Reclaim Peace
January, you’ve felt like a thoroughly exhausting year crammed into a month. A time that should have been a gradual awakening in the new year, blanketed by hibernation and rest, instead brought waves of unnerving shifts and tumultuous headlines, from the California fires to sweeping political changes.
In an effort to protect our well-being, we can actively make choices: limiting exposure to constant news cycles, seeking out positive stories, connecting with loved ones for support, or simply retreating into solitude when needed. Yet, unease likes to linger. It seeps into quiet moments, a subtle tremor beneath the surface, and it persists.
We deserve calm. We deserve balanced nervous systems. But the outside world won’t ever give or guarantee peace and ease—we have to cultivate and maintain our inner steadiness and steadfastness.
Like walking into a blizzard without proper gear, we often face the challenges of daily life without adequate emotional protection. This month, let’s explore ways to create our own sanctuaries within ourselves, to cultivate inner peace amidst the uncertainty.
December’s journal focused on preserving the heritage of sacred practices, like yoga nidra. Yoga nidra is a body scan that involves a guided relaxation technique that helps reduce stress, improve sleep, and boost overall well-being. But December’s newsletter didn’t get into the practice itself and how to experience yoga nidra. Let’s rectify that, because we all need a practice to cultivate calm.
The actual nidra practice can take many forms, and it’s rare two nidra practices are exactly the same. And we learned last month, nidra goes by many other names. This month’s offering is in the style of yoga nidra, but the man who popularized this specific scan didn't call it nidra (that I’m aware of). The key elements are there, in a short, accessible format.
A Practice Inspired By Neuroscience
If you haven’t yet read neuroscientist Dr. Jim Doty’s inspiring book, “Into the Magic Shop,” get yourself a copy STAT. Now more than ever, we need stories of resilience and hope.
In this true story of a disadvantaged young boy’s journey into mindfulness and compassion, Doty recounts a profound childhood experience with a warmhearted mentor named Ruth. Ruth taught young Doty the ‘magic’ of a practice that opens doors to greater self-awareness, reduced stress, and a newfound sense of joy and wonder.
This transformative encounter profoundly affected his life, demonstrating the power of kindness and mindfulness, and it can help you, too, starting now.
The Practice
Create an uninterrupted time and space.
Sit quietly and focus on your personal intentions for this mindfulness practice.
Close your eyes.
Take three deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. Repeat until this pattern becomes intuitive and the breath itself is no longer a distraction.
Notice the sensations of how you are sitting. How does the chair or floor feel? What do you hear, taste, smell, and touch in your immediate space?
Now imagine you have an internal flashlight. Its gentle beam of light is controlled by your mind and focus.
While maintaining your soft, natural breathing pattern, focus solely on your toes, and relax them. Imagine all your toes melting and softening into spacious ease. Each toe you shine your internal flashlight on melts away softly.
Your thoughts will likely wander. Let that be OK. Redirect your focus anytime, simply by bringing your attention to your toes.
Move upward to relaxing both feet by drawing your awareness to the tops and bottoms of your feet and both ankles.
Once your toes and feet are both relaxed, draw your awareness upward to your calves, knees, and thighs, devoting the same mindful attention to each part of each leg.
Then, relax your abdomen and chest. Envision each organ softening, picturing your stomach, intestines, and lungs draping heavily with restful ease.
Connect to the feeling of calmness seeking you. Feel inspired you are mindfully tending to your spirit. Maintain a patient and kind attitude to yourself, repeating steps as needed and remembering to be patient.
Next, bring your attention to your heart and think of relaxing it, allowing your vision of it to soften and blur. See your heart rate comfortably slowing, and the heart easing back into your chest.
Observe yourself as just being, as if you were floating in water or soft grass. Notice the sense of warmth and calm that finds you when you allow a quieter state of being.
Continue to breathe in and out slowly, without control or force, but just watching and noticing the quiet volume of your breath. Continue like this for several minutes.
Intentionally recall this feeling, knowing you can always revisit it.
Then slowly open your eyes. Create a soft focus on something in front of you and sit with yourself for several more moments.
Even when the world feels turbulent, we can cultivate inner peace. In times of uncertainty, a consistent inner practice becomes a beacon of resilience.