Sikh practices for hard times

Simran does not need to be long to help. Slow, steady repetition of “Waheguru” naturally slows the breath, which helps the body shift from “on alert” to “at rest”. Over time, it can become a quiet anchor you return to when life gets loud.

Try it for 5 minutes

1. Sit comfortably, with your back upright but relaxed.
2. Take a few slow breaths.
3. Softly repeat “Waheguru”, silently or aloud, in time with your breath.
4. When your mind wanders, gently come back to the Name.
5. End with a moment of thanks.

Worship in the Gurdwara is mostly sung, because Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is written as poetry and music. Listening to or singing kirtan can soothe the mind and bring you closer to the sangat.

Cleveland Clinic lists humming, chanting and singing among simple ways to help calm the nervous system.

Ideas

• Join kirtan at the Gurdwara or a family program
• Learn one Shabad that comforts you
• Play kirtan while cooking, driving or getting ready for bed
• Sing with children or grandparents

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

Meditation is usually low-risk, but a small number of people feel more anxious or low during practice. It should not replace care from a provider or delay getting help.

Japji Sahib opens Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, starting with the Mool Mantar, which ends with “By Guru’s Grace” (Ang 1). Many Sikhs recite it in the early morning.

Sukhmani Sahib, by Guru Arjan Dev Ji, is often read for comfort in times of worry, illness or loss. It includes the lines on Ang 262 about remembrance and peace.

Ways to take part

• Join a family or Gurdwara Sukhmani Sahib path
• Listen to a recording while resting
• Read one Ashtapadi (section) a day instead of all at once

Sohila, “The Song of Praise”, appears on Ang 12. Many Sikhs recite it at bedtime. Ending the day with Gurbani can help settle a busy mind before sleep.

A calm bedtime routine

• Dim the lights and put screens away
• Recite or listen to Sohila
• Say a short Ardas, handing over the day’s worries
• Take five slow breaths with “Waheguru”

When depression, grief or exhaustion makes reading hard, listening to Paath or kirtan is still a way of keeping Gurbani close. Doing a little with love matters more than doing it all.

Writing down lines of Gurbani that speak to you, with the Ang, means comfort is close at hand on a hard day.

Lines from this guide to start with

• Ang 103: why should I feel any fear or anxiety?
• Ang 262: meditate in remembrance of Him, and find peace
• Ang 522: make the effort, and you shall live
• Ang 625: all the cares and anxieties of my mind are dispelled

Much worry comes from trying to control what we cannot: other people’s choices, the past, the future. Accepting Hukam can loosen that grip and bring peace, especially in times of illness, loss or uncertainty.

Acceptance does not mean you must accept harm or unfairness. Sikhi also teaches standing up for justice. It means making peace with what truly cannot be changed.

Ang 522 links effort with life and peace. When we are low, even small efforts feel huge. But each step, like getting outside, calling a friend or keeping an appointment, helps the mind recover.

Effort for your mental health might be

• Booking and keeping an appointment with a counselor
• Keeping a regular sleep and meal routine
• Moving your body for a few minutes each day
• Talking honestly with someone you trust

When a worry feels heavy, it helps to sort it into two parts: what is in your hands (effort), and what is not (Hukam). This keeps you from carrying burdens that are not yours to carry.

Try it

1. Write down the worry.
2. List what is in your control.
3. List what is not.
4. Choose one small action from the first list.
5. For the second list, say a short Ardas, handing each one over to Waheguru.

Guru Arjan Dev Ji writes: “Like the child, innocently making thousands of mistakes”, whose father teaches and scolds him many times, “but still, he hugs him close in his embrace.” Then comes the prayer: “Please forgive my past actions, God, and place me on Your path for the future” (Ang 624).

Mistakes do not end the relationship. The same Shabad calls Waheguru “the honor of the dishonored.” What matters is turning back toward the path, and taking the next step.

Bhagat Kabeer Ji writes: “Where there is forgiveness, there is God Himself” (Ang 1372). And Baba Farid Ji says: “Farid, answer evil with goodness; do not fill your mind with anger” (Ang 1381).

Holding on to anger can keep the mind replaying a hurt again and again. Forgiveness, in time, can free your own heart.

Try this

1. Sit quietly, or stand with palms together, and say “Waheguru” a few times.
2. Name honestly what you feel guilty about.
3. Ask for forgiveness in your own words, or with the Ang 624 prayer.
4. If someone was hurt, think of one way to make it right, if it is safe.
5. Picture setting the weight down. Breathe out slowly.
6. Choose one small act of seva or kindness for today, as a fresh start.

Guru Arjan Dev Ji writes: “Becoming kind and compassionate, God the Lord and Master Himself listens to my prayer.” The next line says “all the cares and anxieties of my mind are dispelled” (Ang 625).

You can talk to Waheguru about anything: exams, family worries, health, loneliness, hopes for the future. Nothing is too small.

Many Sikhs pray “Tera bhana meetha lage”, asking that Waheguru’s Will may feel sweet to them. Gurbani says: “Your actions seem so sweet to me” (Ang 394), and “Whatever God does, I accept that as good” (Ang 1299).

This acceptance is not giving up. As the Hukam section above explains, Sikhi pairs acceptance with effort (Ang 522). Pray for the future, do your part, and trust Waheguru with the rest.

The daily Ardas closes with Chardi Kala, rising spirits, and a prayer for the good of all. Praying for a better tomorrow, then taking one step toward it, joins hope with effort.

Try it

1. Picture one part of your life you hope will be better.
2. Make a short Ardas for it in your own words.
3. Ask for guidance about your part.
4. Write one small step for this week.
5. Hand the outcome over to Waheguru, and say “Waheguru” with a slow breath.

Gurbani calls air the Guru (Ang 8), and Guru Nanak Dev Ji writes: “Wonderful is the wind, wonderful is the water” (Ang 464). Every breath is a gift.

Slow breathing calms the body. Cleveland Clinic suggests breathing in for four seconds and out for six, and also suggests humming, chanting or singing, much like Simran and kirtan.

Water is honored as a father who sustains life (Ang 8). Many Gurdwaras have a sarovar, and many Sikhs begin Amrit Vela with a bath (ishnaan) before Nitnem.

Water also calms the body: Cleveland Clinic lists splashing cold water on your face as one simple way to help settle the nervous system.

Ways to use water to cope

• Make your morning ishnaan a slow, mindful start to the day.
• Sit by a river, lake or sarovar and listen for a few minutes.
• When overwhelmed, splash cool water on your face and say “Waheguru”.

If the earth is our Great Mother (Ang 8), caring for it is a kind of seva. Tending 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

• Grow a few plants or vegetables at home
• Grow vegetables that could one day go to langar
• Help with a Gurdwara or community garden as seva
• Pick up litter in a park with family or sangat

In the Aarti, Guru Nanak Dev Ji describes all of nature as worship: “In the bowl of the sky, the sun and moon are the lamps; the stars in the constellations are the pearls.” The wind is the fan, “and all the vegetation are flowers in offering to You” (Ang 663).

Looking at a wide sky, a mountain or the stars can bring awe. Researchers call this feeling 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.

Amrit Vela, the early hours before dawn, 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 Simran.
• Open a window during your morning Nitnem and let the birds join in.
• Put out water or grain for birds as a small seva to creation.

Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji includes the Alaahanees, “Songs Of Mourning”, in Raag Wadahans by Guru Nanak Dev Ji (beginning on Ang 578). Their place in Gurbani shows that sorrow at a death is part of being human.

You do not need to hide tears to show faith. You can grieve and still trust Waheguru.

Sikhs generally cremate the body. Family members bathe and dress the body, community members say prayers together, and the ashes are usually placed in flowing water.

Customs can differ between families and Gurdwaras. Your Granthi can explain what is usual in your sangat, and help you plan.

Some people feel guilty for crying, or worry that grieving means weak faith. Others feel angry, numb or far from Waheguru. These feelings are a normal part of grief, not a failure of faith.

Things that may help

• Do a small seva in your loved one’s memory
• Keep a Shabad or line of Gurbani that reminds you of them
• Let the sangat bring meals and sit with you
• Talk about the person you lost, and share stories

Many people visit in the first days. Grief often feels loneliest weeks or months later, when everyone else has gone back to normal life.

Ways to help

• Check in on hard dates, like birthdays and anniversaries
• Help with cooking, errands or childcare
• Listen more than you speak
• Say the person’s name, and share a good memory

For most people, the pain of grief softens slowly over time. If grief stays so heavy that you cannot manage daily life for a long time, or you think about not wanting to live, please talk to a counselor or your clinical provider.