When one hears the word, “pandemic”, one is gripped with fear. One worries about the safety of their loved ones, unaccomplished deeds and maybe even their own self until one day one realizes that life and death were never in their hands. And yet one continues to go to bed with plans for the next day, a reflection of a heart full of hope and no fear.

When I was asked to start working with COVID patients, my first thought was, “What will happen to my parents?” My work will expose them to risk. Why has the virus affected us so much? Maybe because it forced us to reflect on the fragility of life. It made us all take a moment to reidentify our priorities and act accordingly. Maybe the only lesson we truly needed to learn was of being in balance – balance of our mind and heart, of ourselves with nature, of the material and spiritual.

And the Universe in all its glory has been there through innumerable and ever available resources to guide us in a way specific to each of us. I’ve dealt with a lot of patients in these last few months, affected with a disease which science hasn’t provided a solution for. Of the things we can do, we must increase and improve our immunity. A good and balanced mental health is the greatest contributor for the same.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Heartfulness global guide, Daaji has emphasized over and over again the importance of good health, exercise, yoga, meditation, and rejuvenation. While that does not make people immortal, it does make one realize that a disciplined meditation practice will bring about such profound changes, that life on Earth starts to have a meaning. The attitude of fear and doubt gets replaced by faith, humility and gratitude.

I remember once reading one of the Harry Potter books where the headmaster of the school, Albus Dumbledore says,

“Happiness can be found,
even in the darkest of times,
if one only remembers
to turn on the light.”

For those who require a more scientific explanation, Dr. Bruce Lipton has conducted studies in the field of Epigenetics – a field which tells us about the effect, our subconscious mind has on our genes. Those very genes that we have grown up believing that we are victim to, we now realize are the very genes we can switch on or off and maybe even regulate. All it requires is our attitude and that alone can cultivate the condition of the heart. We can all develop the habit of being better than we were yesterday.

Daaji has always said that the call of the heart has to be so sincere that the Universe is compelled to listen and turn its attention towards you. And since I’ve never been regular with my practice of meditation, I spent a great deal of time wondering why I would be helped. But in his wisdom, the blessings I received disguised as obstacles and pain, my heart had nowhere to turn but to the Universe. And even though I realized things retrospectively, my doubt of “Why me?” was replaced with gratitude because “It’s me!”

In the words of J.K. Rowling, “Help will always be available to those who ask for it”. And for this and so much more, no amount of gratitude will ever be enough!