Dharma is the eternal and inherent nature of reality. The universal truth. It is one of the four components of Purusartha, the aims of life, and signifies behaviors that are considered to be in accord with Rta, the order that makes life and the universe possible. It includes duties, rights, laws, conduct, virtues and “right way of living”. Since Dharma is the cosmic law and order, to follow one’s Dharma is to live in harmony with Dharma. The Dharma talk is a beacon of light that helps shine the path forward so that the student can takes steps closer to Atman.
Below you will find some notes, ideas, and topics on Dharma talks. This is an evolving document that I’ll continue to develop, please check back from time to time. I hope something helps spark an idea. If you have some ideas of your own that you’d like to share, please feel free to contact me any time!
“Be like the river carving a valley.
You have a few brief minutes before
each class to make a scratch.“
– DM
Surrendering
- Surrender To The Universe
- Accept What Is
- Embrace Non-Attachment
- Find Stillness and Peace
Surrendering Quotes
“Surrender to what is… and see how life suddenly starts working for you rather than against you.” – Eckhart Tolle
“We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” – Joseph Campbell
Surrendering Guidance
With each new exhale, let go of what is no longer serving you. Let each inhale fill you with what you need.
Know that your thoughts and your emotions are temporary. Let them come and go like waves on your shore.
Close your eyes and imagine what it would look like for you to be fully at peace with what is. Sit in that space.
Surrendering Questions
Where in your body are you still holding on?
Where can you let go?
What can you leave on your mat today?
Heart Opening
- Self-Love
- Release Judgement
- Choose Gratitude
- Open Your Heart
- Let Love In
- Practice Forgiveness
- Appreciate Yourself
- Release Fear
- Choose Compassion
Heart Opening Quotes
“Yoga is not about self improvement, it’s about self acceptance.” – Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa
“Practice love until you remember that you are love.” – Swami Sai Premananda
“Your task is not to seek love but merely to seek and find all barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” – Rumi
“When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” – Lao Tzu
Heart Opening Guidance
Life gets better when we accept ourselves for who we are.
Allow yourself to enjoy the feeling of being in your body, exactly as it is.
There’s nothing you need to change to be worthy of unconditional self-love.
The more love you give yourself, the more you have to share.
Heart Opening Questions
What would you say to yourself if you loved yourself unconditionally?
What would happen if you devoted each day to loving yourself more?
Mental Clarity
- Turn Your Gaze Inward
- Find Focus Flow
- Quiet Your Mind
- Sit In Your Silence
Mental Clarity Quotes
“When you sit in silence, and the wind blows through you, and the sun shines in you, and you realize you are not your body, you are everything.” – Anita Krizzan
“Clarity is the moment we see without opening our eyes.” – Stephanie Banks
Mental Clarity Guidance
Release the idea that your mind needs to be silent to be in true meditation.
It is not about being perfect. It’s about being fully present with yourself.
Let thoughts come and go with the same ease as a deep breath.
Close your eyes and arrive where you are.
Mental Clarity Questions
When your eyes are closed, what more do you notice?
What is clouding your vision?
Empowerment
- Choose Courage
- Empower Yourself
- Break Your Boundaries
- Choose Your Change
- Build Discipline
- Say Yes To You
Empowerment Quotes
“You get in life what you have the courage to ask for.” – Oprah Winfrey
“You are allowed to be both a masterpiece and a work in progress.” – Sophia Bush
“Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go, they merely determine where you start.” – Nido Qubien
“Ignorance is regarding the impermanent as permanent.” – Sutra 2.5 Patanjali (Swami Satchidananda)
Empowerment Guidance
You are what you choose to be in this moment.
It is not who you are that holds you back. It is what you think you are not.
You get to control the voice in your head.
When you say yes to challenge, you also say yes to growth, courage, and change.
The power of believing in what’s possible is the power to change your life.
Empowerment Questions
What would happen if you just said yes?
What thought patterns do you notice in your mind when you come up against a challenge?
Are you standing in your own way?
Self Care
- Practice Self Care
- Listen To Your Body
- Trust Yourself
- Be Your Own Teacher
Self Care Quotes
“Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.” – Etty Hillesum
“There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self.” – Aldous Huxley
“Self-care means giving yourself permission to pause.” – Cecilia Tran
Self Care Guidance
Trust your body to tell you what it needs.
You are your own best teacher.
See if you can balance your energy with strength and softness. You may need more of one than the other.
Give yourself the grace to meet yourself where you are.
Listen to yourself more than you listen to me.
Meet yourself where you are.
Self Care Questions
Where can you be gentle with yourself?
What would it look like to fill your cup every day?
Grounding
- Root To Rise
- Ground Down
- Reconnect
- Be Present
- Embrace Your Now
- Find Balance
- Realign
- Center Yourself
- Balance Effort and Ease
Grounding Quotes
“Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this it the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having at the moment.” – Ekhart Tolle
“The highest spiritual practice is self-observation without judgement.” – Swami Kripalu
“Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know.” -Pema Chodron
Grounding Guidance
Feel the soles of your feet ground into the earth and let that feeling put you back into the present.
If your mind has wandered away from the four corners of your mat, come back into the feeling of being in your body.
Imagine yourself sending out energy in balance with the energy you receive.
I am exactly where I am supposed to be.
Grounding Questions
What brings you back into the present moment?
What is holding you back from being in the here and now? Can you allow yourself to let it go?
Joy and Celebration
- Enjoy The Journey
- Choose Joy
- Live Your Truth
- Follow Your Bliss
- Live Your Passion
- Celebrate Simplicity
Joy and Celebration Quotes
“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” – Albert Einstein
“The more you celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.” – Oprah Winfrey “
To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you someone else is the greatest accomplishment.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Joy and Celebration Guidance
Let every new expiration fill you with the joy of being alive in your body.
The small things are the big things.
Feel the freedom of the four corners of your mat
Joy and Celebration Questions
How can you invite more joy into your life?
What are three things you’re grateful for right now?
What does a blissful life look like to you?
Self Exploration
- Notice Your Mind and Body
- Expand your Mind
- Reflect
- Be Curious
- Be A Beginner
- Find Meaning
- Meet Yourself
Self Exploration Quotes
“Yoga is the journey of the self. Through the self. To the self.” – The Bhagavad Gita
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“It may be when we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work, and that when we no longer know which way to go, we have begun our real journey.” – Wendell Berry
“You make the path by walking.” – Robert Bly
“Listen – are you breathing just a little, and calling it a life?” – Mary Oliver
“Every thought you produce, anything you say, any action you do, it bears your signature.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
“The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.” – Carl Jung
Self Exploration Guidance
Explore movement with curiosity.
Arrive with a beginner’s mind to feel your body awaken as if it was the first time.
Notice the monologue in your mind, with more curiosity than judgement.
Self Exploration Questions
What feels different about this day? This time? This moment in your body?
Where does your mind go when you’re not paying attention? Can you bring it back?
Are these thoughts serving me?
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