This week, I will be sharing the concept of purusartha, the goals or meaning of life. In yoga, there are four main avenues for purposeful living. Since we will be discussing these all week, I want to encourage you to think about what you think four possible areas for a meaningful life could be. Think of this, write some down. Look at what our culture tells us about what gives life meaning. Do you agree with these, or can you think of others?

As you come to think of what matters to you, those around you, and what could bring fulfillment, write down four major areas for growth and development. You may surprised at how universal the ideal life pursuits are.

 

Now, it is possible, when thinking about this, that you may be considering what types of experiences may make you happy. But, be careful. I have found that perhaps we are not as good at choosing what may make us happy as we thought. To support your thinking about what would make a life worthwhile, I figured I could share this video (21 minutes) from Dan Gilbert’s TED Talk. See what you think.

If making decisions about what holds value for us can fundamentally change what we find to be important, it may be helpful to think about what is inherently worthwhile to pursue. Gilbert seems to be saying it is helpful to make a decision and then stick with that, not to keep going back an forth between options. Making choices can allow us to move on and experience more joy. It may be useful to find “the standards”  which most/all people ascribe value to in life. Do you think you share these with others?

 

Yogic Pose of the Day: Tree Pose

Yogic Concept of the Day: What are the four possible types of goals in life?