How to Calm your Mind?
Calm your Mind – Arjuna remarked to Lord Krishna during Mahabharata, “‘for the mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong, O Krishna, and to subdue it, seems to me, more difficult than controlling the wind.’
During the Mahabharata War when Arjuna gave-up to fight for justice, his friend and guide Lord Krishna tried to boost up his moral by instructing him on various aspects of knowledge including Yoga. Arjuna felt that the system of Yoga as told by Lord Krishna is not practically possible since the mind is restless and not under control. So Arjuna remarked:
“cancalam hi manahkrsna
pramathibalavaddrdham
tasyahamnigrahammanye
vayorivasu-duskaram”
– Shaloka 34, Chapter 6 of Bhagvad Gita
‘For the mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong, O Krishna, and to subdue it, seems to me, more difficult than controlling the wind.’
In reply to Arjuna’s query Lord Krishna said:
sri-bhagavanuvaca
asamsayammaha-baho
manodurnigrahamcalam
abhyasenatukaunteya
vairagyenacagrhyate”
– Shaloka 35, Chapter 6 of Bhagvad Gita
O mighty-armed son of Kunti (Arjuna’s mother), it is undoubtedly very difficult to curb the restless mind, but it is possible by constant practice and by detachment.
Here is how you can calm your Mind …
So having assurance of the Lord that mind can be put under one’s conscious control by practice we give here an effective procedure for doing this seemingly difficult task:
There is a constant internal mental dialogue and if and when it stops you cease to be restless. The following exercise will not only calm your restless mind it will help you recoup mental energy and give zest for joyful living.
1. Sit in a calm place in a comfortable posture. Draw the curtains so that there is only dim lighting. Make sure that no one disturbs you during
the course of this procedure.
2. Bring your mind to the present moment. Discard any thoughts about the past or the future that may arise. Take charge of your senses and
mentally feel your body and surroundings. Notice the feel of the air on your skin. Watch your breath as it goes in or out. Be receptive to the sounds around you and sights in front of you and then gently close your eyes.
3. Do not focus on any one sound or feeling just be aware of all that is happening. Consider yourself as a watchman (Or watchwoman) whose duty is just to keep an eye and ear on the happenings without any effort.
4. Mentally scan your whole body to see if there is any tension or strain. Visualize the flow of rejuvenating Prana energy to get rid of strain.
5. Mentally say, ‘Om Shanti, Om Shanti, Om shanti ….’ Alternately you can say ‘Om Peace, Om Peace, Om Peace….’
6.Let yourself float in a blissful state of tranquility for as long as possible.
If you do this exercise twice daily in half an hour sessions you will find that within a short time you will become healthier and happier! In case you face difficulty in your practice or fail to get the desired results then it could be due to weak or afflicted Moon in your birth chart. In that case it is better to consult a good astrologer.
Article by: Jyotirvid Pawan Kumar
