Through my podcast, Highest Self Podcast, I have interviewed hundreds of people on their journey towards discovering their dharma (purpose) and found a common thread. They all go through what I call the Dharma Discovery Journey, and I saw this echoed in my own. They’re broken down into 5 stages.

Stage 1: Self-Awareness

You realize there has to be more to this life than what you’ve been living. You know that you have a purpose, but have no idea what it is. You know you need a radical change. Through pain or numbness, you are called to take action and transform your life. This is where the seed of dharma is planted.

Stage 2: Self-Improvement

You make it a mission to improve yourself. You may begin practicing yoga asana, following inspirational people on Instagram, reading self-help books, listening to motivational speakers or using a meditation app. You’ve begun changing habits that are no longer serving you. This stage is focused on the physical and mental level more than the soul level. This is where the seed of dharma is watered.

Stage 3: Awakening

Your interest shifts from improving yourself to knowing yourself. You begin to realize that you are not your body or your mind, but rather a soul living in a body with a mind. You are hungry to learn about every spiritual topic such as yoga, meditation, Ayurveda, astrology, and energy healing. Your entire worldview shifts as you become aware of the limiting beliefs passed down intergenerationally and begin to do the healing work. This is when the seed of dharma sprouts.

Stage 4: Higher Consciousness

You are out of the spiritual closet and no longer feel the need to hide your beliefs to be taken seriously. You have found
the practices that resonate with you and begin sharing them, perhaps on social media or with your family, friends, and colleagues. You know that you have dharma, but you aren’t exactly sure what it is and are still in the dabbling stages. You have emerged as an entirely new you and people begin asking you how you did it. This is when the dharma sprout begins to grow.

Step 5: Step Into Your Dharma

Through embodying who you are, you realize the deeper purpose of why you are here. You remember your sacred mission on this planet. Suddenly your worldview transitions from “me” to “we.” Your spiritual practice becomes something so much greater than you; it becomes the foundation from which you heal humanity. You are fueled by the cosmos and tapped into a universal life force streaming through you. You transform any part of your life that is not in utmost alignment because you see how it is holding you back from your mission. You realize that you are here to be of service and through following your highest joy, you serve the world. It is in this space in which you truly embody your dharma and the truth of who you are. This is where the seed of dharma blossoms.

Where are you on your journey? Learn more and receive support, guidance, and inspiration in my upcoming book Discover Your Dharma: A Vedic Guide To Finding Your Purpose with a foreword by Deepak Chopra, out Jan 5, 2021.

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