It Begins With Peace by Lexie Wolf
During our time in India, Bill and I didn’t have much bandwidth, but we checked in briefly with the outside world most days. From halfway around the world it looked like there were just two local channels for much of January: snow, and monks!
It was a joy to witness the story of the monks walking right past the studio and stopping here in Pittsboro. The outpouring of love and inspiration they were met with reveals a deep longing: for meaning, for kindness and for a safe place to land. Unsurprising given the world we are living in. I’m really looking forward to tuning into this evening’s Love & Kindness Meditation livestream.
I am appreciating the simple teaching I kept seeing repeated on the socials: “Today is my peaceful day.” Not someday. Not when things settle down. Today! Yes.
Intentions really matter. And, I’ve also found that intentions tend to need some kind of structure if they’re going to hold up — especially when things are hard. It’s a lot to ask of any of us to cultivate inner calm from intention alone.
The best structure available I know for cultivating inner peace is meditation and learning to manage the mind.
I know, ho hum. Boring, not sexy. Yes, meditation requires daily commitment, patience, and a willingness to sit with yourself as you are. It’s not a quick fix or magic bullet, because there is no such thing. But it is the most effective way to shift how we experience life. And to create that safe and kind home inside yourself that holds you in true peace.
Left to its own devices, the mind is a prolific storyteller. Sometimes those stories are helpful. Very often they’re conditioned, untrue, or harmful. Repetitive. We can get swept up in them without realizing it, or realize it and still feel unable to interrupt the momentum. This isn’t fixed, happily. There is neuroplasticity; the mind is trainable.
I think it’s important to say here that this kind of inner work does not lead to checking out. It doesn’t dull the edges of life or float us above what’s happening. If anything, it does the opposite.
In my experience: meditation has not made me care less. It’s made me steadier so I can care more. I still feel deep sorrow. I still feel anger, and frustration. I still feel heartbreak. There is no invitation to spiritual bypassing. The feelings don’t go away and I don’t want them to. Rather, my capacity to be with them grows.
From that steadier place, I’m less reactive. Less likely to shut down. And more able to stay present, to listen, to respond, and to act in ways that feel aligned with my values.
Because inner peace is not necessarily the end goal. It’s the ground we stand on so we can move through the world and stay engaged with our eyes and hearts open — without being shattered by it. To meet the need of the hour - whatever that might be in your life - without being overwhelmed.
At Sattva Yoga, where Bill and I train, Yoga is taught as a multidimensional, integrated system. But in that system, the teaching we are given is that meditation is the foundation, the only non-negotiable daily practice.
There are two reasons. The first is what I’ve outlined here: to access a field of inner stability beneath the constant mental churn is necessary to live an effective and healthy and happy life.
The second reason is that the field of silence we access in meditation is the space where we connect with that which is greater than ourselves. That field of inner silence and stillness is the field of spiritual experience. If that’s not your thing and I’ve lost you here, no problem. Meditating for the stability, inner peace, and capacity is more than enough.
Today is my peaceful day. Tomorrow, too. See you there.
