Peace is Found Within Yoga

Finding peace is something we all want. We are blessed to live in a county like Canada that has peace. But when it comes to our own lives, are we at peace in it? Life can be stressful, busy, hurtful, overwhelming & difficult. Daily we hear on the news & social media about events that happen all around the world that cause us to lose our peacefulness. We are empathetic beings, so their pain becomes our own. This pain can hit us at our core, the very place we are to find peace. I speak often about how we need to meet ourselves unconditionally, to be with all of our sensations & hear what they have to say. That means acknowledging our difficult feelings, thoughts & emotions, without going into the story of why they are there. Easier said than done, I know. This is where our yoga practice comes in. If our thoughts go to these difficult places, use of a mantra (a word or sound repeated to aid in concentration in meditation) to help quiet the busy mind can help. Helping us to find peace in the midst of difficulty. So Ham is one of my favorite mantras, it is simple, & is connected with the breath. It's meaning is "I am That I AM". Another way to meet ourselves unconditionally. That we are connected to something bigger than ourselves, the Divine, Energy, Love, Spirit.... your choice how you see this. Simply, when we inhale we say Sooooo in our mind (which sounds like our inhalation) & on the exhale say Hummmm (sounds like our exhalation). It has been called the universal mantra since it's vibration is already part of the breath & we ALL breathe.

If you are feeling so brave, even say it out LOUD by

inhaling to hear the sound of your breath... soooooo & exhale Hummmmm....

Once you find a some peace in your mind you can move mindfully in the body, again using the breath to focus the attention. If we let go of right & wrong, & just move in a way that is kind & deliberate, we can feel how the breath connects to the movement in your body, allowing peace to arise. When judgement comes up in a "pose" then, stop, find your breath & move from that breath in this moment, to allow this movement to be as it is. When we move this way, we can find a peace by making our movement a meditation in motion. We all want to find peace in our lives & out in the world. It can't be found outside of ourselves, peace is cultivated from the inside out. In the "finding of peace" in our practice, we realize, that peace is our True Nature & what we are doing is allowing it come come into the world from within us. As we move into this season that is said to be all about Peace & Love, find it first within yourself. Nurture it, let it grow & then share it with the world. Love ourselves unconditionally & that love will be felt by all those who are around us & our into the world. Om Shanti Shanti Shanti (Peace Peace Peace) Just in case you didn't have enough talk about about Peace & Love, here's the words of Imagine by John Lennon. I've been hearing it on the radio more often lately, probably cause we need to hear it more right now.....