Cultivating Inner Peace

Last week, we talked about how to get back to our center when life disrupts us. This week, let’s dive a little deeper: How do we really live from that centered place? How do we make choices that feel right for us and help us find lasting peace inside? 

It's one thing to find your balance when things are chaotic. But living from center, day after day, decision after decision, that’s where the true practice lies.

Photo by Nils Leonhardt on Unsplash

Develop Faith: We must believe everything will work out, even if we can’t see it now. Faith gives us inner peace to move past chaos. I remember feeling down and wanting to cry. I felt drained but didn’t want to stay stuck.

Instead of giving in, I chose to dance. I put on my favorite upbeat Pandora station and danced around my living room. The music lifted my spirits. I was still sad, but I had taken a step to make myself happy.

A friend called and asked if I wanted to grab a bite. I was tempted to say no, but I chose to say yes. The company was a wonderful distraction, and I felt a shift in my energy. We laughed, shared stories, and the weight lifted.

I realized I needed to keep taking positive steps. I held onto faith that dancing, connecting with friends, and seeking joy would slowly pull me out of the funk. This belief gave me strength, reminding me that light can always shine through even in the darkest times.

Focus on Purpose:  In moments of chaos, hold tight to your life purpose. It's a core part of who you are. When I focus on adding value each day, it gives me a sense of calm and grounding.

This morning, my purpose was to find balance, not just in the future, but right now. Balance means finding harmony between work and happiness. Yesterday, I picked lunch with a colleague instead of eating at my desk, turning a regular break into a chance to connect and laugh. Later, I made game night with friends a priority over endless chores. 

Every small choice shows how much I care about what truly matters. By keeping my purpose in mind, I become more aware of the decisions that feed my soul. This intention acts like my guide, helping me navigate through chaos and making sure I not only survive but truly thrive.

MAKING DECISIONS FROM CENTER 

When I catch myself spiraling into fix-it mode, I've learned to pause and ask: "What would my harmony self do?" This simple question helps shift my perspective and changes the way I make decisions. Sometimes the answer is ‘nothing; not yet.’ Other times, it might inspire a small, grounded action. Importantly, these decisions come from a different place, not from fear of what might happen, but from a place of trust in what’s unfolding.

For instance, I ordered a couch cover online but soon found myself in a predicament. I received an email confirming my order and tracking number, but as a month flew by with no updates, I began to feel a sense of panic set in. I couldn’t call, only email the company, and when I did, I was met with silence. Red flags popped up all around me, making it easy for fear to take over.

Instead of reacting impulsively, I paused and took a deep breath, remembering my commitment to staying centered. I allowed myself to consider different possibilities. Rather than fixating on the worst-case scenario, I allowed new ideas to surface. I sent another email to the company, laying out my situation clearly, but I also reassured myself with a note: if I don't hear back soon, I’ll contact the ordering company for further assistance.

The moment I took that grounded action, I felt my anxiety start to dissolve. On the exact date I reached out to the original company, I received an immediate email response stating that they would contact the facility on my behalf. A few days later, I was relieved to have my money returned without further complications.

This experience reinforced how being centered influences my decision-making. Rather than reacting from a place of fear, I chose to trust in the process and engage with the situation calmly. By grounding myself in harmony and clarity, I navigated the uncertainty with grace and allowed solutions to unfold organically. This approach not only eased my concerns but also empowered me to take thoughtful actions, ultimately steering me toward resolution.

LIVING THE PRACTICE

This week, notice: When do you feel centered? What throws you off balance? And most importantly, what brings you back? 

The practice isn't about never losing your center. It's about recognizing when you've drifted and knowing the path home. When you feel your energy shift, pause. Is it a stressful email? A chaotic commute? Something deeper? You have the power to respond differently. 

Your centeredness is always within reach. Start with one practice from these two weeks, just one. Notice what shifts. The outer chaos doesn't have to change for your inner peace to take root.

Inspirational Quotes to Reflect On

“Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace.” — The Dalai Lama

“Every breath we take, every step we make, can be filled with peace, joy, and serenity.” 

— Thich Nhat Hanh

Coming Home to Center

“Every day brings a choice: to practice stress or to practice peace.” — Joan Borysenko

I'm in a tight squeeze. I'm in the process of making some changes, and it's bringing a lot of chaos, uncertainty, insecurities, and fears into my life, as changes will do. One of my deepest desires is to be able to look chaos in any form, of any magnitude, square in the eye, and levitate up to the next level of not letting any of the anarchy affect my inner homeostasis. Whatever the drama is at work, family, friends, worldly, financial, school, or natural disasters; I don't want any of it to disturb my inner peace.

Photo by Dingzeyu Li on Unsplash

THE PROBLEM: LIFE OFF-CENTER 

I often say that I desire to be the glowing yogi in a mosh pit, untouched and at ease. My biggest fear is someone knocking me off balance and getting trampled. My fantasy is to be floating there in the lotus position in the middle of it all, with pushing and shoving going on around me, yet I remain at ease, guarded by my peaceful light.

Keeping this vibe of peace is hard to do sometimes when we are faced with the challenges of life. Winds of change blow through our lives daily, and unpredictable circumstances happen regularly that are beyond our control. My brain rushes to "fix" everything, and if something comes up that doesn't go according to my plan, I spend sleepless nights trying to figure out what to do. I will solicit advice from friends, loved ones, colleagues, and my dog, scouring the Internet for hints and solutions. Yet, this approach leads me away from embodying that peaceful yogi.

THE SHIFT: RECOGNIZING THE MIRROR 

When we recognize that life is our mirror, we begin to understand that the outer chaos merely represents our mental state. If we can quiet our inner chaos, our outer chaos will simmer. However, too often we get this process backward, and that is why it takes us so long sometimes to tame all of the ruckus: We don't take the time to first quiet our mental noise.

This reflection prompts us to consider the intricacies of our inner world and its influence on our surroundings. So the question becomes: how do we quiet that inner chaos when life is genuinely difficult? How do we return to center when everything around us is spinning?

DAILY PRACTICES FOR RETURNING TO CENTER

Visualize the Outcome: Before my feet hit the floor each morning, I take a few deep breaths and picture the kind of day I want. I imagine myself feeling centered and calm, not just hoping challenges disappear, but seeing myself staying grounded while facing them. I picture supportive friends around me, feeling their warmth and encouragement. This practice shifts my nervous system from reacting to responding, so I can approach each moment with clarity. It takes maybe three minutes, but it changes everything. I'm not just dreaming of a better day; I’m preparing myself to embrace it, whatever comes.

Train Your Subconscious: Feeling our desires matters more than just thinking them. I take small, real steps throughout my day. Before work, I pause at my kitchen table to breathe, giving myself stillness instead of rushing into chaos. I pet my kitty, feeling her soft fur—it grounds me. On my drive, I play uplifting podcasts that make me smile. At work, when overwhelm creeps in, I redirect: I focus on recent wins, seek joy in conversations, notice beauty outside my window. Each small action cultivates the calm I desire, transforming ordinary moments into anchors of peace.

THE PRACTICE OF EMBODIMENT

Being centered isn’t just about your mind; it’s also about how your body feels. When I’m centered, my shoulders soften, my breathing gets deeper, and my jaw loosens up. But when things get hectic, my body usually tells me first: a tight chest, shallow breaths, and clenched fists.

One easy thing I do is focus on my breathing and bring my attention inward, instead of getting caught up in all the external chaos. When I let my mind wander to everything around me, anxiety and urgency take over. But when I turn my focus inward, breathe deeply, and feel my feet on the ground, I find a sense of inner peace.

I imagine my kitties, so relaxed and content, just watching the world go by without a care in the world. They remind me that taking care of myself is the most important thing. Even when the world is spinning, I can take deep breaths and reconnect with my inner calm. In that centered space, I find the clarity and strength to handle whatever comes my way.

These practices help us find our way back to the center when we’ve drifted. But the true challenge is learning to live from that centered place. How do we make decisions from that center? How do we nurture inner peace that keeps us going through life’s ups and downs? 

Next post, we'll explore living the practice.

Healing Begins Within

Spring invites us to clean; to open windows, sweep corners, and clear what's accumulated. Fresh air rushes in, and suddenly we see it: dust bunnies swirling in the sunlight. Our instinct is to grab the broom and sweep them away. But what if we paused instead? What if we asked: What is this dust? Where did it come from? What might it be trying to teach us?"

Photo by imsogabriel stock on Unsplash

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I Am Done Being Fixed

Dust,
Dirt,
Friend or foe?

Swirling,
Tumbling,
Swaying around,

Visible,
Invisible,
Encompassing.

Above us, below us,
And in between,
Lurking mysteriously everywhere.

Do I keep you,
Or toss you away?

I wonder when we’ll meet again?

Until I witness the dance of light,
how each flake carries what’s breaking down,

Not debris to discard,

But matter in transition,

Finding its way back to Earth. 

I am done being fixed;
I am learning to heal.

They call it dirt;
I call it becoming:

In the soil, patience without pressure, 

Roots seek their way,
Trusting what’s happening beneath the surface,
Where the seeds know without trying.

What grows in the dark
Is not just survival,
But a vibrant blossoming.

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The poem speaks to a feeling we all experience: standing before what's accumulated, wanting to sort, judge, and sweep it all away. But dust and soil are kin. One is nuisance; the other, nourishment. The real difference isn’t in what they are, but in whether we're willing to trust the breaking down..

Healing is about something different from fixing. It doesn’t ask us to sort through our mess and decide what to keep or throw away. Instead, it encourages us to trust what happens when we stop trying to control everything and simply allow.Like soil that regenerates not through intervention but through patient decomposition, we don’t need to be rebuilt. We just need to remember that we're already whole, already becoming.