{"id":110160,"date":"2023-07-11T10:50:13","date_gmt":"2023-07-11T08:50:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/?p=110160"},"modified":"2023-07-11T10:50:13","modified_gmt":"2023-07-11T08:50:13","slug":"nourishing-our-roots-stress-a-modern-dilemma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/?p=110160","title":{"rendered":"Nourishing Our Roots Stress, a modern dilemma"},"content":{"rendered":"

Manor TP Visakha Dasi writes for Eastern Eye newspaper
\nHer brief was to connect with the readership by focusing on physical and mental well-being, but relating that to the spiritual. She will be asked to contribute more in the future.
\n
\nVisakha Dasi: The World Health Organisation has named stress as the health epidemic of the 21st\u00a0Century. In fact, one study found that 80-90% of what GPs see is in some way related to stress. I can relate to this, as my work as the president of a large and growing temple can be stressful \u2013 relationship fissures, financial errors, disdain for rules, dissatisfied people, illnesses, accidents, broken agreements \u2013 the list of stress-producers goes on, and unfortunately is not unique to me. We\u2019re a stressed population on a planet that itself is stressed.<\/p>\n

Sri Krishna\u2019s teachings to his friend and student Arjuna in the Bhagavad-gita are an enormously helpful guide to stress reduction. Krishna advises, for example, that if we\u2019re regulated in our eating, sleeping, working and recreation, we can mitigate stress and other sorts of pain in our lives. (Gita 6.17) So, balanced, consistent habits, as well as a simple\u00a0\u00a0lifestyle that allows us to carve out some time daily for careful contemplation are Krishna\u2019s recommendations for stress relief. In other words, take a break every day! I go for a brisk walk on some of the footpaths that are laced liberally throughout the area I live, and invariably return feeling rejuvenated.\u00a0 To eat in a regulated way, that is to only eat what\u2019s good for us and the amount we need, is common sense, but we all know that regarding eating, common sense is uncommon. At least, however, we\u00a0can\u00a0avoid non-vegetarian food and we\u00a0can\u00a0express our gratitude to God for kindly providing vegetables, grains, fruits and milk for our sustenance. This turning to God in gratitude \u2013 as well as in our pain, confusion, distress and stress \u2013 goes to the root of effective stress relief. Each day I take time to remember that I\u2019m a small, limited being who\u2019s trying but is prone to make mistakes. Each day is a chance to hear and learn from others, and to plan the best way forward together using Krishna\u2019s wisdom as our torchlight. Simply acknowledging my shortcomings and frailties evokes a great sigh of relief from deep within me. Whoever and wherever we are, we\u2019re in a world with challenges on every side.<\/p>\n

So we turn to God. Real inner peace and clarity is available through the profound act of turning to God with the knowledge that, besides being the provider, he is also ultimately the proprietor and controller of everything. Contemplating these facts, which are confirmed by the great scriptures of the world, opens us to a broader vision, namely that just as we can\u2019t control the weather or the stock market, we also can\u2019t control our future; however big and important we may be, whatever control we have is relatively minuscule and is definitely temporary.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

So, within the limited confines of what I can actually control, I do my best with focus and determination along with knowledge and guidance, and leave the rest to God.\u00a0 In Sri Krishna\u2019s words, \u201cYou have a right to perform your prescribed duties but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions.\u201d (Gita 2.47) In other words, I should act in my role as a temple leader to the very best of my ability yet without attachment to the result of my work. If I can do my service dutifully and with this spirit of detachment, I will doubtlessly find the stress in my life decreasing. As it\u2019s said, \u201cLet go and let God\u201d.\u00a0 Yet, this determined and detached mind-set isn\u2019t easy to achieve. Thus the necessity of daily careful contemplation. But in our hectic, swamped schedule, how to find time to be contemplative? What works for me is to try to go to bed early, for then I can get up early \u2013 before the engines of the world have revved up. In that calm space I chant the names of God<\/p>\n

and read the scriptures. The fortifying potency of these two activities is phenomenal; it\u2019s like being lifted onto a sturdy ship after floundering in dangerous ocean waves.\u00a0 From day to day we don\u2019t know what good or evil providence will hurl at us, but whatever comes, to the extent we\u2019ve immersed ourselves in thoughts of Krishna, his name, form, activities, associates, and teachings, we\u2019ll be protected. My family, friends, community and I try for this protection daily, and even in trying we feel stress dispelling. Chanting, dancing, feasting and hearing the science of self-realisation raises us up, out of the tossing waves of stress.<\/p>\n

By Her Grace Visakha Dasi
\nTemple President of ISKCON Bhaktivedanta Manor<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Manor TP Visakha Dasi writes for Eastern Eye newspaper Her brief was to connect with the readership by focusing on physical and mental well-being, but relating that to the spiritual. She will be asked to contribute more in the future. Visakha Dasi: The World Health Organisation has named stress as the health epidemic of the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[94],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-110160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-testing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110160","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=110160"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110160\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":110161,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110160\/revisions\/110161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=110160"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=110160"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=110160"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}