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Inspiration comes from action
I became the proud new owner of a delicious first edition of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s Commentary on the Bhagavad Gītā this week. It arrived in perfect condition from upstate New York, where I found it nestled in an antique store surrounded by afghan carpets and 100-year-old china cups (or so the internet tells me). My old copy got mouldy, so I took it as a sign to upgrade. I’d been itching to read it again, so when I saw this very pretty copy online I jumped on it, and dove straight in as soon as it arrived. As I started reading, I knew why I’d been feeling so inspired to start reading again. It often happens that you pick up a book or watch a movie and it’s exactly what you needed to read or hear in that moment.
For those unfamiliar, the Bhagavad Gītā , or ‘Song of God’, is a piece within the vast Indian epic, the Mahābhārata. The story begins on the cusp of a great battle. Our hero, Arjuna, surveys the battlefield and sees his own family, teachers, and friends arrayed against him. Stricken, he sets down his bow. How could he harm those he loves? And yet, to refuse to act, to shrink from his duty, would allow even greater destruction to unfold. His paralysis at this moment of decision is achingly human - a mirror of our own hesitations when life demands movement.
What follows is Krishna’s teaching: a discourse on dharma, right action, and the inevitability of evolution. The Gītā reveals that action aligned with truth is not optional; it is the very means by which life restores balance. Suppressing what must move only builds pressure until it bursts forth. The invitation is not to act recklessly, but to act from Being, to align with the deeper current that is already carrying us forward.
Reading these verses felt very alive for me. Lately, I’ve been sitting with the question of when to act or when to trust the inner nudge rather than wait for mental certainty. The Gītā offered me this reminder: clarity does not always precede action. It is often born from it. And sometimes, like Arjuna, we only discover our strength when we pick up the bow.
The Illusion of Perfect Readiness.
So often, we wait. We wait for the moment to feel perfectly clear, for the heart and the mind to arrive at the same conclusion, for the circumstances to be aligned just so. We imagine that one day, the path will appear fully lit and unmistakable. But the reality of life is that clarity rarely comes first. In the Vedic view, knowledge is structured in consciousness. This means it unfolds step by step, in time, through action and experience. Waiting for everything to feel certain before we move can leave us suspended in hesitation, circling around the same inner dialogues. Our feeling already knows, but our mind resists. And yet, it is the leap, sometimes clumsy, sometimes ungraceful, that reveals the next step, the hidden bridge we couldn’t see from the ledge.
Learning through movement.
Maharishi often reminded us to “do less, accomplish more. Do nothing, accomplish everything.” This is not a call to passivity but to right action; action born of Being not from stress and strain. When we touch the source of thought in meditation, inspiration naturally arises. But inspiration is not always dramatic or overwhelming. Sometimes it is a subtle nudge, a whisper that can be drowned out if we wait for the mind to rationalise it into a safe and coherent plan.
Modern psychology echoes this truth. I’ve heard it explained like this: our conscious mind is like a narrow spotlight, while the unconscious mind (our intuition, embodied knowing, feeling) is more like a vast floodlight. By taking a step, even without certainty, we engage this wider field of intelligence. When we do this we gain capacity, a maturing of our ability to meet the moment. Capacity can only be cultivated through doing, through leaning into the unknown and allowing it to shape us.
This is why action itself is evolutionary. The more we move, the more feedback we receive from life. The environment begins to teach us through synchronicities, through the people and opportunities that arrive, through the subtle shifts in energy when we are aligned or misaligned. We don’t need to fabricate certainty in our minds. Life is showing us, constantly, what the next move is.
Moving as inspiration.
What would it be like to shift our orientation, to stop waiting for inspiration before we act, and instead allow action itself to be the source of inspiration? To risk imperfect movement and to trust that the next step will appear only as our foot touches the ground. In the Vedic understanding, evolution is unstoppable. The current of life is always carrying us forward. Our only real choice is whether we resist or flow with it.
When we allow ourselves to stumble, to leap before we are ready, we open ourselves to being guided by something larger than our own mental constructs. We begin to notice how supported we are when we say yes, even if it’s an unsure yes. Over time, we grow in capacity, resilience, and grace. Movement is not separate from inspiration. Movement is inspiration. Life meets us not in the holding back, but in the stepping forward.
With love,
Sarah
Resources to explore.
Read Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s Commentary Chapters 1-6 of the Bhagavad Gītā. If you can try and source an older edition of the book! You may have to do a little internet search.
Group meditation timetable.
Join us this week for a group meditation and wisdom session. Open to all Vedic meditators. Please book in via the timetable.
Tuesday 26 August - 6pm-7pm AEST online with Sarah O’Brien
Wednesday 27 August - 6pm-7:30pm group meditation in Castlemaine with Kathleen O’Brien
Wednesday 27 August - Every Wednesday 7am FREE meditation, swim and chai at Noosa Main beach. Open to anyone to attend. Tell your friends! Follow us @noosa_meditation to stay in touch.
Upcoming courses + offerings.
Gift yourself a lifelong practice for health, happiness, and deeper connection. Join our community and be supported for life. We currently teach in-person courses in:
MELBOURNE - NOOSA - CASTLEMAINE
11-14 September - Vedic meditation course in Noosa with Laura
26-29 September - Vedic meditation course in Melbourne (Elwood) with Laura
2-5 October - Vedic meditation course in Castlemaine with Kathleen
2-5 October - Vedic meditation course in Melbourne with Sarah
9-12 October - Vedic meditation course in Noosa with Laura
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Join Mahasoma in 2025 on retreat. Connect to yourself through deep practice, nourishing wisdom and community connection.
Learn Vedic meditation in Bali on retreat
19-22 September 2025 with Kathleen O’Brien
Who is Mahasoma?
The Mahasoma team is a feminine-led collective of Vedic meditation teachers, who choose to come together to create something greater than what could be done as individuals. Through working together they support the ever growing community of Mahasoma meditators by offering Vedic meditation courses, online and in-person group meditation and Vedic wisdom sessions, advanced trainings, and retreats. They are accredited Mental Health First Aiders and have been trained in pre- and/or postnatal support for women and families.
Want to know a little more on who and what we are? We’ve written a few things on our website you can check out. We would love to connect with you!
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So beautiful. Sending much love. ♥️