5 Factors We Need the Bhagavad Gita Now More Than Ever
We’re counting down to the launch of our brand-new four-week workshop, Intro to the Bhagavad Gita, led by yoga instructor and author Anusha Wijeyakumar. (Find out more and join us for the first session on April 5!)
YJ took a seat with Anusha to give us a preview of the workshop and obtain valuable insight on this sacred text.
Even if you have not studied or read it, you have actually definitely become aware of the Bhagavad Gita.
What you may not understand: The storied 701-verse Hindu scripture isn’t a standalone text: It’s the 6th book of the Mahābhārata, an impressive poem and devotional bible from India that is commemorated around the globe.
Translating to “Tune of God,” the Bhagavad Gita is a discussion in between Arjuna, a prince who must beat his evil cousins in order to restore righteousness and follow his path of Dharma in this life. Arjuna’s charioteer is the Hindu deity Lord Krishna. Though he is a well known archer, Arjuna is resistant to combating. Nevertheless, through their discussion, Krishna guides him to battle with effective lessons in task, action, and detachment.
It’s approximated that the Gita was written in the 2nd century BCE, however its philosophy has endured– as a religious text, as a historical account (yes, this was a genuine battle!), and as inspiration for how to live.
Here, we speak to Anusha Wijeyakumar, yoga teacher, author of Meditation with Intention, and developer of YJ’s approaching workshop on why every yoga professional and teacher ought to dive into the Gita now.
that will deepen your practice and understanding of yoga approach. Discover more here. 1. The Gita is a lesson in yoga’s roots and the real essence of the practice. Yoga in the West has actually been repackaged as self-help and workout, and largely stewarded in mainstream media by white instructors. It’s a far cry from the spiritual practice that originated countless years ago in India.
“When we eliminate South Asian voices, we engage in cultural appropriation and the dilution and desecration of these practices,” says Wijeyakumar, mentioning that yoga is a faith and spiritual practice that comprises the fabric of her life, together with the lives of billions of other Hindus worldwide.
Does that mean that you can’t practice yoga without making it your religious beliefs? Absolutely not. But checking out the Gita helps you contextualize (and honor) where yoga comes from.
2. It encourages you to stand up for social justice.
“The Bhagavad Gita has fantastic importance today that for me is actually focused on the intersection of yoga and social justice,” states Wijeyakumar. “We see a need for that now more than ever with the pandemic [disproportionately impacting neighborhoods of color] and the continuation of racial oppressions in America.”
Although Arjuna was trying to prevent a fight, Lord Krishna revealed him why he needed to make sacrifices, stand strong in his perfects, and reveal up for what was right and needed in that time which was an essential part of his Dharma.
3. It shows you how to take your practice beyond asana.
“Yoga isn’t something that we do; it’s something that we live,” states Wijeyakumar. “The Bhagavad Gita informs us about the course of karma yoga, which is selfless service to God.”
Karma yoga teaches right action. No matter what you do, aim to link your experience back to the divine– the universal consciousness that permeates every aspect of our presence, states Wijeyakumar.
This is very important for the huge stuff: When Arjuna summons his will to combat and step onto the battleground; this can be translated to yoga in action as a course of social justice and standing up for marginalized communities and those who deal with oppression and systemic racism.
It also uses to the smaller sized things and the more ordinary acts in your day-to-day life. Right action must be utilized in every action in our day.
The next step? According to the Gita, you should remove your ego from the outcome. Remember that you aren’t living your life for external recognition, recognition, or “likes” as much as social networks may tell us otherwise. The path of right action is an internal journey of deep inward questions and connecting to divine awareness so we can do the best thing regardless of any unfavorable responses, whilst being unattached to the result and providing the fruits of our actions back to God. This is karma yoga.
4. It teaches you to measure up to your function.
In the text, Arjuna grapples with his function, which was identified by the magnificent Krishna.
“The Gita reminds us that we’re here to play our part and use our Dharma, which indicates the path of best conduct,” says Wijeyakumar.
In reality, the story tells us that it’s a duty to measure up to your dharma– and will remind you to recognize yours.
5. It dives into a crucial approach that’s frequently avoided.
“When the Gita is taught through a Western lens, reincarnation is totally ignored in so numerous methods, or it’s prevented due to the fact that it’s simply so challenging to comprehend or discuss completely to those who are not raised in Dharmic faiths, as the concept is so foreign to them,” states Wijeyakumar.
Reincarnation ties together the significant styles– karma and dharma– covered in the Gita. However initially, it helps to comprehend what it is.
For someone who is Hindu and raised in the viewpoint of Sanatana Dharma faith, reincarnation implies that we’re all residing in a physique that is one of lots of– millions of– lives that we have moved through in various types. The human kind provides us a chance to break the cycle of samsara– birth, life, and death.
“I really need to take advantage of my Dharma to overcome my layers of karma (previous actions),” says Wijeyakumar. “And I have to keep the ultimate goal of yoga in mind, which is samadhi— final union with god and divine consciousness by practicing all of Sage Patanjali’s eight-limbed course. Yoga is much more than asana, and the Gita teaches us this in terrific information.”
Wish to learn more? Join Anusha for Introduction to the Bhagavad Gita. Class begins Monday, April 5!
Meet Your Instructor Anusha Wijeyakumar is an inspirational speaker on the science of mindfulness and meditation. She is the Wellness Expert for Hoag Medical Facility in Orange County, California, where she is actively engaged in promoting mindfulness and meditation practices for maternal psychological health programs, early threat evaluation for breast & & ovarian cancer prevention programs and breast cancer survivorship programs. Anusha is among the first individuals to create a meditation program to be utilized in clinical research study at Hoag Medical facility.
Anusha has over 15 years of international senior management experience working for Fortune 50, 100 and 500 worldwide corporations, charitable organizations & & private business in 3 continents. She holds a BA, MA, Diploma in Mentoring, Qualified Specialist Life Coach certification, Registered Yoga Teacher/RYT with Yoga Alliance and is a Meditation Professional. Anusha leads yoga and meditation workshops across the USA and worldwide and becomes part of the teaching professors for a variety of Yoga Alliance certified Yoga Teacher Training Courses across Southern California.
Health and social justice is at the heart of all that Anusha is included with. Anusha is on the Board of Directors for the non-profit MOTHERS Orange County and is very taken part in working with central city communities to bring the power of yoga for a healthy mind, body and spirit into these localities to support and empower change from within. Anusha recently co-founded a motion Womxn of Color + Health @wocandwellness which is concentrated on decolonizing health and making yoga and health more equitable, accessible, diverse and inclusive.
For more, go to shantiwithin.com and on Instagram.
Released at Mon, 15 Mar 2021 22:30:46 +0000