Swadharma — the discovery of your soul calling — is directly related to spiritual discipline. When we go within, we are able to listen and hear the wisdom of our inner knowing; to connect to the greater Self that gives us direction as we navigate our personal journey. Spiritual discipline, or Sadhana, is really all about reining in your senses and bringing in your restless thoughts. In this space, we are able to let those restless thoughts find rest in the divine essence within ourself, as well as the divine presence outside: the Divine (God, Goddess, Transgender Divinity).
Within this state of Sadhanam, our senses, thoughts, and intellect, focus towards what is spiritual, what is divine, and what is Dharmic for all beings. In such a situation, when we start exploring within with the tools of meditation and contemplation, our Swadharma (the reason we took birth) becomes clearer to us. We are then able to take steps that lead us towards the fulfillment of that.
But what of busy schedules? What to do if the idea of a dedicated time to engage in Sadhana feels out of reach?
The word "Sadhana" is a Sanskrit word for spiritual practices that keep us connected to the inner divinity itself. When we see Sadhana only as a physical practice that begins in time and ends in time, we may think we don't have enough time to integrate this to our daily lives. But when we view Sadhana as an attitude — a value system that informs our entire life — it instead becomes the way we choose food, the way we go grocery shopping and yes, the way we cook foods for ourselves pure ingredients can.
Simply closing our eyes a couple of times in between worldly activities to do a small checking-within can be enough. This brief checkin gives us the inner wisdom not to speak what is untrue, and instead to simply be authentic and true. Though in the West the popularity of Ashtanga Sadhana has influenced the way many think of the word, Sadhana is really is a whole conscious way of living.
You don't need to make time for life. Life is already flowing through you. You merely need to connect with that inner flow.
