When anxious · 10 minutes

How to practise The Bhagavad Gita when anxious.

The Bhagavad Gita — a practice from India is A practical wisdom guide, Krishna's answer to Arjuna's paralysis, made livable for now. Here is how to bring it into your life when the chest tightens and the thoughts will not slow.

  1. Step 1

    Move the body half a metre

    Stand up if you were sitting; sit down if you were standing. Anxiety often holds its grip through posture. Break the posture first; the thought softens after.

  2. Step 2

    Speak the teaching to yourself once, out loud

    Say it quietly: A practical wisdom guide, Krishna's answer to Arjuna's paralysis, made livable for now. The tradition is older than your panic. Letting it speak in your own voice gives it a small foothold.

  3. Step 3

    Do one act of the practice in under a minute

    One breath cycle. One line of journal. One slow sip. The Bhagavad Gita is not a long ladder right now; it is one rung you reach for to keep from falling.

Most of The Bhagavad Gita is not about banishing what you feel. It is about staying in the room with it long enough that it changes shape on its own.

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