Ancient Wisdom for Anxiety. Protocol from The Bhagavad Gita

I have become recently fascinated by ancient wisdom and practices on how we healed and strengthened our minds. From Anxiety, depression, psychosomatic aliments to discovering a deeper understand to live a joyful life.

Modern psychology is dancing with shamanism and Indigenes practices, similar to like science dances with mysticism/spirituality, in the world of Quantum mechanics.  Recently, we observed quantum entanglement and it’s hard to ignore the striking parallel to the Yin/Yang symbol.

In the fast-paced environment of the modern workplace, managing stress and maintaining focus can be challenging. What stories and practices of the past can support us?

A story that struck me was, The Bhagavad Gita, a revered Hindu text. It narrates the story of Prince Arjuna who, standing on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, and becomes overwhelmed with anxiety and doubt about his duties. Paralyzed by fear, he turns to Krishna, for guidance. Krishna imparts profound wisdom, and in that is a practice of the importance of breathing to regulate the nervous system. Bhagavad Gita 4.29. (Highly recommend going down the rabbit hole of the Bhagavad Gita.)

One of the most effective and practical breath practices we can use to get ourselves unstuck is, the 4-7-8 breath work technique, popularized by Dr. Andrew Weil.

Practice:

1. **Inhaling** deeply through your nose for a count of 4.

2. **Holding** the breath for a count of 7.

3. **Exhaling** completely through your mouth with a whooshing sound for a count of 8.

This practice will prompt your nervous system back into balance.

Repeat 4- 6 times or what’s needed.

 Daily Protocol:

1. **Start Your Day:**: Begin your morning with a few cycles of 4-7-8 breathing to set a calm and focused tone.  5 min

2. **Midday Resets 2 min

3. **Pre-Meeting Preparation 30 seconds

4. **End-of-Day Reflection**: Incorporate 4-7-8 breath work into your evening routine to unwind and reflect on your day. 5min

“We don’t rise to the level of our expectations; we fall to the level of our training.” – Archilochus