As I wondered what to write about this week, I had only to tune in to my own life. The craziness of the holiday season has descended. Lists a mile long of things to get done. Presents to purchase. Packages to mail. Parties to attend. Someone else’s activities to facilitate. Baking to be done. On and on, more and more, faster and faster, just when the days are shortest, our energy the lowest, and our instinct to hibernate the strongest! The holiday wish for “Peace on Earth” seems absurd under this kind of strain. Inner Peace? In this Madness?
I propose to review the basics of the School of Peace. Because if anyone can teach us about attaining inner peace, it is our School of Peace friends. For them it is – if not “do or die,” it is certainly “do or suffer the consequences.”
Here’s what you are aiming for: The School of Peace at its best, offers an experience of safely, of feeling at home and at ease in our bodies, in this life, and on this planet. Essentially, inner peace. Calm. Even comfort.
Here’s the opposite: it’s the School of Peace’s Student Path experience: Chaos leading to either panic, or paralysis (or a hair raising, stupefying combination of the two). Feeling so overwhelmed you don’t know if to run in circles, scream, or go back to bed and never get up.
The biggest tool: Your breath. Breathing provides a space between stimulus and response. It is the chance to consider, to choose a different course of action, a different thought, a different focus, and a different emotional tone.
Other tips:
- Quit multi-tasking. You might feel like it gets more done, but when you are already feeling stressed, slowing down, breathing, and tackling one thing at a time will not only still get the job done well, you have a much better chance of enjoying the process, instead of just the results.
- Keep a balanced life. Schedule it that way, as much as is humanly possible, with time to play, time to work, time to eat, to rest, to share, and to be alone.
- Exercise. An absolute must for those in the School of Peace, exercise gets you in your body, connects you to your breath, and brings in some happy endorphins that provide a positive outlook and a relaxed perspective.
Coach’s Challenge: Make it all about Peace. That’s the core of this season. The pause to feel connected, to realize, for a day or a season, the real possibility of “Peace on Earth.” Decide each day what will give you the greatest sense of peace, and go for that. Leave a comment, share your journey! What gives you the experience of deep inner peace at this time of year?
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