Well the third Goal of Life is one of my favourite topics! Dharma! We have covered Artha and Kama so now it is Dharma’s turn.

A lot of people talk about dharma as being your career, calling or mission. The word dharma translates to “that which supports.” Isn’t that interesting? Sure it might be your job but it might not be. I read this to mean that dharma is the thing that supports your soul’s journey in this lifetime. What do you do in your life that brings your soul growth?

I consider myself to be truly lucky in that my career is actually my dharma. I don’t know where I would be if I didn’t have to teach. I am a worrier. My partner told me that if I didn’t have something to worry about, I would make something up. He wasn’t wrong. What sets me straight is talking people through Savasana. It calms me. The words I say are usually the words that I need to hear. They grow me.

Are you similar? I think most people that become teachers are answering a call from deep within. It might be a call to serve. It might be an urge to make a difference. It could come from a deep longing inside to do something powerful for this planet. I know they exist, but I don’t know many yoga teachers who are in it for the power, prestige or Lulu Lemon pants. My peeps are seekers and as such, are always looking for the big calling.

Have you done much niche work yet? Have you asked yourself who your people are? It is really important to figure that out. Once you do, marketing gets so much easier because you know who you are talking to. I always struggled with ‘niche’ because I felt like I was negating the possibility of working with people that didn’t fit into my pigeon hole. I know now that this isn’t true. I specialise in a certain group but anyone is welcome in my work.

Finding your niche is part of finding your dharma because your niche is part of ‘that which supports.’ Yes, you could teach anything to anyone, but who lights you up? What classes have made you say YES! And given you that good tired feeling because you really gave it your all?

I have taught classes that were the opposite of what I just described, and I’m sure you have too. Good Lord. Do you remember the feeling inside of sanding against the grain while you tried to connect to that student who just wasn’t your person? It is so exhausting.

I remember deciding that I could teach triathletes a specialised class. What a disaster! I’m not interested in toning your body for triathlete excellence! I want to know how your psyche is doing! That isn’t why the triathlete signed on. Disaster! And of course it led me down the rabbit hole of my saboteurs and how bad a teacher I am and unathletic and and and. I’m sure you know the words to this chorus.

The simple truth is that this specialty is not my dharma. The only way that it supports me is in teaching what not to do (also a useful exercise).

So how do you find your niche? How do you know you’re in it?

This may surprise you but for me, I look at the difficult times or issues in my life. The ways in which I worked through those issues make up the fibres of my super powers. I will attract people who are dealing or have dealt with similar issues.

Looking back, my life was far from sheltered. We travelled and lived in some fairly ‘exciting’ places when I was a kid. Like many people, I had my share of pretty cataclysmic events. I am also a Scorpio so good luck keeping me out of a dark alleyway! What this has done for me is made me kind of loathe small talk or superficial outlooks. I am a deep diver and work best with others that are similar.

I also feel deeply. One of my big core values is Relational/connector. I feel connected to other humans and other-than-humans. I know that we are all impacting each other all of the time. I am sensitive. Through my attuned senses, I want to make a positive impact. I want to tread lightly on the planet and try to leave it better than I found it. I do better with folks that feel similarly.

My niche therefore includes Seekers & Sensitive Ones.

Okay, but what about my actual dharma? How do I figure that one out? You’ve already started by thinking about your niche.

My dharma is not teaching yoga. I use yoga as a gateway drug to help others connect with themselves and love themselves a little better in order to feel a sense of belonging in their lives. When people belong, they take better care of themselves, others and the planet.

My core value words are connection, belonging and expansion. Do you see how those words are embedded in what I said above? I help people to connect in order to belong in order to take better care. I say yes to opportunities that allow me to expand. Teaching the triathletes didn’t do that. Seekers and sensitive ones do. My online courses and subscriptions must include a fair bit of connection time. I couldn’t do YouTube like Adriene. It would kill me. I need to build communities. I need to hear the impact.

If you have done a yoga class with me, you know that I am pretty obsessed with fascia. Fascia is the primary supportive tissue in your body. It holds and connects and energizes everything. It holds your spidey senses which let you know if you can connect and belong! I think that studying fascia is actually bottomless (expansive).

Let’s go back to the original definition of dharma: that which supports. Sounds a lot like fascia, doesn’t it?

Your dharma is already in your tissue. Your fascia is made of it. You are already living it. It was created as your cells were being made! Your ancestors, your parents messaging, your culture and then pepper in your lifelong experiences and you have your dharma.

It is possible, and even likely, that you need only stop believing that you are wrong in order to see how magnificent you actually are. Truthfully, you can’t avoid your dharma. It might be the way you speak to the Barista. It is definitely how you are as a friend, child, sibling, parent and partner.

Since you are reading this newsletter, I happen to know that you are a seeker and a sensitive one. If you weren’t, you would have closed this window by now. By being that, you are already making an imprint on those around you. Look around and see what it is. Yes, you might teach Pilates but what else are you doing in those classes?

If you are open to a deeper dive, please do the following exercise. Give yourself 45 minutes to one hour to really be in the feels of it. You’ll need a journal, pen and a timer. Have fun with it.

Writing To Your Dharma

Get a journal, pen and a timer. Set your space up so you won't be interrupted for 45-60 minutes. It might not take that long but when was the last time you took this much time just for you?

Take it.

Open to a new page and write at the top: "A situation or issue that keeps arising in my life is this ___________________. This is what I have learned about myself."

Then set your timer to 7 minutes and don't stop writing until the timer goes off.

Once the 7 minutes is up, take a breath. How do you feel? What got stirred up?

Now, find a sentence that resonated for you in that last writing and put it at the top of a new page. Set your timer again and go!

Repeat this all one more time.

I'd love to hear what you discovered!