The Art of Turning Within

How are you feeling today?

Every feeling has something to teach.

Choose a word. Find an authentic teaching, a small step and a question.

Feeling happy

It is good to feel happy. Let yourself enjoy it.

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side.

आ नो भद्राः क्रतवो यन्तु विश्वतः

ā no bhadrāḥ kratavo yantu viśvataḥ

Ṛgveda 1.89.1NIVARTHI rendering from the Sanskrit

Goodness and wisdom can reach us from anywhere, if we stay open to them.

Something to try

Savour it. Pause for twenty seconds and notice what made this moment good, then share it with someone.

A question to sit with

What contributed to this feeling today, and how can you make room for more of it?

Feeling peaceful

Peace is precious. You do not need to do anything with it.

Without doubt the mind is restless and hard to hold. Yet through steady practice and letting go, it can be held.

असंशयं महाबाहो मनो दुर्निग्रहं चलम्। अभ्यासेन तु कौन्तेय वैराग्येण च गृह्यते॥

asaṃśayaṃ mahābāho mano durnigrahaṃ calam · abhyāsena tu kaunteya vairāgyeṇa ca gṛhyate

Bhagavad Gītā 6.35NIVARTHI rendering from the Sanskrit

A restless mind is normal, not a failure. Practice, not force, brings it home.

Something to try

Stay with it for a few slow breaths. Notice where in your body you feel at ease.

A question to sit with

What helped you arrive at this calm?

Feeling sad

Sadness is a natural response to loss or disappointment. It deserves gentleness, not hurry.

Lift yourself by your own self; do not let yourself sink. The self alone is your friend, and the self alone your foe.

उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत्। आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मनः॥

uddhared ātmanātmānaṃ nātmānam avasādayet · ātmaiva hy ātmano bandhur ātmaiva ripur ātmanaḥ

Bhagavad Gītā 6.5NIVARTHI rendering from the Sanskrit

No one else can do our inner work for us. The same mind that pulls us down can learn to lift us up.

Something to try

Be kind to yourself today. Rest, step outside, or talk to someone you trust.

A question to sit with

If a dear friend felt this way, what would you offer them? Can you offer it to yourself?

Feeling worried

Worry often means you care about how things turn out.

Your right is to the action alone, never to its fruits. Do not act for the reward, and do not cling to inaction.

कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन। मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि॥

karmaṇy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana · mā karmaphalahetur bhūr mā te saṅgo ’stv akarmaṇi

Bhagavad Gītā 2.47NIVARTHI rendering from the Sanskrit

Give full care to what is in your hands, and hold the outcome lightly.

Something to try

Write the worry down. Circle the part you can influence and choose one small step.

A question to sit with

Which part of this is within your control today?

Feeling anxious

Anxiety can feel overwhelming. It does pass.

Your right is to the action alone, never to its fruits. Do not act for the reward, and do not cling to inaction.

कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन। मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि॥

karmaṇy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana · mā karmaphalahetur bhūr mā te saṅgo ’stv akarmaṇi

Bhagavad Gītā 2.47NIVARTHI rendering from the Sanskrit

Give full care to what is in your hands, and hold the outcome lightly.

Something to try

Breathe in for four counts and out for six, for two minutes. Feel your feet on the ground.

Take a guided 5-minute pause

A question to sit with

What is one thing you can see, one you can hear and one you can touch right now?

Feeling frustrated

Frustration usually means something important to you is being blocked.

The touch of the senses brings cold and heat, pleasure and pain. They come and they go; they do not last. Bear them patiently.

मात्रास्पर्शास्तु कौन्तेय शीतोष्णसुखदुःखदाः। आगमापायिनोऽनित्यास्तांस्तितिक्षस्व भारत॥

mātrāsparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇasukhaduḥkhadāḥ · āgamāpāyino ’nityās tāṃs titikṣasva bhārata

Bhagavad Gītā 2.14NIVARTHI rendering from the Sanskrit

Feelings, however strong, are visitors. Patience lets them pass without taking over.

Something to try

Pause before you respond. A short walk or a few deep breaths can lower the heat.

A question to sit with

What do you need here, and how could you ask for it calmly?

Feeling disappointed

Disappointment shows you hoped for something. That hope is not wasted.

Lift yourself by your own self; do not let yourself sink. The self alone is your friend, and the self alone your foe.

उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत्। आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मनः॥

uddhared ātmanātmānaṃ nātmānam avasādayet · ātmaiva hy ātmano bandhur ātmaiva ripur ātmanaḥ

Bhagavad Gītā 6.5NIVARTHI rendering from the Sanskrit

No one else can do our inner work for us. The same mind that pulls us down can learn to lift us up.

Something to try

Acknowledge the loss honestly. Then ask what can still be learned or saved.

A question to sit with

What did this teach you about what matters to you?

Feeling confused

Not knowing is uncomfortable, and it is often where clarity begins.

Without doubt the mind is restless and hard to hold. Yet through steady practice and letting go, it can be held.

असंशयं महाबाहो मनो दुर्निग्रहं चलम्। अभ्यासेन तु कौन्तेय वैराग्येण च गृह्यते॥

asaṃśayaṃ mahābāho mano durnigrahaṃ calam · abhyāsena tu kaunteya vairāgyeṇa ca gṛhyate

Bhagavad Gītā 6.35NIVARTHI rendering from the Sanskrit

A restless mind is normal, not a failure. Practice, not force, brings it home.

Something to try

Write out the options without judging them. Sleep on it if you can.

A question to sit with

What do you already know for certain, even if it is small?

Feeling grateful

Gratitude is a quiet kind of joy.

All this, whatever moves in this moving world, is dwelt in by the divine. Enjoy it by letting go. Do not covet what belongs to another.

ईशा वास्यमिदं सर्वं यत्किञ्च जगत्यां जगत्। तेन त्यक्तेन भुञ्जीथा मा गृधः कस्यस्विद्धनम्॥

īśā vāsyam idaṃ sarvaṃ yat kiñca jagatyāṃ jagat · tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam

Īśa Upaniṣad 1NIVARTHI rendering from the Sanskrit

We enjoy life most when we hold it lightly, without grasping.

Something to try

Write down three things you are grateful for, or thank someone directly.

A question to sit with

Who has made a difference to you that you have not yet thanked?

Feeling hopeful

Hope is a strength. It helps you take the next step.

Lead me from the unreal to the real. From darkness to light. From death to the deathless.

असतो मा सद्गमय। तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय। मृत्योर्मा अमृतं गमय॥

asato mā sad gamaya · tamaso mā jyotir gamaya · mṛtyor mā amṛtaṃ gamaya

Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 1.3.28NIVARTHI rendering from the Sanskrit

A prayer for clarity: to move from confusion towards what is true, from darkness towards light.

Something to try

Turn hope into a plan: one goal, one likely obstacle, one way through it.

A question to sit with

What would one small step towards what you hope for look like this week?

Feeling exhausted

Exhaustion is a signal, not a weakness.

Lift yourself by your own self; do not let yourself sink. The self alone is your friend, and the self alone your foe.

उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत्। आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मनः॥

uddhared ātmanātmānaṃ nātmānam avasādayet · ātmaiva hy ātmano bandhur ātmaiva ripur ātmanaḥ

Bhagavad Gītā 6.5NIVARTHI rendering from the Sanskrit

No one else can do our inner work for us. The same mind that pulls us down can learn to lift us up.

Something to try

Rest without guilt. Set down one non-essential task, drink water, and sleep early if you can.

Take a guided 5-minute pause

A question to sit with

What is draining you most, and what could you set down, even for a day?

Feeling reflective

Reflective moments are where understanding deepens.

All this, whatever moves in this moving world, is dwelt in by the divine. Enjoy it by letting go. Do not covet what belongs to another.

ईशा वास्यमिदं सर्वं यत्किञ्च जगत्यां जगत्। तेन त्यक्तेन भुञ्जीथा मा गृधः कस्यस्विद्धनम्॥

īśā vāsyam idaṃ sarvaṃ yat kiñca jagatyāṃ jagat · tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam

Īśa Upaniṣad 1NIVARTHI rendering from the Sanskrit

We enjoy life most when we hold it lightly, without grasping.

Something to try

Take ten minutes to write freely. Let thoughts arrive without editing them.

A question to sit with

What has this season of your life been teaching you?