Bitcoin and Yoga: Pathways to Individual Sovereignty (Part VI) - Bitcoin as Dharma

These is a vast literature and discourse on the concept of dharma in the yogic tradition. In Sanskrit Dharma translates to "right direction" or "righteous living", or simply as purpose. Finding dharma in your life feels like living in alignment, that you are moving and acting in line with your ultimate reason for being. Think for yourself. When is the last time you felt truly inspired? What is your dharma in this lifetime? What is your life’s purpose? What is your passion? What gets you up in the morning feeling inspired, entering a flow state that triggers amazing feelings in your body?

For many, bitcoin has inspired them with a renewed purpose. Bitcoin represents the idea that money is an intersubjective value exchange. Bitcoiners believe the only way for us as a people to be truly liberated as sovereign individuals is to separate money from state with fair, sound money. From the beaches of El Zonte, El Salvador to the waves of Mossel Bay, South Africa, local communities are coming together to use this incredible technology to create circular economies, generating hope for people in traditionally marginalized, unbanked places.

I had worked in corporate healthcare industry for several years, yet found the work increasingly uninspiring. I thought deeply about what I wanted to do next, and my mind kept coming back to bitcoin. I wanted to work on bitcoin adoption, as I believe that it is the greatest tool for freedom, individual sovereignty, personal property rights and expression that humans have ever discovered. I’ve found a lot of what I was seeking by studying and teaching yoga and gaining my yoga teacher training last year in Bali. I have also run two marathons, one in Jerusalem and one in Austin, that also pushed me physically, mentally and spiritually. I've continued to find passion in advancing bitcoin adoption through running my own Lightning node, speaking at bitcoin conferences and meetups in El Salvador, Nashville, Charlotte, Austin and San Antonio. I've also found meaningful community in Austin in the health and wellness community, particularly Sapien Center.

We were not put on this planet to stare at our computers all day, working 9-5. We are here because as humans we’ve rallied together in community, connecting to nature, supporting one another in trials and tribulations, and working to meet our needs in efficient ways. I had seen how broken the healthcare industry is in the US, and desire to make a positive impact on people’s health and lives. I manifested an opportunity where I could combine my understanding of the complex US healthcare system and my passion for bitcoin adoption through working at CrowdHealth . Now through a new venture I'm starting called Satoshi Health Advisors, I am focused on helping healthcare providers adopt bitcoin as payment and operate on a bitcoin standard. I am combining my passion, my dharma, for bitcoin and improving health together.

Pursuing your own dharma in this lifetime is an endless pursuit of balance, it likely changes over time, but just feels right. The pursuit of sound money is a dharma that millions of people have already been driving towards, mirroring the yogic path. Gradually then Suddenly, humans are waking up to the fact that they are being screwed by government fiat money and are choosing to opt out by joining the bitcoin network. Parker Lewis' writing profoundly impacted my understanding of bitcoin– I highly recommend anyone interested in learning more about bitcoin read the series (and soon to be book).

Similarly, Autobiography of a Yogi by Yogananda is a remarkable story of self-realization and pursuit of dharma that anyone on a spiritual path can relate to and learn from. Its lessons taps into the ancient science of yoga and meditation, which anyone reading or practicing yoga can pursue in their day to day life today. There are many ways to walk on the yogic path, which I've found continues to open up one's mind, heart and prana to realizing your full potential and living in harmony.

Bitcoin itself has a clear dharma, or purpose – documenting the ledger of transactions for humans globally, and establishing a truth that no single human can control or censor or change without consensus via proof of work. Anyone can contribute to the network in a variety of ways; you can work on its code, run a node and verify the accuracy and existence of your own UTXOs, or mine with your energy source of choice. The collaborative nature, game theory and network effect lifts all who participate to share in the benefits of each's productive contributions to the economy. The single purpose of bitcoin therefore is a tool of freedom, unbound from the shackles of oppressive monetary regimes, possessing the power to separate money and state – read more from Alex Gladstein on bitcoin as a human right.

Money is an expression of our time and our labor. Money developed from necessary commodities to a store of value, to indirect medium of exchange and finally serves as a unit of account. Our current monetary regime enables 12 unelected officials to determine the price of money that impacts 8 billion people around the world. There is no way that a Federal Reserve chairman will know what a rice farmer in Indonesia economic actions will be, yet he will be affected by those centralized decisions. Money is the ultimate network effect of linking everyone to exchange their labor, goods, and services that another human deems valuable. These energy exchanges light us up, increasing our own self-worth, and encouraging us to continue to pave our own path in this life.

With both bitcoin and yoga, you can choose your own adventure. You get to decide which path to pursue. In yoga there are many ways to express yourself - vinyasa, kriya, hatha or ashtanga as examples - you can always connect to your breath and movement to help you make enlightened choices. I have met incredible yogis and teachers revealing universal truths and pursuing a more spiritual, connected path. I have also met passionate individuals connecting to bitcoin, including those that got connected through regenerative agriculture and decentralizing our food supply like Texas Slim with The Beef Initiative, to nation states reclaiming statehood sovereignty like in El Salvador.

I have found that bitcoin and yoga are both pathways that will be lifelong journeys, help me create my own individual sovereignty and freedom. I believe it can enable me to contribute to building a better world for my future children, grandchildren and the generations to come.