Spirit : Dharma - finding your true purpose in life

Why am I here? What is my purpose in life? These are questions human beings have been asking themselves for ever.

The ancient yogis also pondered them and wrote about them in their texts and scriptures. They set out the 'Four Aims of Human Life', collectively know as the Purusharthas. These four aims are Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha and they are guidelines to remind us to live our lives in a meaningful and ethical way. When we do, we become who we truly are and we achieve the union of body, mind and soul - the ultimate goal of yoga. Over the next four weeks I'm starting my in-person and Zoom classes with a short explanation of each of these four aims and I'll be sharing them here on Flourish too.

We begin with Dharma:

Dharma translates from Sanskrit as 'duty' or 'right action'. It means to find your personal path in life and follow your truth. It means to really live your values and find purpose in what you do. This isn't easy - our conditioning over many years often means we forget our true purpose - and it depends on the culture that we live in, our experiences, responsibilities, privileges and relationships. But it is possible and it gets easier as we get older. As we navigate through the years and all their ups and downs we recognise that life is finite and precious and we want to use our time well. A dedicated yoga practice can help us find our Dharma - through the physical postures and the focussed attention they require we get to know ourselves better, and through meditation and contemplation we can ask ourselves questions and notice what answers arise.

If you want to know your true purpose in life look within. Here are a few questions you might ask yourself to help your exploration:

What brings me joy and lights me up?
What is calling to me right now?
If I could do anything I wanted, money and time being no object, what would I do?
And why am I not doing it right now?