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The Sacred Circle of Yoga has grown from MJ Bindu Delekta's 35 years of actively experiencing, studying, and teaching yoga and the healing arts.
Her certification is in professional-level(500-hour) Kripalu Yoga Teacher Training in the United States and India. She has studied with many of the world's foremost teachers of yoga and the healing arts.
Why am I here?
Do you ever wonder about your purpose in life? Recently, I've been pondering this question in the early morning hours as I sit outside on a bench, drinking a cup of tea, observing all the activity in the woods, and making peace with all that goes on inside of me.
When I ask myself the question—why am I here?—the answer on most days comes forth clearly. I am here to fully partake of life and love. To do this I must wake up and see what is here in the present moment. Now, when the question surfaces on other days, the answer seems to be placed on pause or hold for an extended period of time.My mind plays the game of taking me away from the present and diverting my energies into questioning who I am. I've played this game many times in the past, and even sequestered myself in retreat with other seekers to ask that question over and over again for three days. We had all our creature comforts removed and were not allowed to talk outside of our daily “who am I?" inquiry time. On the last evening when we gathered to share a final meal and talk, no one had anything to say. There was true presence in the room as we ate mostly in silence with gentle smiles.
As I approach my sixties my body,
mind, and spirit resource kit has grown to very large proportions. I
could spend all my waking hours pulling tools out of my kit and
applying them to different situations and aspects of my everyday life.
I am grateful for this resource that I’ve personalized to meet my needs
in any given moment.
Yet what about all the spaces in between the "doing"? Even if the "doing" is so-called wellness/spiritual practices. What happens then? Fine-tuning and simplifying my practices helps me engage more fully with life as it is happening. This act requires my sitting with whatever is surfacing and making a sensible choice in the flow of my living, thereby staying present in everyday moments when slowly waking from sleep and staying in the midst of a dream that affected me deeply, or when deciding whether to take an outdoor shower or immerse myself in a hot bath. Making those simple choices always informs what will happen next. The days of grandiose plans for any given day have almost disappeared and my body is grateful for slowing down to "be."
The ego/taskmaster part of me is not happy with this change of events. Mindfulness practices help me settle in and contribute to my wakefulness rather than pulling me off course. Taking tiny steps in each moment and gently calling back those parts of myself that want center stage becomes a dance with many beating drums or a painting of vibrant hues, an experience transcending the verbal.
When the mother turkey saunters by my office, trailing her brood, I pause, taking a moment in time to just "be" with this direct manifestation of life and love. Her purpose in life is apparent as she clucks her song, teaching her brood through her actions on their walkabout.
I have always known (at least from age 7 on) that my purpose in life is to become whole. What does that mean, you ask? Well, for me, it means making peace with all the parts of myself that keep me from partaking freely in life and love. To know that I am the microcosm in the macrocosm. My body, mind, and spirit is a universe in itself and as I care for it, heal it, and love it the true essence of life and love is experienced.
Pema Chödrön, an American Buddhist nun, has a relaxed style of teaching and is one of my favorite spiritual teachers. She encourages us to look at ourselves clearly and to touch and soften our hearts. “We can learn to act and think in ways that sow seeds of our future well-being. Gradually we become more aware about what causes happiness as well as what causes distress. Without loving-kindness for ourselves, it is difficult, if not impossible, to genuinely feel it for others.”
So, I will continue to ponder and enjoy waking up a little more each day to my true purpose in this lifetime. As Henri Bergson put it, "To exist is to change, to change is to mature, and to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly."
