Ikigai: Find it for a blissful life.

Oh boy, another dull day at work. I was as excited as a sloth on a Monday morning. The clock finally struck 6 pm, and I couldn’t wait to be out of there. “Yes boss, the file has been sent to the client,” I informed my manager before calling it a day. I grabbed my purse and dragged myself out of the office and hailed a cab home.

As I walked through the door of my home, I couldn’t help but feel like a lifeless zombie. I fell flat on the bed and went into a deep slumber. My daily routine was as predictable as a boring rom-com. Wake up at 6 am, do yoga, get ready, head to work at 8 am, return home to hibernate like a bear in winter, and repeat the cycle. I started wondering if I had sold my soul to work.

That’s when I stumbled upon a book called Ikigai: The Japanese secret to a long and happy life. I mean, what the heck is an ikigai? Is it a new kind of sushi roll?  Well, a fancy way of saying “purpose”. What is my life’s ikigai? What is that one purpose for which I wake up in the morning without dragging myself out of bed? What gives me that spark to face the day and makes me look forward to tomorrow? After some serious introspection, I realized that my ikigai was my one-hour yoga practice in the morning. It gave me inner peace and made me feel like a superhero ready to take on the world.

I regularly practiced yoga asana without fail, so I decided to devote more time to this holistic practice. I joined a weekend yoga batch at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in CP, Delhi to take my yoga game to the next level. It was 2 hours of yoga practice, philosophy sessions, and spending time with like-minded people. It was a total game-changer.

The book mentioned two things: ikigai, or life’s purpose, and community gathering, or adda, that keeps you forever young at heart. I found both in my yoga batch. It had people from all walks of life, and together we had an amazing time, connecting with each other on a soulful level.

Soon, I started strutting into the office with a spring in my step and a grin on my face.  Sure, my days were busier and more hectic than ever, but they were also more enjoyable. I realized that dedicating time to something I loved made life easier, happier, and more blissful. And who doesn’t want that?

Fast forward a bit, and I ended up at the Sivananda Dhanwantri Ashram in Kerala, deepening my spiritual knowledge.  By then, I knew that yoga and spiritualism were things I wanted to be associated with for life. They gave me strength and inner peace amidst the chaos in the world.

So, here’s what I learned on this crazy journey: no matter what you do, make sure you spare some time for yourself to do the things that matter most to you. Whether it’s playing a sport, writing, reading, dancing, or anything else that floats your boat. Find your ikigai, and it will make life more fulfilling, enjoyable, and purposeful.

PS: This post is a part of #BlogchatterA2Z 2023