Here is an important lesson I have learned from the practice of regular Yoga, and just to be clear, when I say “Yoga” I am not just referring to the poses you see in a traditional yoga class. Practicing Yoga can be in the form of any mindful exercise, whether this is performed in a gym, local park or yoga studio and it includes meditation.
When I began reading up on ancient yoga texts I kept coming across the phrase “my duty” or dharma as it is often referred. This translates to purpose, the question of “why are we here?”. Why do we do what we do and it’s a question that many of us constantly seek the answer to. Or maybe that’s just me?
The Yoga texts encourage one to perform his or her duty selflessly, egoless and without desire for the fruit of one’s actions.
From my observations this is not a conventional mindset commonly seen here in Australia, at least during my lifetime and the conditioning towards the opposite is strong.
“We are all bound by action, to act we must. But how we act is of spiritual significance. We either act with human, animal or demonic qualities. To develop human qualities, we must behave like a human.”
When I exercise I practice non-attachment to results. It’s sacred time spent with my higher consciousness. I breathe deep and I move, I’m simply working on the temple that is my body while understanding at the same time I am connected with something much more. This is the egoless state from which my business and life can then become an expression of.
A truly powerful shift.
When I’m connected to this state and tuned into this frequency, I am not attached to the fruit of my actions, I serve others for the pure joy and simply because it’s my duty to do so. There is no ego, I have no competitors, I simply do what I do, go home, eat, sleep then repeat.
There becomes no clear distinction between whether what I am doing is work or play. I’m simply spending my time each day mastering the tasks that come before me and executing them with as much precision and detail possible. This leads to a huge amount of fulfillment and contentment. I’m not fussing over what my purpose is or whether what I am doing is the right thing. I am surrendering to a higher order and carrying out my duty in a playful and egoless way.
When the universe opens up space in my schedule (periods of low business demand) I use it to explore even higher levels of play. It’s just like I am a kid again, pretending to be a fireman, police officer or astronaut. I spend this time with my family, in nature, surfing, exercising, meditating, watching movies or any other activity that I find joyful. This clears space for me to grow into.
I’ve discovered undeniably that when I adopt this mindset, choosing to see life as an adventure and reinforcing it through daily practices of both meditation and movement, my life flows effortlessly and becomes extremely joyful. However, despite its divine simplicity, putting it to regular practice takes just that. Lots and lots of PRACTICE.
So this is what I’ve been working on for the past 2-3 years or so now, and while it’s certainly not perfect I’m very happy with the way it’s coming along. The reality is that the 25 years of conditioning based around fear, scarcity and satisfying the ego will take some time to reverse, just in the same way that long-term weight loss must also take time.
If you feel that these words resonate then please reach out and let me know that you are alive and well. My life is becoming more and more about connection and I am feeling deeply into sharing some of my experiences in the hope that they can serve others, particularly those walking a similar path when it comes to parenting, business or just finding one’s way in life. I am certainly not a guru but very open to beginning a conversation around helping others to find joy in their lives.
Namaste
Ash xx