The Wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita is in Every Yoga Class

The Bhagavad Gita is a famous Hindu scripture that recounts a conversation between the legendary warrior Arjuna and his charioteer, the god Krishna. Arjuna is to head into battle, but he doesn’t want to go. Krishna is his guide, teaching him the definition of yoga along the way.

Typically seen as a metaphor for the ongoing dialog between the small self, the ego, and the higher self, our God consciousness, the Gita hinges around four lessons:

1. Listen

2. When you have your instruction, go!

3. Don’t be attached to outcomes

4. Make it all an offering

The beautiful in this text is that our contemporary asana practice gives us the opportunity to fulfill these ancient lessons. The greatest hindrance we have is self-doubt. Our self-doubt would have us believe that what it supposedly wrong with us is unique, terminal, and/or the worst. Interestingly enough, the lie is the same for us all.

 

It is our duty to find the voice of Krishna wherever we can, tune into it and rise above our self doubt. Every time I hit my yoga mat, this is true. If your teacher is not calling this forth from you and your practice, find a teacher that does.