Dear ,

The Buddha said:

“When a painful feeling touches an ordinary person, they worry, they grieve, they lament, they beat their breast and weep.

So they feel two kinds of pain — a physical pain and a mental pain.
It is as if an arrow struck them, and then, because of their reaction, they are struck by a second arrow.”

He continued:

“But when a wise person is touched by a painful feeling, they do not worry or grieve or lament. They feel only one kind of pain — the physical pain — like being struck by one arrow.”

“Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.” is the fundamental truth of existence. 

The first arrow is the pain we cannot avoid - aging, loss of a loved one, serious illness, losing a job, or any natural catastrophe, or an unpredictable situation. The second arrow is everything the mind adds on top of the first arrow.

It is: our interpretation, our emotional reaction, resistance, stories we tell ourselves, our fears about the future or replaying of the past.

If the first arrow is “This hurts,” the second arrow is “Why is this happening to me? This always happens… Things will never get better… I can’t handle this…”

It is self-inflicted pain. So either due to our conditioning, past trauma, or emotional wounds, we get stuck in a loop of misery and disappointment.   

Notice the first arrow, and become aware of the emotional pain or hurt it may have caused you. For example, if someone said something to you that you didn’t like, stop shooting the second arrow - by not getting furious or feeling hurt. Instead, become aware of your reaction and see the bigger picture. Maybe the person’s reaction is a reflection of his own insecurities and fear, and it has nothing to do with you.      

Practice of Yoga trains the body and mind to respond, not react.

Traditional yoga —when practiced mindfully and regularly — is essentially a training ground for learning how not to shoot ourselves with the second arrow. It trains our body and mind to breathe through the discomfort, to pause, notice and let go. 

✨Join Cahya Yoga classes to eliminate life’s inevitable arrows. Take up a session right now. 

Let your practice become the place where first arrows land softly,
And second arrows simply never arise.

Your healing begins the moment you say yes. I'm here to welcome you.