Ikigai – a Japanese concept that means “reason for being”. It refers to having a purpose or direction in life which gives an individual a satisfaction and sense of meaning to life.
So how do you find your Ikigai? There are a few ways to find it. First ask yourself, what are your values and what do you align it with? Be it your career or personal life, find what you do best and know what makes you happy and satisfied. Keep it simple, take care of yourself and constantly improve on your personal developments. What makes you enjoy something so much that you forget all your worries? When are you the happiest?
I share my Ikigai this week as promised last week on my Insta post @sadhnas.com_. I never would have thought that yoga would have been my Ikigai. It has always been present in my life through my ancestors and parents. It seemed dull and boring to me growing up as a child however it was always present in the background as I continued through life. I was career driven and hospitality was where I had my interest in, training new hires and coming up with standard operating procedures was something I was good at. I could walk into a room full of people and yet speak confidently without any fear. My superiors were aware of my capabilities and would always select me to lead however after a while it became a task for me and i started losing my interest. There was plenty of growth opportunity but it was exhausting, the hours were getting longer with every step up. Eventually I left and was sat home for 6 months, I knew training was my interest however I did not want to go back into hotels.
I came across a yoga training schedule online that was to be conducted in India. It attracted me with its mountainous views. I went with the idea of taking a break and this was a good excuse, not because I wanted to be a yoga teacher but because it would give me time to figure out what I would do when I get back after 5 weeks. While I went with an open mind, I never thought lessons I learned would impact me deeply through my roots. It was not about having a career anymore it was a personal identity search. What was always present in my life was yoga, while I trained people in my career. It seemed as if I was preparing myself to eventually do what I would truly connect with through my skills and this is just a beginning of sharing my experience of Yoga. When I say Yoga, it is not just about a physical movement, it includes meditation, awareness, pranayama. Unifying our mind with our body is Yoga. I may have days that I may dread with my own practice but I have never regretted after. I would talk more about Yoga but I will save that for another post.
Through yoga, expressing became important but this was a hurdle for me as growing up in a conservative family background did not give me that space of expression which made me quite an introvert in my personal life, this changed and i found my voice. We have our strengths and capabilities within us and it’s only a matter of time till we discover it. Sometimes what may seem to be the reason to cause us grief, could be the very reason for us to change our perspectives and explore our options. Move along with gratitude thanking the person/place/or event for the experience.
And this is in summary is how i found my IKIGAI! 🙂
