TEACHING DHARANA • Mapping Our Path with an Outline: Finding Ease in Expression
Teaching Methods
Mapping Our Path with an Outline: Finding Ease in Expression
When we go on our favorite hike we rarely stop to think about why the path looks the way it does. We simply enjoy following it, naturally arriving at beautiful destinations and scenic outlooks without a second thought. Yet, a great deal of effort goes into creating those pathways that shape our experience. Those trails didn’t always exist; they were formed over years by countless people exploring the woods and gradually establishing the route.
Your journey to creating a presentation is much the same. As we explore topics, we naturally gravitate toward certain ideas, carving out unique paths and discovering meaningful outlooks along the way. Journaling and freewriting are the equivalent of allowing yourself to roam through your heart, as Nityananda might have put it—to explore the topic in a simple and non-judgmental way and truly be with it.
If you set aside time every day to journal about your topic—or even just about your progress or life in general—creating time for you to meet yourself on the page, you will begin to sense where the topic takes you. You’ll notice which anecdotes from your life resonate, which quotes serve as anchors for your understanding, or which practices continue to support you. By allowing yourself to roam freely through the topic in this way, it’s like wandering through the woods and discovering your favorite destinations: a quiet pool, a scenic outlook, a unique rock outcropping.
After you’ve taken this time, your path starts to take form, which begins to form the foundation of the next level of your writing— your outline. An outline represents a trail map through your topic, allowing you to zoom out and see the approach as you walk it, much like the witness practice can do for our lives. The outline is an additional step that can save you thousands of steps— ie. So many times we feel that we are too strapped for time to create an outline, which is funny because an outline’s purpose is to save you time by ensuring that your path will lead to the intended destination without too many detours.
An outline can be adjusted much more quickly and efficiently than an essay, similar to how much easier it is to change the blueprints to a building than to fix a building itself, right?! This is perhaps the greatest strength of an outline—giving you the ability to zoom out quickly and easily whenever needed without getting bogged down by the details. An outline also saves you time writing your intro, as it makes it clear what steps your essay took to the destination.
An outline can seem like a mechanical approach to writing that lacks the spontaneity of free writing, for example. But an outline can actually unlock your creative potential by unburdening your mind from having to remember the whole paper as you write it. Working with an online allows you to relax in each section of your writing— you can breathe easier, soak up the views, and explore the more subtle aspects of the experience. Also, we don’t always have a huge chunk of time to work on our whole essay—so an outline allows us to walk certain parts of the path when we have the time. Instead of having to start from the trailhead every time, you can just write one part of the essay and then come back to it later.
Practical steps for Utilizing and Outline to Map Your Path to Your Presentation
Free write, then look back at your work to find your path
But as we mentioned before, just like a well-loved trail leading to your favorite destination, you can’t carve out the path without first walking and exploring the woods. A good outline begins with freewriting or journaling on the topic. Allow yourself time to write freely from start to finish—sit down, open up, and let the path reveal itself as you go. Once you’ve completed this initial exploration, take a moment to zoom out and reflect on your journey and ask yourself: Is there a logical sequence or flow in your path to this understanding of the topic? Go through and underline what really stands out to you from your free writing, as those will probably become the basis of your outline. Are there landmarks in this journey that were essential for me to arrive at my current experience? It can also be good to ask yourself if perhaps there’s a foundational concept you need to introduce to get the hike started, something that might be overlooked yet is necessary for overall comprehension.
Define your destination and few key landmarks
Traditionally, an outline consists of 2–3 main points that lead to one clear destination. Each of those major points should be supported by Sutra or satsang texts, or through personal explanation and unpacking. An outline should be simple enough to talk out aloud to a friend or scan through quickly without getting so bogged down in the details that they forget where you’re going to or coming from. Just like our favorite hike— we move through it and naturally arrive at our destination.
Create a rough outline
It’s helpful to start with general concepts before diving into specifics. When drafting your outline, use bullet points or short phrases instead of full sentences. This format makes it easier to see the structure and flow. Look for connections between sections, are there aspects of your experience where one thing naturally led to the next? By identifying and organizing these stepping stones, your outline becomes a trail map that guides both you and your audience on this journey of understanding.
Start to Get Specific
When possible, be specific in your outline. Include concrete examples, specific quotes, or supporting materials to save time later, and avoid vague placeholders like “add details here.” Instead, go ahead and write out those details. Push yourself to include exactly what you plan to add so that when you glance at your outline, you can clearly see the path and follow it without hesitation.
Review it, come back to it later
We want to keep our outline simple and clear—structured in a way that you could explain it to someone out loud. If you can read through your outline out loud and someone else can follow it easily, then your structure is probably strong. One of my favorite ways to test this is by sitting down with someone for a cup of tea or coffee and casually talking through your presentation using the outline. If the stepping stones of your outline flow naturally and make sense in conversation, you’re likely on the right track. However, if you find yourself stumbling or realizing, “Oh, I’m missing something here,” that’s a great sign you need to revisit the outline and refine it further.
As with any creative work—or even something like pruning a tree—it’s helpful to step back and take a short break. This allows you to return with fresh eyes to ensure that your outline is logical, cohesive, and comprehensive. So often, we unconsciously fill in gaps in our minds that don’t actually make it onto the page. By stepping away and revisiting the outline later, you give yourself the opportunity to notice those gaps and address them with clarity.
Go for your hike one more time, write the essay
At this point in the process, you’ve completed your exploratory work. You’ve identified your landmarks and destinations, created a rough path, and refined it into a clear and specific outline. You’ve also returned to it a couple of times, giving yourself the space to evaluate whether it truly works. Now you have an outline, but you might not have written your essay yet.
It’s important to recognize that an essay and an outline serve different purposes. For some, the outline can be detailed enough to teach from directly. For others, the process of writing an essay helps fill in the blanks and ensures that their teaching is fluid, comprehensive, and polished. Writing the essay has the added benefit of providing a resource you can refer back to later, either as a reminder for yourself or as a written text to share with others.
For this class, after completing your outline, we encourage you to take the next step and write the essay. Ideally, your outline will make writing the essay feel smooth, intuitive, and straightforward, as you’re essentially walking through the structure you’ve already created. However, the beauty of writing the essay is that it allows you to expand on the outline, adding unique experiences, personal anecdotes, and richer details that bring the teaching to life.
Much like a skilled guide on a hiking trail, writing the essay lets you add color and flavor to the journey, creating a vivid and meaningful experience for your readers. It’s in these additional details that the teaching becomes more dynamic and engaging, making it both personal and impactful for those who walk this path with you.
In conclusion, crafting an outline for your essay or presentation is like creating a well-worn path through the woods—a journey that begins with exploration and ends with clarity. By journaling and freewriting, you allow yourself to roam through the topic, discovering key landmarks and natural stepping stones along the way. Once these are identified, your outline becomes a trail map, offering guidance and structure as you refine your ideas and prepare to share them.
With an outline, you can write with ease, focusing on one section at a time, confident that each step is part of a cohesive whole. Testing and revisiting your outline ensures that it flows logically and reflects your unique perspective. Ultimately, this process not only saves time but also enhances your ability to communicate clearly and meaningfully, making the journey as rewarding for your students as it is for you.
Checklist for Creating Your Outline and Writing Your Essay
1. Start with Freewriting or Journaling
• Sit down and allow yourself time to write freely from start to finish.
• Let the path reveal itself—don’t overthink it.
• Reflect on your work afterward:
• Is there a logical flow or sequence in your understanding of the topic?
• What key landmarks or ideas stood out to you?
• Is there a foundational concept needed to begin this “hike” for your audience?
2. Define Your Destination and Landmarks
• Identify 2–3 main points that lead to one clear destination.
• Support each main point with:
• Specific examples, quotes, or Sutra/satsang texts.
• Personal explanations and insights.
• Keep the outline simple and easy to follow—something you could talk through aloud.
3. Create a Rough Outline
• Start with general concepts and gradually move into specifics.
• Use bullet points or short phrases to keep it clear and flexible.
• Look for natural connections between ideas:
• Does one point lead logically to the next?
• Are the stepping stones clear and easy to follow?
4. Add Specific Details
• Include concrete examples, quotes, or supporting materials.
• Avoid placeholders like “add details here”—write out what you plan to include.
• Make the outline specific enough that you can follow it confidently while writing or teaching.
5. Review and Test Your Outline
• Read your outline aloud:
• Can someone else follow it easily?
• Does it feel clear, logical, and complete?
• Test it with a friend over a casual conversation:
• Do the ideas flow naturally like stepping stones?
• If you stumble, refine those sections.
• Step back and take a short break, then revisit your outline with fresh eyes:
• Are there gaps or unclear parts that need revision?
6. Write the Essay
• Use your outline as a guide—walk the path you’ve created.
• Allow the essay to fill in the blanks:
• Add unique details, personal anecdotes, and richer explanations.
• Think of yourself as a guide, adding “color” to the journey for your readers.
7. Polish and Refine
• After writing, revisit the essay:
• Does it feel fluid and comprehensive?
• Does it reflect the main points and landmarks you identified?
• Use your essay as a resource for teaching and sharing the topic with others.
By following this checklist, you’ll move from exploration to structure, creating a clear outline and a compelling essay that guide both you and your audience with confidence and ease.
Your Outline Assignment, if you choose to accept it…
Even though an outline can be a highly effective tool for both the writing and teaching processes, it’s perfectly okay if it doesn’t resonate with you. Everyone has unique learning methods and tools that help them move from point A to point B. What’s important in this training is to try new things, step outside your comfort zone, and see if any part of this process can serve you.
You may not end up using an outline for all your work, but perhaps certain aspects of it will simplify your approach or stick with you over time. For this reason, we ask that in addition to submitting your essay for this topic, as you have done for previous topics, you also submit a simple outline. This outline should be something you would find useful in a teaching scenario.
Some outlines may be more detailed or complex, while others may be simpler and more streamlined. Create an outline that speaks to your own learning and teaching process—one that feels natural and practical for you. The goal isn’t to create a perfect outline but to experiment with the process and see how it might serve you.
One amazing benefit of this process is that your outline can become a powerful teaching aid. Instead of relying on your essay while teaching, you can use your outline as a quick and effective reference. Glancing at your outline during a teaching session allows you to stay on track and guide your students with ease. It simplifies the teaching process, giving you clear and concise notes to follow. This is another significant advantage of creating an outline.
By sharing our outlines, we’ll have an opportunity to learn from each other’s approaches. There will be no “right” or “wrong” assessments of your outline. Instead, this exercise is simply about breaking the ice and giving it a try. You may find that using an outline—or even just incorporating parts of this process—makes the work of teaching more efficient and, at the same time, supports your spiritual growth.