YOGA + FITNESS / In The Practice
Transforming Doubt Into Daring What We Can Learn from the Bhagavad Gita
by Julia Clarke
U
pon first reading the Bhagavad Gita, many yoga practitioners are taken aback by the premise of a young warrior named Arjuna being propelled by Lord Krishna to step into a bloody battle. In place of the lessons of peace and harmony you might expect from a story celebrated by yoga practitioners, when Arjuna expresses misgivings about his role in killing his own friends and family, Krishna persuades Arjuna to uphold his duty as a warrior. Why, then, is this text so cherished? Though, on the surface of things, it might seem like a bit of a call to violence, the Gita is really a manual for responding to any challenge that you might encounter in life with decisive action. We all face obstacles — though they probably don’t involve deciding whether or not to commit violence against your kin — within our relationships, professional life and at home. There will
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always be conflicts that arise that may make you feel fearful and doubtful and that can lead to indecision, underperforming and so-called self-handicapping. What we can learn from Arjuna’s quest is not how to be more violent but how to master bravery in the face of self-doubt, not as an action but as a skill to be cultivated. Let’s say you need to have an uncomfortable conversation with someone in your life. Some people seem to thrive in these types of situations, but for others, the very thought of confrontation is grounds for sleepless nights and sheer existential terror. How should you initiate the conversation? Is it the right thing to do? Will the other person ever speak to you again? These questions that naturally arise and keep you awake all night long are the very questions represented by Arjuna’s pleas to Krishna for guidance. Through the path of devotion outlined by Krishna, Arjuna is able
to act, and along the way, we learn a few lessons about bravery. 1. FEAR DOESN’T MAKE YOU A COWARD. The Gita opens with a terrified Arjuna being admonished by Krishna for his cowardice, but there's another way to interpret his fear and that is through the lens of compassion. In fact, Arjuna isn’t afraid because he’s a coward; his fear stems from his concern for others, which we can probably all agree is a much more noble quality. In challenging situations, fear is often an extremely valid and reasonable response, but it doesn’t have to be an obstacle to taking action. In fact, when you have a greater purpose that propels you to act in spite of fear — such as healing a schism in a relationship that’s important to you — fear born of compassion might steer you to take a more careful and loving tone and approach.
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