Svadharma (स्वधर्म): Share your gifts with the world (and don’t be limited by fear)

Hey everyone,

I hope this finds you well. It’s Thursday—an unusual day for this newsletter, I know! I have no excuse except to say I got carried away with my final classes at Yoga One Born, at CC Sandaru, and a lot of goodbye gatherings that filled my week.

At one of these gatherings—a dinner party—a very good friend shared some big news: he’d been offered his first solo exhibition by a gallery. (Yes, apparently, I’m now attending these kinds of dinner parties.) Naturally, we were all thrilled for him—glasses were raised, kind words exchanged. But then he said something that surprised everyone: he wasn’t sure he wanted to go through with it.

Silence fell. No one knew what to say until another friend cautiously pointed out that this could be the opportunity of a lifetime. That’s when my illustrator friend explained something that caught us all off guard: he’d never really wanted to be known for his drawings. They were personal, something just for himself. What he really wanted, he said, was to direct movies.

On my way home that night, I couldn’t stop thinking about what he said. And in a way, I could relate.

A couple of years ago, I never imagined I’d become a yoga teacher. My plans for life were totally different, and for years I charged full speed ahead in what I thought was the right direction. Funny enough, things never quite worked out. Sure, there were small successes here and there, but they always felt fleeting. I felt constantly chased by the need to achieve more while battling external resistance—unanswered job applications, dead-end meetings—and internal doubts that gnawed at me, whispering: You’re not enough. Enough for what? I had no idea.

And then, I did my yoga teacher training. I still remember the first time I taught a mini sequence (just two postures) during the course. Every cell in my body, every fiber of my being, felt aligned. In that moment, I knew: This is what I’m meant to do.

Each of us comes into this world with a unique set of gifts. These are what the Bhagavad Gita calls your Svadharma (स्वधर्म)—your unique purpose in life, the one thing only you can fulfill.

Sometimes, like my friend or like me, we think we’re meant to do one thing, only to realize it doesn’t truly fit. Then comes that pivotal moment—a calling, a door opening, or an unmistakable feeling in your body that says: Yes, this is for me.

For some, our Svadharma reveals itself early. For others, it takes time to find. But the search for it is one of the most exciting and worthwhile adventures life has to offer.

So, what about you? What’s your Svadharma? What lights you up and makes every fiber of your being say, Yes, this is it? I’d love to hear your thoughts—drop me a reply or share your journey with me.