Getting Purposeful

I recently discovered ikigai, a Japanese concept that refers to your purpose in life. It’s the driving force that motivates you to get up in the morning, your raison d’être.

It’s considered the cornerstone of a fulfilling life and an important part of health and longevity. Once your ikigai is clear, life feels more meaningful and day-to-day decisions become easier.

Ikigai shares some common elements with the Vedic concept of dharma, sacred purpose or duty, and the later notion of svadharma, one’s individual purpose or duties in life.

How does yoga help?

Whatever form your practice takes, yoga is meant to impact positively the way you navigate life and how you fulfill what you see as your purpose.

My purpose as a yoga teacher is to foster the well-being of others, empowering them to, in turn, fulfill their own purpose.

It’s a wonderful week to consider how yoga helps you to do all the other things you want, love, and need to do in your life - whether that’s playing with your grandchildren, finding clear-eyed solutions to problems, or simply running your daily errands.

Once you’re clear on how yoga serves you, maintaining consistency in your practice gets easier.

In small and large ways, yoga helps us to get better at life, making what we love to do and what’s meaningful even more fulfilling.