TOPOTISHKA/SHUTTERSTOCKYOGAJOURNAL.COM / 42 / DECEMBER 2017
» Find 30 minutes in which
you can be alone and undis-
turbed. Settle in to a cozy space
with a journal, a pen, a candle,
and a comfortable seat.
» Light the candle to signify
that you are in a sacred space.
“A candle symbolizes the flame
of the inner witness,” says
Kempton. Breathe deeply,
close your eyes, and relax for
a few minutes.
» Begin to think back over
your activities of the preceding
week. Consider all of the things
you did related to your dharma.
How did you serve your family,
your community, and yourself?
What were your obligations?
What ethical tests did you face,
and how did you deal with
them? Record the answers in
your journal.
» When you’ve exhausted
your thoughts about dharma,
consider artha. What did you
do this week for the sake of
your livelihood? What did youdo to maintain your health?
Write the answers in your jour-
nal; note your concerns.
» Next, think deeply about
kama. What actions did you
take solely for the purpose of
creating more joy in your life
and in the world? What were
your greatest pleasures? What
were your strongest desires?
Were you able to realize them?
Write down your thoughts.
» Then, record the activities
you engaged in for the sake of
moksha. These might include
yoga, meditation, prayer,
chanting, spiritual reading, or
self-inquiry. Did you find a feel-
ing of freedom? Which areas of
your life feel constricted or bur-
dened? What do you need to
do to liberate yourself? Write
down the answers.
» When you’ve gone through
each purushartha individually,
analyze the balance between
them. Looking at what you’ve
written, see where youremphasis was in the past
week. Which parts of your life
were unattended to? Are you
working too hard—or not hard
enough—in one area? What
are the consequences of your
priorities? Formulate a simple
statement about the way the
purusharthas manifested them-
selves in your life. It might be
something like, “This week,
I worked hard to meet my obli-
gations, but I felt burdened.
I took the most pleasure from
my friendships. I didn’t find
time to work toward liberation.”
» Finally, set an intention for
the coming week. You might
relate it to each of the purush-
arthas, or you could focus on
one or two that need more
of your attention. Record the
intention in your journal. Then
say it to yourself—first out loud,
then inwardly. Close your jour-
nal, blow out the candle, and
ease back into your day with
a new understanding of your
soul’s priorities.Balancing Act
The key to working with the
purusharthas paradigm is to
constantly examine not only the
essential concepts and their role
in your life, but also how well
balanced they are. Are you work-
ing so hard to put your kids
through school that your life
feels like an endless grind?
(That’s too much dharma,
not enough kama.) Are you so
trapped in pleasure that you’re
neglecting your duty to your
friends and family? (Too much
kama, not enough dharma.)
Have you become so focused
on making money that you have
no time to meditate? (Too much
artha, not enough moksha.) Are
you spending so much time
getting blissed out at the yoga
studio that you can’t swing this
month’s rent? (Too much mok-
sha, not enough artha.)
The balance between them
will constantly shift—by stage of
life, by month, by week, even by
the minute. A young mother, for
instance, will naturally empha-
size the dharma of raising her
children, and her artha will be
about providing for it. An elderly
man facing the end of life will
turn toward moksha, ready to
leave artha and dharma behind.
A business executive entering
contract negotiations will focus
on artha and dharma; a college
student on summer break will
indulge in more kama. All that
is as it should be. The work
of balance isn’t literal—it’s an
effort to face the world with
all of your pieces intact, to live
in a conscious way that leaves
no part of your Self behind.
That work, of course, starts
on the yoga mat. “Yoga is virtuos-
ity in being human,” says Brooks.
“The purusharthas tell us that we
must meditate on our roles in the
world, our values, relationships,
and passions. These are not con-
cerns to cure, extinguish, or tran-
scend. They are simply part of
being human, and embracing
them is loving life.”
Fine-tune your life
The four aims are the pillars of a fulfilling life. In this self-inquiry practice by Sally Kempton, you’ll
consider where your current priorities lie and how you need to shift them to create a deeply satis-
fying life. Don’t worry about getting your whole life in order at once; do the exercise each week,
and you’ll become more in tune with yourself, more present with the world around you.Story originally published in Yoga
Journal, February 2010.