Finding your unique path

A Dive Into Wellness With Danielle Montagner

When I was asked to write a piece on wellness I was overwhelmed by even the thought of where to begin. You all know how many health fads, bio hacks and diet trends get thrown around these days. We are in the Information Age, where if you want to know something, a quick search of Google, TikTok or Chat GPT and you’ll find an answer. The question is, In a pool of information, how do you discern what’s right and what’s wrong? Especially when there seems to be conflicting arguments for every point.

Well, after diving into the teachings from the spiritual teacher Ram Dass recently, I have an answer. Yes, I’m aware I’m at risk here of pigeon holing myself into the spiritual woo-woo bucket, but keep an open mind!

The answer is, you start with where you’re at - yes well duh.. But what I mean by that is, feel into what that one thing is that you’ve been curious about, that you’ve been wanting to do but keep putting off, that lights you up with excitement thinking about ‘the day you finally do it’. Whether it’s a new way of eating (cutting out processed foods, adding more fruits, quitting alcohol), a new way of moving (running, yoga classes, dancing), a new daily practice (breath work. meditation) or being of service (volunteering, helping family, teaching). It’s listening to what you’re being called to do right now.

If your mind is blank, I invite you to start cultivating more stillness in your life through a daily practice of going within. This will give you the space to develop the awareness of your next step.

Whatever that one thing is for you, it’s your current path. It likely won’t be your forever thing. I was convinced eating a carnivore diet was the way until I recently started eating fruitarian and am currently deep on that path, and it’s all perfect. Learning not to cling to any one way of being allows room to continually grow and adjust as needed.

Now back to how Ram Dass comes into this, he talks about how there are different strokes for different folks. That everyone has a different life path - a dharma. All paths lead to the same destination, but there are different methods to getting there. Meaning I might find health by doing yoga and eating fruit, whereas you might get healthy by boxing and eating meat - and neither of us are on the wrong path.

It’s tempting when we find something that’s working for us, to try and convince others that it’s the one and only way! As if there are no other ways to get there.

Ram Dass says that every path is a trap, but to learn the lesson you must get trapped in it for a little while. The only thing you can hope for is that it self-destructs after it teaches you your lesson and then frees you. If someone is preaching God, you can only know that path is working for them, but you need not get pulled in. For each person has their own path, and it doesn’t matter what it is. The way is the way is the way.

Tune into your unique path and take that next step on it today. I’m rooting for you.