What Is Your Dharma?
I met my Dharma this summer.
Three days of asanas, mindfulness meditation, thoughtful lectures, and fresh organic food, all in the idyllic setting of the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Healing in western MA.
A few days of being there for a workshop, The Dharma of Engaged Yoga, was most definitely my Dharma.
It was peaceful and renewing being in the presence of a few hundred people getting in touch with who they are. The energy at Kripalu was serene and expansive, yet electric with possibility.
I felt like I belonged there wholeheartedly and completely.
My only job that weekend was to contribute to the community. To just be me.
Cyndi Lee, our instructor for a few days, defined Dharma for us on day one: She said it is essentially our journey and how we want to show up in it.
What is your journey?
How do you want to show up in it?
Cyndi told the story about Petunia, a woman who she sees regularly for pedicures—Petunia loves fully on her clients’ feet for 90 minutes at a time. Apparently, it is truly an experience being in her presence. When Cyndi noted how skilled and immersed Petunia was in her work, Petunia responded with great enthusiasm, “I love helping people feel good!”
Imagine that barista in that coffee shop who truly loves their job. They are present with every conscious and thoughtful step they take, making one grande latte with oat milk after another all day long. That barista who remembers how to spell your name and delights in handing you your own perfect cup.
A college friend of mine recently became a doula, and she said she was thrilled about the possibility of helping her clients with anything they need as they prepare for childbirth or other major life transitions. As a doula, even doing someone’s laundry can be a sacred act.
Buddhism defines Dharma as divine law—the basic principles of cosmic or individual existence.
What is your Dharma? In other words, what is your purpose in life? And how would you describe the basic rules of your existence?
Some people say they have no idea what their life purpose is. That’s totally understandable. But where might the rules of your life point you to what matters most? How do you want to live your life? What do you care about? What do you believe in?
Those answers can be a hint to your Dharma.
I have always known I wanted writing to be part of my life—since I was a kid. And yet somehow weeks would go by where I wouldn’t write a single word. Gail Mazur, one of my thesis advisors in graduate school, said to us once, “Write at least a line a day…so you never forget that you are a poet.”
That was one of the most compelling things I remember from those years.
It's about ensuring intention and action are aligned with the rules and beliefs that I hold.
When I was trying to find more time for writing in my life, my best friend shared that she heard from another artist it’s important to give your absolute best energy to your art. This means writing first. Before I do anything else.
When I don’t—when I end up flitting away time on social media or on my laptop easing into other work—that best dharma energy dissipates. I can feel it fade away, and most days, I can’t recapture it. It was as if my Dharma was there greeting me when the world had not awakened yet, but if I wasn’t there to meet it, it would go into the ether for another 24 hours.
It’s not an easy journey to craft your schedule to align with your Dharma. But when you do it—wow. It just feels amazing.
Some people say their best energy is at night. I don't understand those people. But hey, that's part of your Dharma too.
Dear early birds, dear night owls, what happens when you meet your Dharma in those blessed wee hours?