Health
Episode 32: Geeta Girl Discusses Krishna, the OG Self Care Guru
In Episode 32 of the Gita Girl podcast, Sharmila delves into the concept of setting boundaries with oneself, exploring how this internal practice is essential for personal growth and self-care. Drawin...
Episode 32: Geeta Girl Discusses Krishna, the OG Self Care Guru
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Interactive Transcript
Speaker A
Hi and welcome to Gita Girl. My name is Sharmila and the Gita Girl podcast is about how to live skillfully and be your best self by using the advice in the Bhagavad Gita Jesse Krishna Shela Jennifer J. Shri Krishna.
Speaker B
Sharmila Happy to be back. We have received a lot of really great feedback about the last few episodes regarding boundaries with your friends and family and coworkers. This podcast is focusing on boundary setting with a person that we have not discussed yet, and that is with yourself. Which, to be honest with you, when Sharmila first talked about this episode I was like, what do you mean setting boundaries with yourself? Like, you always think about setting boundaries with external individuals and the importance of that, and it didn't really occur to me that that's something that you have to do with yourself as well. So that's what we will be discussing in this podcast. I'm really looking forward to this conversation.
Speaker A
As we've discussed earlier in this season, boundaries are essential for your mental and physical well being. Your boundaries indicate what you accept as healthy behavior towards you and equally important, what you reject as unhealthy behavior towards you. In all the relationships in your life, a boundary marks what is your responsibility, what belongs to you and you alone, and equally important, what does not belong to you. Your boundaries ensure that you can perform your duties in life optimally, which is for your benefit and for the benefit of everyone around you. As you said, Shaila, we often don't think about having boundaries with ourselves. But the most important relationship of anyone's life is the relationship we have with ourselves and our own mindset. In Hinduism, we believe in reincarnation. We believe in the journey of the soul. We are souls which happen to be incarnated in bodies at this present moment, and the challenges we face in our lifetime in this body are actually opportunities for us to elevate our souls. When the body decays and dies, our soul travels into another body to continue its journey of evolution. In chapter 15, verse 8, Lord Krishna says that the soul carries with it on its journey from one body to another only two things. It carries with it its karmic account. And even more importantly than your karmic account, the soul carries with it its mindset, the way it interacts with the world. And it's this mindset that defines our personality and actually determines our karmic account and our destiny. Our mindset determines our thoughts, our speech and our actions, the way we think about, the way we process, and the way we interact with the world. So our mindset is everything. Yet the relationship we have with our mindset and ourselves is something we barely think about. We barely think about. Wait a minute. What is my relationship with myself? What am I thinking? Am I thinking correctly? Am I interpreting correctly? Am I processing correctly? What am I doing? No, we don't think about that. We just act according to our thoughts. But are our thoughts and our mindset optimal? That's the question.
Speaker B
And when you said that that's something that we take into our next journey, I feel even more pressure to really work on this mindset because I want to evolve, I want it to be better in my next life. I feel like I have this responsibility. So that adds a little extra little oomph to really taking advantage.
Speaker A
Motivation.
Speaker B
Motivation. Yeah, to like improve. Improving your mindset in this life and really focusing on that, it's not just.
Speaker A
Developing a healthy mindset for your next life, you know, that is something either you believe or you don't believe. That is a concept, a theory. But how about developing a healthier, better mindset for this moment? Of course, developing a healthier, better mindset for the next moment just to have a better life. Better, more productive better life. That's right. Right now. Today. Right now. So to develop a healthy, productive mindset and relationship with ourselves, we need to develop healthy, productive boundaries with ourselves. What does it mean to have healthy boundaries with ourselves and create a healthy mindset? Most of the Bhagavad Gita is. Is Lord Krishna talking about this crucial topic? And today we're going to discuss a selection of important verses in which Lord Krishna teaches us how to develop a healthy mindset by implementing healthy boundaries with ourselves.
Speaker B
What I'm curious about is what does that really mean? You know, you made a really great point about starting now, making this change today in terms of defining better boundaries for ourselves and improving our mindset. But you know, what does that look like in terms of my own personal behavior? What does that look like in terms of me establishing more self control in my actions, in the way that I conduct my myself and in terms of the ways that I want to change, what does a boundary with myself actually look like and how does the Gita define it?
Speaker A
That's a great question, Shaila. We are going to discuss exactly that today with various verses from the Bhagavad Gita. But there's a word for that, and we've talked about this in previous episodes in this season. There's a very beautiful Sanskrit Sanskrit word, mariada, which literally translated means boundary. But it's so much more as many Sanskrit words are. It's not just a word, it's a concept. So the concept of maryada means boundary, but it also means propriety of conduct, restraint, decorum, dignity, decency, orderliness, and having a respectful demeanor. In all the episodes in season six about boundaries, we've talked about having that kind of behavior with others and indicating to others with verbal and non verbal cues that they need to display those sorts of boundaries and that sort of behavior with us. However, today we are talking about having mariada, having propriety of conduct, restraint, decorum, dignity, decency, orderliness and a respectful demeanor with ourselves. And what that means and how do I get there? That's exactly what we're going to talk about today. How do I have mariada? How do I implement that in my own being?
Speaker B
Well, first of all, it's amazing that there's so many concepts crammed into this one really lovely tiny word. You know, we talk in all of our episodes about how you really are mostly responsible for your own actions. That is always what is within your own control and how so many external forces are not within your control. And so I really like this idea of focusing inward because when you set boundaries for yourself and how you want to conduct your actions and in your mindset, you're also reflecting back to the world how you want to be treated and what are your own priorities, showing them what your boundaries are by having established them with yourself.
Speaker A
Correct, Correct. It starts with you.
Speaker B
That's right. That's right. 100%. It starts with you. You have to show restraint. You can't ask people to behave towards you in one way if you're not even reflecting that behavior for yourself. If you show no restraint in anger or frustration, for example, and you're constantly lashing out, you certainly cannot expect that person to respect you, your boundaries, or tell them that I have this boundary. You can't speak to me that way when you yourself are reflecting that poor behavior. So I really like this idea of working on yourself and then hopefully from that your boundaries will be better defined for others to follow too.
Speaker A
Well said, Shaila. You talk about control. What is in your control and what is not in your control. The first topic we're going to talk about from the Bhagavad Gita is about this exact word, control. What boundaries should I have in place so that my actions and my reactions are within my control? Right. In chapter six, verse 16 and 17, Lord Krishna says that first and foremost, self care of your body is essential. This is your Responsibility and your responsibility alone. He says, skillful action, as you said, Shaila, control, having control, that let me act skillfully. Lord Krishna says skillful behavior is not for the person who eats too much, nor for him who does not eat at all. It is not for any human who sleeps too much, nor for any human who always keeps awake. For the person who is regulated in diet and recreation, moderate in action, who is disciplined in sleeping and waking, gets rid of all sorrow. So what he's saying is moderation, balance, self care of the body leads to skillful thinking and skillful actions. I always tell my kids, being hangry or tangry is a no, no.
Speaker B
Yes.
Speaker A
We all know what hangry means. Tangry is being tired and angry, like, go take a nap, you know, it's not my problem. I cannot fix you being hangry and tangry. Go get a snack, go take a nap. Lord Krishna says, when you do not have balance in eating, in sleeping, in exercising, in working, he says that even prayer must be done in moderation because excessive adherence to anything leads to fanaticism. He says that healthy habits, healthy boundaries, get rid of all sorrow. Your mood is your responsibility. If you're going to not have healthy boundaries with yourself, okay, I'm gonna now go to sleep, and when the alarm goes off, I'm gonna have two snoozes and then I'm up. He says, then skillful action is not in your reach.
Speaker B
Krishna was the OG influencer. I mean, like, like what's so amazing about this, honestly, in all seriousness, is that there's a million books on self care and self regulation, and there's a million influencers that are talking about the mind, body, spirit, connection. And we have sort of a loose understanding of how those all fit together and how critical all those pieces are. And if one is out of whack, the other two are also out of whack. But this book really defines that. We think about this Gita as being like a spirit spiritual text. And it is. But essential to this is this premise about the fact that you cannot achieve spiritual health and you can't have mental health unless you have physical health. And so I really love this idea of first controlling what we put into our body and how we exercise and how we work, because those are tangible things that all of us can access the tools to do that. There's plenty of books and things on how to eat healthy and how to exercise, and many of us have access to those tools. But we're also now just getting divine permission to do those things. We always Think it's more important for me to take care of all these other things in my world. But no, it's critical that you take care of your body in order to be able to be the best person person not only for yourself, but to others. And to do your dharma, you really have to take care of yourself. And the first part of that is taking care of yourself physically.
Speaker A
Yep, it's quite simple. Four concepts here. Lord Krishna says, be regulated and balanced in sleeping. Be regulated and balanced in eating. Be regulated and balanced in your recreation. Enjoyment is very important. Within moderation. Be regulated and balanced in work is very important. Those four aspects of your life, have them all in balance. And of course it's going to ebb and flow. There's a concept in yogic philosophy that humans are like birds. If you ever see a bird flying, sometimes it's flapping like crazy, right? Sometimes it's got a flap to get up in the air. And then sometimes it just glides. So life is like that.
Speaker B
Lovely analogy.
Speaker A
Life is like that. Sometimes you're going to be working harder and sleeping less than others. But you have to also have those times of gliding. It's all about balance.
Speaker B
Work towards that. Put into your life systems that allow you to do all those four things. Sleep better, eat better, enjoy time with friends and family or a hobby, and balance your work. Whether you work outside the home or inside the home, however you do that, keep that in balance as well. Don't let that take over your life. I love that.
Speaker A
It's a great concept. And you think it's very new, right? We always talk about work, life, balance. Work, life, balance. This is 5,000 years old, so it's really nice.
Speaker B
That's what's so amazing. That's what I'm saying this. He's like the OG influencer.
Speaker A
Great way to put it. Okay, so the first topic from the Bhagavad Gita. How do I have skillful action? How do I have healthy boundaries with myself? Is taking care of my physical body, having balance in all four aspects of my life. Sleep, eat, recreation, work. Okay, second topic, chapter two, verse 55. Really important. Lord Krishna says, identify and renounce all cravings of the mind. Now what does that mean? He says, identify your harmful tendencies. Cravings. When you like something, when you want something, when you work towards something, that's fine, that's healthy. But when it becomes a craving, then that overtakes your mind and we all have harmful tendencies and cravings. He says, identify them and renounce them. Work on resolving them. This Takes time. This takes patience. This takes self compassion. Lord Krishna always says that progress comes little by little with practice and dispassion. There's a Cherokee parable of a grandparent telling a grandchild the story that there's always two wolves in our body fighting, and they're constantly, throughout our lives fighting and battling against each other. One is a wolf with productive, conscious, healthy tendencies, and one is the wolf with destructive, unhealthy tendencies. It's a constant battle in our bodies and in our minds. The grandchild asked the grandparent, but which wolf wins? At the end of the battle, one wolf has to win. And the grandparent says, it's the wolf you feed.
Speaker B
Oh, wow.
Speaker A
So you have to feed the good, healthy, optimal tendencies and you have to starve the unhealthy, harmful cravings of your mind. I'll give you an example of what is a harmful tendency or a harmful craving. I went to this great lecture by Swami Gaurangadas, who's talking about YouTube influences. He's got millions of followers and hundreds of thousands of views. Swami Gaurangadas, he's part of the Bhakti center iskcon. And at this lecture I went to, he said there are three diseases of the mind. Comparing, criticizing, and complaining. These are the kinds of things that are harmful cravings of the mind. Let's talk about comparing, criticizing and complaining.
Speaker B
And I think we all do a little bit of maybe each of those, maybe a little bit more. Like, as soon as you said that, I was like, wow, I certainly do all of them. And I know people who are big complainers and who are overly critical and how those people make you feel and the kind of energy they have around them. So I think this is in terms of like stealing joy or feeding negative tendencies. Those are so well articulated. Those are three big ones. Yes.
Speaker A
If you're feeling that energy around them, Shayla, when you walk away and that energy dissipates, right. Imagine them, they can't walk away from themselves. So they are living and emanating and creating that energy. That's not an easy way to live. It's very hard for themselves and for everybody else. These are the kind of cravings of the mind because the mind wants to compare, right? We look on insta crap and snap crap and face crap, as I call them, and all we do is compare. Because everyone's. My mother's now 88. When Facebook came out, let's say 10 years ago, she got one of her grandkids to put Facebook on her iPad. She was like, I want to go on Facebook. Everyone's on Facebook. Grandson said, okay, here's Facebook. And after two weeks, she said, okay, you can cancel my account. My nephew, good for her.
Speaker B
Yeah.
Speaker A
He goes, grandma, why cancel your account? What do you mean? I thought you loved Facebook. She goes, no, I understood. What's happening on Facebook. There's only one thing that everyone is saying on Facebook over and over, and I find it boring, but I got the gist. And my nephew, he said to her, grandma, what is everyone saying on Facebook? She says, they're all there saying one thing to each other over and over and over. They're saying, I can do this. Can you? She said, what a waste of time.
Speaker B
I can go to this cool party. Can you? I can go on these great vacations. Can you? It's true. Social media is everybody is highlight reel, right? Like, you rarely see people posting about their really low days or difficult times or challenges. And so we have this false idea that everybody else is living this amazing, fabulous life and I somehow am being left behind. And.
Speaker A
And you're not.
Speaker B
You're not.
Speaker A
You're not.
Speaker B
You're not.
Speaker A
Yeah.
Speaker B
And you're comparing yourself. It is. It's so true. You're constantly comparing yourself to these people who have, you know, this purse or this clothing or go on this vacations or these friends. And they all have this life that you wish you did. That life is an illusion. That life doesn't exist for them. And it can't exist for you either.
Speaker A
Because it doesn't exist, period, for anyone.
Speaker B
It's a figment of everybody's imagination.
Speaker A
In Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, it says that comparison is actually a violence.
Speaker B
Oh, wow.
Speaker A
And the Gita also says this. With a mind focus on your duty and your duty alone. The duty of another is fraught with fear and sin. So the Yoga Sutras is a continuation of that concept. The Yoga Sutras say comparison is a violence. Why? When you compare yourself to somebody else, there's only two outcomes. Number one, either you, in your mind, in your fantasy, come out feeling better than them. You have deemed yourself to be better than them, right? Which is a violence against them. Right? Or you deem them to be better than you and you are less than them, which is a violence against yourself.
Speaker B
See, I think most of us would denounce violence, right? But we wouldn't define this as violence, but really reframing it that way in terms of the harm it's capable of doing, that this comparison is saying it is a violence. It is an act that causes a lot of harm to somebody else and to yourself. When you think about it as a violent act. I mean, when you said that, I was a little taken aback by that comparison. But it makes a lot of sense and it actually makes you really realize the energy you're putting out there. To your point, when you think that you're better than somebody else, and when you also think that you're less than.
Speaker A
You used the perfect word, Shaila, it's actually harm, harm. You're harming either yourself or harming others by the comparison. I love what Swami Gauranga Das said. There are three diseases of the mind we've talked about comparing. You're putting out so much harm either to yourself or to others. The second one, he says, is criticizing, judgment, judging others, judge, judge. It's exhausting. How much time do we waste on criticizing and judging others that could be spent on elevating ourselves? So I don't know if any of you read the Secret when it came out many years ago, but Rhonda Byrne wrote an amazing book in 2006. It was a small book that I read, I'm sure a lot of people read called the Secret. And one thing that stayed with me is whatever radio station your mind is tuned to, that's what you're going to hear. So if you're constantly criticizing and judging others, and you're radio station is tuned to that, what are you going to hear? The more you criticize and judge others, the more you'll hear and be in tune to the judgments and criticisms of others.
Speaker B
I didn't read the book, but now I'll put it on my list of books to read. But I imagine that if you're constantly hearing criticisms, you will also then feel critical of yourself and critical of others. It just kind of is a cycle that feeds itself. I mean, we all know how it feels when people are critical of us. We all have a friend, we all have. Some of us may have a parent or a sibling or family member or somebody we work with who is very, very critical of us. And we feel judged lots and lots of relatives. It doesn't actually inspire you to improve yourself. It doesn't inspire you to be better. It just makes you feel kind of anxious being around them. It makes you feel bad about yourself. It makes you question your decisions and makes you question who you are, and it doesn't motivate you to be better.
Speaker A
No, it just inspires shame and anxiety in you.
Speaker B
Absolutely.
Speaker A
That's all it does. And resentment and anger.
Speaker B
Yes, that's all it does.
Speaker A
And I've tried this experiment with my bal vihar students, with my teen students. Shaila, before you and I started teaching together, it was an experiment that let's try for one week not to judge or criticize anyone. Just let's try for one week.
Speaker B
Very difficult. The hardest homework they had, and can.
Speaker A
I tell you, they all loved it. They said that even if they practiced a little, they were so free to, and they had more time and more energy. I said to them, okay, you had more freedom, more time, more energy to focus on yourself and your tasks. Great. And did you feel judged? Did you feel criticized? They were all like, huh, not really. Because we weren't thinking that way. Isn't that so interesting?
Speaker B
It's true. It is very interesting. And I think in terms of homework, like, you start with one of these things, either compare or criticize. But if you're starting with criticize, just sort of check yourself when somebody says something. If in your mind you're like, oh, wow, I can't believe they did this, just try to just stop yourself and say, that's their choice. I'm going to make my own decision or I'm going to make my own choices. And I'm telling myself this as well because it's so easy to judge others. And it does come from a place of not necessarily being said, satisfied with your own choices or the way you do things. Right. Like, if you felt confident, maybe you wouldn't be judging others. Or somehow you think that the way you do things is better than everybody else's without realizing the context that other people where their actions come from. And so just cut that out because you don't want people making judgments of you. We know how that feels, so don't do it. Other people.
Speaker A
Shaila, you say an interesting point, that judgment comes from thinking that you know what anyone else is going through and what they're capable of.
Speaker B
Yes, absolutely.
Speaker A
But you don't. You don't, you don't. Judgment comes from the ego.
Speaker B
It does, yeah.
Speaker A
Judgment comes from the ego, from thinking, I know better, I know best, I know everything. I'm the greatest. And therefore for me to be the greatest, everybody else must be lesser than that is again, a craving of the mind. We are all equal and quite frankly, nobody, nobody knows the journey of another. It's impossible.
Speaker B
This is very true, and I think about this quite a lot right now because irrelevant of where you are in the political spectrum. I think we can all acknowledge that we're in an incredibly divisive place right now. And I will speak for myself and say that I make a lot of judgments and are very critical of people who have beliefs that are different from my own. But with those criticisms really lead to. And then not listening has really led to is just more divisiveness and less of ability to make any kind of positive change. It's serving nobody. It makes me angry at other people. Like I'm just filled with anger and frustration. How can people behave this way instead of like actually spending time to think about why people are behaving the way they are acting, the way they are making the choice they are and trying to understand that so that we can enact some kind of change. There's no benefit to my being critical or judgy or angry as much as that is sort of like a default reaction. And I think it's happening so much all around us. And I see that it leads to complete inaction. All it does is lead to finger pointing. That's it. There's nothing productive.
Speaker A
I agree with you. There's nothing productive that comes from judging other people and shutting down. I think if we could all just listen and figure out a way to move forward that suits everyone. Because there's never one path. There's always a myriad of paths. And by listening we learn. But by judging and shutting down, we're only feeding our own ego. That's all that's happening a million percent.
Speaker B
And it's really easy to judge honestly, like I think about it myself. It's far more difficult to actually listen to somebody else.
Speaker A
Yeah, it's the easy way out. Let's just judge, shut you down. But how about listening?
Speaker B
That's right.
Speaker A
Listening, learning and evolving together and figuring it out together. Two different approaches. One is a productive, healthy way to move forward and one is a craving of the mind. I'm going to feed my ego by judging you and shutting you down. So this is what Lord Krishna is talking about. Identify and renounce all cravings of the mind. Criticizing and judgment is a craving of the mind. I crave to be right. I crave to feed. My ego doesn't help anyone. The next problem Swami Gauranga Das talks about is complaining. I am an expert, the world's greatest complainer.
Speaker B
It's so fun, especially when you get together with people and you all complain about things. It is an addiction. It is a craving. It is a temptation.
Speaker A
It's a craving of the mind. Ruminating, self pity, perseveration, complaining, complaining about my life, my journey, people around me, what people have done perseverating on that. Okay, this does not serve you. It is definitely a craving of the mind. I know from my experience. It depletes my energy and it ruins my peace and it ruins the peace for everyone around me.
Speaker B
Yes.
Speaker A
Lord Krishna says in chapter 2, verses 31 and 32, reframe your challenges as opportunities to grow and evolve and view it as an open door to heaven. So what that means is not like, I'm Jesus Christ, I'm going to be on the crucifix and it's my door to salvation. No, that is not what Lord Krishna is talking about here. He's saying your challenges are actually opportunities to evolve and grow and elevate yourself higher. Elevate yourself towards being more godlike. That's what your challenges are there for. There is a Buddhist concept that our suffering, our challenges, are actually our greatest teachers. So rather than fighting, perseverating, being angry at our challenges, or the people who challenge us, the people we have judged as being our oppressors. Rather than that, the Buddhist belief is that we should bow to our suffering, of course, metaphorically, internally bow in gratitude to our suffering and accept our suffering as an inevitable part of life, an open door to heaven, an opportunity to grow and evolve. Having that mindset shift is how we stop complaining. The Buddhist concept of bowing to our suffering is similar to the Hindu concept that we grow through our suffering. In Hinduism, the lotus flower is a very important analogy. The lotus flower is an incredibly beautiful flower, but it only grows in dirty bracken water. It incubates in the water, and when it's strong enough, once it's pushed through the mud of the water, and then once it's risen above, it blooms. So similar concept that we need our suffering to grow and bloom and evolve. Similar to that is the Buddhist concept that we should be grateful to the situations and the people who have caused those situations in which we have suffered, because through that suffering, we. We have grown and evolved higher. Does that make sense?
Speaker B
Absolutely. Those of us of a certain age who have had many life experiences can really reflect on what you're saying and say that we have many examples in our life that are true to exactly what you said, that we have gone through something really difficult. And while at the time it was challenging and hard and maybe really deeply sad and every other negative feeling that you grew from it, at the end you were stronger, you were better able to handle difficult situations. You were able to see when a bad situation was coming. You built your resilience, you built your tolerance. There's all kinds of Benefits. I mean, it. It seems sort of crazy to think that you should bow to the person causing you suffering. But the concept, and it's a true one, is that you're bowing to the experience that that difficult situation is teaching you, being grateful for it, which is such a crazy thing to think, like going through a difficult situation. If we all looked at this situation with a feeling of gratitude instead of just how horrible it is, it would bring so much change to the way we address that issue and experience that issue.
Speaker A
Very tough, very tough to do. There's so much more peace and resilience that comes with acceptance and gratitude. As you said, Shaila. There's another concept in Hinduism called ishvara pranidhana. Pranidhana means surrender. Very similar to this Buddhist concept of bowing surrender to the moment rather than fighting against the fabric of reality. Accept and surrender to what is so that you can learn from it.
Speaker B
This really resonates because sometimes you find yourself in a situation that you just can't change. I mean, there's no other way to say it except for it is what it is. You know, there's some situations you can't. And the more you try to fight it, I don't know, you feel a lot more desperation to change that situation instead of just accepting it and figuring out, like, how am I going to get through this? Because you just have to go through.
Speaker A
It, you know, I needed to hear that today because I've been fighting with a certain situation that I find myself in. I've been just railing against the situation I find myself in and the people who have put me in this situation. But actually, if I accepted it and instead focused on the positive things in the situation and have gratitude, I think I'd be able to forgive the situation, forgive other people, and forgive myself and move on with much more ease.
Speaker B
Yeah, I think that's true. Another example is, you know, we've all dealt with loss and the loss of someone we care about, and those are all excruciating situations. But there's no way around it, right? You just have to go through it and figure out how to deal with that new reality. There's no fighting. And so that's what this really reminds me of, too, that just kind of surrendering to that moment and saying, I'm just going to learn how to accept. I'm going to learn how to reflect on good times or have gratitude for the journey I took with somebody or whatever it is. But. But just to kind of sit with that feeling of being uncomfortable for that particular scenario.
Speaker A
The whole of chapter one of the Gita is called the Yoga of the Despondency of Arjuna. Yoga means union, union with your higher self, union with the divinity within. And chapter one of the Bhagavad Gita describes in detail the grief and sorrow and despair Arjuna goes through and is going through as the battle is about to begin. Because he is experiencing the grief and sorrow and despair of the loss of what he has to do right now. He has to go into battle, wage war, and kill the people who raised.
Speaker B
Him, taught him, he trusted.
Speaker A
Right. But who have now betrayed him and gone over to the dark side and his absolute despair and despondency. But through that. Again, I'll repeat the title, the Yoga of Despondency of Arjun. Through that, he's turning to God, to Krishna, to guide him on how to handle this. He's turning to skillful action. That's a similar concept, that even through our grief, our despair, our suffering, our despondency. Okay, how do I deal with this? How do I deal with this in the best way I can? It's a crappy situation.
Speaker B
That's right. But you have to go through it. And that's what Christian tells Arjun in that situation. Right. You have to fight this war. It's a righteous war. You have to do it. And you are going to feel the despair, you're going to feel that grief.
Speaker A
But you have to go through it, push through the.
Speaker B
That's right.
Speaker A
The suffering and evolve higher. That's the only way to go.
Speaker B
That's right.
Speaker A
Rather than perseverating, which I'm the queen of, reliving past trauma and bringing it very firmly into the present moment, which doesn't help anyone.
Speaker B
That memory, that movie, is always playing in your mind, though. It's easy to kind of bring it back up again. I know it's all of us, but.
Speaker A
Reframing that as an opportunity to grow and evolve and an open door to heaven, it's just a mindset shift that is beneficial for everybody rather than perseverating on the hardships.
Speaker B
We say this all the time in our podcast. The whole Gita is about your own personal evolution. And if we looked at each moment as an opportunity to move ourselves forward in a direction that represents growth and a shift of our mindset, that work is important.
Speaker A
Yeah, it's just easier to face.
Speaker B
That's right. And leaves you less room to focus on the negative because you're just focusing constantly on, okay, how am I going to use this situation to better myself. And that work is distracting. Quite frankly, when you say that work.
Speaker A
Is distracting, what do you mean?
Speaker B
I mean that work doesn't allow you to focus on the negative. Like if you look at every opportunity as an opportunity for growth, the work that you have to put into making that evolution happen and making that growth happen. For example, in every moment that I had the opportunity to complain, I instead focused on being grateful for what I do have. That work of being grateful keeps me from complaining. Just that new focus on that new reframe.
Speaker A
Yep, got it. We've talked about Swami Gauranga Das theory that there's three diseases of the mind, comparing, criticizing and complaining. And we've talked about drawing healthy boundaries with ourselves that redirect us, protect us from comparing, criticizing and complaining. This is part of developing a more healthy mindset and a more healthy relationship with ourselves. The next thing Lord Krishna talks about in the Bhagavad Gita is a stable mind. Cultivating a stable mind is a very important boundary to have with yourself. In chapter two, verses 55 and 56, he talks about the importance of being steady and having equanimity. He says there is neither wisdom nor understanding nor spiritual growth for the unsteady. Without this, there can be no peace. And without peace, how can there be happiness? So what he's talking about is the tendency we all have, especially me, to overreact. That overreaction, that unsteadiness destroys your peace and the peace of everyone around you and is destroying your happiness. In chapter two, verses 49 and 50, Lord Krishna says equanimity leads to intelligent and skillful action. Without equanimity, without calm, without rational thought, you are just making everything more difficult for yourself and the people around you. Just try and keep it together, people. That's, that's pretty much what he's saying. He's like, try and keep it together, hold yourself together.
Speaker B
And I think all of us have experienced those big shifts in emotion. That's probably the nicest way to say it. These big swings. You get very excited about something and then the next day you're very depressed about something else. And these like really highs and these really lows keep you from being clear headed. And are we saying don't ever experience those big highs and don't ever experience joy and happiness? Of course not. That's not what we're saying.
Speaker A
Experience the highs, that's great. Experience the lows, but don't lose yourself in those highs and lows. Right?
Speaker B
And I think we all do this. Like we experience these incredible Highs, we go to a celebration or things are really working out great at work or in your home life and your experience is really great high. But the next day you experience some profound disappointment and you feel really low. And the idea here is, first of all, no moment ever lasts forever. And I think that's, for me, the key to the concept of equanimity is that experience that happiness and let it go. Because the next moment can be sad, but also let that go because that's not forever either. So just experience things, be in that moment, and then forget about it because you're not sure what the next moment will bring. And so you just experience it and let it go. And it's a lot easier to do that when your highs aren't really high and your lows aren't really low. So when you're in that really happy, great mood, just feel that happiness, feel that joy without any expectation of what that next moment is going to be and experience that low also. You'll feel sad. But just don't assume that the next moment is going to be sad and the moment after that will be sad. Experience it, let it go. And just kind of try to treat every moment equally. Whether it's high or low or whatever it is, you just going to experience it and you're going to move past it.
Speaker A
Beautifully said, Shaila. Lord Krishna also says in the Gita that life is full of dualities. Life is full of highs and lows.
Speaker B
Absolutely.
Speaker A
This is what life is on this planet. So by constantly being tormented by the shifts in highs and lows of life and constantly being shocked when things maybe don't go your way.
Speaker B
Right.
Speaker A
You're actually setting yourself up for massive disappointment and a roller coaster. And you're not doing anything to help your resilience or your skillful action. This is the way life is on this planet. It's full of dualities.
Speaker B
That's right. And you can't manage the outcomes. You just have to be able to manage your expectations around everything, like you've done your best. This is, you know, this is our favorite saying, do your best, leave the rest. But it's really true. Like you've done your best and you just have to say, whatever comes will come. I put everything I can into it and that's it. Because if you're expecting it to go a certain way and it doesn't, there's your disappointment. If you're expecting it to go a certain way and it does, then maybe you experience that happiness and you expect that every time after that it's going to go your way. That's not going to happen either. So experience it and then just say, okay, that was great. Now what can I do next to keep evolving and moving forward in my growth?
Speaker A
Yeah, exactly. A big part of equanimity, staying calm and not overreacting is emotional self regulation. I don't think people give enough importance to, to emotional self regulation. It's really important that you have techniques in place so that you can stay calm, you can practice equanimity, and through that equanimity you can have skillful action in chapter two, verse 58. We've talked about this throughout this series on boundaries. Lord Krishna says one should be like a tortoise with a hard shell, strong protective boundary that you can retreat into. And oftentimes that boundary needs to be drawn to protect yourself from your big emotions. We need to have emotional self regulation techniques in place to prevent us from that emotional overwhelm. That and even if we are in that emotional overwhelm, techniques to gather our calm, emotionally self regulate and then come out of our shell with equanimity clarity. That's a big part of what Lord Krishna is talking about when he uses the tortoise analogy, that you have to have a protective shell. Sometimes it's from our own big emotions.
Speaker B
Yeah, I like the tortoiseshell analogy because you're talking about protecting yourself, but I think it's to also protect the other people around you. Right. From you in some ways, which I think is beneficial for your relationships. We've been talking this whole time about how it's important to set boundaries to protect your relationship. But setting these boundaries for yourself is, is an important part of that too. It's not just making sure that other people are aware of your boundaries. It's also making sure that you behave in a way that is appropriate and protective of not only yourself, but your relationship with others.
Speaker A
That's a great point, Shayla. It's okay to have big emotions. We all have big emotions.
Speaker B
Yes.
Speaker A
The problem is when we act on that and oftentimes our big emotions are temporary. Right. They pass. And when we act from that place under the influence of our big emotions, it's usually pretty destructive. At least from my experience. Whether it's anger, frustration, disappointment and all the other big emotions we have, it's really important to self regulate and then think clearly and then act.
Speaker B
Yes. My mind is filled with memories of deep regret when I've said things in a moment of anger or frustration and it makes me feel badly. It certainly Makes the other person not feel great. I haven't communicated anything properly. I mean, there's just nothing really positive that ever comes from it except me saying, oh, my God, I will never do that again. But of course, unless you have these tools and unless you have this, these boundaries to kind of stop and think and say, you know, let me just give myself a minute, I mean, center myself. Let me do some self soothing techniques and whatever that looks like for you before I enter into this conversation again.
Speaker A
Exactly. You can, whatever it is, count to 10, take five deep breaths. I personally have an angry playlist that I go into my bedroom, crank up the music.
Speaker B
Great idea.
Speaker A
And hear all these songs. And then by the end of the playlist, I do have some great self soothing songs. So I kind of dance out my frustration and it brings me to a place of gratitude. Whatever it is that is your shell that you need to retreat into. It's very important to have that boundary, have that protection in place. And Shirley, you said something very interesting, that you hurt other people. That emotional overwhelm, those big emotions, if allowed to continue unchecked, they hurt yourself. Your heart rate spikes. Cortisol gets dumped into your bloodstream. Stress. We all know stress exacerbates every health condition there is.
Speaker B
Not to mention the emotional hangover you have after.
Speaker A
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Speaker B
That regret, that frustration at yourself that you have afterwards. After that kind of, as you said, all those like hormonal spikes. And then even coming down after it, you never feel great. And that lasts a long time. So you are hurting yourself. You're hurting yourself physically and emotionally 100%.
Speaker A
That's also very stressful. That's not great for your health either.
Speaker B
Plan ahead. As we mentioned, everybody has big feelings. But in a moment of calm, think about what those tools and tricks you'll use when you're in that moment will be. Is it your angry Spotify playlist? Maybe Sharmila will share hers. Is it counting 10? Is it taking a walk around the block? Is it dancing? Is it taking a nap? Whatever it is, think about what it is. Have a couple of tools in your belt so that you're ready. Be prepared.
Speaker A
Another important aspect to equanimity is a lot of times when we are experiencing a really great period in our life or a really great situation in our life, our ego takes over and we feel entitled or we feel, oh, I'm better than somebody else, I can act out on you because who are you? Look at my life and look at your life.
Speaker B
Look at how great things are going of Me right now. Oh, poor you. Yeah.
Speaker A
Or, you know, even worse than poor you. It's more like, I deserve this. Yeah, I deserve this. And clearly you don't. Therefore I'm better than you.
Speaker B
That's right.
Speaker A
No, that's not the way life works. So don't lose your mind basically saying, don't lose your skillful actions. Don't lose your equanimity in the highs and similarly in the lows. We're not going to act out because I'm going through such a bad, crappy situation. I can act out. A lot of us do that. Right. Like we feel.
Speaker B
Take it out on you.
Speaker A
Yeah, I'm going to take it out on you. You're losing again your equanimity and your ability to act skillfully. So that's another part of what Lord Krishna is talking about here. And equanimity is hold on to your grace, your dignity, your mariadha, your boundaries with others, your boundaries with yourself. Act with equanimity.
Speaker B
Think of yourself as just this little babbling brook that you're just kind of moving along with. Little gentle little bumps along the way, a tiny little wave and then a tiny little dip. And that's just a little babbling creek.
Speaker A
I like that. That's a great analogy. Another big skill Lord Krishna talks about to achieve stability of mind and equanimity. In chapter 2, verse 55, Lord Krishna gives us two mindset shifts which create healthy boundaries with ourselves and a much more beneficial mindset. Number one, renounce all cravings of the mind, which we talked about earlier in this episode. And number two, when a human is satisfied in the self by the self, then that person is called stable of mind. What he's talking about here is internal validation leads to stability of mind. Chasing external validation from people or from material gratification leads to instability of mind, which is a very modern concept. Right. This idea of self validation. I mean, I was raised that validation doesn't come from you. What do you mean? Self validation? Validation comes from the approval of my parents, my in laws, my husband, everyone. But God forbid I approve of myself and I'm happy with myself. But Lord Krishna saying, when a human is satisfied in the self by the self, when you validate yourself, when you're satisfied and grateful for yourself and your performance and your actions, then you have stability of mind. And chasing external validation leads to instability.
Speaker B
Absolutely. I mean, listen, if you asked five of your friends or family members, five people who are close to you, their opinion on what you should do or an action you should Take, you're going to get five different responses, right? I mean, if you're searching for external validation, you'll never get it because everybody's opinion of you and what you should do and how you should handle a situation is going to be different. And so if you're chasing it, you'll never be satisfied. You have to find, like you're saying, that internal contentment that I have made the best decision with the information that I have, with the skills that I have. And frankly, you're the only person qualified to make that decision. You know your full context better than anybody else. And so you're the only person who can judge the decisions that you make that I think leads to true contentment. Now, this is very difficult because we have been told our whole lives, for the most part, that you get validation from the opinions of other people, be it teachers or your parents or your family, your friend, your supervisors. All of those opinions are supposed to be more important than your own. And. And it's hard to cut out that noise. But I think if you don't, then you're always chasing that validation instead of actually having true contentment.
Speaker A
From my experience, I can tell you I've spent so much time in my life chasing validation and trying to do everything according to the way other people told me I should do it, my duty. I actually did it suboptimally because as you said, Shaila, only I knew my context.
Speaker B
That's right.
Speaker A
Yet other people told me how I should be doing things. And guess what? They kind of, I can't say misguided me, but it wasn't optimal for me. It just wasn't.
Speaker B
I agree with you. I mean, that doesn't mean that you shouldn't take advice from people, of course. Sure, take advice from people, ask for people's opinions. That's all part of growth too. Like listening to people who have wisdom, listening to people have gone to a certain situation, reading whatever information gathering you need to do to make the best decision. But once you make it, that's your own, based on your own context, your own skills, your own abilities, your own environment that you're in. And you have to feel good about that decision.
Speaker A
I'll give you an example. My family is massive. And I spent so much time trying to please them and get that pat on the back. So much time trying to fulfill family obligations, which we all have, right? And so much time trying to make them happy with what I was doing and get that validation that I have to say I had less patience with my own Children because I was so desperate for everybody else's validation. I mean, I got married two weeks after I turned 20. So I was very young and I was so like, they have to approve of me. They have to approve of me when I actually should have just been focusing on fulfilling my own duty, whether they approved or not. I approved of myself, but I didn't have the skills. I didn't have that self validation, even that concept, even the language to think I approve of myself. And that's good enough.
Speaker B
Well, you had also been told that those people's opinion matter more than yours. That's the voice in your head. And it's not just you, Sharmila. I mean, I can for sure say that's my situation and that's many other people's situation. That the voice that you have to make other people happy around you before you make yourself happy or even if you don't make yourself happy. It's other people's happiness. And their. Their approval, Their approval, not their happiness, their approval. Their approval of you is more important.
Speaker A
And I have a lot of regret about that. But I also have to move forward. Right? But yeah, I. I wish I had known this concept of being satisfied in the self by the self. I think it would have led to a lot more inner strength and resilience for myself and I would have had a lot more time and energy to put where it belonged in fulfilling my duties rather than getting that approval, which honestly, they didn't give anyway.
Speaker B
Or the goal post changed. Right?
Speaker A
Yeah.
Speaker B
Like once you thought maybe you did something that got their approval, then they would move that goal again. It's just. It.
Speaker A
It's human nature.
Speaker B
It's human nature and it's absolute human nature. People are fickle and. And if you base your decisions on what other people want you to do, you just won't find contentment in your own decision making or confidence in your own decision making.
Speaker A
Exactly. So I love this. I'm going to repeat it. When a person is satisfied in the self by the self, then that person is called stable of mind. It's also other great practices. Not only self validation, but gratitude and contentment are a huge part of being satisfied in the self by the self. And these practices, these boundaries to have between your thoughts and the thoughts of others is very important. Okay, so now we have a listener question. Shaila, when I told you this question, when it came in from a listener, you were like, wow, we need to dedicate a whole episode to this. So let's see if we can get through this question in this episode, because it's a great one.
Speaker B
Oh, yes. This is going to speak to a lot of people, I think.
Speaker A
And it's a long question and real question and really very detailed.
Speaker B
That's right, that's right. So this listener said, society and people praise working people for doing it all. And the expectation is that one can do it all. But as a working mother, what you really need is tangible support to manage the load. It's like you're drowning, gasping for air, help. And people are saying, wow, look at you. You're killing it while you're screaming inside. I'm not. Okay. You don't need praise for treading water. What you need is for someone to throw you a life ring. What should I do to combat the pressures and expectations of society and get the support I need? I love this question because I think a lot of people experience this. You get a lot of praise, like we just talked about this external validation for looking like you're balancing it all. And you kind of have to paste a smile on your face and say, yeah, I'm doing great. This is great. When really what would be great is if people maybe supported you and said, hey, what's going on? There's no judgment, but I would be really curious to hear what the Gita says about this. Like, what should you do to combat these problems, pressures of society, and also get the support that you need and that this listener needs and so many of us need.
Speaker A
So what does the Gita say about this? Of course, all the concepts we've discussed thus far in this podcast episode apply to this question. And here are some additional thoughts. First of all, of course, the easy answer is, express your boundaries, Speak the truth. I can't do any more. I'm overwhelmed. I can't do these extra hours at work or I need to cut back on my work schedule. However, how do we have the conviction to speak the truth and reach out for help and draw that boundary when society puts so much pressure on us to barrel through the agitation, barrel through the lack of self care, and carry on doing it all Right, that's the question. In Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, there's the concept of Satya, truth. The truth has so much power. The truth, clarity, accuracy has so much power. And the saying in the yoga sutras is, first follow truth, then the truth will follow you. What this means is that if you speak the truth with accuracy and clarity, then you'll be able to see things much more clearly. So the first thing is by admitting I Can't do this. And speaking to somebody about it, whether it's your partner, whether it's your friends who are also working mothers as you are, and you all have the same situation, first follow truth, speak the truth, and then the truth will follow you. The resources will come. People who speak truth will be attracted to you.
Speaker B
And I think that maybe if you unburdened yourself to someone else and spoke the truth, as we're saying here, it would resonate with other people, because other people around you might be going through the same thing. And it might be a relief. I mean, when I do share, because I really do have these conversations with my friends who are also working outside the home and balancing home life too. And we talk about how stressful it is. And it's helpful, honestly, to be able to share with other people your insecurities. Insecurities and the challenges you're going through and hear it reflected back on their experience and also maybe hear how they're handling things. Or sometimes even just to say it's okay, sometimes you drop the ball in certain things, and I do too, and that's okay. Your kids will be fine, Your work will be fine. Just making pasta is fine for dinner. I mean, just whatever it is that you're doing, it's okay.
Speaker A
Conversely, by buying into and meeting unrealistic expectations, you're continuing the false narrative for yourself and for everyone around you, and the false expectations and the false narrative for your children in the future.
Speaker B
So true.
Speaker A
You're not doing anyone any favors, including your own children.
Speaker B
That's very true. That really resonates a lot. Of course, I'm just speaking of my own personal experience as a mom, but setting that expectation for, you know, my daughter particularly, but even my son, that sometimes you will stumble and fall and it's okay as long as the people around you see that you have good intentions, that you're trying to do the best for them, and that you're making time spent with them meaningful, they'll see that you're doing your best and realize when they get older that they have permission to make mistakes and refigure things out for themselves as well. Stumbling is okay. Getting up, dusting yourself off is what's critical. And I think it's good to set an example of that.
Speaker A
Exactly. Parents are our biggest teachers, in large part. Part not what they tell us or advise us to do, but more importantly than that, in the example we all set in our own lives as parents and how we behave and act in our own lives, that's what our Children are paying far more attention to than the words we say. It's how we live. That's what they're learning from.
Speaker B
That's right. Absolutely.
Speaker A
So, listener, you talk about balancing your work life as a mother. Well, think about the example you're setting for your children. That is huge in your role as a mother. First follow truth, then the truth will follow you. Very, very important. The second thing to think about is one of the biggest pieces of advice Lord Krishna says in the Gita is do your best and leave the rest. But in this state of agitation and overwhelm, like you said, treading water, drowning, are you actually capable of doing your best? Other people's expectations, other people's pressures, other people's validation does not belong to you. What does belong to you is the protection of your own mental and physical state so that you can do your best.
Speaker B
Yes. My hot take is that, you know, people always talk about multitasking, and I'm not sure that anybody does it really well. I think that when you have a lot of things on your plate and you're trying to balance them all, we refer to that sometimes as multitasking. But the truth is that something. One of those things on that plate is not getting the full attention and full focus that it needs. If you can, you can't always, but if you can, you would benefit from just slowing down and just focusing on one thing and doing that to the best of your ability. So for this working mom, maybe that means, like when you're at work, we've been talking about boundaries this whole time. Like, define the boundary of what you're going to do at that time. Time, do it. If it's the hours that you're going to work, work optimally during that time. And then at a certain time where, you know, the guilt maybe starts creeping in and you're wondering why I should be leaving work. I need to be spending more time with my family. Maybe then it's time that you're not going to be focused at work, if that's what you're thinking of at that time. And so maybe it's time use that opportunity to, like, go home a little bit early, spend some quality time with your kids, don't think about work if you don't have to, and focus on your family. Do the best in that arena. Because I think at work sometimes we're still thinking about our family and our kids, and at home we're just thinking about our work. And in those situations, it's really hard to be optimal at either of those things. And I'm really saying that to myself more than anything, it's better if you can stop blurring those lines to the best of your ability, and it's very difficult. And be as focused you can on the task at hand.
Speaker A
That's critical. Be as focused as you can on the task at hand. That's part of doing your best.
Speaker B
Yes.
Speaker A
This concept is do your best and leave the rest. What? It seems to me with this listener, they're not doing their best because they're not leaving the rest. Like I said in my example of parenting my children in this larger extended family structure, I would have done so much better if I had left the rest. Let go of my attachment to societal expectations, let go of my attachment to external validation, and let go of my attachment to everybody else's approval. And in the same way, maybe this listener needs to let go of their attachment to societal expectations as well. Just do your best as skillfully as you can. And that goes hand in hand with letting go of your attachment to external validations and pressures.
Speaker B
Absolutely. Because in this case, she said that she's getting a lot of praise for people perceiving that she's able to, like, do it all, but that's making her miserable. I mean, this. It's what we just talked about, this idea that pleasing other people or getting the approval of other people is often, or at least in this case, to her own detriment. And she is not feeling any sort of internal contentment. In fact, she's feeling quite the opposite. And so exactly what you said, she has to let go of that. Just to let go. Please. Pleasing or seeking other people's approval. And the truth is, she's still balancing a lot. Even when she, like, seeks help, she's still balancing a lot.
Speaker A
Right.
Speaker B
There's still a lot to be proud of there, of course. And I think people might appreciate the fact that she's saying, hey, actually I could use a hand. Can you help me out doing, you know, X, Y, and Z. And I think she'll also find contentment.
Speaker A
The next verse I'd like to talk about to answer this question is in chapter 18, verse 47, Lord Krishna says that your Dharma, your responsibility, your duty is unique to you and your context, your capabilities, your talents, everyone's Dharma is completely unique to them. So what society puts pressure on you to do is based on what? Based on certainly not your capabilities. It's based on what society thinks your capabilities should be. But only you know that. Only you know your context. So if you need support it's your duty to reach out for it because you need support to fulfill your own responsibilities. And there's no shame in that. Absolutely none. In fact, it's your duty to reach out for support because you're drowning.
Speaker B
That's right. And you're given the opportunity for someone else to help you as well, which I think is maybe part of their dharma and good for their karma too. So if you want to think of it that way, that's another positive.
Speaker A
Right. And finally, chapter 17, verse 19. I love this verse. Lord Krishna says, any undertaking done with the object of harming yourself or allowing harm to yourself is toxic. It's tamasic. That is not good for anybody. So if you feel like you're drowning and you're harming your mental and physical well being karmically, that's not okay.
Speaker B
I think this is a really important phrase because I think sort of broadly, but particularly in South Asian culture, you get a lot of praise for being a martyr and causing yourself this kind of harm. You know, this kind of self sacrifice is really. You're kind of revered and worshiped for doing it. And it's got to stop. Honestly, it's right here in this holy book that is. You need to cut it out. That kind of harming yourself is toxic. You should not accept praise for it. You should not praise others for it. And you should be honest about what you can realistically manage. Be honest with yourself first and foremost, and then be honest with the people around you. Set the boundary for yourself and then set the boundary for other people.
Speaker A
Yeah, set the example for other people.
Speaker B
Set the example for other people. This is really a very pervasive concept, this idea of martyrs being put on a pedestal. Stop it.
Speaker A
I like that. Agreed. So that is our final episode in this series on boundaries. We hope you found it helpful. A couple of parting thoughts to leave you with while we take the break before we resume. Gita Girl in the Fall. The first One is chapter 18, verse 18. Lord Krishna says all undertakings are tainted with defects, as fire is tainted by smoke. He's basically saying no undertaking, no situation, and no person is perfect. It's okay to be flawed. In fact, it's human. And I think this is great advice for this listener question as well. You're not perfect. You're not built to be perfect. That's what it means to be human. So stop trying to be perfect. It's okay. Just keep chipping away and practicing to improve your thoughts, speech and actions and improve your mindset. That's all you can do.
Speaker B
That's all you can do.
Speaker A
And boundaries are not fixed walls. They are flexible fences and they are always changing. Being open to discussion, negotiation and curiosity about the thoughts of others. That's how we grow, evolve and learn.
Speaker B
Your homework is to figure out and reflect upon what is stopping you from evolving and focus on challenging changing them. Keep changing. Keep evolving. We will too. We have absolutely enjoyed doing these sessions with you on Boundaries. We've learned so much and hope you have too. Continue to send us your listener questions. As you can see from the last few podcasts, they make it in and we really love to be able to have the opportunity to respond to them. You can reach us@sharmilaethagirl.com if you would like to email us. You can also find us on the social medias at Instagram, at Get the Girl Podcast and also on Facebook Eat the Girl Podcast. Feel free to DM us. Write something in the comments. Continue to listen. Share this podcast with others who you think could benefit from learning about it and be well.
Speaker A
Thank you everyone again for listening.
Speaker B
Thank you.
Speaker A
We wish you happy practicing and we will be practicing alongside with you.
Speaker B
Jai Krishna Sharmila Jai Krishna Shri.