YOGA - WEST OF THE NARROWS

It seems that sometime or another in our life, we begin to ponder our purpose. Is life random, or did we come here with an intention, a purpose, as some believe? Is there a mission our soul craves to accomplish and life on earth is the platform from which to do it? Do you ever feel that nudge, but question the message or where the nudge itself is coming from?

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"The purpose of life is a life of purpose." -Robert Bryne

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I, myself, believe we come with a purpose, too. And then I have to laugh at the fact that I choose to believe in something that seems to cause me such agitation in the continual search for the answer(s) as if it was a simple as finding lost car keys on a hectic morning. Masochistic, much? Can't I simply choose to believe otherwise, and thus not have to answer the burning question of, 'Why did I come here? What is my purpose?' Some days I wish I could. This led me to wonder.....

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Is it purpose itself that is important, or simply our need to feel a purpose......? What would happen if we were to just accept each moment as it is, no agenda....ever? My goal-driven mind shudders at even the thought. What does the sense of purpose provide for us that we strive to live a life full of it?

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Could it be that we are missing the point? Maybe it's not some grandiose scheme that our purpose embodies, but really finding the purpose in ALL the moments.

 

My husband called me this morning from work. A school bus with children on board near a house he was doing a job at had slid off the snowy road into the ditch. Naturally, the owner of the house and my husband responded to the situation, making sure everyone was okay and whatnot. Luckily, things were as good as could be expected for the given situation, but I wonder if, in that moment, was the purpose (unknowingly) for my husband and the homeowner to be there, specifically for that task? To check on and reassure those in a stressful event?

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What if we broke down each day into moments of purpose? What if every task was infused with purpose, a close cousin of intention?  Right now, my purpose is to question and allow others to do the same.....that is the intention behind this article. However, in a few moments, my purpose will be to make lunch for my children, intending to nourish their bodies. After that, the laundry. Sounds less than exciting, right?

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Viewed in my usual frame of reference, situated on a 'future' outcome, reward, or enlightened state to strike, I would say the other mundane aspects of my life are simply preventing my 'figuring out' my purpose. But the reality is, I am already living it, whether I choose to acknowledge it or not. Could the same be true for you?

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I suppose this could be disappointing, on one hand. Wasn't there supposed to be more glory involved? On the other hand, it's almost like releasing the weight of a task you were trying to get to, and discovering you had absentmindedly already done it. All we REALLY need to do is realize the purpose in the moment, infuse it with intention to do it to the best of our ability, and then let it go in order to move on to the next with a sense that what we are doing is of good and contributes to the greater good, if even in a small way.

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I invite you, fellow Yogi, to join me in reframing the mindset from one that views purpose as elusive, floating around out there and rather become aware of its essential presence already alive and well in your daily life. Infuse your daily life with purpose as it comes. You may not be curing cancer or ending starvation, but that does not negate the purpose for which you are living,right here, right now.

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As an experiment, allow this to cause you to question if the things you are doing are of a purpose you can back up and stand behind, or if you would rather choose an alternate action. If there is no purpose of good intention behind the action, maybe that action can be let go or changed to suit a purpose that feels right for you. In doing this over and over, I believe your life will not only BECOME your purpose, but be drawn into the purpose for which your soul intended in the first place.

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Be mindful. Be present. Be of and ON purpose.

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Namaste, Yogis!