Top 5 Tips to Discover your Dharma 

If you have been feeling lost or confused, maybe feeling disappointed in your job or feeling down as a result of lockdown or a big covid-related life push, then this article and journal prompts are for you.

What is dharma?

Your dharma is your purpose. It’s the reason why you are here. It is life satisfaction, fulfilment, joy and meaning. It is your passions and fires and authentic truth!

You’re exactly where you’re meant to be

Like so many other people, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do after school. So I picked a place I wanted to be and a thing that I enjoyed doing – place: Glasgow; thing: reading – and went to do it. I picked another place I wanted to be – London – and got a job working in a bookshop there after it. The pay and hours of my ‘dream job’ were depressing and appalling so I got a kushy office job writing for construction consultancy. My manager there suggested I try teaching abroad. Which led me to Vietnam, to yoga, to India, to all sorts of things! No part of the quest was pointless or beside the point, every step built relationships, skills and led to the next stage development. In all aspects of your life, you are exactly where you’re meant to be.

1. No side quest is meaningless. Every step is important and necessary.

My personal experience has been that through good times and bad, especially the bad, everything works out eventually if you just keep trying. Which is not the same thing as ‘trying the same thing in exactly the same way over and over again hopeful of a different outcome’. But trying in conjunction with the universe and how things are going. The outcome might – and quite often is – be totally different to what you expected or predicted or wanted, but it will come. And everything will be ok. Or even better. So no matter what is going on, trust that you are exactly where you’re meant to be.

2. Look for the blessings in the every day

When we’re feeling low or like we’re not making progress or moving forward in the way we imagined, or that we’re not living the dharma that we want to be, it’s a good idea to look for the small blessings, in other words, practice gratitude.

Take a moment to close our eyes, and think of three things that we’re grateful for right now. In this moment, what are you grateful for? Three things, any three things, that you are grateful for RIGHT NOW. Small things like coffee or tea or safe drinking water. Electricity and clean pants and socks. Whatever device you are reading this on, perhaps you are grateful for that.

Ok, got your three things? Awesome. Three more.

Grateful for your sound body or mind. Grateful for having energy to read. Grateful for having time to read… Got your three things? Again, three more!

Small conscious moments like that highlight in a very tangible way how much our lives are filled with abundance, and you can apply that to so many different things and areas of your life. Think of three things that you enjoy. Avocados, dry white wine and green olives. Ok, three more. Drawing, reading and dancing. Three more. Foot baths, normal baths and sunsets.

You can apply it directly to YOU. Three things you love about yourself. My strength and endurance, my loyalty and my kindness. Three more. My strong legs and arms, my vibrant and distinctive hair, and my pragmatism. You are an abundant and brilliant being.

So with that in mind and the belief that you are exactly where you are meant to be, that your journey will unravel in exactly the right ways and timeframes that it needs to, take a moment to celebrate yourself.

3. Follow your bliss 

We also have some actions to take. Is there something that you need to do that you’ve been avoiding or putting off? Maybe it’s enrolling on a course or booking a ticket to go somewhere or even just starting the Google search for what you want to do next. And you’ve been avoiding doing it because it’s difficult or scary. Those itchy feet are signs that it’s time to SHAKE SHIT UP. Trust that the right things will come for you. Follow your BLISS.

When I choose a new destination, I don’t tend to sit and wonder what it’s going to be like and find out all of the details, I lean towards packing a sensible-sized bag that I can run with to catch a bus if necessary, and assume that I will figure things out as I go. I didn’t research much into universities or the differences in the courses they offered, neither did I spend hours and hours looking into the subtle differences between yoga schools. I picked one and went for it. Whatever you are putting off, just go for it. Any decision you make is the right decision.

4. Keep reaching; keep evolving.

Your dharma goal is not to reach a certain point but it is to keep reaching and reaching, continually pursuing what excites your soul. The path of dharma is never over.

5. Journal to discover your dharma. 

• Think back to you when you were young, what activities most brought you joy?
• Do you still partake in those activities? If not, why not? If so, how do they make you feel?
• How can you honour these kinds of activities more in your life? What can you do to be more active in this area of your life? How can you bring more bliss into the everyday?

I really hope that these tips help you to find what brings YOU joy in your life. Comment below if these tips helped you or reach out in Yoga with Lolli Facebook Group. It’s a warm and welcoming place where I share things throughout the week and we can connect and get to know each other a bit more. I’d love to see you there. You can also find me on Instagram! This article was adapted from a talk I gave at a one-day online yoga retreat a couple of weeks ago. 20 yogis from across the world connected throughout the day to move, meditate and connect, it was such a beautiful experience and I am so looking forward to hosting another experience like it. To stay up to date with everything, join the mailing list. It also grants you access to my FREE yoga and meditation library with over 30 on demand practices for you to enjoy.

So until next time

Byeeeeeee

 

Lolli the Yogicorn