Bhava 1.0 — Dharma

Dharma Bhava

Bhava, is expression - here we connect it to a developed attitude expressed towards one self and later extended to other beings, society, nature and so on.

Dharma, Dharma is duty towards yourself first and then the rest of the world. What do I mean by this?

I spoke about the 4 pillars (Ahar, Vihar, Achar, Vichar) and their importance but the practice of standing by those pillars and consistently following them will be only possible with the right attitude. It's exactly like the warning given in airplanes to wear the oxygen mask. You first attend to yourself and then try and help others next to you.

We need to feed and nourish ourselves, take care of ourselves holistically so that we are there to take care of our family and loved ones.

When we look at Ahar from a yogic point of view. “Anna hay purna brahma” a very popular quote which means, Just like Brahma (The Creator) has created this universe and our origin, we strive to survive and finally merge into the mother earth. Food (Anna) in the same way is a creation by brahma for our survival, which in turn merges into the universe through us. When we pray to God for the food we eat, we create an awareness within ourselves — thanking the universe for providing us with everything that we require to survive. That should be the attitude towards Ahar in everyday life.

Dharma in terms of Vihar is the attitude of awareness towards our physical body and our mental being. To survive, we need to realize the importance of our physical body because we don't get to choose it to accuse it. Our mental being is to understand our own self first and then interaction with the world beyond it becomes easier. The journey of understanding oneself is the toughest as we spend years trying to understand others but never look inwards and discover our being, which leads to ignorance of our physical and mental self. Be true to yourself, listen to your body and the voice in your head that shows a path, a direction to reach your final destination.

A good routine is followed when a person is conscious about himself. He understands the benefit of doing his work and duties with awareness - duties towards himself and others. Such a person is said to be doing his Dharma.

Work and life balance is the hardest to achieve but with simple awareness and planning it isn't impossible.

Setting a routine and getting habituated to it takes time and conscious effort. But take one day at a time and eventually you'll be able to stick to it. Consistency has been the key factor for any progress. A lifestyle change can only be achieved if you follow it consistently and then comes a point where it needs no extra effort.

To maintain a balanced state of mind, our thoughts have to be clean and pure. Dharma is not about doing your duty but doing it mindfully/full heartedly or with a positive approach. Any negativity towards yourself or others will ultimately harm you. It creates negative vibrations that are harmful for your body, disturbing your state of mind and eventually creating a situation or a problem that could have been avoided. Anger (Raudra) is one such emotion that needs to be managed - because anger is a sign of weakness or a weak state of mind. It can be controlled and also channeled into something creative with practice. Therefore, continue to practice and gain self awareness. Do your Dharma.