What is your life’s purpose? 

My mission is to study, perceive, and share the teachings of yoga to help guide others to awaken to who they really are.

How are you living your purpose? (what you are doing to actively fulfill your purpose)

I am living my purpose each day by, first and foremost, sustaining a personal practice of yoga and meditation to expand my awareness and understanding. I teach yoga classes, meditation workshops, write a blog, and have written a book, Threads of Yoga; Themes, Reflections, and Meditations to Weave into Your Practice. Threads of Yoga shares ancient wisdom and supports those seeking to awaken and learn more about yoga’s deeper spiritual teachings.

It is truly gratifying to offer my book, classes, and workshops as so many people are turning their attention inward and are drawn to practices such as yoga and meditation to help relieve suffering or to live more fully. I am continually fascinated by how relevant yogic philosophy is to our modern life and am grateful for the opportunity to help others find that quiet space within.

 

How did you find your purpose? 

I found yoga and meditation reluctantly when I was working on Wall Street in the eighties. After achieving a high-powered, lucrative position, I was surprised to find that even with “success,” I felt unhappy, overly stressed, and empty. A health issue forced me to take some time off, and a doctor suggested meditation. I thought that suggestion was “wacko,” but in desperation, I gave it a try.

Unable to work, socialize, watch TV, etc., I meditated for hours per day right from the start. I loved it but began to have unusual experiences, such as hearing odd sounds or seeing strange lights. I tried to research what was happening but could not find answers. Eventually, I was pointed in the direction of yoga and was surprised to learn that meditation was a central aspect of yoga. My impression had been that yoga was a practice for flaky people who twisted their bodies into pretzel-like positions. However, when I read some yogic texts that described meditation more deeply, I was relieved that many of the unusual occurrences I experienced were expected or considered normal.

I continued to meditate and learn more about the subtler aspects of consciousness. I recovered from my health issue and worked in the financial industry for a few more years. But after getting married, having children, and my newfound interest in meditation, I decided to leave Wall Street and focus on studying and practicing yoga.

I found the physical postures incredibly beneficial, but it was the deeper philosophical teachings that drew me in. I was intrigued by the ancient wisdom and how relevant it was in our modern times. After ten years, I began to teach and later opened a studio. It was extremely gratifying to bring the deeper teachings into yoga classes; however, doing so was challenging. I looked for books that would help weave this ancient wisdom into the classroom setting but could not find what I was looking for. Eventually, I decided to write Threads of Yoga to share these deeper teachings. I believe that the ancient wisdom of yoga provides a powerful antidote to our modern, busy, and stress-filled lives.

 

What advice do you have for purpose seekers?

It’s quite a beautiful thing to feel the inner pull or desire to find your purpose. Not all people feel this; it should be honored. To move toward the direction of that inner pull, we must go deep within. Going inward to find answers leads us to meditation. Yoga and meditation help us to cut through the cultural conditioning, negative biases, and fears of the thinking mind. When we quiet the mind, we can begin to experience who we truly are. Touching a deeper part of ourselves will naturally allow our lives to be directed from a deeper place. When we are directed from that deeper place, our purpose becomes clear.

Pursuing our life purpose may not necessarily be dramatic. Perhaps a drastic change is necessary, but upending our lives is not required. Pursuing purpose may just be shifting and learning to accept yourself and share more of who you are with your family and friends. Yoga helps us to be ourselves and to share that with the world. That’s exactly what the world needs right now, the authentic you. When we share who we are, we add to the beauty and light of the world. Bringing our authentic selves to the world may be the purpose that we seek.

 

What resources do you recommend?

With so many online resources, the practice of yoga is now available to most people. If possible, an in-person yoga class is preferable; however, subscription websites such as gaia.com or glo.com offer a great variety of yoga and meditation classes. There are also free classes on YouTube, although finding an appropriate class may require some exploring.

For workshops and retreats, I recommend Integral Yoga Institute and Kripalu. I also offer virtual workshops and classes at PamelaSeelig.com.

I recommend the following books to assist in going within to find your purpose:
The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
Living The Sutras: A Guide to Yoga Wisdom Beyond the Mat by Kelly DiNardo and Amy Pearce-Hayden
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali with commentary by Swami Satchidananda
Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda

Connect with Pamela Seelig:
Contact form:  https://pamelaseelig.com/contact
Website: https://pamelaseelig.com/
Book: Threads of Yoga; Themes, Reflections, and Meditations to Weave into Your Practice
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pamelaseeligauthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pamseelig/

Pamela Seelig is a yoga teacher and the author of Threads of Yoga: Themes, Reflections, and Meditations to Weave into Your Practice. She began her yoga and meditation journey in 1991 when an illness interrupted her Wall Street career. Along with helping recovery, the impact of her meditation led to a lifelong pursuit of perceiving and sharing yogic wisdom through practice, teaching, and writing. She completed her teacher training in 2006 at Integral Yoga Institute in New York. Pamela considers Swami Satchidananda, the founder of Integral, as her primary teacher (root guru), but she has trained with many of the top yoga luminaries in the world today. Pamela is a fervent student of yoga and continues to deepen and expand her yogic knowledge and understanding. Along with Hatha yoga, Pamela also studies Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and is a certified Raja Yoga instructor.  While grateful for so many brilliant teachers along the way, she regards the practice itself as the greatest teacher. She lives in New Jersey where she practices yoga, teaches yoga workshops, writes, and empty-nests with her husband, Bob, and dog, Bodhi.