Siri Dharma is Learning Conciousness

Headed out for a walk one night: Mark begged to take a picture of this outfit because he felt like the combination was just so "me." :)

5 years ago---yesterday, actually---I received my yoga spiritual name. I have written a little about it before. I think it is an absolutely beautiful, yet completely optional, yoga tradition! Yoga spiritual names are said to be a reflection of our truest, highest, or most Divine self. It doesn't necessarily mean that is who we are (yet), but it gives personal encouragement, focus, and direction along our way. My Kundalini yoga name is Siri Dharma Kaur, or "great princess who fearlessly walks the path of righteousness." <3 <3 <3

Yogi tradition is that spiritual names are what is called a "seed mantra." Mantra is the word, and a "seed mantra" is a word or words that are spoken to encourage us to grow into them. Another example is our Kundalini yoga greeting of "Sat nam." It means, "Truth is my name" or "Truth is my identity." As I say "Sat nam" to you, I am recognizing the potential that is inside of you to grow into full Truth, and you are doing the same for me as you reply back. So, because a spiritual name is a seed mantra, every time it is spoken, it is actually like a prayer towards the individual becoming that best version of themselves. Amazing, right?!

This aligns with my beliefs that although I am a child of God, I am here on this earth in a fallen and unredeemed state until I allow Christ into my life and heart to actualize the potential that is already deep inside of me into the Divine being that I am meant to be. As Catherine M. Thomas says it in the title of one of her books, each one of us has "[This] God Seed." True to the Faith also echos this principle under "Fall:" "In this fallen condition, we have a conflict within us. We are spirit children of God, with the potential to be “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). However, “we are unworthy before [God]; because of the fall our natures have become evil continually” (Ether 3:2). We need to strive continually to overcome unrighteous passions and desires."

Yogi Bhajan trained a woman to replace him before he passed away on how to assign these names. I don't know all of the details, but when you apply for your name, she meditates and prays over it before giving it to you. I have loved hearing other yogis' names and their meanings, and so far I have yet to meet a yogi who has a name that I haven't felt to be a wonderful fit for them individually.

I was driving home after a recent yoga class where I had introduced myself to the instructor by my spiritual name.  It had me thinking about my name, and I was stunned to recognized the growth towards it in these past 5 years! I have been propelled towards it in leaps and bounds without even consciously trying to reach for it.

Although I love the translation of my name, "one who fearlessly walks the path of righteousness" (and believe that the "path of righteousness" to be a big part of who I have always been since before I came to this world), I couldn't comprehend the full details that came with my name. Underneath the paragraph explaining the basic translation, there is another paragraph that interchanges "path of righteousness" with "path of consciousness" and explains them as one and the same. 5 years ago I was literally unable to comprehend that...so I glossed over it and it didn't absorb or stick. A few years ago with more life experiences, I went back to read it again and that part jumped out at me. I feel like I am finally starting to begin to understand it.

It isn't my intention to convince you to believe in yoga names or choose to live a yogic lifestyle or even pick up a daily yoga practice (of course you are always welcome to!) :) ...But for me, yoga is a personal access point for the Atonement in my life. Nothing and nobody else can do for me what my Savior can, but as I learn to be more specific in my prayers and precise in the processes of searching and growing, and the details of how my desires to become like my Heavenly Parents can, "line upon line," become a reality, I believe the Atonement has more power in my life. It is no longer vague because I am conscious of where I need to seek to channel it...right now and in this moment.

So as I consider on what it might look like to fearlessly walk a path of consciousness, I get excited! I see the huge growth I have had in self awareness---what I'm doing, what I'm saying, what I'm thinking. In recent years, yoga has finally come off the mat and with me into my daily life. It is like I have new eyes to see both myself and the world. I am more aware than ever before of where I am placing my feet on the earth and how I am holding my body. I am aware of my movements. I am more present with myself, my body, this moment. I am seeing my thought patterns and aware of how I experience different emotions. I am aware of my breath. Our breath is where the present moment resides. Someday I hope to be to the point that I am aware of every.single.breath...so conscious and awake that I am choosing how to use every breath...to share love rather than ever sliding back into unconsciousness and reactivity from outside stimuli (or even staying trapped inside my own head).

Since that "some day" is still a long way off, for now, I am simply waking up to myself. And as I am, I have learned that the more present I am with myself, the more conscious I can choose to be. As I am conscious of myself, I can be more conscious of others around me, as well as how conscious of how God is in my life and with me. The more fully I see myself, the more fully I see others and see God.

Consciousness is such a beautiful gift!!!

Try it. Notice how as you are present with yourself, it gives others permission to be with themselves too. It's hard to holdback or stay aloof and cold when someone invites you, even simply through their presence, to soften and be more open and real. This happens whether they speak any words back to us or not...we can sense the ease or discomfort of others. Feeling safe inside our own self creates a natural safety for others. I am finding that being conscious of myself, but not in a "self conscious," or "embarrassed" sort of way, is actually the most potent and impactful way I can powerfully influence others.

I'm thankful for the experiences and life circumstances of the past 18 months of my life. It has given intense practice opportunities for me to choose to be fully present wherever my body is---if it's on my yoga mat, I'm with myself and fully on my yoga mat; if it's at home, I'm with myself and my family as I'm fully at home; if it's at a meeting, I'm with myself and others as I fully participate and enage in the meeting; if it's with students or clients, I'm fully present with myself and my students or clients. We---my body, mind, heart, soul, every part of me---are learning that "we" are actually one.

When I was in NYC, the other passenger in my Lyft ride also happened to be headed to the local Sacrament meeting. We exchanged phone numbers after the meeting to coordinate carpooling Lyft rides to the airport. Later, she texted me, "I noticed that you were practicing breathing during the Sacrament. Is that something you do on a regular basis?" I was caught off guard because that is such a private moment of my week, but it also made me smile. I told her that I am learning to be fully present with myself wherever I am because I want to one day be fully conscious of myself, where I am resting my attention and focus and how I am using my voice, my body, my energy, and efforts. I want to learn to fully align with my Divine self as I find God within me and encourage that discovery for others.

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