Peace Manifest

Recently I was posed a great question from a wonderful, sincere student.... "How do I hold on to Peace? In Yoga class, I feel peaceful and relaxed and in the moment, but when I'm not practicing, that feeling of connection to and peace in the moment seems so elusive."

Peace and contentment can be fleeting for even the most earnest Yogis. We live in a world with so much to distract us. Our culture is so stimulating, and the pace the general population operates at is astounding, and we've grown so accustomed to immediate action and reaction. It takes conscious effort to draw ourselves out of the whirlwind and rest in the moments. The practice of Yoga is certainly helpful in making our bodies and minds relax, but if we do not cultivate mindful practices in to our daily living, we will likely spin out into the vortex of incessent stimulation.

There are lots of creative ways to live a mindful life. Practicing Yoga asana and pranayama and having a meditation practice are obvious to us Yogis. But bringing mindfulness in to your life off the mat and cushion is a constant challenge. For me, it involves everything from the way I go about my daily chores and interactions, the way I speak in relationship, to the choices I make from the mudane to the life-changing ones. A "mindful" life implies perhaps a constant state of peacefulness, which is a grande goal, but, for most us, especially the irreverent types ;-), the reality is that we experience a wide range of human emotion in the course of our work, relationships and daily lives. Can I be mindful when I feel anger? When I am hurt? When I am frustrated? Of course, it's much easier to be mindful when all you have on your plate is the pretty stuff, when everyone is getting along, when you feel well, when your needs are getting met. We need to begin by meeting ourselves where we are at at any given moment. Recognize the sensation of the moment, the rising emotion for what it is. I literally try to breathe in to whatever is arising. It gives me pause. Time to be fully there, whether I am experiencing pain or pleasure or something in between. I try hard, altho I am not perfect, to use mindful words and action, which again involves a moment of pause to discern truth from knee-jerk reacting. That gets pretty challenging when emotions are charged.

I think there is another layer of cultivating a mindful existence, which is about taking time for reflection. Personally, what works best is sitting practice , but I've also taken many long walks with my dog, hikes alone in the woods, listened to music, sat by some body of water or gazed at the stars. In the reflective space, I can see more clearly how my moment-to-moment attempts at mindfulness are actually working out. It is often in the reflective moments that I gain valuable insight and compassion to the 'other side' of any given story, and can then take corrective actions if need be. I am far from perfect, but I do strive to be truthful in my quest for the mindful life. So if I need to right a wrong or acknowledge an oversight or mispoken word, I do that. If forgiveness is in order, towards myself (I can be kinda rough on little ole me), or extended to another, I can do that. Reflection just gives me another layer of cultivating mindfulness, beyond the moment of action and interaction. Mixed up in the mindful life is the ability to be compassionate, to be forgiving and accepting, to be truthful and loving...with ourselves first, and then to others. This is what gives me a deep, more pervasive sense of peace.