Dharma: Meditate and Reflect

Namaste. Welcome to practice. This will be a more reflective practice moving into a guided meditation. We're digging into the pro shark does beginning with Darma, and Dharma is your purpose in this world, which might be different than what you do for a living, what you do for work. Or your even your career.

Your dharma is the situation that you keep finding yourself in over and over and over and over again. So for instance, it might be something like your dharma is to nurture people And you might find that that shows up for you with your children. You might find that it shows up for you with your family, with your beloved with your partner, with your community, something that you just keep getting called on to doing over and over and over and over again. It's your why in this world. We'll work with the concept of Sadaya. So as Sadaya is from the yoga sutras, and it means self study.

So this meditation will hopefully bring you to a state of introspection We'll be using some guided visualization. Let's begin with finding yourself a good comfortable seat. You're welcome to sit on the floor. If you're more comfortable sitting in a chair, please feel free to sit in a chair. You do want to keep your spine long.

So if you are sitting in a chair, best to sit more on the edge of the chair, so that you're not leaning back into it, and your spine can be nice and long. Once you've found yourself in a comfortable seat, your hands can rest. I'm taking palms downward on my thighs. I find that to be very grounding and settling, but if you for a different. You're welcome to take that.

And then if you're comfortable closing your eyes, close your eyes. If that's not comfortable for you, there are many meditation traditions that are done with eyes open. So if you are keeping your eyes open, just allow your gaze to drop and your eyes to go soft And then initially, We don't even need to think about a meditation technique to start off with. Just let yourself be still quiet. And if there are sounds around you, or things that are shifting in your environment. No need to shut those out.

The work we have as yogis as meditators is to be able to find that stillness in the midst of whatever's going on around us. So just here and still for just about a moment longer. Noticing your breath, subtle, and soft. Really the only breath instruction that I would give for this is to try to breathe in and out through the nose, but see if you can keep the mouth soft as you do that. So lips might be slightly parted.

Back teeth can be separate. Even allow the root of the tongue to sink back. Muscles of the cheeks release. Forehead can grow wide and spacious. And then bring into the forefront of your mind.

The best moment of your week. Give yourself time to find clarity around that. In the past 7 days, Where was it? That you felt the most like yourself. And if you can't quite put your finger on what that means.

That's part of it. When we're in flow state, There's a loosening of attachments. So let yourself bring that into the forefront of your mind. 1st. Acknowledge what you were doing.

Start with something tangible. What was the action? How were you moving? Were you being verbal or nonverbal? Were you alone?

Or were there other people or beings involved? Were you laughing? Or being loud. Were you whispering? And being quiet.

Where was the place? And what were you doing? When there was that cosmic click. And all of a sudden, It felt effortless. Perhaps there was work that led up to that.

Perhaps you needed to arrange things in a particular way. Or perhaps it was something that you'd been doing for a while. Remember that when we find our dharma, it doesn't mean that instantaneously everything becomes easy. In fact, life might be full of even more challenges. And yet something inside of us knows that it's right.

Knows that this is where we were meant to be. This is what we were meant to be doing. And once you found that place, that right place. Allow that to fill you. No need for you to go backward to it.

Bring that feeling. That right purpose into your present right here right now. Notice what effect that has on your body and your mind. Perhaps if you started to lose your seat reestablish it. If your mind started to drift, bring it back.

And just feel how that can light up your center. And, yoga sutras of Potangali. There's a sutra in the second chapter. The Saddenapada, the portion on practice. It says, Rishokawa Jyoti Shmati.

To focus on the light within And our dharma is how the divine expresses itself through us. How that light moves out into the world. Through you. How that light moves out into the world. Through you.

Your unique gift No. In this stillness. Let yourself readied. If in this moment clarity has not come through for you, know that this is a practice that you can return to over and over and over and over again. Just like working on an Asana.

We show up. We put in the effort Let me let go of the results. Just keep noticing where when grace can flow in. Allow that to give you the answer to the question. Why?

We'll take our last few moments together in silence. Yashoggaba Jyotiashmati. Focus on the light inside. And then find the generosity to send it back out. Through you.

Let your next breath come in a little bit more deeply. Open your mouth and gently exhale it away. Coming out of this slowly. Release your hands from your thighs, perhaps turn your palms upward as a gesture of offering. Press the hands down into the thighs and let your eyes float open if they were closed.

Can lean back, stretch your legs out. Roll your ankles around. And then just coming back into your seat, and we'll close our practice with one ohm and quick mention, my teacher, Doctor Laude, he always used to say that, when we've really found our dharma, and we're really clear about it and and utilizing it in in the world, it's automatically going to benefit all. Rub your palms together. Don't forget to radiate.

Take your hands to your heart. Breathing in. Thank you for sharing your practice. Namaste.