Change Your State, Find Your Purpose [Repurposed]
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Casey: [00:00:00] Hi there. It's Casey here. Just popping in. Quick to let you know that this podcast episode is from the Purpose Map Podcast Vault. So it was recorded in the past and we're bringing it back around to you now because I don't know, I just have a little sense that it might be relevant to you in this moment.
Right now, of course, these podcast episodes are in essence timeless. The only thing that might be timely in them when they were first recorded is an offer that was in alignment at that time. So please, if there's any mention of an offer in this episode, I. Let it go. What we'd love for you to do, if you wanna take things a step further, is actually book a get to know you call with me or a member of our team.
It's really important to us that we know you and know your story and have an opportunity to engage with you. So there's a link in the show notes or a couple links in the show notes for you to book a call with me or a member of our team [00:01:00] and. We just love that you're here, so enjoy this episode. I trust that whether it's the first time listening or the 10th time, you'll receive some bit of wisdom that can guide you to acting in alignment with who you really are and what you're really here for.
I so appreciate you being here and can't wait to check in with you at the end.
Have you ever felt like something is off in your life, like you've lost a part of yourself or are wondering, where did I go? Who the hell am I? Anyways, what do I do next? Maybe you're feeling that way now. Maybe you're feeling belittled, bewildered, or even burnt out. If you're looking to realign, find your path and live on purpose, you're in the right place.
You get to live with more expansion, authenticity, and flow. Today I'll be sharing a story with you about one of the most profound experiences in my life. It was my first awakening of sorts that guided me to my purpose. Um, [00:02:00] also welcome to the first official episode of the Purpose Map podcast. Here to help you lead your life toward greater inner fulfillment and more aligned success.
I'm your host and the founder of Worthy and Dwell, Casey Bergland and Holy smokes, I am overjoyed to be here with you. Now, before we really dig in, I'd love to share a few brief words on how the Purpose Map Podcast came to be. The Purpose Map Podcast actually is built off of a framework, a mental model that we use within Worthy and well called the Purpose Map Framework.
And we use it in combination with the Let Your Body Lead Method to help you feel worthy and well aligned, well-nourished, well loved and well paid. I also teach this model and method inside of the Let Your Body Lead Professional Certification. You can learn more about the tools in our free mini training called Your Ultimate Guide to Inner Fulfillment and More Aligned Success over at Let Your Body lead.com/ultimate Guide.
So of course, after [00:03:00] facilitating and using this framework and the Let Your Body Lead Method, it felt only natural to have a podcast to support the ideas and concepts that we teach inside of our business to really help people feel. Like themselves again and feel connected to what they're here for in the world.
Creating that sense of success that's actually meaningful, that's actually supportive to their authenticity, so that ultimate guide to inner fulfillment and align success. That will be a beautiful, complimentary tool to have Handy as you listen in and learn from the stories, guests, teachings, and live coaching sessions shared throughout this podcast.
Here's how things are gonna go down over the next few months, at least. Of course, it's important for us to be adaptable and to see how you respond. These different episodes, I can't wait to engage with you around them Over the next little bit. Here's how things are gonna go down because we prioritize depth over breadth.
[00:04:00] We really wanted to give you an opportunity to engage with a specific theme for at least a few episodes. For example, this series of episodes dropped at the official launch, will have everything to do. They do have everything to do with helping you feel worthy and well aligned. In this episode, I'll be sharing a pathway to help you discover your purpose and realign with who you are and what you're here for.
In the next, you'll tune into wisdom from our special guests for this series who will teach you all about an incredible tool called human design. It helps you with self discovery and the main amazing facilitators, Shayna and Dana of Day Luna are gonna guide you in a way that you'll be blown away by. In episode three, I'll illuminate an alternate pathway, and in episode four, you'll have the opportunity to step inside of a live coaching session with one of our incredible community members.
I am so happy [00:05:00] you're here. Like so, so happy, so excited, so honored that you're here and that you're spending this time with me. Let's dig in. Now I know discovering purpose or finding your unique contribution in the world, it really can feel daunting. It can feel like a big, huge thing that we're spending our whole lives seeking.
You know, especially for those of us who really want to experience more and have more fulfillment and more vibrance in our days. But what's true is that there's actually different pathways to purpose. One that I'll be speaking about today has to do with slowing down enough to access a different level of consciousness.
When we can slow down or use a tool or practice to access a different state, we open ourselves up to the opportunity to receive a direct download, a spark of insight, or a clear intuitive knowing about what we [00:06:00] need, even who we are, and what we're here for. And you know, it doesn't have to be an elaborate tool or practice like who else gets incredible ideas in the shower or right before bed when you're about to fall asleep.
Right? In episode three, I'll be back to share with you how you might actively engage with exactly what's going on moment to moment in your very human life. Yes, that includes your struggling, suffering, feeling unclear, et cetera, to discover bit by bit, a deeper sense of authenticity and purpose. But today I really wanna focus on this, slowing down enough to access a different level of consciousness.
I'd love to tell you a story. I've been obsessed with purpose Dharma ever since I learned the term Dharma is a, a Sanskrit term, meaning life purpose. And when I first learned it, I was like, I wanna know like, why am I here? Why am I here? And I was in a space where, I wasn't [00:07:00] super satisfied at my job. I was working part-time for a private health clinic.
Um, some of you may not know that for a decade. I was a registered dietician and actually worked in nutrition counseling in this, this health clinic. And, and when worthy and well began, it was as a, well, I would say integrated nutrition counseling practice. Anyways, I'm working in this private clinic and part-time.
Where I see clients annually to talk about their health and wellness and their nutrition status. And after about, honestly like a year, probably even before the year was up, I started to feel like, am I even having an impact here? Like I'm seeing these clients once a year and they're coming back to me forgetting what we even talked about the year before, which like, of course, I don't know.
I wouldn't be able to remember what happened a year ago unless I was so, so, so interested in the topic. [00:08:00] And so I started to feel not super fulfilled by this job. And meanwhile, as I was working in this, Private clinic. I was blogging on the side about mindful eating, about like integrating mindfulness with nutritional science to support people with their relationship with their bodies and food.
And through that practice of blogging, I started to actually get inquiries from people who wanted to work with me. And I whipped things together and got just the bare minimum of what I needed to start seeing clients as a private practice, a k a, in my own business. And that part was starting to grow a little bit.
And so I was in this space where there was tension. It was like, Hmm, do I stay at this clinic? Do I do my practice full-time? Can I afford to do that? What will that mean? I was also in a relationship that I was questioning a little bit, not feeling super [00:09:00] fulfilled by, and was just trying to find a path that felt a little bit better, but it was a struggle, you know?
It was like I wasn't clear and I was having a hard time making decisions around what I needed to feel more fulfilled. And this question of like, Ugh, what is my purpose? What am I really here for? That was dominating my thoughts. So one day I get this phone call from a dear friend of mine and she tells me about a trip that she's about to go on one to Southeast Asia, Thailand, Indonesia, et cetera.
And as she's telling me, I'm recalling that I booked a similar type of trip. A couple years prior that I ended up having to cancel because a family member had, um, a serious health issue that I wanted to be present for. And so as she's telling me about her travel plans, I'm thinking to myself like, oh my God, [00:10:00] I wanna join you.
I have to join you. I need to go. And I mentioned it to her really hoping that the idea wasn't rejected. Luckily, she welcomed it with an open heart and open arms and invited me on this trip. So we head to Southeast Asia without getting into too many travel stories here. We go through this journey together and it's really, really beautiful.
I'm witnessing her going through this inner transformation and having all these insights and ahas and realizations about herself and about different areas of her life that. That just weren't clear before. And meanwhile, I'm kind of just, you know, showing up each day, having a good time, doing the things that you do while you travel, but sort of feeling like, where's my clarity?
What am I supposed to learn while I'm here and take back with me when I go home? So anyways, the weeks go by. We have, [00:11:00] you know, a good time, lots of experiences, and then we decide that for the final five days of the trip, we're gonna head to this remote area in the middle of the jungle, just outside of Ubud Bali, to a silent retreat.
Now, I'm excited by this idea because it's an experience I haven't had before, but I'm also a little bit nervous. I mean, I talk a lot, you know, people who don't talk shouldn't have podcasts. I talk a lot. And so the idea of being silent, quiet, not talking to anyone for a whole five days is a little bit scary.
But we say yes to the experience and we go along to this silent retreat. Let me tell you, this place is gorgeous. It's. Stunning. It's in the middle of the lush jungle. Uh, there are [00:12:00] these huts kind of, that have exposure to the outside. You know how the little things make such a difference, like the linens on the bed are high, high quality, the pillows are comfortable, the food.
Is amazing and a part of me size with relief that at least there are some comforts here if I'm gonna be quiet for five days. And the time there begins, we start to learn the structure of our days. There are many offerings that we can engage in. We don't have to by any means. Yoga, meditation, there's a labyrinth.
There are. Um, other activities and workshops, and it's kind of like only in the classes and in the workshops, uh, is speaking aloud, but otherwise it's completely silent. And so I'm getting in the groove of this rhythm, [00:13:00] exploring this new space, dropping in, going to a couple of the yoga classes, taking part in meditation, going on little hikes and strolls.
And I find myself one day on my own, just out for a walk. And then I'm thinking about how, I just wanna know what I'm here for. I just wanna know what my purpose is, what my dharma is. And this question pops up in my mind, like, what am I supposed to learn that I need to take back with me? And what do I need to change?
Like should I quit my job? Should I stay with my boyfriend? All of these questions, Underneath it all though is this deeper question, what is my dharma? And I catch myself thinking like, come on Casey, you're 25 years old. Like people spend their whole lives seeking purpose, wanting to know what their truth is, what their dharma is.
You're 25 years old, you [00:14:00] have so much time, and then this other voice pops up and it's like, yeah, but what if at 25. I had clarity on what I'm here for. What could I do by the time I'm 60, 70, 80, a hundred? Should I have the privilege of living that long? And my whole body lit up, expanded. I felt this sense of like, ugh, relief, and I gave myself permission to contemplate that question.
I took that question into every single yoga practice, every single meditation. I did a walking meditation through the Labyrinth. With that question in mind, I journaled about it. I became a little bit obsessed with it, and then a day or two before I was set to leave and go back home, I was in this yoga practice and it just felt so [00:15:00] inflow.
I had my eyes closed through the entire thing, and I'd never done that before. And it was almost like I was so in the moment that my body was moving in the exact second that the instruction to move was coming out of my teacher's mouth. At the end of the practice, I'm lying in Shavasana. Completely settled, completely at peace, so embodied.
And then I get guided up to a comfortable seated position, as you do at the end of a yoga practice. And I sit there without any pain or discomfort, which is unusual for me because my hips are kind of tight and the CLA eventually ends. But I continue to sit. I continue to sit. There are about 30 [00:16:00] minutes between the yoga practice and the next guided meditation, and every other time before this moment, I would definitely get up, walk around, move around, do something in between, and either skip the meditation altogether or come back to it a little bit later.
But this time I sit, I sit in complete comfort and contentment. I have this subtle awareness that. People are starting to enter into the space again, setting up, prepping for the meditation, but mostly I'm just in this complete blissful state, and then the meditation begins and I'm guided to experience different parts of my body scanning from the root, the base of the spine up toward.
The space just below the naval in yoga. [00:17:00] This is the location of the sacral chakra up through some of the other chakras, and there are experiences, visualizations that we're invited into, and I am so in it. I'm having visions, hearing sounds, feeling sensations in my body, and at the moment that my awareness is guided to my heart.
I feel my breath expand bigger and broader than I've ever experienced before. I notice this sensation in my heart that is like my heart wants to leap outside of my chest, and then we're guided up through the chakras even more, and at the Crown I start to see this gold like glitter, like dust, float down and land again in my heart space.
And this knowing inside happens [00:18:00] instantaneously. A soft, quiet, calm voice says, your dharma is love, and I'm brought to tears. The meditation practice ends, and I continue to sit on my mat and soak in the wisdom that I had just received. No part of me was expecting an answer like that. Like what I thought I was asking is, should I quit my job when I get back?
And like, what am I meant to do? Like what kind of business am I meant to run? But the wisdom that I received was so much deeper than that. At dinner that night, I pulled out my journal and I wrote, if my Dharma is love, Then what shall I do next? And almost in a stream of consciousness style way, I let my pen [00:19:00] glide along the paper.
There was so much clarity that came out of me. Then I wrote, definitely quit your job. You're gonna be fine in your own business. Enroll in that yoga teacher training for folks with eating disorders, because if your dharma is love, that starts with self-love and also sharing this wisdom around self-love with people who really need it.
I wrote about how I wanted to take care of myself, the rituals and routines I wish to prioritize when I got home. And an elaborate plan came out of me about how I was going to return and what that transition would be like. I got back to my home in Canada and within that week had a conversation with my manager, quit my job, enrolled in that teacher training, and felt all [00:20:00] in in my business.
There was an influx of new clients. Things just happened in flow, and I replaced the, the money that I'd lost from that job through my business in just like a month or two. It was incredible. When I think about that experience, what's so prominent to me is that it took slowing down and creating a sense of stillness and quiet to be able to hear.
That inner voice, I mean, call it what you will. That could be a divine download. It could come from my highest self, my deepest self. You know, I don't know. I don't really care. The truth is, it was a knowing that came from being in an embodied state in a moment of quiet stillness. My experience at the Silent retreat taught me that.
When we can create the conditions, [00:21:00] the environment, to alter our state of consciousness and to put intention into that space, wisdom comes not in a logical way, not in a linear way, not in that way at all. It drops in like a bomb, kind of a truth bomb, and it's meant to be trusted. So now, You don't have to go to a foreign country, especially you know, with Covid 19 and all of the things that we've been to been through in the last couple of years.
You don't need to go to a foreign country and spend days in silence in a retreat center in the jungle to alter your state of consciousness and get bits of wisdom that can guide you to your purpose. But you may need to find moments in your life where you can slow down a little bit. And start to build a relationship with your inner voice.
Slow down a little bit, get [00:22:00] quiet and tune in. And this doesn't need to happen all at once, but especially if you're someone who is always on the go. Busy, busy, busy. Where doing becomes a distraction one way. One pathway to purpose is carving out chunks of time. To be with yourself. That might be 10 minutes in the morning to start to tune into your breath.
It might mean building a meditation practice. It might mean going away into nature for a long weekend and renting an Airbnb and just like being with yourself. You have your way. And what I notice in a lot of busy folks, really ambitious, talented, smart, successful folks who are doing everything they think they should, but they're not feeling fulfilled, is that they're not offering themselves [00:23:00] those moments to slow down and check in.
So this is my invitation to you. What might you do today, this week, this month? To offer yourself the space, the stillness, the introspection to tune in. If you'd like more of an in-depth teaching about how you might explore this further, how you might use this capacity to alter your state of consciousness, to create an environment for direct download, direct knowing of who you are and what you're here for, you'll love the.
Free guide that I mentioned earlier. Your Ultimate Guide to Inner Fulfillment and Aligned Success will share about how you might use the Purpose Map framework, and they'll let your Body lead method to guide you toward a sense of purpose. You can download that guide at Let Your [00:24:00] Body lead.com/ultimate guide.
As I mentioned earlier in episode three, I'll be sharing a completely different route. Thank you so much for listening and going on this journey with me. I don't take it for granted one bit. It's such an honor to guide you in this space and bring to you some incredible people who are here for supporting you on your journey.
If you like what you're hearing so far, please, please, please rate and review the Purpose Map Podcast so that we can get in front of and serve more people. So much love to you. I wish you well. And I'll talk to you soon.
Casey: Thank you so very much for listening. If you enjoyed this episode and you'd like to take things a step further, your next step is actually to be in connection with us. I'd love to chat with you, and if you'd like to book a call with me or a member of our team, you can do that through checking out the links in the show notes below [00:25:00] in that call.
Honestly, We'd love to listen, hear your story, maybe ask a few questions and get to know what's going on for you and what your big vision is, and maybe there'll be an a sense of how we as a community might support you. So thank you so much for listening again, and I hope that you choose to take that next step.
Can't wait to talk with you soon. Bye for now.
