There’s no question that living a fulfilling life in our careers and relationships is directly linked to health. Vitality comes from living our dharma, a Sanskrit word meaning the natural order and duty that occurs with purposeful action. Ayurveda supports the understanding that each person was put on this earth for a unique reason, which is why we all have different innate gifts, desires and inclinations, relating back to the doshas. Deep down each of our soul’s knows its purpose, our dharma, but in reality we are caught up with expectations, fears, and distractions that keep us from living it. Ignoring or resisting your dharmic duty leads to disease in the physical, mental and spiritual body. When more people in the world are able to live out their dharma, the spheres of influence raise the health of our earth and global community.
So how can we discover our soul’s purpose?
The answers are already within you; discovery begins with some honest self reflection. Ask yourself what are you naturally good at and enjoy doing? It may be connecting with people, bringing a vision into action, or coming up with innovative ideas. Each of these are tied to the doshas of Ayurveda: Kapha, Pitta, and Vata. Kapha people tend to do well in positions that involve social work, due to their capacity and desire for communication and connection. Many Kapha people may feel called to motherhood or the role of a nurturer as their dharma. Pitta people often do well as entrepreneurs because of their fiery ambitions and ability to bring ideas into action, and make it profitable. Vata people have a connection to creativity and movement, making them great artists, teachers, and researchers. We each have different amounts of each dosha and the natural inclinations of the doshas serve more as guides for self discovery than a hard and fast rule.
There are nine different dharma archetypes described by Ayurvedic thought leader, author, and podcast host Sahara Rose. If you are interested in learning more about these archetypes you can take a simple free dharma archetype quiz here.
How can we shift our energy toward’s fulfilling our soul’s purpose?
Changing habits, belief systems, and bringing ideas to life all also go through stages of the doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, respectively. These doshas and cycles exist in all of our lives and the environment around us, recognizing them can help us understand how to fulfill our purpose.
Vata Dosha – Belief System and Ideas
Shifting our life to align with our soul’s purpose starts with the mind, ruled by the Vata constitution. Our mindset creates our reality and creating a life that fulfills your dharma requires you to believe that it is possible. Depending on where you are in your journey, this may mean breaking free of old belief systems that you need to stay in a job you don’t enjoy so you can make enough money to survive. This idea held influence to keep us turning cogs in the machine, but we don’t have to believe it. Remember, you were given life on this earth for a purpose that brings good service to the world while bringing you happiness–this is the belief system that needs to be put in place. When we’re children we are capable of dreaming the jobs and lives that can bring us great fulfillment, but as we age we trade in those dreams for a duller reality to play it safe out of fear. We must vibrate from a place of passion and loving dedication to escape old mindsets rooted in fear. If you are already living and working at a job that aligns with your dharma, but are looking for where to take the next step, this also begins with an idea forming stage, moved by creativity and outside the box thinking.
Pitta Dosha – Action with Purpose
Once we shift our mindset, we can begin to take action and shift into a Pitta stage of bringing ideas to life. There will be parts of you that are afraid of shifting your life due to fear of the unknown. But no matter what, there is always progress as long as you are moving towards living your dharma; taking risks is part of that progress. Making a commitment to living your soul’s purpose can look like taking a small step or large leap. From putting more time into your side hustle that brings you purpose to quitting your job to fully embody your purpose and start up a new path, this transition will require passion and can be scary. At this stage, it’s important to not let fear lead the way and focus on the truth that ignites your internal fire. You know the time commitment you are capable of based on your financial needs. Remember, direction is better than speed.
Kapha Dosha – Consistency and Community
Taking action on our gifts and desires is not the end of living one’s dharma. Your soul’s purpose is ever-evolving and involves consistent action. Taking consistent action enables the fear experienced in the beginning stages of a transition to dissolve away. This consistency and comfort with adaptability in living your dharma is grounded in the kapha dosha. The kapha constitution has an affinity for bringing together community. When we can start to involve others with our dharma and move our ideas off the ground, impacting a larger audience of people, then we can embody the kapha energy of our dharma. This means showing up everyday for ourselves and others as best we can by listening to the internal, eternal truth of our intuition.
We are meant to live with the cycles of nature, including the natural rhythms and passions within us. The universe is benevolent and ultimately wants us to be happy. That’s why living our dharma is enjoyable! It’s the alignment of our desires with the world’s needs. Dharmic acts of service bring support to the world and fulfill us with deep seated happiness. This happiness involves understanding how to overcome suffering and fear in the process of living your dharma. The obstacles in our life are meant to teach us to evolve humanity. Life presents us our greatest fears so that we can grow beyond them and progress to higher physical and conscious states.
References
Rose, Sahara. Discover Your Dharma: A Vedic Guide to Your Highest Purpose. San Francisco: Chronicle Prism. 2021.
Article by Kaylee Vinson
Published 5/24/25
