Most of us have had that awful feeling where someone posts a photograph of us looking like a potato.
You know the one, your face looks like a melted candle and now everyone’s seen it. Bit embarrassing.
But imagine being Arjuna (main character of The Bhagavad Gita, yogas ancient philosophical guidance text)
You’ve just had a melty D reminiscent of an Alec Baldwin voice note or a Kanye appearance.
A personal crisis of such epic proportions that not only do people know about it but they literally write a handbook, arguably one of the most well-known globally, EVER, to help people avoid doing it again.
Now thats awks.
It’s giving throwing your toys out of the pram ( if your toys were a bow and arrow) Think Mariah storming off stage NYE faced with the lip sync reveal drama.
Except instead of a stage, Arjuna was standing on a battlefield.
Instead of strangers piling on, it was his best friend saying, ‘I get it, but you’ve got to face this.’
Not unlike your mate talking you off the ledge after a disastrous night out, except this one was written down as one of the most famous guidebooks for living, ever.
It’s Kim K screaming dropping her diamond earrings in the ocean and Kourt totally calm, having to remind her ‘people are dying’.
Perspective much?
Arjuna wasn’t weak. He wasn’t useless. He was human.
Never mind self doubt, he was, in fact, the absolute GOAT of procrastination.
He could find any excuse not to do the task in front of him.
He’s you suddenly rearranging the kitchen drawers to avoid switching energy providers. He’s your kid suddenly sparking a deep chat to delay bedtime. He’s every one of us, in that moment where resistance, procrastination, distraction, feels easier than action.
‘Can I do yoga if I’m not flexible?’ Yes –but yoga is also for you if you feel like Margot playing Tonya in that make up scene.
Perfect? No. Tormented? Yes.
Do the thing in front of you? Ok let’s go.
The modern self help phrase ‘action kills anxiety’ is almost a handy distillation of The Gita, action brings clarity and clarity brings and end to hesitation and the unease it houses in us.
‘Up up Arjuna’ his best friend tells him, ‘perform your duties but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions,’ so do the thing in front of you without reward or praise, like no one is watching.
Up, up Arjuna, stop overthinking and just do.’ We all need to hear this. Its modern tone strikes cords with that famous sports brand , just do it and good old northern English working class mindset of ‘crack on’.
That ancient yoga philosophy? Turns out it isn’t dusty at all. It’s sharp, timeless, and annoyingly accurate about how our minds work.
