The journey of the embodied soul is a lifetime integration of the inner and outer self. In Ayurveda we understand life to be a series of growth cycles. These cycles follow the evolution of both the embodied physicality and the spiritual self.
The first cycle, Kapha or ‘Birthing’ phase, is from birth to puberty/late teens. This is a time of growth and integration into ones body and relating the body to the surrounding world. It is a movement from the cocoon of the womb and mothers breast into a stand alone individual. Working from an inward experience to an outward facing experience. It is a juicy time in the body and in life experiences.
From puberty/late teens to around fifty we are in the Pitta or ‘Manifesting’ phase. This is when we create the stage from which we will perform in this lifetime. Manifesting education, relationships, career and family. This is a very focused outward facing experience. In fact, it may be external to a degree that the internal journey is not tended to in any significant manner. This is a fiery time in the life cycle, manifesting and creating into form.
The third cycle is the ‘Vata or Wind’ phase. It begins somewhere between fifty and sixty, depending on the culture you live in and continues until end of life. It is the integration and ultimate disintegration phase. It is the most subtle phase. It is the time when we merge the outer self with the inner self until they dissolve into one. This is the phase of servitude, solitude, and ultimate gratitude.
Transformation occurs in each of these phases. We are dynamic beings in constant flux and change. It is a natural desire to collect the whole of ourselves throughout this lifetime. It is an inner yearning to truly express the fullness of ourselves. From an integration perspective, there is no right or wrong expression of your life. This is your journey.
The inquiry for self might be whether or not you witness your life as a blending of the outer life and the inner life or not. Do you know a balance in your life of beautiful chaos and deepening silence? Can the mind remain quiet without agitation? Are you able to witness discord and injustice and use compassion rather than fear or anger to ignite action? Life is not about inaction or retraction from living. It is the collecting and bundling up the whole of yourself such that you explode in all of your humanness and divinity. This becomes your offering to yourself and the universe. Namaste'