA in speech communication, theatre arts, and secondary education with a vocal performance minor.

Dharma can change throughout a person’s life. The inquiry becomes, what is my Dharma right now? Expand your capacity for change and be versatile to revise and clarify your sacred duty – as one might have more than one Dharma throughout their lifetime.

After college, I thought my Dharma was either to get a job teaching high school speech and theatre or to work in the theatre industry. And I did…for awhile but realized there was something greater tugging at my Soul. I had been acting with a children’s theatre company when I consciously began to practice yoga asana and unknowingly stumbled upon an element of my own Dharma. The mindful movement coupled with the awareness of breath struck a deep chord within. I diligently practiced for four years before taking the leap into my first Yoga teacher training. When I arrived at my 200-hour teacher training, one of the first activities was to write down my “why”. I wrote “to help at risk kids find something that they can call their own – Yoga.” My intent was to support this path through the creative forces of theatre and movement; to teach from a space of Highest Self and the quality of all-encompassing love; and my need to share these inner gifts as I continued to move towards inner peace and harmony. As it turns out, theses qualities of love, service, and surrender are foundational to the larger framework of Dharma – Sanatana Dharma and the path of eternal Truth.

Ask for guidance and then patiently wait for an answer. This is a call to settle into Buddhi – the space of radical compassion and place within that discriminates, discerns, and decides. Is it safe? Is it true? From this seat of non-judgmental observation – able to move forward with right action. Sometimes, this action requires a leap of faith.

Shortly after my father passed in 2011, I made another leap to leave my job in the natural food industry to teach Yoga full time. This leap required me to give up what I thought was financial stability but have come to realize that it was out of balance Artha (economic prosperity). The leave created more space for me to align with my Dharma and True Nature which opened a doorway in greater freedom (Moksha). My work has continued to be refined and reshaped through the practice of swadhyaya or self-study.

In 2016, I had the brief opportunity to study with Stephen Cope, author of “The Great Work of Your Life”, as he guided a roomful of seekers to discover their own Dharma. He utilizes the allegory of The Bhagavad Gita and the teachings of Krishna to illustrate the four pillars of the Path of Action – Karma Yoga – to define one’s true calling.

1. Discern Dharma – This is an invitation to seek, name, and embrace your sacred duty and essential Truth.
2. Do your Dharma full out – bring all Karma/action into alignment with Dharma/truth. “Suit up and show up!”
3. Let go of the fruits of action – practice aparigraha or non-attachment.
4. Turn all action over to the Divine – practice Ishvara Pranidhana or surrender to Highest Self.

The first pillar, Discern Dharma, becomes key to unlocking the remaining three. The brainstorming process that Cope guided us through involved the following:

• What endeavors or activities light me up? What fascinations are within me?
• What are my duties? What would not happen if I did not show up? What events or things would not go on if I was not around? What are my things to do? If I did not do this work or fulfilled this action, there would be a profound sense of self-betrayal?
• What are my challenges?
• What are my potential doors to growth?

In short, the quest for Dharma becomes a life-long process but luckily, Dharma is always searching for you – you cannot escape your inner Truth.

Today, I know that guiding transformational and inspirational experiences through the use of movement and breathwork are an important piece of my Dharma but not my sole purpose. My Soul’s purpose is to discover, cultivate, and grow in my capacity for compassion, contentment, and truth to become fully alive and fully present to each and every moment.

“Be yourself. Everybody else is already taken.”