Hindu practices for hard times

Arti is the culmination and conclusion of puja. A lamp, often with five lights for the five elements, is circled before each murti while mantras are chanted and prayers are said.

Watching a flame and moving slowly and with care can gently pull the mind into the present moment. Many people find their breath slows on its own.

After arti, worshippers may receive prasad: a small portion of the offerings, now seen as blessed by the deity. The word is often translated as grace.

Puja is not only giving. It is also receiving. On days when you feel empty, you can come simply to receive.

Krishna says: “If one offers to Me with devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or even water, I delightfully partake of that item offered with love” (Gita 9:26).

A five-minute puja for busy or heavy days

• Light a lamp or incense, if it is safe
• Name one worry and one thing you are grateful for
• Offer a flower, fruit or a little water
• Say a short prayer or mantra
• Sit for a moment of quiet before you get up

Rituals are meant to bring you closer to the Divine. If you feel you must repeat a ritual or prayer many times until it feels “right”, or you are scared something bad will happen if you skip it, that can be a sign of anxiety or OCD. It is not a lack of devotion.

Near the end of the Gita, Krishna says: “Abandon all varieties of dharmas and simply surrender unto Me alone.” He then promises: “I shall liberate you from all sinful reactions; do not fear” (Gita 18:66).

For many devotees, this verse is a great relief. When life feels too heavy, you are invited to hand over your burdens in trust. Surrender here is not giving up on life; it is letting go of the belief that you must carry everything alone.

In Gita 9:22, Krishna says that for those who think of Him and worship Him with devotion, “I provide what they lack and preserve what they already possess.”

Many devotees find this verse comforting when they are worried about money, health or the future. Trust can calm the mind. It can also sit alongside practical steps, like asking for help, making a plan or seeing a counselor.

In Gita 12:13–14, Krishna describes devotees who are dear to Him: “free from malice toward all living beings”, friendly and compassionate, forgiving, and even-minded in pleasure and pain.

Compassion for “all living beings” includes you. Treating yourself with the same patience and forgiveness you would show others is part of a healthy spiritual life.

Many people use a mala, a string of prayer beads, to keep count, moving one bead for each repetition. You do not need beads to begin. Your fingers, or simply your breath, work too.

Try it for 5 minutes

1. Sit comfortably and take two slow breaths.
2. Choose a short mantra or the Divine Name that is meaningful to you.
3. Repeat it slowly, letting the out-breath be long.
4. When your mind wanders, gently come back to the Name (Gita 6:26).
5. End with a moment of thanks.

When anxiety rises, the breath often gets fast and shallow. Matching a short mantra to a slow out-breath gives the mind something steady to hold, and helps the body settle.

In the moment

1. Breathe in through your nose for about four counts.
2. Breathe out slowly for about six counts while silently saying your mantra.
3. Repeat five to ten times.
4. Notice your feet on the floor and one thing you can see.

Singing together, chanting or listening to devotional music can lift the mood and bring a sense of belonging. Slow, rhythmic chanting also slows the breath, which helps the body relax.

Ideas

• Join kirtan or bhajan at your temple or a friend’s home
• Learn one new aarti or bhajan with family
• Play devotional music while cooking or travelling
• Repeat a short mantra when you feel anxious

Krishna says: “To those whose minds are always united with Me in loving devotion, I give the divine knowledge by which they can attain Me” (Gita 10:10). He also says that from Him come “memory, knowledge”, and He is “seated in the hearts of all living beings” (Gita 15:15).

Listening for guidance

• After prayer or japa, sit quietly for a few minutes.
• Notice where you feel peace and where you feel pressure.
• Read one verse and notice what speaks to you.
• Talk it over with a parent, elder, teacher or counselor.

“If you always remember Me, by My grace you shall overcome all obstacles and difficulties” (Gita 18:58).

Many Hindus begin new ventures by praying to Ganesha, remover of obstacles, and this verse carries the same trust. Remembering the Divine does not make hard things disappear, but it can give you courage to keep going.

Krishna reassures Arjuna: “one who engages on the spiritual path does not meet with destruction either in this world or the world to come. My dear friend, one who strives for God-realization is never overcome by evil” (Gita 6:40).

Earlier he says that on this path “there is no loss or adverse result, and even a little effort saves one from great danger” (Gita 2:40). Small steps toward a better future count.

A prayer-and-plan practice

1. Picture one part of your life you hope will be better.
2. Pray for it in your own words, at your shrine or on a walk.
3. Ask for guidance about your part.
4. Write one small step for this week.
5. Offer the result to the Divine, as in Gita 2:47.

You do not need special clothes or a perfect posture. A chair is fine if sitting on the floor is hard. What matters is a body that is upright and still enough for the mind to settle.

Try it for 5 minutes

1. Find a quiet, clean spot. Sit on a cushion or chair.
2. Let your back, neck and head be upright but relaxed.
3. Close your eyes, or rest your gaze gently downward.
4. Choose a focus: a mantra, the Divine Name, or an image of your deity.
5. When your mind wanders, notice it kindly and bring it back (Gita 6:26).
6. End with a moment of thanks.

Gita 5:27 describes the meditator “equalizing the flow of the incoming and outgoing breath in the nostrils”. Breath practices (pranayama) are part of many Hindu and yoga traditions.

Slow, even breathing can help the body shift from “on alert” to “at rest”. For easy, safe breathing exercises, see the Breathing basics guide.

In the Gita, “yoga” means much more than stretching. It means steadiness of mind (2:48), right action, devotion and meditation. Today, many people know yoga through postures (asanas), breathing (pranayama) and meditation.

Research suggests yoga may help reduce stress, improve sleep and support wellbeing, and may help as an add-on for anxiety and depression symptoms. It is generally safe for healthy people when learned with a qualified teacher.

Safety tips

• Start with a gentle class and a trained teacher
• Beginners should skip headstands, shoulder stands, the lotus position and forceful breathing
• Older adults and anyone with joint, back, blood pressure, balance or eye problems should ask their clinical provider and teacher first
• Yoga is not a replacement for seeing a provider about a health problem

According to the U.S. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, studies suggest meditation and mindfulness may help with stress, anxiety, depression and sleep for some people, though the quality of evidence varies.

Meditation is usually low-risk, but a small number of people feel more anxious or low while practicing. Meditation should not be used in place of care from a provider, or as a reason to delay getting help.

When we do not sleep enough, small problems feel huge and emotions run high. Sleeping too much can also leave us heavy and low. The Gita’s idea of “regulated” sleep means a steady, healthy rhythm.

Simple steps

• End the day with a short prayer or a few slow breaths
• Go to bed and get up at about the same time
• If worries keep you awake, write them down and “hand them over” for the night
• Put screens away before bed

Many Hindus fast for festivals or vows (vrat). Fasting can be a meaningful practice. The Gita also reminds us that extremes, too much or too little, do not help the mind (Gita 6:16–17).

Gentle reminders

• Drink water through the day
• Eat regular meals, even on busy days
• If you have health conditions, are pregnant or are a growing teen, check with your clinical provider before strict fasting
• Share meals with family or friends when you can

Krishna praises those who are “balanced in work” (Gita 6:17). Working all the time without rest leads to exhaustion, and doing nothing can leave us low and restless. Balance means both effort and recovery.

Ideas

• Keep one day, or part of a day, for family, worship and rest
• Make time for play and hobbies, which the verse calls “recreation”
• Take short breaks every hour or two

Krishna says: “Amongst purifiers, I am the wind” (Gita 10:31), and “I am the life-force in all beings” (Gita 7:9).

Slow breathing calms the body. Cleveland Clinic suggests breathing in for four seconds and out for six, because a longer out-breath tells your body you are not in danger.

“I am the taste in water” (Gita 7:8). “Amongst reservoirs of water, know Me to be the ocean” (Gita 10:24). “Of flowing rivers, I am the Ganges” (Gita 10:31).

Water is part of daily devotion for many Hindus: bathing before puja, sipping water in achaman, offering water to the sun. Water also calms the body: Cleveland Clinic lists splashing cold water on your face as a simple way to help settle the nervous system, and a review of 35 studies linked time near the sea, lakes and rivers with better mental wellbeing.

Ways to use water to cope

• Make your morning bath a slow, mindful start to the day.
• Offer water to the rising sun and breathe slowly as you pour.
• Sit by a river, lake or the sea and listen.
• When overwhelmed, splash cool water on your face and repeat a short mantra.

Brahma muhurta, the quiet time before sunrise, is traditionally treasured for prayer and meditation, and it is when many birds begin to sing. Research supports the comfort of birdsong: in a study of 1,292 people, moments of seeing or hearing birds were linked with better wellbeing that lasted beyond the moment, including for people with depression.

Ideas

• On a walk, pause and listen for a minute before repeating your mantra.
• Open a window during your morning prayer and let the birds join in.
• Put out water or grain for birds as a small act of seva to creation.

Krishna says He is “Meru amongst the mountains” (Gita 10:23), and “amongst immovable things I am the Himalayas” (Gita 10:25).

Standing before mountains, many people feel small in a good way. Researchers call this the “small self”: in one study, tourists facing the cliffs of Yosemite drew themselves nearly a third smaller than tourists in a busy city, and felt more awe. That feeling can put worries back in proportion.

“If one offers to Me with devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or even water, I delightfully partake of that item offered with love” (Gita 9:26). And: “Amongst trees I am the peepal tree” (Gita 10:26).

You do not need anything expensive to connect with the Divine: a single leaf offered with love is enough. Caring for plants is also good for the mind: a 2017 analysis of 22 studies linked gardening with less depression and anxiety, and more life satisfaction and sense of community.

Ideas

• Care for a tulsi or other plant each morning as part of your puja.
• Grow flowers you can offer at your shrine.
• Help with a temple or community garden as seva.
• Sit under a tree in a park or temple garden and rest.

Most Hindus cremate their dead. Traditionally, the funeral is held quickly, and a few days later the ashes may be collected and placed in the Ganges or another sacred river. Small children and saints are usually buried instead.

Outside India, local rules can mean the funeral takes longer. Many families adapt with care, for example by choosing a river near their new home. Adapting a ritual is not failing the person you love.

Mourning often lasts about thirteen days after the funeral, though the length varies by community. During this time the family traditionally stays away from religious functions such as festivals.

These days can be full of visitors, cooking and ceremonies. For some people, the hardest time comes after, when everyone goes home. It helps to plan for that quieter time too.

Shraddha is a ceremony of offerings for the departed soul. Rice balls (pinda) are offered to God and to the one who has died. The shraddha on the first anniversary of the death is considered especially important.

Anniversaries can bring grief back strongly, even years later. A shraddha, a visit to the temple, or cooking the person’s favourite dish can turn a painful date into a day of loving remembrance.

“The soul is neither born, nor does it ever die; nor having once existed, does it ever cease to be” (Gita 2:20). “As a person sheds worn-out garments and wears new ones, likewise, at the time of death, the soul casts off its worn-out body and enters a new one” (Gita 2:22).

Many Hindus find deep comfort in these verses. But comfort does not cancel grief. Missing someone is a sign of love, and you can believe the soul lives on and still cry for the person you can no longer hold.

Ways to help

• Ask before giving advice about rituals; customs differ between families
• Bring simple meals during the mourning days, if the family welcomes them
• Help with practical tasks like childcare, travel or paperwork
• Keep visiting or calling after the mourning period ends
• Say the person’s name and share a good memory
• Remember the anniversary with a message or a visit

Grief comes in waves, and most people slowly find a way to carry it. Sometimes it stays crushing for a long time, or it is mixed with guilt, anger or questions about faith. That is not weak faith. It is a sign you deserve extra support.

Reach out if you

• Cannot do daily tasks for many weeks
• Feel hopeless or think about not wanting to live
• Feel numb or cut off from everyone
• Are using alcohol or other substances to cope

U.S. crisis lines

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org
• Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741
• Emergency: call 911 if a life is in danger

You can contact these lines for yourself or for someone you are worried about. You do not have to be sure it is an emergency.

Where to start

• A counselor or therapist (it is fine to ask if they understand your culture and faith)
• A pujari, swami, chaplain or trusted elder who can listen and help you find care
• A school counselor, if you are a student
• Your doctor or clinical provider

Find A Helpline (findahelpline.com) is a free directory of checked crisis lines in many countries. You can search by country and by what you need, then call, text or chat.