5 Ways to Feel Inner Peace

In February, I shared some ideas and practices to help you find inner stillness in order to make space for the feelings of inner peace to blossom. I hope you found it!  

Inner stillness is about finding a quiet, calm state of mind and body.  Inner peace is how you feel in that stillness, a sense of tranquility, harmony, acceptance, confidence, serenity, safety…even when life is challenging.  

Over time, the practices that quiet you on the inside (inner stillness) make it easier for the practices that soften you on the inside (inner peace) to take root.

So in March, let’s add that layer of emotion to our inner stillness as we cultivate inner peace.  Here are 5 ways you can add an emotional tone of kindness, compassion and tenderness to your quiet inner space.

 

1. USE PEACEFUL INTENTIONS AND AFFIRMATIONS
Intentions carry powerful energy. So I invite you to set the intention, every day, to feel the higher vibrational energy you want to embody and carry with you, such as peace, joy, serenity, love, confidence, and clarity.  To cultivate warm feelings of inner peace, set the intention to feel peaceful today. Then try repeating a positive affirmation like the ones below, or choose words that most evoke peace for you. Declare it to yourself, repeat it like a mantra — and notice the immediate emotional, even physical, shift these powerful words create

• I am peace
  
• I am peaceful and present
  
• I feel completely peaceful
  
• Peace flows through me with every breath
  
• My mind is calm, my heart is open, my soul is at ease
  
• I feel joy in this moment
  
• I choose serenity today
  
• I am safe and grounded and at peace with myself

Learn more about how to get the life you want through the power of intentions.

 

2. CHANT THE MANTRA OF PEACE
The beautiful Sanskrit mantra “OM SHANTI SHANTI SHANTI” is the mantra for peace.  OM is the primordial sound of the universe, SHANTI is the sound for peace thus invoking peace and harmony for all beings.  Repeating SHANTI three times enhances its meaning and invokes peace in mind, body, spirit, peace for past, present, future, peace for the inner world, outer world and divine realm.  Chant it aloud or repeat it silently to yourself whenever you wish to invoke peaceful feelings.  And it’s a beautiful way to end your yoga or meditation practice with an intention of peace for yourself and all beings.

Learn more about the secret power of Sanskrit mantra.

 

3. LET GO
One of the most powerful things you can do to support your journey to peace is to LET GO.  Letting go is the conscious practice of releasing your attachment to anything (feelings, thoughts, behaviours, people and things) that doesn’t serve you positively on your journey to find purpose, peace, joy and harmony.  It’s an incredibly powerful practice.  Try the Letting Go Breath for a few moments of precious self-care.  It’s wonderful practice you can do anytime and anywhere to find calm, feel peaceful and release any worries or concerns or troubling emotions you might be feeling.

• Sit upright or stand tall with your feet hip width apart
  
• Take a few cycles of breath through your nose to steady yourself.
  
• Inhale deeply through your nose.
  
• Exhale deeply through your mouth, letting go of all the breath, like a great big sigh. 
  
• Pause briefly.
  
• Then repeat two more times.
  
• As you exhale, feel your shoulders release tension, your jaw relax.  Notice how you feel.
  
• That’s it!

Learn more about how to figure out what you need to let go of (and why).

 

4. BE KIND 
Caring for others is a form of caring for yourself.  And doing something kind for somebody else is a way to cultivate the beautiful feelings of joy, hope, trust and, of course, inner peace. So think about what you can do today to help out a friend, family or even for a stranger in need.  Give an extra big tip to a good server, volunteer at a retirement home, babysit your busy friend's kids so that they can escape for a night on their own… There is no end to the kind things you can do for the people around you!  Your imagination has no limits.

Find 7 ways to change the world through kindness.

 

5. STAY IN GRATITUDE
Gratitude is a powerful practice to foster heart-felt feelings of peace.  As you recognize and marvel at the beauty, the bounty, the opportunities, the love and support that surrounds you, you foster deep feelings of inner peace.  Every moment, every encounter, every opportunity is a gift to be cherished. Just recognizing and appreciating all the goodness you have in your life right now will instantly make you feel more positive, peaceful and confident.  So make gratitude a part of your daily home practice. Take a minute (for example I always take the last minute of my meditation) to list in your mind or your journal 2 or 3 things you are grateful for.  

Find more practices to stay grateful everyday.

 

DISCOVER THE SHANTI COLLECTION, soul-indulging, elegantly earth-conscious yoga and meditation clothes designed with intention as an invocation of inner peace, peace in mind, body and spirit. 

And to support you as you live in your essential nature of universal peace.

Shanti Hum : I am Peace