Living your Dharma…a journey to Self

Author: Mary Westley

 
Maybe the journey isn’t so much about becoming anything…
maybe it’s about unbecoming everything that isn’t you…
so you can be who you are meant to be. 

When you are Living your Dharma there is a sense of authenticity and integrity in your life. This doesn’t mean that life is a bowl of rose petals, however the right things do seem to happen at the right time, and there is a sense of flow.
The focus of our next 2WiseWomen retreat at Mangrove Yoga is Living your Dharma and our intention is to create a space for you to:

• check in with your life and see what feels authentic and what doesn’t.
• connect with what feels meaningful and fulfilling, the things you would like to have more of in your life.
• identify what’s stopping the flow or getting in the way of what you want.

I believe that most of the time you already know what is and isn’t right for you and I think that applies to most people, but that isn’t enough. When I was in practice clients would generally experience improvements in different aspects of their physical and emotional wellbeing with the recommended dietary and lifestyle changes. However, despite these usually significant improvements they often struggled to stay with the changes, even the simple ones. In time I came to see that their beliefs about themselves and life, and habitual patterns of behaviour based on these beliefs, were subtly sabotaging their efforts.

This where awareness comes in. During the retreat we will use practices that will help you understand why you do what you do, and feel how you feel. By consciously bringing these new understandings into your day to day decision making, you automatically begin to ‘create’ the life you want to live.

This concept of creating your life is an important one. Every choice and decision we make influences the direction our life takes. When decisions are made consciously, responding rather than reacting to life, then we are more likely to be on the right path. Life gradually begins to evolve from our sense of purpose and values, instead of being shaped by beliefs and patterns of behaviour that no longer serve us.

The word awareness mentioned earlier may have caused your eyes to glaze over. It is a much bandied around word these days and unfortunately, like anything we hear constantly, it has become a bit ho hum. The saying ‘familiarity breeds contempt’ comes to mind. Don’t be tricked by that though. A little committed, consistent and regular effort in developing awareness – paying attention and learning from that – has the capacity to change the way you think, how you manage your emotions and the choices you make – in short it has the capacity to change your life.

You may also be thinking that this is ground you have already covered…been there done that. Another thing not to be fooled by. This is deep work and it takes us to new levels every time we allow ourselves the opportunity do it. Exploring what gives our life meaning and what is getting in the way, is an ongoing, never ending journey. Each time we ask ourselves these questions our life becomes richer and deeper for the asking.

If the idea of Living your Dharma appeals, then join us at Mangrove Yoga for the weekend 3-5 April 2017. Mangrove Yoga offer a range of accommodation options however some only have limited availability so if you are thinking single rooms and ensuites book early.
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Take care, Coralie & Mary

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