Discover YOUR Inherent Purpose!
Happy March Sisters!
I want to share something with you that brought tears to my eyes.
"There is a pivotal juncture in every Heroine's Journey when she stands alone. Instinctually she is led by the depth of her convictions to take a stand - to name the unaddressed - to call out of hiding the secret malaise in her community. To bring to the surface some yearned-for truth. She arrives at a standpoint not without doubts, but in spite of them. Worse than the criticism such disobedience can invite, may be her rejection from those who are at odds with her truth. But the silent prayer which keeps her company in the night is that it is not for her critics that she raises her voice, but for those who would otherwise be made voiceless."
~ Toko-pa
As most of you know, I have a second 'sacred' business that unites my two passions in life ~ teaching Yoga and supporting women in our community and world who don't have the luxuries we do in this life, including doing yoga.
Many of our sisters in this world are simply trying to survive and upon my return to teaching after a short sabbatical a few years ago I found myself standing alone and deeply called to 'raise my voice' and shed light on to this fact.
The quote above is so deeply personal of a feeling for me, especially at that time.
I felt like she had reached in to my Soul, touched it, and wrote that piece based on her findings there.
Three years back in a moment of stillness and deep in contemplation an idea came to me to merge my passions ~ Yoga, being in service, and event planning ~ and so I created what was to become the largest women's only yoga event in Canada.
But then, I had no idea.
All I knew was that I had to bring to the surface the truth of what our sisters are struggling with globally and that this might just be the way.
My belief is that we can not ignore the issues that are Sisters are facing around the world, such as poverty, sex-trafficking, abuse, lack of education and rights, as well as famine, war, and total denial of human rights.
And then there is our Great Mother ~ Earth, and all the challenges she is facing as we continue to take advantage of her offerings.
A teacher once said, and it resonated with me profoundly, that if we continue to do yoga the way we are, in classrooms, silence, focused on body, goals, and perfection of poses, that we risk it becoming narcissistic.
Taking the teachings outside of studio walls and becoming a sacred activist has totally changed my relationship to this practice and all its teachings.
There is so much more to Yoga than asana.
I created Journey of the Yogini as a way to merge my love for yoga and my understanding that this community is only growing stronger every single day, and that as Yogini's, we are to open to not only what is happening within us but what's going on around us as well.
So we must be open to the truth as it is and awaken to the realities of our time.
(You can read all about how to do this in last months newsletter here)
Journey of the Yogini (JOY) has become like a daughter to me.
I am so proud of what she has become ~ a community of like-minded women who are all standing strong together in support of women everywhere who are deserving of all the same gifts and rights that we have access to.
Birthing her in to the world a few years ago, as a seed, an idea, a concept, an event, she has not only become her own Being but as most Mom's often feel (so I hear) she has given me purpose.
Since the age of eight I have been planning ways I could help the less fortunate, those in need.
This is part of my Sva Dharma, or my inherent purpose, on the Earth, and birthing and Mothering JOY has allowed me to live my dharma in this body, at this time.
Here are some ways you can begin to discover and uncover your Sva Dharma this month to begin the process of Living Like You Mean It with me this year:
1) Journal your passions, unique gifts, and deepest desires for yourself
2) Practice a So Hum meditation. Chanting the mantra for 3-5 minutes out loud or silently. It means 'I AM' and without an opportunity for the mind to fill in the blanks, this mantra can support a sweeping out of the thought patterns we have about ourselves and provide some space for new. Sit afterwards in silence and listen within for another 3-5 minutes.
3) Come in to Butterfly pose as comfortably as possible and bring your inner attention to your womb where your intuition resides. She can be hard to hear in the din of the world and the busy-ness, so tapping in to her in silence and stillness is key. Ask her what you would like to know, "what is my dharma" and what you would like her to do, "what do you need me to know" or "what would you like me to do right now to begin to live more in line with it"? Then listen.
Living on purpose and with purpose can be like medicine for the body, mind, and Soul.
The event that started this all is the Yogini Yogathon and is truly my favorite day of the year and one, that like the quote, brings tears to my eyes every time.
The energy of the day is one that needs to be experienced to understand but when women come together in the hundreds with one intention, supporting our Sisters locally and internationally to become as empowered as we are, well.... it is a feeling you never forget!
I work all year to make this event happen, to make it bigger and better, to find ways to support more women, raise more funds, and connect our community in ways we have never come together before.
So my question is this...
Are YOU ready to stand beside me, your Sister on this path, and raise your voice for the voiceless?
Find out more about Megan, her trainings, workshops, and online ashram at www.megancampbell.ca
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