Informative

Cultivating Inner peace

ॐ द्यौ: शान्तिरन्तरिक्षँ शान्ति: पृथ्वी शान्तिराप: शान्तिरोषधय: शान्ति: ।

वनस्पतय: शान्तिर्विश्वे देवा: शान्तिर्ब्रह्म शान्ति: सर्वँ शान्ति:, शान्तिरेव शान्ति:, सा मा शान्तिरेधि ॥

 ॐ शान्ति: शान्ति: शान्ति: ॥

Constructed around 2900 years ago in India, Upanishads are one of the most ancient scriptures known to humanity. The above Mantra is from Upanishads, part of the Shanti Mantras, or peace Mantra, praying for universal peace. It says, may the peace radiating the sky, as well as in space.

May peace rule all over the earth. May all the plants, water, trees, and creepers be filled with peace. May peace cover the entire universe. May the supreme Divine Bhrahmam be the peace itself, and may everything exist in all peace, and peace all alone.

This Mantra shows how much importance has been given to peace by our ancient and wise ancestors. But inner peace is not a switch you will be able to turn on as per your wish. It’s a state, which needs lifelong work to achieve, asking for your commitment for a lifetime. In this blog, we are discussing how spirituality can show us the path to attain inner peace.    

What is inner peace?

 Being peaceful does not mean being serious all the time. Nor does it mean being quiet, idle, devoid of energy, or reserved. Inner peace shows up when body, mind, and soul are in a perfect balance. Inner peace is achieving happiness, being connected with yourself, being the best version of yourself, having clarity, and a calm inner self. Inner peace means letting go of the superficial things and thoughts that don’t matter.

Life is filled with stress triggers. But inner peace is a conscious state of mental, physical, and spiritual calmness, even in the presence of those triggers. Inner peace has the knowledge, courage, and understanding to keep yourself strong even being under stress. Inner peace means no overthinking. It means a deliberate state of contentment, happiness, love, and peace in every day, every hour, every minute of our life.   

Why inner peace eludes us?

 We put a condition on happiness. You think, when I get this, I will finally be happy. But that day never comes when we become entirely content with what we have and ultimately be satisfied. Society has taught us to hide our emotions. We think we will look vulnerable if we show what we indeed are, and hence, we put on many masks before we enter society. But inner peace can never be achieved by being someone else, different from the authentic yourself.

One of the main reasons behind our unsuccessful search for inner peace is suppressed anger. Many people think that inner peace means never being angry. They try to suppress their anger, even the most natural one. In reality, when appropriately utilized, anger can be turned into personal power. By harnessing the energy of anger, one can come up with constructive solutions to their life problems.

Comparison is another reason behind the lack of inner peace. In this age of social media, our subconscious mind constantly compares our life with others. With almost impossible to match social parameters, we constantly judge ourselves and put excessive pressure on ourselves to be happy. Lack of self-confidence and being ashamed of our past are two mega obstacles on the path of inner peace. By accepting what we are, we open the door for progress and realize that memories of the past are part of what we are.

What happens when you achieve inner peace?

 People surrounding you affect your mood, way of thinking, feelings, and behavior. Seeker on the path towards achieving inner peace avoids toxic people and surrounds himself with great people. He let go of the victim mentality and accepted his responsibility. Seekers with inner peace seek everlasting joy in simple things. They stop chasing momentary pleasures.

Instead of impressing people, the seeker who is seeking inner peace pursues perfection. While doing so, they accept that they are going to fail and make mistakes on the way. Achieving inner peace shatters the grudges you hold for decades.

Cultivating inner peace

 Modern life, powered by intelligent technology, takes a heavy toll on us. Even though technology has brought us together, we are always on the ‘On’ mode to respond, ask, speak, and express ourselves, often unnecessarily. We are anxious, stressed, worried, and confused. We are constantly searching for a secluded space, looking for some amount of peace, and spirituality provides that much-needed shelter to us. Through various techniques, one can find the true path towards inner peace.

1. Digital Detox: It’s a fact that social media enhances anxiety, unhealthy comparison, unnecessary feuds, unhappiness, and makes us self-centered individuals. While browsing through the photos of your friends having the time of their life on a vacation, you never realize that absolutely no one posts their worst moments on social media. 

Everyone posts their best moments on social platforms, and even those are often scripted. If you spend too much time on social media, you must be very careful, as social media can disrupt whatever inner peace you had in you. Having some time from social media is very nurturing for your life satisfaction, self-confidence, and inner peace.

2. Self-acceptance, self-confidence, and self-love: rule of thumb is that the harsh world seems reasonable when you love yourself. Self-hatred is a significant thing that hampers our inner peace. Doing what makes you happy lifts your spirit and gives you a much-needed booster dose of self-satisfaction.

Exercise is an excellent way to self-love. A great workout not just releases happy hormones like endorphins but also makes you feel good about yourself. With physical exercise and hobbies, you just feel good about yourself. And feeling good is the first step towards inner peace.

Solar Plexus Chakra is responsible when it comes to self-acceptance, self-love, and self-confidence. This Chakra plays a significant role in our life, even before birth. ‘Ram Namah’ is the Mantra for activating, balancing, and cleansing the Solar Plexus Chakra. Next time, when you sit for meditation, try the above powerful Mantra to bring in much-needed self-love.   

3. Removing negativity: It’s human nature to dwell on negative thoughts, dreams, incidences, and habits. But negativity in life is the easiest way to destroy your inner peace. So, instead of concentrating on negative things in our lives, we begin to get our inner peace back when we look at the positive sides.

Simple Tantric solutions, like lighting a Ghee (clarified butter) lamp, can attract positivity in your surroundings. Lighting an oil lamp repels negativity surrounding you. Keeping alum in the corner of the house and disposing of it after a couple of days effectively removes the negative thoughts.

4. Meditation: It is said that a human being has 6200 thoughts per day. Few are positive, constructive, and helpful, but the rest are harmful, dark, useless, and self-doubting. Meditation is evident among all to bring back and enhance the inner peace within us. It’s about pausing all the thoughts for some time and giving our overworking brain a well-deserved break.

Vipashyana is a meditation method, concentrating on the delicate balance between mind, body, and soul. You turn on the mode of self-observation from a third perspective after you practice the Vipashyana long enough. It makes us aware of our thoughts, feelings, emotions, and reactions. Putting it all together, meditation accompanies you on a path, leading towards inner peace.     

We hope this blog helped you to gain some insight into inner peace. 

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