Unlocking Inner Peace in Turbulent Times: Steps to Navigate Uncertainty

1. Get Quiet: The Path to Inner Stillness

Decide to meditate. The easiest way to meditate is to sit intentionally, quietly, and become aware of your breathing. Close your eyes and notice the feeling of your inhalation and exhalation. Let your breath become even and slow as you observe the cool air entering your nostrils and the warmer air moving out again. Post your inner gaze at the third eye center, that point between your eyebrows. You can add the word “peace” as your mantra. With inhalation, mentally say “peace.” With exhalation, repeat “peace.”

After sitting for a time focusing on your breathing and letting the word peace float in your mind, you’ll find that your restless thoughts have begun to settle. You’ll feel more relaxed physically and clear mentally. From there, simply let your awareness expand.

Sit. Be quiet. Be aware.

2. Gather Peace: Immersing in the Soul's Tranquility

Meditation can be like climbing a mountain. First, there is the step by step effort of consciously watching the breath. Then after reaching the summit of peace and clarity, just sitting and enjoying the view. Before we depart from that inner summit, we take time to gather up peace. We invite the soul’s peace to pervade our body, mind, emotions, and every situation in our life. We become fully aware of inner peace. We identify it. We notice what it feels like in our body, how it affects us mentally and emotionally. It’s like taking in the entire vista view—mindfully cultivating the felt sense of being there. When we are ready to conclude our meditation, we decide to take the peace with us that we have gathered up. It is a spiritual resource. We now consciously carry with us an antidote for stress. And, we have enough to share.

3. Share Peace: Translating Inner Calm to Outward Action

A powerful question for our times can be found in the Tao Te Ching:

Do you have the patience to wait

Till your mud settles and the water is clear?

Can you remain unmoving

Till the right action arises by itself?

With regular meditation and cultivation of inner peace, we can gather up peace within, and we can also share it. This happens in many ways. Our thoughts and speech become more conscious. We can share by remaining aware of the unconditional peace within us and silently offering to others. Or, we can speak. Just as we allowed our thoughts to settle in meditation, we let ourselves become inwardly quiet before we speak.

We intend to speak words that bring forth peace.

We choose actions that contribute to peace.

We have the patience to wait for the right words, and the right actions, to come.

We commit ourselves to it.

We stand on it.

We share it.